The Public Employee Press received 7 labor journalism awards May 3 at the annual conference of the Metropolitan New York Labor Communications Council.

DC 37 won additional honors as Amalgamated Professional Employees Local 154 and SSEU Local 371 took home awards in their categories. There were hundreds of entries in the contest, which covered issues published in 2001.

PEP won second place in general excellence among magazines and newspapers of national and local unions with circulations over 50,000. Metro also gave PEP an award for the "unique performance" of publishing its October, November and December 2001 issues from the homes of staff and three temporary sites while the DC 37 building was closed.

Individual awards included:

  • Associate Editor Diane S. Williams won first place in feature writing for "Privatization: Strategy for 2001."
  • Sr. Associate Editor Gregory N. Heires took second in news writing for "Union knocks out overtime mess in EMS," which described the hardships of the workers and the union's fight back.
  • Art Director Alyce Archer received second place in graphics for designing the "Victories of 2000" centerfold.
  • Former Contributing Editor Molly Charboneau was awarded third place in unique performance for articles on how the union fought to protect members' safety near Ground Zero and third in feature writing for "A chance and a job," which described the success of former WEPs in clerical-administrative jobs.
"Team effort"
Editor Bill Schleicher said the prizes resulted from a team effort by PEP's entire staff, which also includes Associate Editors Alfredo Alvarado and Jane Latour, Assistant Art Director Elroy Dobson Jr., Graphic Artist Pornima Tavkar, Editorial Assistant Sherry Springer, Typesetter Astley Haughton and Photographer George Cohen.

Local 154's Professional Touch newsletter won first place awards for graphics, a photograph and unique performance (a poem). The publication is written and edited by Editor-in-Chief Paula Sanders and Editor Annette Harewood with assistance from Ms. Charboneau and PEP's art staff.

Among newspapers with circulations between 15,000 and 50,000, The Unionist won second place for general excellence and awards for newswriting, graphics and an expose of terrible working conditions at a Coney Island Hospital clinic by Editor Martin Fishgold, who is also president of Metro.

Village Voice writer Tom Robbins got Metro's annual Distinguished Labor Communicator Award. Robbins has exposed unsafe working conditions and corrupt union officials for decades. As she presented the honor, Ms. Latour said, "No one digs deeper or hits harder. He's got a big heart, an inquiring intelligence and a gut instinct for social justice."