Lillian Roberts re-elected for a third term
as Executive Director of District Council 37, AFSCME

Her Slate Takes All 20 Executive Board Seats

• Photo of swearing in ceremony
  

Lillian Roberts has been overwhelmingly re-elected for a third term as Executive Director of District Council 37, the city's largest municipal employee union with 121,000 members and 50,000 retirees. She was elected on January 23 at the Council's delegates meeting. Over 300 delegates, each representing several hundred union members, voted 83,486 for Ms. Roberts to 37,503 for Charles Ensley, who previously lost to Ms. Roberts in 2004.

Her entire slate of officers was re-elected unopposed: President Veronica Montgomery-Costa (president of Local 372 NYC Board of Education Employees), Secretary Clifford Koppelman (president of Local 1070 Court, County and Department of Probation Employees), and Treasurer Maf Misbah Uddin (president of Local 1407 NYC Accountants, Statisticians and Actuaries). Twenty positions on the DC 37 Executive Board that were up for election on January 23 all went to Ms. Roberts' supporters.

"I want to thank the members of this great union for their faith in me," said Ms. Roberts. "This union has been my life's work. It is an honor and a privilege to lead it. I always have and I always will put the members and services to the members first. It is the hard work and dedication of DC 37 members in providing city services that makes this city work. As the city prospers, so should our members.

"I have been Executive Director for five years. With the support of the members, we are once again fulfilling our promise as a proud, powerful union. I hope to achieve even greater solidarity and less dissention as we move forward. The scandals of the past are now ancient history.

"Today DC 37 is strong and united enough to negotiate one of the best contracts we've ever had. We are imaginative enough to develop a successful Affordable Housing program allowing our members to make their dreams of home ownership come true. We are tough enough to fight for the members' rights and grievances and to demand meaningful action from our elected leaders on issues of importance to our members. We are committed enough to initiate a child care program that will help our working families in need. We are farsighted enough to forge an even stronger future by negotiating our next contract with the City and fighting in Albany, in the City Council, and in Washington, D.C. for our members' rights and benefits.

"And we will always put the members first."

DC 37 is New York City's largest public employee union, representing 121,000 members and 50,000 retirees.