DC 37 BLOG

• Tax Prep Resources For Members and Families January 30, 2023
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS The Municipal Employees Legal Services hosted a virtual Tax Tips webinar on Jan. 25 that 100 DC 37 members attended. The session is now available online for DC 37 members. During the webinar, Tax Expert and Supervising Attorney Sheldon Barasch walked through deductions that can be itemized and how working families can claim […]
• UPDATE on HEALTHCARE ARBITRATION DECISION December 16, 2022
  December 15, 2022 Dear DC 37 family, As anticipated, a third-party arbitrator issued his decision today regarding your health benefits and the fund that pays for them. He verified that the Healthcare Stabilization Fund has run out of money, and directed the City and the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC) to finalize the terms of a […]
• Join the Fight to Protect Our Union December 14, 2022
  By HENRY GARRIDO As we look toward 2023, we must stand together to tackle the challenges ahead that face our union and the livelihood of every New York City public worker. Those who mean to cause a division in our collective power are doing the greatest harm to all of us, including themselves. As a […]
• Union Backs City Council on Healthcare Accountability Legislation December 7, 2022
  By MIKE LEE More than 100 union activists and healthcare advocates joined NYC Council Member Julie Menin and other elected officials to rally in support of the Healthcare Accountability and Consumer Protection Act. The Dec. 7 rally at City Hall is part of an ongoing campaign to reduce health care and hospital costs for working […]
• DECEMBER NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE November 29, 2022
  HELP US DEFEND PREMIUM-FREE HEALTHCARE DC 37 needs your help. We’re calling on the New York City Council to immediately update Administrative Code 12-126 to preserve premium-free healthcare benefits! How you can help: Take a minute to email your City Council member. It will go a long way in our fight for your healthcare and a new […]
• MELS DIVORCE VIRTUAL WEBINAR November 22, 2022
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS MELS, the union’s Municipal Legal Services, held a virtual webinar on Nov. 2 on separation and divorce in New York State. More than 50 union members attended the event. Those interested in a recording of the webinar can view it here: http://bit.ly/3EyLs3V. MELS legal experts provided advice to members and retirees […]
• DC 37 NOVEMBER EVENTS, SERVICES and NEWS YOU CAN USE November 1, 2022
  U.S. CITIZENSHIP VIRTUAL SEMINAR WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2 at 6 PM Interested in becoming a United States citizen? Learn about the benefits of becoming a U.S. citizen at a virtual presentation by the DC 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services (MELS), 32BJ SEIU Legal Services Fund, CUNY’s Citizenship Now! and the Emerald Isle Immigration Center at 6 […]
• HELP US PROTECT YOUR PREMIUM-FREE HEALTHCARE BENEFITS October 31, 2022
  October 31, 2022 Dear DC 37 Family, As I shared with you last month, we’re doing everything we can to protect the benefits you have earned and deserve for serving our city. We’ve reached a critical point in the fight for your healthcare, and now we need your help. Here’s the bottom line: The money that […]
• Health Care Workers Bonus Program From NY State (w/update) October 14, 2022
  DC 37 fought hard to create a fund for “essential pay” for members on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks in part to that effort, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state set aside $1.2 billion in the budget to fund bonuses up to $3,000 for health care and mental hygiene workers at public and […]
• Important Facts About COVID-19, Monkeypox, Legionnaires’ & Polio October 14, 2022
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS & MIKE LEE DC 37 is taking measures to protect members’ safety and health at work, with the Safety and Health Department compiling the latest information from the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on COVID-19, Monkeypox, Legionnaires’ disease, and Polio. In August, the federal government followed […]
• PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS WAIVER EXPIRES OCT. 31. VIEW the VIRTUAL PSLF WEBINAR on ZOOM THURSDAY OCTOBER 13 at 2 PM October 12, 2022
  As many as 250,000 New Yorkers are eligible for student loan forgiveness and 20,000 Department of Education employees are now eligible. Over 7,500 New Yorkers have already been forgiven an average of $63,935 in student debt. There’s a lot more money still on the table. You could be next! But time is running out! You must […]
• U.S. CITIZENSHIP VIRTUAL SEMINAR WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2 at 6 PM October 11, 2022
  Interested in becoming a United States citizen? Learn about the benefits of becoming U.S. citizen at a virtual presentation by the DC 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services (MELS), 32BJ SEIU Legal Services Fund, CUNY’s Citizenship Now! and the Emerald Isle Immigration Center at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, on Zoom. This seminar will answer […]
• DC 37’s MELS MEDICAID PLANNING WEBINAR REPLAY October 6, 2022
  The DC 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services (MELS) held a basic introduction to Medicaid Planning webinar on Sept. 21. Medicaid is the most extensive public health insurance program in the U.S. and pays for over half of all long-term care services provided to seniors. As a result, the Medicaid program has become the equivalent of […]
• FDNY EMS Lt. Russo Brutally Killed Outside Queens Stationhouse October 4, 2022
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS Local 3621 EMS Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling, a 25-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York, was stabbed to death while on duty in a random and unprovoked attack less than a block from her worksite at Fire Station 49 in Astoria, Queens on Sept. 29. Lt. Russo was rushed to […]
• Local 420 Wins $43,000 In Two Woodhull Grievances October 4, 2022
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS DC 37 and Local 420 recently won more than $43,000 in back pay in separate grievances filed on behalf of two Service Aides at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. “It took a lot of patience and persistence to finally see these two grievances resolved in the members’ favor,” said Carmen Charles, President […]
• Union-Backed Candidates Win in State Primaries October 3, 2022
  By MIKE LEE The second round of primary elections in New York on Aug. 23 was an exercise in the union’s strength, as DC 37-endorsed candidates swept to victory in primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives and New York State Senate. The additional primary was necessary because of a court challenge to the state […]
• Local 372 Member’s Daughter Wins Union Plus Scholarship October 3, 2022
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS The daughter of a Local 372 member is the winner of a Union Plus Scholarship. Elise Slaughter was one of 27 winners nationwide. She is the daughter of NYC Board of Education Employees Local 372 member Michelle Louis-Juste Slaughter, a Parent Coordinator at the Knowledge and Power Academy in Far Rockaway, […]
• Local 1501 Members Help Reopen New York Aquarium October 3, 2022
  By DIANE S. WILLIAMS The Wildlife Conservation Society reopened the New York Aquarium July 1, after completing a 10-year, $65 million renovation funded by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Superstorm Sandy nearly wiped out the Coney Island aquarium, but Brooklyn’s aquatic science center is back, rebuilt, and better prepared for future storms. Local 1501’s […]
• STAY CONNECTED with DC 37! OCTOBER NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE September 27, 2022
  HEALTH CARE WORKER BONUS UPDATE DC 37 fought to create a fund for essential pay for members on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York State Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus covers the vesting period from Oct. 1, 2021 to Mar. 31, 2024. The program pays bonuses of up to […]
• When We Fight Together, We Win September 27, 2022
  The past two years brought us to this moment, where our collective power is more critical than ever in shaping the future of New York’s working class. Both rounds of the New York State primaries are complete, and with the strength of DC 37 behind them, dozens of pro-labor candidates are on the ballot for […]