DC 37 BLOG

• Your Union in Action: Local 1505 Member Receives Vital Medical Equipment September 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE A tenacious local president challenged the system by advocating for a Local 1505 member to receive life-saving equipment. Samuel Marshall, a Local 1505 City Park Worker, has a severe heart condition that requires extensive care and monitoring. In late May, Marshall entered an emergency room complaining of shortness of breath. After monitoring […]
• CBTU 52nd Convention: An Agenda that Promotes Growth September 20, 2023
  By LESLEY WILLIAMS The 52nd International Convention of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) was an extraordinary event, attended by over 1,400 delegates and guests, including delegations from Africa and Canada. The event took place from May 24-30, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The theme of the convention was “Confronting Radical Dangers to Our Families […]
• New State Law Addresses Informing Benefits for 9/11’s Forgotten Victims September 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE On the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center that unleashed deadly toxins in lower Manhattan, legislation to fully address the “forgotten victims” of the attacks was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. These victims are those who worked at businesses in the surrounding area and remain at […]
• Snapshots September 20, 2023
  Local 372 Honors Scholarship Winners Board of Education Employees Local 372 held its 19th Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet on June 16. At the dinner, seven students were honored for their character and academic achievement by the Local 372 Scholarship Committee. Scholarship recipients were Lisa-Ray Edwards, Sophia Weg, Sarah Mashiat, Ryan Devlin, Martina Ibrahim, and Zoe […]
• Labor Day: A Celebration of Union Power September 20, 2023
    By MIKE LEE The muggy heat didn’t stop thousands of union members, families, and allies from marching in the 2023 NYC Labor Day Parade. Under this year’s theme of “We Organize, We Rise,” New York City’s unions claimed midtown Manhattan as theirs, led by Grand Marshal Nancy Hagans, President of the New York State […]
• Editor, Writer and Activist: Bill Schleicher Passes at 80 September 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE With time, history comes into focus. This is the case in the passing of former Public Employee Press Editor William “Bill” Schleicher who died at home in The Bronx on Aug. 20 at 80 years old. Schleicher never shirked from a battle, particularly for equal rights and economic justice, beginning with his […]
• Workers Win Grievance in Long-Awaited Victory September 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE While the old adage is “justice delayed is justice denied,” the spirit of fighting relentlessly for what is right concluded with a considerable victory for three SSEU Local 371 members with the settlement of a grievance over management’s abuse of standby time. Health+Hospitals workers assigned to an Assertive Community Treatment program at […]
• MELS Update for Student Loan Borrowers September 20, 2023
  By DC 37 Municipal Employees Legal Services The U.S. Department of Education has recently implemented two programs that are beneficial to many borrowers: Fresh Start and One Time Adjustment. In addition, there is a new Income-Driven Repayment plan available called SAVE. FRESH START The Fresh Start program assists borrowers with student loans in default status. […]
• Union Forces City to Clean Up Bronx Tow Pound September 20, 2023
  When inspected by the union’s Health & Security Department and Local 983, conditions at the temporary location of the NYPD Bronx Tow Pound include puddles of standing water and overflow of sewage at the facility. There are areas with extensive plant overgrowth, including where it blocks the employee entrance of the trailer where members deal […]
• AFSCME President Joints DC 37 & City Leaders to Praise Job Recruitment Campaign September 20, 2023
  Story and Photos by MIKE LEE Nearly 1,000 jobseekers attended a City Government Hiring Hall for available public service positions on Aug. 28 at Sunset Park High School in Brooklyn. The hiring hall date was selected as a tour stop for a 40-foot-long, bright green bus as part of AFSCME’s Staff the Front Lines campaign. […]
• Five Ways to Protect Your Union Rights September 20, 2023
  By DC 37 Political Action Department You are an important part of a dynamic movement. During the last century, labor unions have been the source of monumental improvements to the fabric of American life. Working together in solidarity, we’ve shortened the work week, ensured access to health care for millions of people, and fought for […]
• Union Volunteers Make it Count in City Primary September 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE DC 37’s legendary “Green Machine” did it again. Thanks to the tireless effort by the union’s hundreds of volunteers activated by the Political Action Department, DC 37-endorsed candidates stormed to victory in several key New York City Council races in the June 27 Democratic Party primary. Significantly, community activist Chris Banks defeated […]
• City Budget: Union Holds the Line to Cuts to Services September 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE After months of contentious negotiations, often the hallmark of the New York City budget process, Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Council reached a $107 billion budget agreement for Fiscal Year 2024. The handshake agreement took place on June 29. The City Council passed the final budget by mid-afternoon the […]
• The Permanent Campaign for Your Rights and Resources September 20, 2023
  At the Labor Day Parade on Sept. 9, our union concluded the long, hot summer with a powerful message: We stand united at the front of New York City’s labor movement. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who came out in solidarity to march as one, united in purpose, to express our […]
• DC 37 NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE in SEPTEMBER August 31, 2023
  LABOR DAY PARADE Join your DC 37 family as we march in the 2023 NYC Labor Day Parade featuring Grand Marshal Nancy Hagans, NYSNA President, with the theme of We Organize, We Rise. Saturday, September 9, at 10 a.m. DC 37 Assembly Area: West 44th Street, between 6th Avenue and Broadway Register to join us at https://www.mobilize.us/afscmedc37/event/571908/. There is […]
• DC 37 NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE in AUGUST July 27, 2023
  2023 LABOR DAY PARADE Join your DC 37 family as we march in the 2023 NYC Labor Day Parade featuring Grand Marshal Nancy Hagans, NYSNA President, with the theme of We Organize, We Rise. Saturday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. DC 37 Assembly Area: West 44th Street, between 6th Avenue and Broadway Register to join us at https://www.mobilize.us/afscmedc37/event/571908/. […]
• AFSCME Labor Scholarship Named for Union’s Lady of Steel July 20, 2023
  BY MIKE LEE DC 37’s own “Lady of Steel,” retired Executive Director Lillian Roberts, was honored on July 13 by AFSCME President Lee Saunders, DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido, and other dignitaries at an event unveiling a new scholarship for union members or their children interested in labor studies. “Without Lillian Roberts, there would […]
• DC 37 NEWS, EVENTS and SERVICES YOU CAN USE in JULY June 29, 2023
  THE DC 37 GREEN JOBS TRAINING PROGRAM IS BACK AND IT’S EXPANDING! The DC37 Education Fund is happy to announce the Green Jobs Training Expansion Program, a grant-funded training program for eligible DC 37 members to receive free, hands-on instruction in areas of need within the green economy and energy sector. Training courses include Energy […]
• The Power of Our Union June 20, 2023
  Thank you for exercising your rights by voting overwhelmingly in support of the Citywide Economic Agreement. What we negotiated in good faith with the City is the best contract the union has received in years. As we grapple with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, this victory could not have happened at a more […]
• Health Care Bill Win a Step Forward to Rein in Hospital Costs June 20, 2023
  By MIKE LEE On June 8, the New York City Council voted to approve the Healthcare Accountability & Consumer Protection Act. The law establishes the Office of Healthcare Accountability (OHA), which has the authority to oversee hospitals’ actions in pricing health care procedures at their institutions and to end the opaque practice of how citywide […]