Public Employee Press
DC37 members share a deep commitment to public service and work 24/7 to make New York City a global capital.
Mike Esposito, Institutional Aide, Local 420
WE NEVER QUIT
I started 51 years ago as an Institutional Aide in the kitchen at the B Building, the main building here at Kings County Hospital. Then I used to run the manual elevators but once they became automated, I was moved to Respiratory Therapy and for the last nine years or so I have been assigned to the Electrical Shop here in the R Building.
Over the years, Kings County Hospital has expanded its property holdings; it keeps us busy. There are about 17 of us in the Electrical Shop, I have a young supervisor. We have a great team. And we all work well together. Our job is to make sure everyone in Kings County Hospital has electrical power and is safe—the patients and the staff.
I handle all emergency calls whenever power goes out in an area. I take the emergency calls and go out with the electricians to watch the equipment. Sometimes it’s simple, a circuit breaker is tripped by a sterilization machine. Sometimes it’s a smoking lamp or an outlet sparks. Sometimes it’s more complicated.
We make sure Kings County Hospital has electrical power and patients and staff are safe.
When I was out for hip surgery for three months, I missed being here. I think what I will miss most about my job when I retire is being with my coworkers. I’ll probably come back to volunteer at Kings County Hospital; I’m just a 25-minute commute away.
I’m 73 now. I’ve seen a lot of changes. I’ve worked all my life—over a half century for the City of New York. My advice to young employees is take as many civil service exams as you can, push to get as high as you can. It goes by fast.
