labor

CUNY Labor School Advances Worker Careers and Solidarity

June 25, 2019 // 2 Comments

By GREGORY N. HEIRES Where else but in New York City could you expect a college graduation ceremony to open with the singing of the historic labor song “Solidarity Forever,” along with the country’s national anthem? That occurred at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, which recently celebrated the graduation of the new public university’s first graduating class. Nearly 30 DC 37 members were among the proud graduates. “Our mission is directed toward the public good and social justice,” Gregory Mantsios, the founding dean, said at the opening of the ceremony. The university aims to serve as an incubator of labor ideals, a vehicle for career advancement and advocate for the labor movement and greater community.” Nicholas Pineda, a Data Processing Employees Local 2627 member, was the undergraduate student speaker at the June 14 ceremony. “Fellow graduates, we are [More...]

Union to CUNY: Do the Right Thing, Pay Workers Now!

May 8, 2019 // 0 Comments

By MIKE LEE Workers at City University of New York are outraged that, despite having reached a quick economic agreement with the city in November 2018 and voting overwhelmingly to ratify that contract the following month, they have yet to receive their pay increase and retroactive pay. Citing unforeseen technical problems in their accounting systems, the university system has failed to issue checks that reflect the new terms of the contract. The union is pushing the university hard to resolve this issue, and union activists joined local presidents to speak out before CUNY’s Board of Trustees at LaGuardia Community College on April 30. “Our members our loyal employees who work hard. Way back in December we ratified a contract with you,” Local 2627 President Laura Morand told the trustees. “You have failed to keep up your end of the contract. Why must we wait so long to get what [More...]

NYC Labor History on Display

May 7, 2019 // 0 Comments

By MIKE LEE The story of New York’s labor movement is told by each new generation of workers and activists, adding voice to the chorus of a social and political movement that helped transform a city—and a nation. On May 1, International Workers Day, the Museum of the City of New York opened a new exhibit that focuses on this important, fascinating and on-going story. The exhibit: “City of Workers, City of Struggle: How Labor Movements Changed New York,” traces the history of organized labor in the city; from its beginnings with organizing in the early 1800s by local artisans, through the intense worker struggles of the 20th century to the inclusive, diverse movement that it has become. The exhibit includes a variety of artifacts and interactive displays to enhance the narrative. DC 37 is featured prominently in “City of Workers.” In particular, it highlights the role the [More...]

Concerned About Your Personal Finances? Attend a Free ‘Financial Empowerment’ Course at DC37

January 12, 2019 // 0 Comments

By GREGORY N. HEIRES Are your credit card applications being denied? Are you having difficulty being approved for a mortgage? Are you being turned down for affordable housing even though you meet the income requirement? We are here to help. DC 37 is holding a personal finance course to offer members guidance on their finances so they will have excellent credit scores to qualify for lottery housing, credit and home purchases. About 70 people from the union and the community attended the first class, which was held on Jan. 9. Director of Community Outreach Paul Rodriguez encourages anyone interested in attending the remaining classes to register for the course. The second class will be on Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Rooms 2 and 3 at DC 37 headquarters at 125 Barclay St. in Lower Manhattan. The class will help you understand your credit and debt profile, the basics of borrowing, and how to [More...]

DC 37 Played Key Role in Statewide Elections

November 9, 2018 // 0 Comments

By MIKE LEE In an election that featured one of the highest voter midterm turnouts in recent history, the efforts of DC 37’s vaunted Green Machine were pivotal in finally breaking the Albany legislative gridlock by helping several local state senate candidates to victory. The state’s top elected officials were all re-elected with union help. Gov. Andrew Cuomo defeated Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, while New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand scored easy victories. Letitia James, the city’s Public Advocate and a stalwart DC 37 ally, was elected New York State’s first African American Attorney General, winning by a landslide. “Tonight the working men and women of New York spoke loudly and clearly about our values, our priorities, and how we want to run our state,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “In record numbers, [More...]

Trump and Labor: A Betrayal

July 12, 2018 // 0 Comments

Donald Trump won the presidency portraying himself as a champion of workers. So far, his record as president amounts to a great betrayal. With executive orders, political appointments and policy changes, Trump has actually proved himself to be an enemy of working families. The authoritarian president has taken steps to undermine unions, harm public employees, gut the benefits of low-wage workers and promote trade policies that will raise prices for consumers. Simply put, his actions favor corporations and the rich. Real average earnings have actually dropped since Trump signed the GOP tax giveaway into law. The only way workers have managed to increase their take-home pay is by working a few extra hours per week, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The administration submitted an amicus brief in Janus v. AFSCME case, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on last month. [More...]

Our Union, Our Power

June 29, 2018 // 2 Comments

By MIKE LEE Capping what was perhaps was its most contentious and partisan session in modern history, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to overturn precedent and establish so-called “right-to-work” in the public sector nationwide. The decision in Janus is the latest in a series of outrageous court, legislative and administrative actions pushed by a cabal of anti-union extremists to define the rules of the nation’s economy even more in favor of the 1 percent by trying to weaken the power of unions. At a City Hall press conference after Janus v. AFSCME was announced, DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido was defiant. “Our lives will not be determined by a Supreme Court decision,” he said. “It is the desire of working people to stand up and collectively say we are stronger together and that in unity is our power. We shall not be stopped.” Later that afternoon, city unions [More...]

DC 37 Endorses Letitia James and Tom DiNapoli for the 2018 Statewide Elections

May 31, 2018 // 0 Comments

District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal employee union, has endorsed New York City Public Advocate Letitia James for State Attorney General and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for re-election, the union announced today. The candidates were overwhelmingly endorsed by DC 37 delegates, who comprise the union’s highest governing body, at their most recent monthly meeting. “We enthusiastically support Tom DiNapoli and Letitia James because they have consistently addressed the issues that are of utmost importance to our members and the working men and women of our state,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “Time and again, Comptroller DiNapoli and Public Advocate James have demonstrated their commitment to public service, workers’ rights and improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. With these endorsements, we stand ready to engage and [More...]

The Path of Most Resistance

April 6, 2018 // 0 Comments

The union waits for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide our fate in anti-union Janus v. AFSCME case. We need not bother. Instead, it’s long past time to hit the road — and take action. Taking this path of most resistance is already showing a positive impact, both in regards to the big picture of winning hearts and minds of working people in the United States and also in concrete achievements. The pushback is growing more effective with each day. For example in West Virginia, a state which recently passed a “right-to-work” law, tens of thousands of teachers and school workers went out on strike for nine days. Not only did the West Virginia teachers win a raise and guarantees on their health insurance, they achieved much more: In a time when unions are under intense attack, the strikers defeated a raft of anti-union bills, including a Wisconsin-style “paycheck protection” bill [More...]

New York Attorney General Leads Opposition to Trump’s Overtime Pay Rollback

September 26, 2017 // 0 Comments

By MIKE LEE Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman led a coalition of Attorneys General in opposing the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back overtime pay protections for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and millions of Americans. The US Department of Labor threatens to roll back the Obama administration’s rule set to go into effect last year that would have expanded overtime pay protections for workers by setting a salary floor below which the exemption from overtime laws cannot apply. The proposed changes jeopardize protections involving overtime pay for millions of low-wage workers in the service and medical sectors, as well as office clericals, among others. In New York, this would have a devastating impact for hundreds of thousands of working families trying to get by in an unbalanced economy. “The Labor Department should be protecting workers’ rights, not [More...]