members

Union’s TV Show focuses on New State Enhanced Tenant Protections

January 17, 2020 // 0 Comments

By RUDY OROZCO Tune in to “State of the Union”, DC 37 television show hosted by Executive Director Henry Garrido this January 2020 when he welcomes DC 37’s Municipal Employees Legal Services (MELS) Director and Chief Counsel Bill Whalen and MELS Housing Unit Co-Supervisor Anette Bonelli to explain New York State’s historic new law which gives tenants new rights and benefits. The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 was passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo in late Spring, 2019. The program, which focuses on the issues that impact the working men and women of NYC, the labor movement and the progressive movement, is produced at Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN), and airs in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. The show’s January airing schedule: Manhattan (MNN) –Thursday, Jan. 16 at 9:30 p.m. on Spectrum Chs. 34 [More...]

DC 37 CUNY Days: We Can Help You Jumpstart Your Career!

January 16, 2020 // 0 Comments

Worker Education at the CUNY School of Labor & Urban Studies (SLU) is here to help you achieve your academic and career goals. Our experienced advisors are available to meet one-on-one to discuss: Academic requirements for specific jobs Choosing a CUNY campus and major Applying to and financing a CUNY degree Certificate and non-credit options at CUNY Transferring previous credits Long-term career planning Fastest-growing industries in NYC Each session is free and caters to your specific goals and needs. Schedule your CUNY advisement session now! Can’t find a date/time that works for you? Please contact WorkerEd@slu.cuny.edu or call: 646-313-8531 for more [More...]

Remembering Dr. King

January 15, 2020 // 0 Comments

BY DIANE S. WILLIAMS On the 91st anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth January 15, we reflect on his life’s pursuit of liberty, justice, equality for all and service to others. Dr. King’s life was cut short in 1968 at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee. At the invitation of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME, DC 37’s national union), Dr. King traveled to support Black sanitation workers who were striking for fair wages, safe working conditions and the right to belong to a union. AFSCME pressed Dr. King to speak to Local 1733 members who daily bore humiliations and earned poverty wages. The last speech he ever gave, in which he famously declared that he had “been to the mountaintop,” was to the striking workers at the Mason Temple in Memphis. He embraced labor’s cause as a microcosm of the struggles his upcoming Poor [More...]

125 Barclay St. to Close Jan. 21

January 3, 2020 // 0 Comments

Beginning Jan. 21, all DC 37 services will be located at 55 Water Street (23rd Floor), as we initiate extensive work at our headquarters at 125 Barclay Street that is expected to take between 3–5 years to complete. Please continue to consult the DC 37 website and the DC 37 phone hotline at 212.815.7555 for updates on how best to access services. Members seeking union assistance can reach their representatives by calling the same phone numbers as in the past or reaching out to one of the following: DC 37 Main Number: 212.815.1000 DC 37 Health Benefits: 212.815.1234 DC 37 Education Fund: 212.815.1700 (or send an email to edfund@dc37.net). Please note that the DC 37 Education Fund has moved to 75 Broad St. To access DC 37 services at 55 Water Street: Please call in advance If you do not call in advance, you will have to go through airport-like security, so please consider how much you [More...]

2019: Growing Union Power

December 26, 2019 // 0 Comments

Membership Reaches 150,000 By GREGORY N. HEIRES From the halls of the U.S. Congress to the streets of New York City and workplaces in the five boroughs, DC 37 kept busy in 2019 looking out for the interests of members and retirees. The union’s success in carrying out its mission is becoming ever more important as working families struggle to survive in a political world that is all too often hostile to their well-being. Making History: Unification of DC 37 & DC 1707 DC 37 made history in 2019, which will be remembered as a year our membership skyrocketed. Nearly 25,000 members from the private sector joined the union in September under a unification agreement between District Councils 37 and 1707, both affiliates of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. As a result, DC 37 membership now tops 150,000 — the highest it’s ever been. The benefits of [More...]

2020: The Year Ahead

December 23, 2019 // 0 Comments

By HENRY GARRIDO A union’s power depends on the ability to grow and the flexibility to change. 2019 was a year of tremendous growth and change within District Council 37. With the addition of nearly 25,000 non-profit, care workers from the former DC 1707, our union now has a broader scope and the potential to organize more New Yorkers in both the public and private sectors. The benefits of unification quickly became apparent when we negotiated historic pay increases for members who are early childhood educators at community-based programs in an agreement that put them on the path to parity with their counterparts at the Department of Education. But numbers alone do not reveal a union’s strength, and strength alone does not reveal a union’s character. In 2019, we aimed to stay true to our mission of defending members and making our city more livable for all New Yorkers by: helping [More...]

A Winter Wonderland in a Corner of Queens

December 14, 2019 // 0 Comments

Every winter, Mike Giglio, a retired Local 376 Construction Laborer, decorates his home for the holidays to create a winter wonderland at 102-24 Rau Court in Hamilton Beach near 102 Street, near Howard Beach in Queens. “I’ve been doing this for about 37 years,” said Giglio. Since retiring in July, he relies on friends to help starting Nov. 1 to build the holiday display. “As a kid I begged my dad to put lights on our house in Richmond Hill so Santa would find us,” he said. Now in his 60s, Giglio looks back at the attraction he’s built that has drawn celebrities like piano man Billy Joel and his daughter, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and local families. At one point, just like the Rockettes at Radio City Musical Hall, the exhibit featured high kicking dancers from a local studio. He said, “It was magnificent.” Giglio said in 2012 Superstorm Sandy destroyed [More...]

DC 37 and SEIU 32BJ Join Forces to Demand Accountability from Private Hospitals

December 13, 2019 // 0 Comments

Scores of members from DC 37 AFSCME and SEIU 32BJ, two of the city’s largest unions, attended a packed City Council hearing Dec 12 where leaders and representatives testified about runaway charges in NYC’s largest private hospitals. The unions presented testimony on the effects of skyrocketing costs for health care and asked the City Council to take action to curb practices by hospitals and health care providers that unreasonably ratchet up costs for needed care. “The single factor that’s had the most profound, negative impact on healthcare coverage in NYC is the cost of in- and out-patient care provided by the City’s non-profit, private hospitals,” said District Council 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “DC 37 and our brother and sister unions that make up the Municipal Labor Committee are doing our part to reduce hospital bills with changes in the design of our health [More...]

The DC 37 Political Endorsement Process: How It Works

December 13, 2019 // 0 Comments

District Council 37 is proud to support labor-friendly candidates committed to protecting workers rights and advancing the social and economic rights of all New Yorkers. A District Council 37 (DC 37) endorsement is more than a stamp of approval; it is a commitment of time, resources, and mutual support. To receive an endorsement, our members must be confident that you share our values of economic and social justice for all, as well as a commitment to continue the work of making our government the force necessary to improve the lives of all New Yorkers. DC 37 will not endorse in every race, but we invite all candidates seeking elected office to contact our Political Action Department. DC 37’s leadership and Delegates have outlined a process that all candidates must adhere to in order to be considered for endorsement. Contact Us – Contact the Political Action Department at [More...]

Local 1559 Members Win Promotions and Pay Hike at American Museum of Natural History

December 6, 2019 // 0 Comments

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS DC 37 resolved pay disputes and retention issues for three members of Local 1559 after the management of the American Museum of Natural History agreed to promote the Preparators and pay them $27,000 collectively. As a result of a series of labor management meetings, the museum promoted one Preparator to Sr. Principal Preparator and raised his salary by $6,000, while two other Preparators were promoted to Principal Preparators and received salary increases of $12,000 and $9,000. “These members love their jobs but with starting salaries of just $34,800 a year for Preparators, the museum pays far less than the industry standard,” said DC 37 White Collar Division Council Rep Amena Black. Senior Preparator Jason Brougham helped organize the group and even penned a letter to a sympathetic museum board member outlining the workers’ concerns. “The letter persuaded [More...]

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