DC37

  • Labor Day: A Celebration of Union Power
      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 Nurses Association (NYSNA), and other union leaders and elected officials. An annual tradition in union solidarity, DC 37 gathered as a powerful family to celebrate this year’s hard-won victories. This includes wins in the State and City budgets, significant progress in organizing campaigns in the public and private sectors, and successfully negotiating and ratifying one of the best economic agreements in recent history. The new contract reflects the fighting spirit of DC 37’s membership. DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido was impressed with the turnout and the enthusiasm. “This is a day where we celebrate our victories: a new contract, growth in numbers, and participation. But on Monday, we continue the fight,” Garrido said. Olivia Duong, President of NYPD Technical Professional Employees Local 3778, which proudly sees 100% membership, joined the parade alongside several of her members. “My membership is about 300-strong, and the majority [...] — Sep 20
  • Editor, Writer and Activist: Bill Schleicher Passes at 80
    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 experience as a civil rights activist organizing voter registration campaigns in Tennessee with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Schleicher moved to New York City, entering civil service as a caseworker in the Welfare Department where he was later promoted to supervisor. As a member of Local 371 prior to its joining with SSEU, he participated in the January 1965 Welfare Workers strike, a watershed event in District Council 37 and New York City’s labor history, and in the 1967 strike. In 1969, he joined the staff of DC 37’s newspaper, Public Employee Press, as a reporter. In his 45-year career as a union communicator, Schleicher built a reputation as a risk-taking, hard-nosed reporter and photographer. Whether riding in a helicopter to photograph overhead views of a significant labor rally in the 1970s in Washington, D.C., or sneaking into The New York Times newsroom to [...] — Sep 20
  • Workers Win Grievance in Long-Awaited Victory
    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 Jacobi and North Central Bronx hospitals filed the grievance. The program provides mobile intensive treatment and support to clients diagnosed with severe mental illness and addiction issues who were unsuccessful in traditional treatment. By providing community-based treatment services, team members work toward improving the client’s quality of life within the community and thus reduce the need for inpatient care. Victor Chavez and William Rivera serve as Addiction Counselors Level II while Angel Serrano is a Peer Counselor Level II. While doing their duties, the three members were on “standby time,” monitoring their cell phones to cover emergency calls on a seven-day rotating schedule. For many years, Health+Hospitals did not compensate them for their time monitoring calls. “This was a violation of the citywide contract,” said Alexander Elias, a Grievance Rep in DC 37’s Professional and Healthcare Division who filed the case in 2014. “If these [...] — Sep 20
  • MELS Update for Student Loan Borrowers
    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. The program applies to both direct loans and FFELP loans that fell into default prior to the COVID-19 student loan payment pause. Borrowers with loans in this status may contact their servicers or the U.S. Department of Education’s Default Resolution Group (if that is where the loans have been placed) to request participation in the Fresh Start program. These loans will be returned to good standing. FFELP loans that fell into default during the Covid-19 forbearance period will transfer to the U.S. Department of Education in good standing. No action on the part of the borrower is required. (REMINDER: Direct Loans did not go into default during the COVID-19 payment pause because borrowers were not required to pay.) Borrowers will be contacted by their loan servicers to arrange resumed payments. ONE-TIME ADJUSTMENT Depending on the types of loans, borrowers on income-driven repayment plans were always [...] — Sep 20
  • Union Forces City to Clean Up Bronx Tow Pound
    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 with the public. Photos: Eduardo Rosario, DC 37 Safety & Health Department, and Marvin Robbins, Local 983 By MIKE LEE “It’s dusty—dirty. This site has been a regular hellhole since day one.” That’s how Marvin Robbins, Local 983 First Vice President, described the working conditions at the New York Police Department’s Bronx Tow Pound in University Heights. “As soon as the workers arrive at the site, they are filthy and the poor air conditions are causing problems for members with respiratory issues,” Robbins said. “It’s like being assigned to a sewer.” The NYPD Bronx Tow Pound, a temporary location narrowly sandwiched between the tracks of MetroNorth’s Hudson Line and the Bronx River, has had health and safety issues since it was created. The temporary yard was opened to replace the Tow Pound on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx. Since then, more than 60 workers — [...] — Sep 20