District Council 37

  • DC 37 MELS Webinars and Workshops
    MELS Tax Filing Tips Webinar Tax season is here before you know it. On Jan. 24, 2024, the DC 37 MELS team discussed tips and tricks to get you to the finish line early, along with filing status, standard and itemized deductions, tax credits, and more! To watch, visit: bit.ly/3wHQ8Ec MELS Housing Webinar Knowledge is power! On Dec. 6, 2023, MELS Housing Attorneys answered questions about rent withholding, obtaining repairs, mold, lead paint, bedbugs and rodents, rent increases, lease renewals, and security deposits, noisy neighbors and construction, water and property damage, smoking, roommates, breaking your lease, legal notices, and much more! To watch, visit: bit.ly/3TmQetA MELS Bankruptcy Webinar Have you considered filing for bankruptcy? Do you have more questions than answers about the process? If so, this workshop is for you! On Dec. 13, 2023, the DC 37 MELS Department discussed what kinds of debts you can discharge, the difference between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, the potential impact on your credit, and much more! To watch, visit: bit.ly/3T4KTpJ — Mar 27
  • Our Voices Heard: Lobbying for the Union’s Agenda in Albany
    By MIKE LEE, JUSTINA RAMLAKHAN & THEA SETTERBO Arriving with a full agenda, District Council 37 leaders and activists spent Tuesday, March 12, in Albany calling on elected New York legislators to act on bills that benefit New York City and essential workers. Following the momentum of two straight months of agreements on retention, alternative work schedules, and contract settlements with the city and state, DC 37 members spent the day aggressively lobbying for a diverse list of priorities. After the group arrived on buses to the capital, DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido spoke to more than 200 members about the union’s success in showing strength at the state level. “We’re here today to meet face-to-face with our legislators,” Garrido said. “They need to hear us not only as union members who make the city run, but also as the constituents of their districts.” Afterward, participants went into breakout groups to discuss agenda items and assignments before visiting the offices of senators and assemblymembers to argue for crucial union priorities. Topping the union’s priority list were cost-of-living Adjustments (COLA) for human services workers and Tier 6 pension reforms needed to re-establish a standard of fairness in compensation for recent [...] — Mar 27
  • Parks Gardeners, Supervisors Keep Growing in Queens
    Frazier showing off a freshly propagated cutting. Gardener Joan Thorp demonstrates the hand crank in the oldest greenhouse, a construction made by Lord and Burnham in the 1920s.Gardner Sally Frazier tending to plants in her care.From left: Thorp, Director of Horticulture Kean Eng, and Frazier at the Queens GreenhousesFrazier and Thorp pull germinated seeds out of an incubator Eng purchased to assist with production. Story and photos by ACACIA RODRIGUEZ Just beyond the Forest Park Carousel in Queens, on an unassuming road leading to a rusted roof barn, is an oasis of greenery in the midst of the bustling city. Three sophisticated and highly organized greenhouses are the domain of park support staff in multiple DC 37-covered City titles, including Local 1507 NYC Department of Parks Gardeners and Local 1508 Uniformed Park Officers. Gardeners Joan Thorp and Sally Frazier propagate, survey, and grow flowers and foliage that are later transported to municipally-owned public parks in Queens and Brooklyn. These greenhouses are responsible for producing hundreds of thousands of plants needed annually. With automated temperature controls and windows for ample sunlight, the greenhouses remain fairly temperate year-round, allowing gardeners to grow plants and flowers from seeds and cuttings regardless of the [...] — Mar 27
  • Union Wins Back Pay for Brooklyn Children’s Museum Worker
    By MIKE LEE Last November, DC 37 and Local 1502 President Wilson Souffrant negotiated a settlement with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum on behalf of Supervising Custodian Michael Graham after the union discovered he was underpaid in comparison to his predecessor. The action followed months after a significant grievance was settled between the local and the institution regarding pay and longevity issues for employees. However, Graham was left out of the settlement, with management refusing to include him. “Afterward, President Souffrant and I tried to make the member whole and told the Museum, ‘Well, while this is resolved, you didn’t agree to anything for Graham’,” said Daniel McCabe, Council Representative for DC 37’s Parks, Cultural, and Higher Education Division. The union set up a labor-management meeting and explained that Graham does the work of the person who formally held a similar position, but is paid less. Armed with his predecessor’s last pay stub and other evidence, Souffrant convinced Museum management that the union was in the right since Graham was doing the same work and was entitled to retroactive pay for his promotion to Supervising Custodian. In the victory, Graham received two salary increases, paid in 14 installments, retroactive to his [...] — Mar 27
  • Volunteer Member Organizers Propel Union-Wide Campaign to Sign Up Members
    By MIKE LEE District Council 37’s Field Operations team has led staff from several departments and Volunteer Member Organizers (VMOs) to spread the union message to non-members. Called a “blitz”, the effort is part of an aggressive, ongoing campaign to build the union’s power in educating City workers and employees in nonprofit and private sector institutions about the incalculable value and job protections DC 37 membership offers. Like last year’s internal organizing push, the union has relied on VMOs who have become an integral part of multiple campaigns, political electoral drives, and member recruitment. Their contributions are essential as part of DC 37’s core of highly trained and focused labor activists. With recent collective bargaining contracts settled and essential agreements made with the City on alternative work schedules, the latest blitz is an opportunity to connect with potential members and highlight the efficacy of union participation. The DC 37 Organizing Department, which includes 12 experienced organizers led by Organizing Director Fareed Michelen, has taken the lead on training VMOs during the campaign. Associate Organizing Director Indira Mohan and Organizing Manager Andrew Hackman train volunteers in both the public and private sectors. “We are seeing members who retired trying to find [...] — Mar 27