National AFSCME News
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Local 1559 Members Win Promotions and Pay Hike at American Museum of Natural History 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 the board member to urge management to address AMNH’s retention and pay issues,” Black said. Retention is an ongoing issue for New York City museums. AMNH Preparator Hannah Rawe recently left for a better paying job. In her resignation memo she wrote, “After paying rent I have less than $600 left a month to live on.” Now a professor [...] — Dec 6
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New Hep C Treatment Program Available at NYC Health + Hospitals By GREGORY N. HEIRES DC 37 members suffering with Hepatitis C are now eligible to participate in a pilot program designed to effectively treat the disease and reduce the exorbitant cost of current prescription medications. The new treatment regimen, devised by NYC Health+Hospitals in collaboration with the DC 37 Health & Security Plan, is available to members and dependents under 65 who are covered by the union’s prescription drug benefit, which is administered by OptumRx. The NYC Health+Hospitals program, which typically lasts between 8-to-24 weeks, is designed to encourage patients to stick with its regimen of medication and other parts of the treatment. Participants are assigned Patient Navigators to guide them through the process. To date, 15 members have signed up for the program. The latest Hepatitis C drugs have a 90% percent cure rate of the illness, but are outrageously expensive – for example, a three-month course of treatment by one drug, Harvoni, costs $49,650. The current treatment locations are at Gouverneur Healthcare Services, Kings County Ambulatory Care Center, Jacobi Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital. Anyone interested in learning about the program should email [email protected] or call the program’s clinical lead, Dr. Justin List, at 917-828-7427. As many as [...] — Dec 4
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Union Secretary, New Executive Board Members Elected By GREGORY N. HEIRES On Nov. 26 DC 37 delegates elected John Hyslop, the president of Queens Library Guild Local 1321, as the new secretary of the union. At their monthly meeting, the delegates also voted to fill two vacancies on the DC 37 Executive Board. The delegates chose Franklyn “Bubba” Page, the longtime president of Lifeguards Local 461, and Rawle Campbell, president of Metropolitan Museum of Art Local 1503, to serve in those posts, which are reserved for representatives from local unions whose members constitute less than 5 percent of the of the union’s total membership. Hyslop replaces Deborah Pitts, president of Finance Administrative Employees and City Investigators Local 1113, who stepped down earlier this year. Until his election on Tuesday, Hyslop was serving as the union’s secretary on an interim basis. At the delegates meeting, Hyslop – whose professional background includes working as an archivist at Queens Public Library – was nominated by SSEU Local 371 President Anthony Wells. Hyslop was praised by Local 372 President Shaun Francois I, who is also president of DC 37, and Local 1321 delegate Kacper Jarecki. Hyslop handily defeated Mitchell Feder, the 1st vice president of Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375. [...] — Dec 2
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Historic disability rights victory creates hundreds of DOT jobs By DIANE S. WILLIAMS In recognition of his fight for the rights of disabled New Yorkers that has led to the installation and maintenance of thousands of curb ramps throughout the city, DC 37 Local 983 recently honored Joseph V. Stulberg, a resident of Henry J. Carter long-term care facility in Harlem. Stulberg inspired the 1994 class action lawsuit against New York City to enforce compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was settled in federal court on July 23, 2019. “We moved to Brooklyn but whenever my son Joe left the house in his wheelchair he was landlocked. He could not leave our block. It was impossible to get his wheelchair off and on the curb,” said Michelle Green, an associate director in the union’s Research and Negotiations Dept. Her husband, attorney Robert Stulberg, led the case for his son and Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (now the United Spinal Association). In July, a federal judge resolved the protracted case, approving a $1.55 billion settlement and a defined timeline for New York City to install, upgrade and maintain curb ramps at every one of the City’s 162,000 corners. This major victory for disabled people makes crossing New York City’s [...] — Nov 27
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New Safety and Health Director a Fearless Advocate for Members By MIKE LEE Deborah Williams, the new director of the DC 37 Safety & Health Dept., learned early in her career that stepping up and taking risks can be essential to effective advocacy. She has dedicated herself to ensuring the health and workplace safety of public sector workers – as an employee, activist and advocate – for more than 30 years. Before joining the staff of DC 37, Williams was the Health and Safety Coordinator/Director for SSEU Local 371. While there, she was also a force behind creating the Charles H. Ensley Scholarship Fund, in honor of the late labor activist and former Local president. It all began when Williams chose to speak out. While a HRA Caseworker at the Waverly Center in Manhattan in the 1990s, Williams decided to stand up for her clients when the city was threatening to privatize an HRA homecare services program. Certain that the proposed privatization scheme threatened their well-being and ability to live the remainder their lives on their own terms, Williams decided to attend a City Council hearing on the issue. “I couldn’t bring my clients to the hearing,” Williams recalls. “But I knew what having home care from the city meant [...] — Nov 26