National AFSCME News
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Upcoming DC 37 Events MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES LEGAL SERVICES MELS REAL ESTATE WEBINAR NOV. 30 The Municipal Employees Legal Services, MELS, will host a Real Estate Webinar on Monday Nov. 30, 5:30PM to 7:00PM. Housing experts will discuss: Retaining and Working With A Realtor; Seller Concerns; Purchaser Concerns; Financing; Home Inspections, and more. Please register at www.dc37mels.com. A Meeting ID will be e-mailed 24 hours before the event. For more information, call the MELS Screening Unit at 212 815-1111 or email [email protected] ### MELS STUDENT LOAN DEBT WEBINAR DEC. 8 MELS will host a student loan debt webinar on Tuesday Dec. 8, 5:30 p.m to 7 p.m. Legal experts will share information covering: COVID protections for student borrowers; Income Driven Repayment Plans; Loan Consolidation; Rehabilitation after Default, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and more. Register at www.dc37mels.com A Meeting ID will be e-mailed 24 hours before the event. For more information, call the MELS Screening Unit at 212 815-1111 or email [email protected] ### EVICTION HELP: MELS is here to help members with their housing issues. If you have received a legal notice, are in need of rental assistance or have a question about a lease renewal, rent increase, repair dispute, rent subsidy, [...] — Nov 23
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DC 37 Members Invited to Participate in Art is Life! WorkWell NYC is launching its inaugural virtual exhibit, Art is Life, and invites DC 37 members to participate at on.nyc.gov/artislife. This platform gives city employees space to reflect on their experiences over the past few months as our community continues to struggle with the impact of a global pandemic, discrimination, and systemic racism. WorkWell NYC uses art to spark positive conversations about how New Yorkers deal with challenges and difficult issues and most importantly, begin the process of healing. Submissions are being accepted through Nov. 27. They are looking to feature art from DC 37 members in this virtual exhibit. For more information on participant eligibility, virtual exhibit dates and more, visit on.nyc.gov/artislife. WorkWell NYC is committed to addressing matters of inequity and providing platforms to educate and develop structural solutions to health and wellness. It has launched Project B.U.I.L.D., Building Understanding, Inclusion, Learning and Diversity, an initiative to develop creative solutions for longstanding health-inequity problems and to ensure inclusive and accessible programming. — Nov 18
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Union Leaders Press for DOE Kitchen Upgrades By DIANE S. WILLIAMS In an ongoing effort to protect members during the COVID-19 pandemic, Board of Education Local 372 President Shaun D. Francois I visited essential workers to address the outstanding issue of substandard ventilation systems in public school kitchens across New York City in October. in August, Francois met with Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza after kitchen temperatures topped 135 degrees. Essential workers in Local 372 stayed on the job. Meetings between union and city officials on ventilation problems exacerbated by COVID-19 delayed school openings for the city’s 1.1 million students. DC 37 Executive Director Henry A. Garrido joined Francois in October’s visit and met kitchen workers, Crossing Guards, School Aides, Parent Coordinators, Family Workers and SAPIS drug prevention counselors to hear their concerns around schools re-opening, new Department of Education regulations during COVID-19, and other worksite safety issues. “No issue is too small, and none are too big for us to handle!” Francois told members. “The union remains vigilant on this urgent ventilation issue and will keep the pressure on DOE and City Hall, especially since the city’s capacity to address it already exists,” Garrido said. Donald Nesbit, Executive vice president of Local 372 said, “The members of Local [...] — Nov 16
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MELS IS HERE TO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL REPRESENTATION! Because of COVID-19, many New Yorkers are facing financial hardship and are threatened with eviction. If you have received legal papers from your landlord, the lawyers at MELS are ready to fight for you! To protect your home and your rights, contact MELS at 212-815-1111 for legal representation or to answer your housing-related questions. MELS has a vast amount of experience representing members in all kinds of eviction cases in all kinds of housing. Take advantage of this valuable benefit today! — Nov 15
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Upcoming DC 37 Events OPT IN to H+H OT PAY LAWSUIT ENDS TODAY NOV. 9 DC 37 and outside counsel are representing union members in an action against New York City Health + Hospitals (H+H) regarding their violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The lawsuit alleges that H+H is not including additions to gross (longevities, differentials, etc.) in the base hourly rate when calculating the time and one-half overtime pay rate. All dues-paying DC 37 members who are in an FLSA covered title at H+H and worked over 40 hours in any week since July 2016 should opt-in. Forms were mailed in early September. If you did not receive the forms, and are a dues-paying DC 37 member that worked in a covered title, please contact outside counsel at 516-570-4343 to request forms. The lawsuit is at its early stages and there is no guarantee of success. Each plaintiff must submit an opt-in form by Nov. 9. ### DC 37 POLITICAL ACTION DC37’s Political Action Committee will host it’s monthly Virtual PAC meeting this Thursday Nov. 12, at 6PM with special guest Brian McDonnell, Political and Legislative Director for AFSCME NY, who will recap AFSCME’s national campaign to support the historic Biden-Harris [...] — Nov 9