National AFSCME News
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Union’s TV Show focuses on New State Enhanced Tenant Protections 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 and 1995, Verizon FiOS Ch. 33 and RCN Ch. 82. BRONXNET – Wednesdays at 3 p.m. on Optimum Chs. 68 & 70, and Verizon FiOS Chs. 34 & 36. BROOKLYN (BRIC) – Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Thursday, Jan. 30 at 10:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. on Spectrum Ch. 1995, Optimum Ch. 67, Verizon FiOS Ch. 42 [...] — Jan 17
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DC 37 CUNY Days: We Can Help You Jumpstart Your Career! 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 [email protected] or call: 646-313-8531 for more information. — Jan 16
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Remembering Dr. King 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 People’s Campaign would amplify. Dr. King recognized that, “The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.” Organizer T.O. Jones, AFSCME’s Bill Lucy and others, helped Memphis workers craft the now famous campaign slogan: I AM A MAN. This statement was [...] — Jan 15
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DC 37 union backs Councilman Donovan Richards for Queens borough president This article originally appeared in the New York Daily News on Jan. 6, 2020. By ANNA SANDERS The city’s largest public employee union endorsed Councilman Donovan Richards for Queens borough president on Monday, promising a boost for the pol from thousands of its members. District Council 37 has some 46,000 members, retirees and their family who live in Queens, where a special election for borough president will be held March 24. “Our support is going to make a significant difference in this race,” DC 37 executive director Henry Garrido said in a statement, noting Richards has served his constituents in Southeast Queens and the Rockaways “with distinction.” “He has labored tirelessly for improved public safety and more affordable housing in his district,” Garrido said. “We believe that he will take this level of energy and commitment to Queens Borough Hall.” DC 37 represents social service and child care workers, hospital staff and maintenance employees, among other titles. Richards said he was proud to have DC 37’s support given how hard the union “works to protect their members and advocate for the rights of workers.” “For many of our families, labor unions are the path to the middle class and the dream [...] — Jan 8
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125 Barclay St. to Close Jan. 21 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 [email protected]). 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 bring with you You must have government-issued identification to get into the building Business hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday-Friday Subway directions to 55 Water Street: #4, 5 to Bowling Green • #1, R & W to Whitehall St. • #2,3 to Wall St. [...] — Jan 3