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2025 Recap + 2026 Look Ahead By ANN WIDGER, Administrator, DC 37 Retirees Association With your participation and engagement, the DC 37 Retirees Association accomplished big milestones in 2025. Just this year, we added more than 3,500 new retiree members – an increase of 15% – to our ranks, and we are adding more every day. DC 37 retirees have also increased their PEOPLE contributions by $24,000 or 30% compared to this time last year, and almost 9% of Association members are MVPs! Our retirees also stepped up and took action this year, making their voices heard on city council proposals and in Albany and by making thousands of phone calls during the 2025 primary and general elections. We held our first in-person membership meetings since before the pandemic at the newly reopened DC 37 headquarters at 125 Barclay, while still holding regular virtual meetings for those who can’t meet in person. More than 200 retirees have joined us for each of those in-person meetings and an astounding 4,400 (17 percent of our membership) joined us for our virtual meetings either by phone or Zoom. Retirees were excited to have in-borough meetings in their communities and attended an Association meeting for the first time as a [...] — Dec 10
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Snapshots Celebrating our veterans DC 37 hosted the NYC Department of Veteran Affairs (DVS) and the NYC Office of Labor Relations (OLR) for the “Voice for Veterans Breakfast” on Nov. 20 at union headquarters. The event celebrated the service of several veteran union members and highlighted the vital role veterans play within the city’s workforce, the unique challenges they face in their jobs, and the ongoing efforts to address veterans’ issues across the state. From left: OLR Commissioner Renee Campion, Army Veteran Jose Morales (Local 372, SAPIS Worker at the Department of Education), DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido, Army Veteran Jahyel Cole (SSEU Local 371, Veterans Specialist at the Department of Veterans Services), NYS Assemblymember Landon Dais (District 77), and DVS Commissioner James Hendon. Photo by Thea Setterbo Where we rallied: DC 37 marches with labor at No Kings protest DC 37 delegates voted to participate in the Oct. 18 No Kings demonstrations held across the country to speak out against the president sidestepping democracy and prioritizing billionaires over the working class. Nearly 200 DC 37 members assembled with the Central Labor Council, other labor unions, and allies during the labor delegation’s march from SoHo to Union Square. Photo by [...] — Dec 10
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A Moment in Time with the City’s Clockmaster Story & Photos By ACACIA RODRIGUEZ The duties of New York City’s clock master are a labor of love. Marvin Schneider, a member of Local 1087 Prevailing Rate Employees, travels throughout the boroughs to ensure public and semi-private clocks are inspected, running on time, and freshly wound week by week. “Analog clocks are a visual way of understanding spatial relations,” Schneider said. “When you just see digital numbers, you don’t have an image of what is left and what is yet to be achieved.” He is joined by a volunteer apprentice and his right-hand man, Forest Morowitz. Their dedication to accuracy can be seen each time New Yorkers look up to the clocks at Manhattan’s City Hall, Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, or the Harlem Courthouse. Morowitz (left) and Schneider service an 1850s Sperry Clock at City Hall. Schneider’s journey to develop the unique skillset necessary for clock care began through trial and error. As a child, he liked to take apart clocks and reassemble them. In the 1970s, while working as a caseworker at the Department of Social Services (DSS), he and a coworker banded together to gain access to a public clock in poor working condition. After securing the necessary [...] — Dec 10
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Local 1321 Library Chat Brianna Brunson | Youth Justice Coordinator & Outreach Specialist “Our outreach is a holistic service that’s part of Queens Public Library speaking your language, coming to where you are, meeting you where you’re at, and making sure we have services for those who aren’t easily able to access them.” Book recommendation: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi Jay Delacruz | Community Library Manager of Seaside Branch “I truly appreciate how much the community values our mobile library services. It’s rewarding to know that our presence makes a difference and that people genuinely welcome the resources we bring. We’re also doing our part to fulfill the Queens Public Library mission and provide quality services, resources, and lifelong learning opportunities.” Book recommendation: Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka Jordan Simon | Mobile Library Driver and Customer Service Representative “One of my favorite things about working aboard the mobile library is being here for various communities and accommodating them in different ways, as a lot of people don’t have access to the resources we provide. My second favorite thing is the video games. We have extra controllers for all the gaming systems, so if anyone needs [...] — Dec 10
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Behind the Wheel: Queens Public Library Guild Local 1321 Brings the Library to You Story & Photos By ACACIA RODRIGUEZ The Queens Public Library deploys a fleet of bookmobiles throughout the borough, providing library services to audiences unable to reach a physical library. Workers from Queens Library Guild Local 1321 connect with hospitals, shelters, veterans organizations, schools, community partners, and other underserved communities to bring books far and wide. Whether a local library branch is under renovation or there is a special event where books are a must, the library’s mobile fleet is available with rolling recommended reads, multimedia, and more. Each bookmobile contains a complete collection of materials, mimicking a library branch. Based on the audience the mobile is serving, the collection is further curated to include large print books, easy readers, books in Braille, and materials that support equitable accessibility. With 2,500 titles on board, including fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, and children’s books, there’s something for everyone. Outreach specialists lead STEM activities, storytime, movies, and arts and crafts, depending on the audience. At each mobile library, customers are able to sign up for a library card, check out, return, or reserve materials, access digital resources, and speak to a librarian for reference services. Photo by Luis Aucapina Bookmobile STATS Vehicle Type [...] — Dec 10