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Why We March We celebrated Labor Day by marching up Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan with our union siblings from all sectors, trades, and disciplines. It was a collective expression of our power to remind the greater community that our members, past and present, are the force that makes this city run. Executive DirectorHenry Garrido When we march together in the parade, we are reminded of those who are no longer with us — the everyday heroes who have passed on while fulfilling their duties in serving our communities. During the pandemic, thousands of our DC 37 members fell ill and dozens died. The workers directly impacted by the pandemic were not only health care workers and EMTs; the pandemic struck workers in social services and other agencies that interact with the public. Many became sick after commuting to and from work during the lockdown. An untold number still suffer from “long COVID,” requiring continued medical care, and have lost time or been forced to go on disability. The social impact of the pandemic continues. Assaults on public workers, particularly on NYC Department of Transportation and Emergency Medical Service workers, have grown in the last several years. This tragic trend has even affected [...] — Sep 23
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Nonprofit Workers Rally in the Bronx Against Unpaid Wages Story by JUSTINA RAMLAKHAN, Photo by THEA SETTERBO Members of Locals 95 and 205 with Assemblymember Chantel Jackson at an Aug. 1 rally outside of the shuttered Marshall England Early Learning Center in the Bronx. New York City’s nonprofit sector relies on the nurturing caregivers who attend to the needs of the bustling population, providing everything from child care to home-based health care. But what happens when those individuals are not compensated for the services they provide? For decades, Highbridge Advisory Council Family Services (HACFS) has offered free 3-K, Pre-K, and early childhood education programs in the Bronx. The agency receives funding from the City of New York, which is supposed to be used to pay their providers. HACFS centers temporarily closed in the late spring without notice, and employees were left to scramble and figure out whether they still had jobs. In July, the nonprofit’s chief executive officer resigned. On Aug. 1, members of Local 95 Head Start Employees and Local 205 Day Care Employees gathered outside the Marshall England Early Learning Center, the largest center that HACFS operates, for the second of a series of rallies to demand payment for their work after months of inconsistent paychecks led [...] — Sep 23
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Key Wins in City Budget Story and Photo by MIKE LEE NYC Board of Education Employees Local 372 Vice President Donald Nesbit (left) and Local 3778 New York City Police Department Technical Professional Employees President Olivia Duong before speaking at a City Council hearing on May 9. When the year began, prospects for New York City’s budget looked dire, with massive cuts to the City’s parks, libraries, cultural institutions, and other agencies. However, after months of negotiations, Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council passed a $112.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025 on June 30, that restored funding for several of the union’s priorities. “We fought for adequate staffing and increased funding for the City institutions that serve our communities,” said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “It was a long struggle, but coming out of it, we moved toward completion of long-overdue school improvements across the City, secured more funding for our parks, and restored seven-day service for our libraries.” Schools, Pre-K and Daycare The City’s schools received $20 million to hire 1,000 more school food worker positions lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant restoration. The FY 2025 budget adds $150 million to complete cafeteria improvements in middle and high schools citywide, [...] — Sep 23
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Coordinated Effort Key in Teleworker Organizing Win By MIKE LEE WORKING TOGETHER, MOVING FORWARD: Matriculate Workers Alliance members recently hosted a bargaining unit get-together to build solidarity. Both NYC-based hybrid and national remote employees attended. Workers at the national nonprofit Matriculate secured a win when they organized to bring recognition for their work and the need for fair wage increases. The workers approached DC 37 about union representation after a new CEO pulled back on several wage increases and froze promotions for a year without explanation. “The members of our bargaining unit perform a variety of roles at Matriculate, although we all work remotely,” said Ryan Kelly, Senior Associate, Student Learning. “The organization’s goal is to open access to traditionally underrepresented students and provide them aid by training college students to mentor and advise these high schoolers on their college applications and admissions journeys.” DC 37 Organizer Julian DeJesus explained the small unit represents many diverse roles. Matriculate workers recruit and advise high school students to get into college, others train them to become college advisors, and several others do IT work and accounting. Members of the Matriculate Organizing Committee were united in their demand for transparency from management and advocacy for better wages, job duties, and [...] — Sep 23
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The Signs are Clear: Local 1455 Keeps Streets Safe at DOT Sign Shop Story & Photo by JUSTINA RAMLAKHAN Traffic Device Maintainer Peter Pizzo uses a silkscreen to bulk-produce traffic restriction signs. For the 4.4 million drivers that pass through New York City every day, traffic signs are a critical tool to maintain street safety for vehicles, passengers, and pedestrians alike. Every street and highway traffic sign in New York City — more than one million citywide — begin as a huge sheet of aluminum cut by Traffic Device Maintainers represented by New York City Traffic Employees Local 1455. The signs are created at the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Sign Shop in Maspeth, Queens, which produces more than 100,000 traffic signs each year, from the ordinary stop sign to special edition street signs. “Our members may produce as many as 500 traffic signs a day to meet the needs of the city,” said Michael DeMarco, President of Local 1455. “We make, repair, install, and replace all street and highway signs in New York City.” The dimensions of each sign are standard across the United States and must comply with the guidelines outlined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Once the sheet is cut to the appropriate shape and dimensions, the edges are rounded [...] — Sep 23