Official Publication of Social Service Employees Union Local 371-DC 37 AFSCME, AFL-CIO

the Volume 38
Number 7
July/August 2008

Union Launches Campaign to Stop

Housing Authority from Closing
Senior and Community Centers

T he Union has launched a major cam-

paign that includes a petition drive, lob-
bying, coalition building, legal action
and more to stop the New York City
Housing Authority from closing community
and senior centers in order to address a budget
shortfall of nearly $200 million. Over 400,000
low and middle income New Yorkers live in
the City’s 343 public housing complexes, and
closing the centers would hurt the most vulner-
able residents – the youth and the elderly.
Speaking to Union members who work in
NYCHA’s senior and community centers at a
July 8 meeting of the Community Service
Workers Chapter, President Faye Moore commit-
ted the entire resources of the Union to the fight
to keep the centers open and preserve the jobs of
more than 400 Local 371 members. “The problem
in the Housing Authority is at the top of the
Union’s agenda,” said Moore, who was joined by
other Union officers and staff at the meeting. Top photo: President Faye Moore responds to questions from NYCHA workers
“NYCHA asked the City Council to allocate at a meeting on July 8 as Executive VP Yolanda Pumarejo looks on. In photos
at right, NYCHA workers William Johnson and Valerie Pyatt ask questions.
Continued on page 3

Economic Bargaining Breaks Down as DC 37 Calls

City’s Latest Contract Offer Totally Unacceptable

D istrict Council 37 rejected the City’s contracts. Negotiations for this contract opened
offer of 3.5 percent in the first year of a in October 2007 with both sides expressing
two-year contract as “totally unaccept- optimism that a settlement could be reached
able” at the latest bargaining session
on July 14. The City negotiator Jim Hanley
refused to discuss any other demands, saying
before the last contract expired on March 2,
2008, and that the contract would match the
current contracts of the uniformed workers
almost everything else has gone up at an
alarming rate, and the City is totally unrespon-
sive to this critical situation.”

what’s
only, “I do not see any funding source to fund
anything else.”
DC 37 Executive
and the United Federation of Teachers.
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association
won an arbitration giving
INSIDE
Director Lillian Roberts it pay hikes over the rais- DCAS Plan on Hold
said, “We cannot accept “The City has just added money to es afforded to DC 37 The NYS Civil Service Commission requested
anything less that the pat-
tern set by the uniformed
contracts that had already been negotiat- members. Three other
uniformed groups, taking
information from DCAS about its plan to reduce
the number of provisional workers in City service,
forces. The City set the pat- ed. Their position reflects a total lack of advantage of a re-opener freezing the process for 60 days. (Story on page 3.)
tern and doesn’t want to
respect for us and the work we do.” clause in their contracts,
include us in it. The Mayor
is treating us as second
negotiated additional Union Continues Fight
– Local 371 President Faye Moore wages for their members
class citizens.” The session in line with the pattern Against Layoffs in ACS
ended with the union’s established by the PBA. The Union has been successful in locating spots
rejection. Roberts told the bargaining commit- All had to make some concessions along with for some of the 93 workers in ACS who were
tee that the union will mobilize its forces and the increases in pay. given layoff notices last month. (Story on page 3.)
consider other options. “This may take longer Local 371 President Faye Moore said, “The
than we usually do. We have a long way to City has just added money to contracts that Caribbean Heritage Celebrated
go,“ she said. have already been negotiated. Their position Hundreds of Local 371 members celebrated
In addition to pay raises, DC 37 was reflects a total lack of respect for us and the Caribbean Heritage at DC 37 on June 20. (Story
demanding money for the welfare fund and work we do. Our members are struggling to
and photos on pages 4-5.)
for restoration of some givebacks in previous make ends meet. The cost of gas and food and
The Unionist

Members’ Health and Safety is

July
Their Primary Concern
30 CIVILIANS
W
IN LAW ENFORCEMENT CHAPTER
MEETING [CANCELLED] hen Arnie Goldwag retired on May 1 as who began as a temp worker in 1995, and stayed on
Local 371’s Health and Safety coordina- as an assistant to Goldwag. “I like this job because
August tor after nearly 15 years on the job,
Deborah Williams
there are always new challenges,” she says.
Williams has
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEETING, 2-4 p.m.,
19 Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan. and Priscilla been a union
Abernathy, both of member for 21
LATINO HERITAGE COMMITTEE MEETING, 6:30
21 p.m., Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan. whom worked years. She started
with Goldwag as as a Caseworker.
The August meetings of the Union’s Committee Health and Safety “I came to the
of Concerned Social Workers, Delegate Assembly, Representatives, Union as a
Executive Committee, Political Action Committee and took over the grievance rep
Women’s Committee have been cancelled by those
responsibilities of in1994 from
respective bodies.
the section. Homecare at
Health and Safe-
September ty addresses a
Waverly Center.
That’s when I

Photo by Charles Brown

1 LABOR DAY [An Official City Holiday]
COMMITTEE MEETING, 6:30 p.m.,
3 EXECUTIVE
Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan.
LATINO HERITAGE COMMITTEE MEETING, 6:30
4 p.m., Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan.
LABOR DAY PARADE, Meet 9:00 a.m., Union Office,
6 12th Floor, 817 Broadway, Manhattan
9 COMMITTEE OF CONCERNED SOCIAL WORKERS,
6:30 p.m., Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan.
WOMEN’S COMMITTEE MEETING, 6:30 p.m.,
10 Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan.
DAY [Not An Official City Holiday]
11 PATRIOT
LATINO HERITAGE CELEBRATION, 5:30 p.m.
12 dinner/ 7:00 p.m. program, DC 37 Headquarters,
125 Barclay Street, Manhattan.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEETING, 2:00-4:00 p.m.,
16 Union Office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, Manhattan.
DELEGATE ASSEMBLY, 6:30 p.m., location to be
17 announced.
the
variety of issues
related to the work
environment,
including air qual-
ity, mold, over-
Health and Safety Representatives Deborah Williams (l) and
crowding and more.
Priscilla Abernathy study report.
When members move
into a new location,
Health and Safety does a “walk through”—a sur-
vey of the new work environment—to ensure that
it’s safe and that conditions meet building code
standards.
“When members notice a problem at the work-
place, they should first notify the location manage-
ment. If management does not resolve the prob-
lem, they should call us,” says Williams.
“If there are a variety of complaints, like for
example a member calls in and informs us that the
location is dirty, there is poor air circulation and
they see signs of vermin infestation, we may take
people from management with us to survey the
scene and correct the problem,” adds Abernathy,
realized that the
conditions I was
working under at
Waverly were
unacceptable.
Since I began
working as a
Health and Safety
Representative in 2002 I’ve learned a lot about
keeping a work environment healthy and safe.”
One of the main goals of Health and Safety is to
educate and maintain communication with the
membership. “At Delegate Training, we provide
the delegates with the necessary information to
deal with health and safety problems in the work-
place,” says Williams.
Both Abernathy and Williams urge members to
contact them immediately at the Union office, (212)
598-7050, when there is a problem. “Don’t hesitate
and wait until it becomes a critical issue… we are
here to ensure that you work in an environment
that is healthy and safe.”

Published monthly except for a combined issue in July/August by

the Social Service Employees Union Local 371, District Council 37,
AFSCME, AFL-CIO. Subscription Price $2.00 annually. Periodical
postage paid at New York, N.Y.
Annual Latino Heritage Celebration
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: The Unionist, SSEU
Local 371, 817 Broadway, New York, New York 10003.
USPS# 348990 (212) 677-3900
Set for September 12

L
President
Faye Moore ocal 371’s 17th Annual Latino Heritage Brian McLaughlin as a community liaison. He then
Executive Vice President Celebration will be held on Friday evening, served as the Director of the Commission on the
Yolanda Pumarejo
Secretary-Treasurer September 12 at District Council 37. As Dignity for Immigrants at the New York City Labor
Joe Nazario always, food will be served and musical enter- Council, representing over 1.5 million union mem-
V.P. Negotiations & Research
Anthony Wells tainment as well as a keynote speaker will be bers. Peralta has been at the forefront of providing
V.P. Organization & Education provided, and all Local 371 members and their affordable health care coverage to thousands in his
Beverly Mallory-Brown
families are invited to attend. The festivities district. He has not forgotten his labor roots and
V.P. Grievances & Legal Services
Lloyd Permaul begin at 6:30 p.m. has played a crucial role in the fight to increase the
V.P. Legislation and Political Action “We expect to have another great celebration of minimum wage in New York State. Peralta under-
Michelle Akyempong
our heritage,” said Executive Vice President stands that he represents the “United Nations” of
V.P. Publicity & Community Relations
Michelle Conklin Yolanda Pumarejo, who co-chairs the annual cele- all Assembly districts, thus he has worked to insure
Trustees bration with Local 371 Secretary Treasurer Joe that all ethnic groups work together and are edu-
Michael Ballesteros
Yolanda DeJesus Nazario. “Our keynote speaker, State Assembly- cated on their rights.
Melva Scarborough man Jose Peralta, is well known throughout the Billy Carrion & His Orchestra embodies all the
Editor
Martin Fishgold labor movement for his activism, and our featured best of Latin Music from the traditional to the pro-
Director of Communications musical performer, Billy Carrion y Su Orchestra, gressive as well as various shades of jazz. Carrion’s
Linda Schleicher
will be terrific.“ golden voice and style has been shaped by working
Photographer
Charles Brown Jose Peralta is a first-generation Dominican- with many of the pillars of Latin music such as Ray
Metro NY
Labor American, first elected to the New York State Barretto, Luix Perico Ortiz, Johnny Pacheco, Eddie
Communications
Assembly at the age of 30. Peralta has lived in Palmieri, and more.
Council
Queens for 25 years. After graduating from Queens “Come early and stay late,” said Pumarejo, “and
Visit us on the Web at www.sseu371.org College, Peralta began working with Assemblyman have a good time.”

2

Union Launches Campaign to Stop
Senior and Community Center Closings
Continued from page 1
$78 million in the City budget to keep the centers
open, but the Council only allocated $18 million. This
is very disappointing, and we are in the process now
of expressing our disappointment and of reminding
our Council members that these are predatory cuts
that target our most vulnerable citizens.”
Over $600 million has been slashed from the
NYCHA budget by the Bush Administration over
the past eight years. Also in question is the $200
million a year the City charges NYCHA for pub-
lic services like basic police, fire and other
municipal services, specialized policing, trash
pickup, water, and more. A long article begin-
ning on page B1 of the July 7 edition of The New
York Times detailed this problem. According to
the article, critics are saying that these payments
have contributed to the NYCHA’s financial prob-
lems “and reflect a double standard in the way
the city treats the Housing Authority compared
with its treatment of private landlords and other
large agencies.” A spokesman for the Council of
Large Public Housing Authorities, a national
non-profit group, was quoted in the article as
saying that paying for municipal services is
waived by local governments in the majority of
public housing authorities in the United States.
Union Continues Fight Against
Layoffs in ACS; Seeks Jobs
for Workers At Risk
The Union has been successful in locating spots for
some of the 93 workers in ACS who were given lay-
off notices last month. The Union got the effective
date changed from July 18 to July 25 after a meeting
with the City on July 2.
Of the 75 Congregate Care Specialists on the lay-
off list, 40 are permanent employees. Twenty-eight
of these workers will be re-assigned to work at the
Children’s Center. Three workers are on leave to
higher titles and will stay in place. One worker has
been selected for a position in HRA. The remaining
eight permanent workers will be offered jobs in the
Department of Juvenile Justice. Since there are addi-
tional qualifications for these jobs, an agreement has
been reached so that, if the workers do not qualify,
they will be placed on a preferred list. This means
that if any new jobs are open in their title, they will
be the first hired.
The Union is continuing to discuss other possibili-
ties with DCAS for jobs in other agencies and titles.
“There is nothing more important in these hard eco-
nomic times than having a job,” said Local 371
President Faye Moore.” Every worker is important
to us.”
In the latest development, the Union is filing an
Improper Practice regarding ACS’s refusal to bargain
on the eight Congregate Care positions in the field
office nurseries. ACS has made a unilateral decision
to reassign eight Homemakers to these nurseries.
Vice President of Organization Beverly Mallory-
Brown hands out petitions at meeting as VP of
Negotiations Anthony Wells looks on.
New York City is the exception.
In fact, the Housing Authority is a state-char-
tered public benefit corporation, and is one of the
few such entities in the city that is paying these
service fees. According to the Times story, “Two
other large public benefit corporations – the
Health and Hospitals Corporation… and the
State’s Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation
do not make these payments.”
DCAS Plan on Hold; Civil Service
Commission Needs Additional Info
T he New York State Civil Service
Commission, after hearing testimony from
Union President Faye Moore and other presi-
dents at its June 10 meeting in Albany, has issued
a seven-page request for information to the
Department of Citywide Administrative Services
(DCAS) about that agency’s five-year plan to
reduce the number of provisional workers in City
service.
The request freezes the 120-day time clock that
started when DCAS submitted the plan to the
Commission on March 28, 2008. If the Commission
had not taken any action, the plan would have
been deemed approved at the end of July. DCAS
now has sixty days to provide the required infor-
mation, and the time period for the Commission to
act is extended by the time it takes for DCAS to
comply.
As reported in the June 2008 issue of The Union-
ist, the Union is strongly opposed to the DCAS plan
in its current form. The plan would reclassify
dozens of civil service titles from the competitive to
the non-competitive class, erode the rights of work-
July/August 2008
Anthony Wells, the Union’s vice president of
negotiations, also spoke at the meeting and
answered many questions posed by the members,
as did Vice President of Grievances Lloyd Permaul.
Wells stated that the City must give the Union 45
days notice before laying off any workers. He
noted that in a number of past instances the Union
has saved jobs in the Housing Authority. “We want
them to go back to the State and get some money.”
Vice President of Organization Beverly
Mallory-Brown handed out copies of two petitions,
one to be signed by NYCHA residents and the
other to be signed by family members who use the
services of the centers. The petitions are addressed
to City Council members and state the following: “I
am very upset that the Council did not put enough
money into the budget to keep our Center open
and operating. I need the services my Center pro-
vides every day. Please provide the funding neces-
sary to keep my Center open!”
President Moore concluded the meeting by
stating, “We’re talking to everyone we can about
this situation including State legislators, the
press, other unions whose members live and
work in the 343 public housing complexes, reli-
gious and community leaders, and tenants’ coun-
cils. It’s not just a union fight, it’s a community
fight, and we are committed to keeping every
center open.”
The Union will be meeting with NYCHA
representatives on August 8, and results of that
meeting will be reported in the next issue of
The Unionist.
— Martin Fishgold
ers and increase management authority to appoint
and promote workers at their discretion.
In her testimony to the Commission, Moore stat-
ed “non-competitive employees do not enjoy cer-
tain leave rights and do not have the right to due
process until they achieve five years of service,
unless negotiated by their Union. To reclassify
workers who have earned these rights, by demon-
strating merit and fitness in accordance with the
State Constitution, is unfair to them and to the pub-
lic that expects demonstrably qualified workers to
run their city.”
Significantly, the information required of DCAS
by the Commission includes “An explanation of
the difference between the rights of employees
appointed to New York City competitive class
[positions], compared to New York City non-com-
petitive class employees,” as well as comparisons
of the rights of State vs. City employees.
The deadline for DCAS to respond to the Com-
mission is August 11, 2008. The Commission may
then approve or disapprove the plan, or may request
a modification of the plan or further information.
3
The Unionist
The Unionist Wins Two Journalism Awards at
New York Labor Media Convention
T he Unionist won two awards
at the 33rd annual Metro NY
Labor Communications
Council convention on June 13,
2008 at the Murphy Institute.
Metro represents labor communi-
cators throughout the NY Metro
region and presents media awards
each year.
The event opened with a labor
breakfast and a discussion on the cri-
sis facing organized labor, the topic
of Bill Fletcher’s latest book, “Soli-
darity Divided.” Fletcher, a long
time activist and former assistant to
the executive director of the AFL-
CIO, John Sweeney, analyzed the
need to transform the labor move-
ment into a larger framework that
challenges capitalism. He suggested
forming “united fronts with other
organizations to gain political power
and build a people’s political agen-
da,” and committing to a “different
form of internationalism, one that The Unionist award winners for Best Photo and Best Graphic Design are circled on the
challenges U.S. foreign policy.” display board above that was created for the Metro Convention.
Ed Ott, Executive Director of the NY
City Central Labor Council, agreed. “One of the
major failures of union leadership is a lack of analy-
sis of how capitalism works and how it has
changed.” He also commented on the failure of
labor unions to represent the interest of new sectors
Supports Civil Service Merit System
To the Editor:
I read with great interest your page 1 (June
2008) article about the Union’s defense of the
merit system in Civil Service in front of the NYS
Civil Service Commission and the condemna-
tion of the DCAS plan to destroy the civil ser-
vice system. The New York City DCAS and its
predecessor, the Department of Personnel, have
always and consistently been opposed to the
merit system and have favored the widespread
use of provisionals and non-competitive titles.
The NYS Civil Service Commission is marginal-
ly more ethical. The officials in both agencies are
knowledgeable and their stance is not due to
ignorance; it is due to a willful desire to destroy
the merit system and return the spoils system.
All the arguments about the difficulty of test-
ing are a brazen lie and a smokescreen. There is
one simple and cost effective way of adminis-
tering civil service tests: Tests should continu-
ously be given and rosters compiled before
vacancies occur. Any time a vacancy exists, can-
didates who are waiting on the lists should be
appointed. At present, DCAS appoints patron-
age provisionals, delays exams and then
bemoans the fact that the poor provisionals
who have been serving for many years will be
displaced. At this point people who have
passed exams are passed over and individuals
who failed the exam or never took it in the first
place remain in the patronage spots.
Dr. George Silberman, Sup. III SW, Retired
6
of the economy, including immigrant workers.
“Current organizations are becoming irrelevant to
major sectors of the working class. Immigrant
workers, for example, are already organizing their
own forms of representation. We are effectively
becoming politically isolated… and if we continue
on this path, we will perish.
“We are either a workers’ movement, or we are
something else,” added Ott. “And as Executive
Director of the Central Labor Council, I submit to
you, we have become something else…”
The next panel focused on communicating
labor’s agenda for the 2008 elections. It was mod-
erated by Esther Kaplan, Metro Co-chair, producer,
CWA 1180’s radio program The Communique, and
Two Children of Union Members Win DC 37
Educational Scholarships
K
urt Joseph, son of Union member Johanne
Joseph, and Jacqualine Taylor, daughter of
Union member Doris Taylor-Aiken, are
recipients of District Council 37 Education
Committee Scholarships this year. The scholar-
ships will be presented at the annual Awards
Luncheon on September 14.
Kurt Joseph, a senior at South Side High School
in Rockville Center, won a $1,000 Memorial Scholar-
ship, which he will use to attend Molloy College on
Long Island next year. His mother, a Supervisor I in
the Department of Homeless Services’ Family Hotel
Program, says she is “very, very proud of him. He’s
a great all-around kid. All his teachers and coaches
like him.” Kurt, who plans to major in Science/Pre-
Med, has won several other scholarships.
Jacqualine Taylor, who is majoring in education
and is going into her junior year at Bennett College
for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina, was also
awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Her mother is a Child
Protective Specialist II with the Administration for
writer for The Nation. Panelists includ-
ed Greg Denier, Communications
Director, Change to Win; Suzy Ballan-
tyne, Assistant to the President for
Governmental Affairs, NYS AFL-CIO;
Rich Negri, Project Director, IBT; and
James Steele, Distinguished Lecturer,
Murphy Institute. Panelists discussed
how to engage union members in the
upcoming elections, and how to
reframe the union movement’s mes-
sage so that working people can con-
nect their values to it.
The Journalism Contest Awards were
presented by Metro Secretary Michael
Yellin. Labor Reporter Harold Myerson
received the 2008 Labor Communicator
of the Year award for his commitment to
keeping the “concerns of working
Americans front and center at a time
when many in the media have aban-
doned their labor beat.”
Martin Fishgold, editor of The Union-
ist and former Metro president, pre-
sented the Mary Heaton Vorse Award
in memory of that prominent labor
journalist to Liza Frenette of the New
York Teacher, for her compelling story
of a school librarian who suffered a job-related ill-
ness and fought to get her career back. Angela
Page, the librarian featured in the story, surprised
Frenette by honoring her during the awards cere-
mony, where the two met in person for the first
time. Frenette said that being able to tell Page’s
story was a “humbling experience.”
The Unionist won a Best Photo award for a May
2007 shot by Charles Brown of an Immigration
Rally in Union Square, and a Graphic Design
award for the “Labor Arts on the net” section of the
June 2007 issue.
The event closed with an afternoon workshop on
“Design for Wordsmiths.”
Kurt Joseph Jacqualine Taylor
Children’s Services and has worked for the City for
20 years. She has one other child, Ladette, who is 12
and attends the East New York Family Academy.
In the essay she wrote for the scholarship,
Jacqualine stated: “For me, my mother has been my
greatest inspiration, as I watched her struggle to
take care of two children, attend graduate school,
work full time, and still maintain our family.”
Congratulations to Kurt and Jacqualine!
 July/August 2008

Bits & City Worker’s Art Exhibition

T
he second exhibition of City
Worker’s Art, sponsored by
Working Theater Play About the 137-year old Salmagundi
Club at 47 Fifth Avenue between

Social Worker Opening in September 11th and 12th Street in Manhattan,

is currently on view, seven days a
week, 1-5 p.m., from July 21 to

N
ew York City’s Working Theater, the only professional theater
company in New York producing theater for and about working
people, announced that it will present Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s
“King of Shadows” from
September 2-28 at Theater for the
New City in Manhattan. The play
is about the bond that develops
between a young social worker and
the homeless teenage boy
she is trying to help. “King of
Shadows” powerfully reveals
the challenges and competing
interests those directly serving the
public face every day in their jobs,
and it should be of particular
interest to Local 371 members. For
more information on the Working
Theater and on this production,
call 212-539-5675.
August 2. Over 200 works of art
are in the exhibit.
First prize of $1,500 will be
awarded in the name of Marvin
Franklin, the artist and MTA track
inspector, who was killed by a
train in the spring of 2007 while
on the job. Ten addition prizes of
$150 each for artistic merit will
also be awarded. Franklin (pic-
tured at right with one of his
paintings) took the “Best of Show” prize in 2006, the first year of the
exhibition, for a watercolor of the homeless on the subway. His work
will be displayed in Salmagundi’s library throughout this year’s
exhibition. The 2006 exhibition attracted entries from a wide range of
city employees including sanitation workers, architects, police, and
psychologists. Entries in this year’s competition were judged by
artists Burton Silverman and Harvey Dinnerstein.

AFSCME, DC 37, Local 371 Endorse Senator Barack Obama for President
T
he International Executive Board of the American Federation of State, bers and invest more resources than ever before to help Senator
County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 371’s parent union, Obama win the White House. We will turn out an army of 40,000
unanimously endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President of the AFSCME activists to knock on doors, make phones calls and talk with
United States on June 19. DC 37’s Delegates Council followed suit on June their co-workers and neighbors to produce an unprecedented turnout
24, and Local 371’s Delegate Assembly endorsed Obama on July 16. in the 2008 election.”
“Barack Obama has mobilized a historic movement to reclaim the great- “Barack Obama is a proven
ness of America. With his leadership, our nation will rise up to rebuild the fighter on the issues our members
middle class at home and restore America’s reputation in the world,” said care about most, such as ending
AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. “AFSCME will mobilize more mem- privatization, providing state and
local fiscal relief, fully funding
and supporting public services
Save the Date and the workers who provide
them, and guaranteeing that
March With Us on Labor Day, Saturday, September 6 everyone in our country has
access to quality, affordable

L
ocal 371 will march in this year’s Labor Day Parade, which is sched-
uled for Saturday, September 6. Local 371 marchers are being asked to
meet at the Union office, 817 Broadway, 12th Floor, at 9:00 a.m. where
Union T-shirts and hats will be distributed. Contingents will march up 5th
Avenue from 44th Street to 72nd Street, beginning at 10:00 a.m. This year’s
parade is dedicated to the brave men and women who have sacrificed so
much for this country in the armed forces. Representatives from the
“Wounded Warrior Project,” a group that assists wounded veterans when
they return to the United States, will participate in the parade. U.S. Labor
Against the War will also be distributing and carrying signs related to the
theme of the parade, calling for support of the troops by ending the war
and bringing them home now.
“I’m urging all Local 371 members to come out for this parade,” said
President Faye Moore. “Workers are under attack in this country, in this
city, and in this union, and the jobs of many workers are being threatened
now and will be in the near future. It is very important that we show our
strength and solidarity to resist these cuts, and the Labor Day Parade is the
perfect place to do that.”
Join Us at African American Day Parade, September 21
health care they can count on,”
McEntee said.
“We can elect a champion for
working families or we can elect
John McCain and have four more
years of George W. Bush’s disastrous policies,” McEntee said. “When
you look at McCain’s record on the issues instead of his rhetoric on
the stump, it’s obvious that he’s just another Bush. McCain and the
high-priced lobbyists who run his campaign promise us four more
years of destructive economic policies at home and 100 more years of
occupation in Iraq. We need a change now.”
“Barack Obama will change the direction of our country, and end
the Bush era of corruption and incompetence that has led to increased
unemployment and home foreclosures, higher gas prices and grocery
bills, in addition to putting health care and college out of reach for
millions of America’s working families,” said McEntee.
As a U.S. senator, Barack Obama has been a strong advocate for
critically important legislation to help working families. Those include
bills opposed by Senator McCain, such as the Employee Free Choice
Act, which would enable more Americans to improve their lives by

L
ocal 371 will again participate in New York's annual African American
Day Parade. This year's parade will be held on Sunday, September 21,
starting at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. and 111 Street in Manhattan.
Union T-shirts and hats will be distributed at a time and place to be
announced.
joining a union to negotiate for better wages and benefits, and
expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to
provide health coverage for an additional 10 million children from
low-income families. Senator Obama also opposes McCain’s plans to
privatize Social Security and vital public services.

7
The Unionist

Local 371 Large Turnout for Women’s Committee Event

A large turnout of
Union members
Get Well danced the night
Get well wishes are extended to Bonnie Bufford, BCW away at the Local
Chapter Chair, who is home recuperating from illness. 371 Women's
Committee's 5th
Bonnie is a Delegate and CPS Supervisor II in the ACS
Annual Dance and
Queens Field Office Bank Site. Get well cards may be sent to Card Party at

Photo by Charles Brown

Bonnie Bufford, 224 Manhattan Ave., Roosevelt, NY 11575. District Council 37
Union officers and staff extend get-well wishes to retired on June 13. Music
was by DJ
Union staffer Arnie Goldwag, who has not been in good
Hollywood.
health since his recent retirement. Get well cards may be
sent to Arnie Goldwag, 625 East 28 Street, Brooklyn,
NY 11210. Benefit Funds Column: Immigration Law Benefit Improved

T
he Trustees of the Union’s Legal Services Fund
have voted to expand coverage of legal ser-
Atlantic Shelter Addiction vices under the Fund’s Immigration Law ben-
efit. This change is in response to the increased
Counselor Honored need for legal services since the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, and the subsequent increased
Appeal of denial of immigration application or
denial in immigration court; Petition for K visa;
Application for re-entry permit for permanent resi-
dent; Certificate of citizenship for child who has
entered as a permanent resident.
The Immigration Law benefit is available to all

D
avid Kayode, a 19-year City employee and scrutiny of all immigration matters by the new U.S. Fund members. Most legal services under the bene-
the only Addiction Treatment Counselor at Department of Homeland Security. fit are also available to eligible dependents. Co-
the Atlantic Avenue Men’s Shelter in Effective July 1, 2008, the Fund’s Immigration Payments in various amounts are required for the
Brooklyn, has been selected as the Statewide 2007- Law benefit will cover fifteen additional areas, in use of legal services under the benefit. For more
2008 Credentialed addition to the fourteen areas it already covered. detailed information on the new, expanded Immi-
Alcoholism and The new areas are: Stokes Interview (including gration Law benefit, call the Legal Services Fund at
Substance Abuse preparation and attendance at hearing); Recovery (212) 777-9000, ext. 3089, visit the Funds’ website, at
Counselor Trainee of the of properties seized by U.S. Customs and Border www. SSEU371.org, or consult the new edition of
Year. According to the Protection; Replacement of lost greencard or other the benefit book.
letter announcing the lost immigration documents; Freedom of Informa-
award, “This is an honor tion Act application; Preparation and filing for New Edition of Funds Benefit Book
which is bestowed upon change of address (Form AR-11); Preparation and The new edition of the benefit book is now at the
a CASAC Trainee who filing of application for permission to work or printers, and is expected to be mailed to all Fund
has earned widespread renewal of application to work (separate from members in late August.
recognition from his/her adjustment of status); Waiver of foreign residence
peers, and whose work requirement application; Removal of conditions
reflects the highest level
of professional conduct
preparation of documentation and application; Congratulations
David Kayode Representation concerning visa lottery application
and dedication to serving Congratulations to Deborah Kreda, Child Welfare Specialist
for adjustment of status; Advance parole permis-
individuals and families. The award will be pre- sion to travel, independent of adjustment of status Supervisor II, ACS, Staten Island Field Office, who is retiring July
sented at a ceremony in Albany on September 15. application; Waiver of unlawful presence and other 31,2008 after 23 years of service.
grounds of inadmissibility such as criminal history;

Condolences
Condolences are extended to Karen Green,
Delegate/Child Protective Specialist, ACS, Brooklyn
Field Office, on the death of her son, Andre Green,
on June 8. Condolences may be sent to Karen Green
c/o ACS, 1274 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11216.
Condolences are extended to the family and
friends of Richard Guarino, former Local 371
activist, Brooklyn HRA, and Organization of Staff
Analysts staff member, who died on June 10, 2008.
Condolences are extended to Annette Brown,
Alternate Delegate/ Caseworker, HRA,
Amsterdam Center, on the death of her mother,
Pearl Mae Parnell, who passed on July 4, 2008.
Condolences may be sent to Annette Brown c/o
Amsterdam Center, 400 8th Ave, 5th floor, New
York, NY 10001.
Union officers and staff extend condolences to
the family of Elizabeth (Liz) P. Myers-Frazier, a
Union Delegate and Child Welfare Specialist in ACS
Preventive Services, 150 William Street, in
Manhattan, who died on July 7. Condolences may
be sent to her sons, Nijel and Na’Jari Frazier, 35
Monroe Street, #2, Brooklyn, NY 11238 and to
her mother, Barbara Brown, 2125 Glebe Avenue,
#4N, Bronx, NY 10462.
Union officers and staff extend condolences to
the family of Gloria J. Martin, CWS Supervisor II in
ACS Preventive Services, 150 William Street,
Manhattan, who died on July 9. Condolences may
be sent to her daughter, Lisa Williams, 29 Crowell
Street, Hempstead, NY 11550.
Condolences are extended to the family of
Kevin D. Smith, President of Local 1655 MTA
Clerical Administrative Employees, who died on
June 12, 2008. Condolences may be sent to the
Smith Family c/o DC 37 White Collar Division, 125
Barclay Street, Room 406, New York, NY 10007.

Swap, Buy & Sell

FOR SALE – 55 inch Panasonic television.
TV is 5 years old with original parts.
Asking $500.00. All serious buyers can
call (718) 978-7005. (7)
FOR SALE—MOTORCYCLE. ’05 YAMAHA V-
Star Silverado Cruiser, red & black, like
new, 5,200 miles. $5,900. Call 631-943-
6202 before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m. (5)
WANTED—Top cash for your old jazz, soul, R
& B and gospel albums. Call Howard at
212-873-4016. (1)
SWAP—AJOS I, Center 18, 132 W. 125th Inpatient Accounts would like to swap with
Street, would like to swap with AJOS I at any HCI from Kings County or Woodhull.
any Brooklyn center location. Call
Contact Emilca at 718-616-4093. (3)
Oluremilekun Kelani at 917-294-7828. (6)
SWAP—CPS at 2501 Grand Concourse,
SWAP—Associate Fraud Investigator, BFI, Bronx, would like to swap with CPS in
Food Stamps, 250 Church Street, Manhattan or Brooklyn. If interested, call
Manhattan, would like to swap with Monique at 718-933-4042 or 646-584-
Associate Fraud Investigator, BEV, 1775 5568. (3)
Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York.
SWAP—CWS in ACS Children’s Center,
Call Hayden O’Brien at 212-274-6571.
492 First Ave, Manhattan, would like to
(3)
swap with CWS in the Bronx or
SWAP—HCI worker located at Coney Island Northern Manhattan. If interested, call
646-935-1680. (3)
FOR SALE—Kenmore heavy duty 90 series
washing machine, lady’s size small dark
brown borghese fake fur jacket—very
good condition, gift items, clown collec-
tion, tie rack, never used cordless tele-
phone with clock radio, large ceiling fix-
ture, lots more. Call 718-430-1769 and
leave a message. (6)
FOR SALE—1998 Honda Civic Lx 4dr Sedan,
Green, 72,000 miles, $4250. Call Patricia
at 347-834-7481. (6)
CLASSIFIED ADS are free to Union mem-
bers and agency shop fee payers in writ-
ing only (typewritten if possible) to THE
UNIONIST, 817 Broadway, New York,
N.Y. 10003. Include your work phone and
social security number with ad copy, but
work phone numbers will only be printed
with ‘’swap’’ transfer ads. In no instance
will ads be run longer than three months.
No real estate or business ads accepted.
The Union neither endorses nor is
responsible for these offerings.