OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF LOCAL 372 Board Of Education Employees DISTRICT COUNCIL 37 AFSCME AFL-CIO

President’s Message, p. 2Political Action Committee, p. 3Grievance Wins, p. 4Legal News & More, p. 5Your Question, Answered, p. 5Title Profi les, p. 6 & 7Th e Scoop! p. 8Th e “U” in Union, p. 9Veronica Montgomery-Costa, p. 11

President Santos Crespo, Jr.

Executive Board MembersGlen Blacks, Executive Vice PresidentCynthia Grabsky, 2nd Vice PresidentCynthia Dowdy, Secretary-TreasurerMilagros Rodriguez, Recording SecretarySandra Fowler, Sergeant at ArmsMack A. Cohen, Sergeant at Arms

Vacant, M/A S.L. ChairpersonShaun D. Francois I, M/A S.L. SecretaryWalter Oliver, Hourly S.L. ChairpersonWilma Washington, Hrly. S.L. SecretaryLillie Taylor, S.A. ChairpersonDebbie Nunez, S.A. SecretaryBelinda Banks, Paras ChairpersonNanette Sepulveda, Paras SecretaryVacant, S.N.W. ChairpersonDavid Keye, S.N.W. SecretaryVacant, SAPIS ChairpersonTrina Prior, SAPIS SecretaryShirley Miller, S.C.G. ChairpersonImelda Jeff rey, S.C.G. SecretaryGenitha Isaac, 2 Year TrusteeJewel Rankin, 2 Year TrusteeShila Killebrew, 3 Year Trustee

HIGHLIGHTS

Local 372 125 Barclay Street, Room 650New York, NY 10007212.815.1372 www.local372.com

May 2011

STRIPPED!CIVIL SERVICE

Right now, a big fi ght is going on about civil service. Bloomberg is trying to tear down New York State’s 127-year-old civil service system. Th is system ensures that jobs are received based upon merit and it also safeguards workers’ rights.

One of his goals is to make the recall list in NYC valid for only two years. Right now, the recall list is good for four years. He’s also determined to end seniority rights and is starting this battle with the teach-ers. Bloomberg wants no regard placed on seniority when laying off teachers. Senior-ity rights are a cornerstone of union and workers’ rights. Ending seniority rights would be a huge blow to unions and work-ers’ rights. We will stand with our brothers and sisters to defend these rights.

In March, DOE assigned Local 372 parent coordinators to get people to sign petitions asking that NYS legislators end seniority for teachers. Th is was a violation of state and DOE rules that prohibit using public employees for political purposes.

Let’s fi ght this! Let’s not go backwards...

PLANS TO DESTROY SENIORITY....DISCIPLINARY RIGHTS...RECALL LISTS

CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS.......THE LIST GOES ON!

Local 372 spoke up against the use of our members to do Bloomberg’s dirty work to end seniority rights and attempt to pit union against union.

Th is is part of a sustained attack on the rights of all civil servants. It’s a huge battle. Bloomberg has proposed 23 changes that will reduce city employee protections un-der the civil service system. He is calling this his “reform plan.” We must do all that we can to prevent this from happening be-cause this would be going backwards.

Civil Service is Under Attack

Civil service rules, like seniority and disciplinary rules, restrict management. Th e administration wants to hire and fi re workers at will, like private companies.Th is mayor is determined to make city government run like the private sector before he leaves offi ce. He wants to contract out as many public services to private companies as possible, essentially making government “privately run.” Instead of the taxpayers’ money going to provide services and fully hire city workers, money will go into the hands of corporations. Remember, business owners see public government as a “cash cow” with pools of available money. Th at’s why business wants more government privatized. But, in order to do this and put their workers in, your job protections have to be taken away. Th en, they can privatize your jobs. Th at’s why civil service is being attacked.

Senior Editor: Gay BrisbonEditor: Josefa Febrillet-Barr

Design & Writer: Kamina Jolivettecontinued to the last page

LOCAL 372

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

2

Cuomo’s Budget – On Time But Off Track

SANTOS CRESPO, JR.

was the extension of the “millionaire’s tax.” Currently on the books and generating nearly $3.4 billion a year, the tax is sched-uled to expire at the end of 2012. Rather than keeping that money fl owing into the treasury, the tax will disappear.

Th e state didn’t stop there. Some $16 bil-lion generated through a stock transfer tax, was rebated back to corporate bank-ers. And rather than close corporate tax loopholes, corporations are fi nding new and more eff ective ways to keep from pay-ing their fair share. Just recently, two New York City energy companies had their fa-cilities re-classifi ed to “factories” to lower their tax rate.

Leona Helmsley’s most memorable line, “Only the little people pay taxes,” still rings true today.

Unfortunately, the rich get their free pass while certain politicians double talk people about “shared sacrifi ce.” Meanwhile, more families live on the fringe and services are cut due to lack of funding.

Where is the shared sacrifi ce?

At P.S. 128 in Washington Heights, nearly one out of every fi ve students is homeless. Th e staff collected food during the holidays and raffl ed 10 coats to give to kids. At P.S. 18 in Staten Island kitchen staff Terri Hoff -man, Fred Betzold, Karen DiAngelo with students Rhonda, Adriana and Nelson fed needy families at Th anksgiving and Christ-mas last year where one or both parents had lost their jobs. “We scraped together our pennies and cleaned out our cabinets at home,” one of the students said.

Budget reductions are forcing after school programs and libraries to shorten their hours or close completely.

Th e pundits have been lavish in their praise of Governor Cuomo and the legislature for passing a budget on time. Headline and editorial writers have been beside them-selves in singing the praises of the new “functioning Albany.”

Yes, it’s great everyone worked so hard to get the job done on time. And, they kept their promise to “get spending under con-trol” with a call for “shared sacrifi ce.” Un-fortunately, it will be children, senior citi-zens, the poor, the disabled, and working class men, women and families doing most of the sharing and sacrifi cing. Th e $132.5 billion budget that passed in Albany will cut state spending by $55 bil-lion over the next four years.

Let’s look at where some of those cuts will be made: more than $1 billion in schools across the state, including a whopping $600 million in NYC school cuts; over $5 billion of cuts in Medicaid; plus $450 mil-lion in “negotiated” labor givebacks which means almost 10,000 state workers laid off !

Th ese are the state-wide impacts. But, with fewer dollars coming from Albany, cities and towns throughout New York will be quick to announce further budget cuts to health and education programs. Th ey will also demand additional union give-backs and threaten even more layoff s. In fact, less than 24-hours after Cuomo an-nounced his budget Mayor Bloomberg threatened to lay off 4,800 teachers if the state didn’t come up with more money.

And yet, while the governor and the legisla-ture chopped away at the quality of life for working class New Yorkers, they somehow forgot to include New York’s rich in the sharing of the sacrifi ce. Among the early proposals in the “shared sacrifi ce” budget

Families are in crisis due to unemploy-ment. According to a recent U.S. Depart-ment of Labor report unemployment is down to 8.8%, but don’t let these numbers fool you. Th ose fi gures don’t include peo-ple who work in temporary jobs because they can’t fi nd permanent jobs and those who work part-time, who can’t fi nd full-time employment. It also doesn’t include the long-term unemployed who have basi-cally stopped looking for jobs. Th erefore, the true unemployment rate is much high-er, around 18%.

Now is not the time to give tax breaks to the wealthiest New Yorkers while cutting critical services.

We see the results of these cuts in our schools every day. We have also seen and felt those cuts within our own union. Yet, even faced with scandal after scandal from outside contractors the DOE plans to increase its technology spending to over one-half billion dollars — just for next year. And, DOE will continue to provide millions of dollars for private contractors and consultants. You see, there is money. But it must be spent wisely. Th at’s why I’m calling upon our members to get involved and be politically active. We must speak out! Your voice must be heard! Th is is the time. Write, call, or email your elected offi cials and let them know how you feel about this budget. Let them know what the term “shared sacrifi ce” means. Our future depends on it.

In Solidarity,Santos Crespo, Jr.

3

The Political Action Committee Local 372’s last Political Action Committee meeting, in March, was packed. President Crespo congratulated the committee on being very eff ective. He discussed the growing importance of being politically active because unions are under attack across the country and public jobs are in danger of being privatized. NYC Council Member Darlene Mealy was the guest speaker.

“Political action is vital to your lifestyle and livelihood,” says Pamela J. Armstrong, the chairperson of Local 372’s Political Action Committee. “Your job depends on it. Our elected offi cials introduce legislation that infl uences our jobs and communities. Politi-cians have power. If we don’t hold them accountable, then they can do whatever they want to do. We pay taxes and we vote. We have to make sure they work for us. Th is committee is vital. Members learn about issues and become empowered as activists. Our members are wonderful. We’re active. We’re going make politicians accountable. I encourage members to join!”

President Santos Crespo, Jr.

Pamela J. Armstrong

NYC Council Member Darlene Mealy

Council Member Mealy of Brooklyn’s 41st District emphasized how small groups can make a huge impact. She talked about how she began a block association and it took her two years to get it going, but soon the vacant neighborhood lots were not used as dumping grounds, drug dealing was off the corners, and everyone’s quality of life improved. “You have to be committed to making a diff erence,” she said. “Step up to the plate, that’s half of the job, the possibilities are amazing. Be proactive in every-thing you do.” Council Member Mealy also encouraged members to visit their elected offi cials at their district offi ces and to write letters, call, and email politicians on issues because logs are kept on correspondence.

At the April 8th General Membership Meeting, Santos Crespo, Jr. addressed members questions about the budget, the next Local 372 election, grievances and other issues. He also urged members to become politically active to protect city jobs.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

School Crossing Guard Keisha Rice (m), who regularly attends meetings, brought two cross-ing guards to their fi rst meeting, Jean Sanchez (l) and Debra Gallo (r). It was a great experi-ence,” said Sanchez, “I’m coming again.”Th ey’re all from the 76th Precinct.

School Aides, Leslie Vazquez from P.S. 173 (l), Evelyn Gaston (m) from M.S. 80x, and Antoinette Banks from Grand Street Campus (r). Th is was Banks fi rst meeting. Gaston and Vazquez say that they come to meetings to know what’s going on because all public employees’ jobs are at stake.

Aaron Manuel, Senior School Lunch Helper, Ellery High School.

SAPIS employee, Adia Lopez, won $40,000 in back pay because her seniority rights were violated. Ms. Lopez was looking forward to one day being promoted to a SAPIS III due to her years of experience and qualifi cations. She was shocked when two less senior workers became SAPIS III’s and disgusted when she realized that the position had never been posted by management!

When Ms. Lopez was overlooked for the position of a SAPIS III, she was working at Bronx P.S. 106, teaching 15 drug prevention classes per week, leading mediation classes, providing individual and group counseling sessions to students, plus she had over 20 years of experience as a SAPIS.

At fi rst, Ms. Lopez spoke to her supervisor and informed her of her seniority and stated that proper rules had not been followed. Her supervisor gave her a fl imsy excuse that she had no control over the process. Ms. Lopez then brought the issue to the attention of Council Representative Domenic Renzi who fi led a grievance on her behalf. He fi led a Step 1 Grievance, which is a formal step that allows the labor issue to be handled at the school by the principal. Th e principal chose to deny it. Th en, Mr. Renzifi led a Step 2 Grievance, which brings the labor dispute to the District Superintendent (DOE) and is assigned to a hearing offi cer. Th e Step 2 Grievance was also denied.

But Local 372 continued. Th is case needed to go forward because the seniority rights of our member were violated. An arbitration hearing was held. DC 37 attorney Dena Klein represented Ms. Lopez. Ms. Klein argued that the contract was violated because Ms. Lopez had the most seniority and qualifi cations compared to the other candidates. Further, the position was not posted and the contract states that positions have to be posted for 10 days. Th e union requested that Ms. Lopez be appointed to the SAPIS III position retroactive to June 2005 when the grievance was fi led and receive the pay of the SAPIS III position since that date.

Th e arbitrator sustained the grievance and ordered that Ms. Lopez be appointed to the SAPIS III position as of June 2005 and receive back pay of a SAPIS III as of that date.

GRIEVANCE WINS - HIGH FIVE!

Here is another case of how management sometimes tries to pit one member against another by not following seniority rules and distributing work based upon favoritism, causing dissension. Local 372 will not tolerate management violating our contracts and will fi ght to make sure management upholds our hard fought for contract provisions! By doing this we are not only fi ghting for the rights of individual members but for all members by making sure we let management know that we are ready, capable and will fi ght for our contract to be upheld.

Sandra Rodriguez, a school aide with 18 years of service, noticed that at her school a less senior school aide had been given a shift of seven hours a day. Sandra had wanted to work extra hours. She spoke with the school principal and informed her that she was the most senior aide in the school and, by seniority rules, she should be the fi rst person off ered these extra hours. Th e principal fl atly refused to adhere to seniority rules. She told Sandra that due to budget constraints she was not able to provide her with extra hours.

Sandra knew that this was not right, that’s when she spoke to her council representative, Mark Garcia. He fi led a Step 1 Grievance. However, the principal maintained her position and denied the Step 1 Grievance. Th en, Mark fi led a Step 2 Grievance, which brings the labor dispute to the District Superintendent (DOE) and is assigned to a hearing offi cer. Th e offi cer acknowledged the violation against the contract, specifi cally, Article 16 – Seniority Policy, and the grievance was sustained. Sandra was awarded 154 hours of back pay.

Th e lesson to management? Seniority counts. Be aware of your seniority status and assert your seniority rights!

SENIORITY COUNTS!

Domenic Renzi and Adia Lopez

SeniorityDoes it Again!

4

KNOW IT: If you suspect that you are working out of title, immediately contact your union representative.

LEGAL NEWS & MORELocal 372 members have access to top lawyers, researchers, labor negotiators and other staff to ensure that you have the best legal team to fi ght for your rights. Your legal team works hard to ensure that your contract is upheld.

5

WILL YOU GET A PENSION?

If you don’t join the pension, besides not getting a pension, you will not get health insurance continuation and union benefi ts, such as prescription/dental/optical benefi ts. Full time workers are enrolled in the BERS pension program once they fi ll out the forms, however, if they never fi lled out forms & returned them to BERS, they aren’t enrolled. You should make sure that BERS has your completed forms. Part time workers such as school aides, health aides, lunch helpers, family auxiliary paras, school crossing guards, and FIA’s are not automatically enrolled in the retirement system. Th ey won’t get any benefi ts if they don’t join BERS. Local 372 fought a long and hard battle to get meaningful pension benefi ts for our members. Before, our workers were not entitled to a pension. Join the retirement system to get these benefi ts to better your fi nancial future. Find out if you are in the pension, call the Health & Pension Unit, 212.815.1200. To contact BERS, call 718.935.5400.

LOADER & HANDLERS

SCHOOL AIDES

YOUR QUESTION, ANSWERED

Your BERS pension, considered a “traditional” pension, is a defi ned benefi t pension which guarantees the retiree a fi xed monthly income. A 401-K plan is a defi ned contribution plan which does not guarantee fi xed monthly income to the retiree. Having a secure and fi xed monthly income is an important part of ensuring that senior citizens have economic stability when they retire.

Your defi ned benefi t pension has three components of funding: the employer contributes to the plan, the employee contributes to the plan, and investment earnings help fund the plan. Th e employer guarantees to pay the retiree a fi xed monthly income for life. In the past, most private companies, in addition to government workers, provided their employees with defi ned benefi t pensions. Now, due to greed of corporate executives, most defi ned benefi t pensions in the private sector have been eliminated. Why? Most employers don’t want to contribute money any more to their employees retirement. Th ey care about the company’s bottom line and squeezing all profi ts out of the company to distribute among executives and corporate shareholders. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 20% of workers in the private sector have defi ned benefi t pensions.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 401-K PLAN AND OUR PENSION?

Local 372 and DOE have agreed to meet and bargain regarding the impact of DOE entering into a contract with APPCO, including the increased work load and safety concerns resulting from reducing the number of loaders and handlers on a truck from two to one. In April, the Union fi led an amended Improper Practice Charge at PERB, on behalf of the Loaders and Handlers. Th e Charge asserts that the DOE violated the Taylor Law when it refused to honor the terms of the Memorandum of Economic Agreement -- which requires the DOE to bargain with the Union before subcontracting out work, and then refused to proceed to arbitration. In July, there will be a PERB hearing on the failure of DOE to bargain with the union over the elimination of the 5:30 a.m. start time. In addition, because the DOE has resisted proceeding to arbitration, the Union fi led a motion to compel arbitration in New York State Supreme Court. Th e oral argument is scheduled for June 15th.

Local 372 fi led a grievance which prohibits DOE from assigning School Aide duties to employees who are not in the collective bargaining unit. We have had many days of hearings at PERB concerning the improper practice that DOE violated the Taylor Law. Further hearings will be held in August and September. Local 372 also fi led a reverse out-of-title grievance, because the School Aide contract prohibits the DOE from assigning School Aide work to employees other than School Aides. Th e DOE has refused to schedule this arbitration, and once again, the Union fi led a motion to compel arbitration in New York State Supreme Court.

Debra Leach says, “I love being a crossing guard, it’s a job about caring.” Ms. Leach has been a crossing guard for fi ve years. “Th e kids I cross every day, they are my babies. It’s just like being their mother, while their mother is away. You see to it that they get to school safely and on time. You see to it that they act right, showing respect, and saying good morning. You see to it that they’re properly dressed. I ask, ‘Baby, where are your gloves?’ Th e child says, ‘I forgot them.’ I tell them make sure you remember tomorrow and the next day, he’ll say, ‘See, look, I got my gloves!’ I tell some of the older kids, pull those pants up. I say watch, your mouth. Th at’s not right. Th ey say, ‘I’m sorry, excuse me.’ Because I’m the lady that doesn’t allow them to come on my corner and curse.

Some of the hard things about the job are when people don’t want you to cross them. You also get road rage from drivers. Sometimes cars won’t stop. Th ey also block the crosswalk (see picture at right). Some of them will curse, I’ll tell them have a blessed day. Still, I enjoy my job and that’s why I’m out there.

I’m going to school at night to get my GED so I can go on to continue my education in social work. I would like to work more with children. Anyone that hasn’t completed school, go back to school and get your education. It takes a while to get the cobwebs out, but once they’re gone, there is no stopping you. Be encouraged, you can do anything you want to do if you set your mind to it!”

“My elementary school kids are great,” says Keri Gleason, who has been a crossing guard for almost a year. “I say, ‘Good morning! Aren’t you cold? Th en zip up that jacket!’ I want to be their friendly face in the morning. Th at’s important.

Rosetta Dunning Ms. Dunning helping a sick student.

Sonia Smith shows the ‘ice island’ she works on.

“It’s slippery here!”

TITLE PROFILE

THE CARING CORNERS SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS

Keri Gleason

Debra Leach

On a freezing day in February, Local 372 visited four school crossing guards. We saw so many happy and caring guards protecting children from the cars, buses, trucks, and bikes. Traffi c is really crazy out there. It’s a tough job but they do it well and with cheer. We heard a lot of “Good morning baby!” “Hi sweetie pie! How are you doing?” “Are you feeling okay today?” “Have a great day honey!” If only everyone could be this nice in the morning!

Th is job has had a huge impact on me. It captivated a lot of the aspects that I like about becoming a police offi cer. It lead me to decide to go to school and do that. I like having the ability to help people, it’s a good feeling. I also like the respect that I get from wearing this uniform.

When it’s extreme weather, it takes a toll on you, especially when you’re not feeling well. You work in rain, snow, and freezing weather. In summer it’s so hot, you feel you’re brain melting!”

6

TITLE PROFILE

THE “PARENTS” AWAY FROM HOMESCHOOL AIDES

ALETHIA CRUSE - A LOCAL 372 GEM

Harriet Clay

We went to P.S. 234 in Manhattan to see what a day was like for our school aides. It was busy! Th ey’re constantly watching the kids. Th e aides were in the lunch room and the school yards. Th ey were monitoring the children to make sure that they were safe and ate their food. We met Harriet Clay, Paget Williams, Francis Sencion-Ferreiras and Mishell Tavarez, all school aides, all working hard. Our public school kids are in good hands.

Paget Williams

Mishell Tavarez

“I take care of them as though they were my own,” says Mabel Blandino, a school aide at P.S. 130. She works with kindergartners to fi fth graders. In talking to school aides, they all had a common drive, to take care of the children. In fact, Local 372’s motto is “Our Job is Kids.” Ms. Blandino says, “Our job is to take care of the children. I take care of kids in the lunch room and the yard. Th ey say, ‘Miss Mabel, please button my coat. Help me tie my shoes! Can you open this for me?’ Th e younger kids really need your help. My grandchildren are in the school where I work, so some of the little kids call me grandma because they hear them. When other children call me grandma, that feels so good.”

Mabel Blandino

Local 372 school aides, making sure kids are safe in the school yard, buttoning children’s coats, helping in the lunch room and contacting parents...they take care of New York City’s kids.

At 83 years old, Alethia Cruse, is one of Local 372’s oldest workers. She has been a school aide at elementary school P.S. 9 in Manhattan for over 25 years. “I love being with the children,” says Ms. Cruse. “I get so much satisfaction from seeing them grow from kindergartners to fi fth graders. Th is is a very rewarding job. Some students come back and visit me after they go to middle school, high school, and even college. Th ey come back to say, ‘Th ank you.’ When some parents and kids see me years later, they say, ‘You’re still here?’ I tell them, ‘Yes, I love my job.’ ”

“I enjoy working with the kids,” said Harriet Clay, they keep you active and busy. “As an older person, it keeps me going because I’m always busy. You’re always watching the kids in the yard to make sure that they are safe. You always have your eyes on the kids. Some of the kids can’t put the straws in their milk carton, some have diffi culty opening up ketchup packets, and some need help taking the wrappers off of their food. Quite a few times, kids don’t ask for help. Th ey look around, they’re not eating their food, so you have to be really aware of them, talk to them and fi nd out what they need. We are here to help and guide the children so that they can prepare themselves for the real world.”

7

Francis Sencion-Ferreiras

Find “Lost Money”

Local 372 has helped members “fi nd lost money.” We want to help you too.

Th e NYS Comptroller’s Offi ce has a website to help people fi nd money they were owed. Th e state has $10.5 billion in unclaimed funds. Some of this money may be yours. If you have access to a computer, go to www.osc.state.ny.us. You can also call 1-800-221-9311. Even a relative who is deceased may have money which can be claimed through a process. Please check.

As a member of Local 372, you have access to very valuable benefi ts which are free or of little cost. Th is year, make a plan to use at least one of your benefi t options. Here are just a few of the benefi ts which you can use.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES!

THE SCOOP!

Did you know that Local 372 members can get a 15% discount on their AT&T cell phone bill? AT&T, the only union cell phone company, off ers this discount to its “Proud to Be Union” brothers & sisters. To get the discount you must go to an AT&T wireless store and bring your pay stub showing your Local 372 union dues deduction. Take advantage of it to save money!

Verizon gives a 6% discount, to get the discount, bring your pay stub to Verizon.

15% DISCOUNT on AT&T Wireless

James Haywards, a Level 3 SAPIS, retired after 42 years of service. He is considered one of the original SAPIS. James said that his work as a counselor to students & parents in District 23 was fulfi lling. He also enjoyed being a part of Local 372 and battling for members’ rights. Fellow SAPIS workers wish him a happy retirement for a job well done. Congratulations!

GET IN SHAPE!Members can join NYC Sports Club for a discounted monthly rate of $59.

Franklin Spear, a retired family parapro-fessional, passed away on October 9, 2010. Franklin was a delegate for DC 37 and was very politically active. One of his many joys was being active in the union. He val-ued and was proud of his union member-ship. Mr. Spear said that it enabled him to further the education that he began at Morehouse College and get his Bachelor Degree of Arts at the College of New Ro-chelle. Mr. Spear loved to learn and was al-ways willing to work wherever needed. He was devoted & committed. Mr. Spear, who was drafted into the army, was in the Battle of Bulge in WWII, the largest, bloodiest, and most costly US battle during the war.

Willow Richardson’s son passed away.Ms. Richardson is a retired P.S. 91 Shop Steward. While there are no words to express our deep sympathy for your loss, please know that you are in our prayers.

Robin Chisolm’s father passed away. She is a crossing guard. We are so sorry.

MEMBER UPDATES

CONDOLENCES

Roma Jean Brown, a school crossing guard for 30 years, shop steward, and a delegate for DC 37 passed away on No-vember 10, 2010. She had retired at P.S. 123. She was a pillar in her community, an active community leader and mentor to kids. She taught dance to students at P.S. 100. She was young at heart and spoke her mind but did it with love. Being a crossing guard was her passion.

Let’s keep these families in prayer.

8

THINKING ABOUT RETIRING?

Please call Debbie DeLauro at DC 37’s Health & Pension. She has important information and advice. You can contact her at 212.815.1208. Expert retirement advice is available to Local 372 members.

March was a very diffi cult time for our Mildred Nieves. Her dear father, CarlosNieves, passed away on March 25 and her father-in-law passed the week before. We know this is a hard time for you and you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Mary Eileen Donovan a former cook in District 18, passed away on April 1, 2011. Her daughter, Patricia Roros, was also a member of Local 372 and now works as a District 31 supervisor. We express our deepest condolences

1) Take a class. As part of your membership, you have access to a wide variety of eve-ning and weekend courses that you can take like Spanish, guitar lessons, even public speaking to name a few. To fi nd out more information, call the Education Fund at 212.815.1700 or check out www.dc37.net.

2) Write a will this year! Your membership gives you full access to excellent lawyers. Your benefi ts entitle you to lawyers who can help you write a will, counsel you in le-gal proceeding regarding evictions, parent custody issues, among other legal counseling. Contact our Municipal Employee Legal Services (MELS) unit at 212.815.1111.

9

“U”

Shaun Francois I, Loader & Handler, 15 yearsI participate in our union because I feel that’s how you make a diff erence. I also want to be able to have input on issues. I want to learn more about labor, share that knowledge with the members, and give them good service. I became a shop steward because I like to make things better for people. I’m also an Execu-tive Board Member. I’m a helping person by nature. It makes my day to make things better for someone. As a shop steward, I advocate on behalf of my fellow workers to management for what they need. I’ve also worked on back pay issues for members. I like winning those cases because it puts money in their pockets.

Being a loader & handler gives you the opportunity to meet a lot of members in various titles, from the cooks to the school aides. We travel throughout the boroughs delivering supplies to schools, so we meet

Local 372 members. Th e job hours are nice too. You start work by 6 a.m. and you’re out by 2 p.m., in early and out early. You have your whole day to yourself after you work. Also it’s a great physical job that keeps you exercised. You’re always lifting heavy stuff like boxes and even refrigerators. I’m really proud that Local 372 was able to get legislation passed that was able to bring back the 55/25 early retirement program to the loaders & handlers because this job can take a toll on your body.

A hard part about our job is that we work in all kinds of weather like snow, sleet, rain and hot temperatures. When it’s hot it is some-times almost unbearable lifting heavy equipment with the sun beaming down on you. In the snow and rain, you have to be careful not to slip when you’re carrying merchandise. It’s a very manual job. We constantly go up and down stairs since a lot of buildings are not modernized.

I encourage members to get involved. Th e union is them — the members. Th e more participation, the more strength we have. Members have to come out and make a diff erence.

To be a brother or sister of the union, you need to participate. It helps in saving our jobs.

Th is union also has a lot of nice things to off er members such as scholarships for your children, loans, pension and education benefi ts. I always tell members to come to the meetings and get involved. Go to the outings, go to Albany when they have lobby day bus trips, and go to the rallies. When I go to the rallies here in the city, I always try to bring a few people with me too. I like to do work for this union. When they need something, I’m there to help Local 372.

I like being a cook. We work for the kids. Th e kids favorite meal these days is chicken strips, mozzarella sticks and roasted chicken with rice. Th ey really like fresh blueberry muffi ns too. Years ago breakfast in the school was just cereal, now it is muffi ns, bagels, eggs, sausage rolls, a real good variety.

I was 66 years old and in retirement but I wanted to work. Th is job keeps me on the move. I lift boxes, crates of milk, and I try to be as much assistance to the ladies in the kitchen in terms of moving heavy items. I like to be of help. I’m also a shop steward. My job consists of taking supply orders & stocking items, cleaning fl oors, cleaning pots & pans, and keeping the refrigerator clean. I don’t interact that much with the children because I’m in the kitchen, not the cafeteria. In the kitchen, we get along well. Each person brings something diff erent to the table, it’s a good atmo-sphere. I enjoy going to work.

I would like to see people participate more in the union. It’s important. I want to see more people come to the meetings. Come out and support our local. You can choose what you want to do. You can get a chance to meet your legislators and ask them what they are doing for us.

The in Union MEMBER PROFILE

John Lombardi, School Lunch Aide, 20 Years

Bradley Easterlin, Senior School Lunch Helper, 5 Years

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Since the beginning of the Local 372 Scholarship in 2002, thousands of dollars have been given away to children of members who are pursuing college degrees. President Veronica Montgomery-Costa developed the scholarship fund because Local 372 members needed fi nancial assistance to send their children to college. “I had a vision to help members. I am so glad that this scholarship has helped so many of our member’s kids. Many of whom are the fi rst child in the family to attend college.” Scholarship money is raised by fundraisers, like the Atlantic City Bus trip and the Local 372 annual disco dance. No dues go towards the fund. Th e Annual Local 372 Scholarship Dinner will be held on Friday June 24, 2011 and will be honoring Veronica Montgomery-Costa for her tremen-dous foresight in starting the scholarship fund and building it to where it has benefi ted so many Local 372 member’s children. To get tickets, call Geri at 212.815.7636.

Parents, children, and some scholarship committee members,including Belinda Banks, Sandra Fowler, Debbie Nunez, John Lombardi, Antoinette Long and Barbara Wehner, at recent open houses to help parents and children fi ll out applications.

Dear Local 372,Thank you so much for awarding me your scholarship. I was extremely happy & grateful . It helped out a lot . I can’t wait to fi nally arrive at college . Thank you.

COMING UP!

PLEASESAVE THESE DATES

General Membership Meeting and Nominations

Tuesday, May 31, 20115:30 p.m.

Elections: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.Th ursday, June 16, 2011

General Membership Meeting 5:30 p.m.

Th ursday, June 16, 2011

Scholarship Dinner Dance Friday, 6/24/11

Marina Del Rey, Bronx7:30 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.

Contact Geri at 212.815.7636

STRAIG

HT TA

LK

A NEW LOCAL 372 PUBLICATION!

In Local 372’s eff orts to keep members informed, we have developed a new one-page publication called “Straight Talk” which will be distrib-uted in the fi eld. Th is pub-lication will contain contract information and updated news to help keep you aware of what’s in your contract and what’s going on that aff ects you and your job.

Please read and pass “Straight Talk” on to other members. Shop stewards, please make copies to distribute to your co-workers. Remember, with knowledge is power!

SCHOLARSHIP DINNER - JUNE 24

Actual letter from a 2010 recipient:

JOIN US AT THE SCHOLARSHIP DINNER

11

A TRIBUTE TO VERONICA MONTGOMERY-COSTALeader, organizer, listener, negotiator, mentor and teacher. Th ese are just a few words that have been used to describe Veronica Montgomery-Costa. Ms. Montgomery-Costa was President of Local 372 from 1999 to February 2011. She was also the President of DC 37 and served as an International Vice President of AFSCME. Ms. Montgomery-Costa is known as a labor leader who is dedicated to serving members and representing their needs. She showed herself as a person who was able to lead and make things happen when she helped to organize her fellow SAPIS co-workers to join Local 372. Local 372 represents seven contracts and she fought hard to get members demands met. While it is impossible to mention all of her achievements on behalf of members, she fought for and won the right to have air conditioning in the kitchens of New York City public schools. Many workers would get sick from cooking and work-ing over hot stoves and ovens in 100 degree-plus kitchens without air conditioning, especially during the summer. Th is oppression was endured by kitchen staff for years, until she came along and demanded that DOE upgrade and air condition kitchens.

At her retirement, Ms. Montgomery-Costa said that she would miss members and working on their behalf. She urges members to get and stay involved in the fi ght for workers’ rights. She also said that her service was testimony to all rank and fi le workers that through dedication to labor and hard work on behalf of members, all opportunities for advancement are available.

“Veronica is a former SAPIS who worked her way up to become one of the best leaders that we know.” Trina Prior, SAPIS

“She did a lot for us. She fought to get us raises, she fought for our demands. We had Brooklyn-Queens Day taken away from us, she got that back for us with pay. When management violated our contract, she fought back. She’s a strong lady and a fi ghter. She represented us well. I love her dearly.” Sandra Bilbo-Dent, Family Paraprofessional

“She was a damned good fi ghter. She fought for her members and believed in helping and putting members fi rst.” Carolyne Johnson, Family Associate

“Her leadership inspired me to get involved.” Lillie Taylor, School Aide

“She was so dedicated. If something was wrong, she never hesitated to come to our help. She always made sure that the grievance representative worked for us. She’s my Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X rolled up into one. She really is. I always told her, ‘If you need me I’m there, you just have to tell me how to get there!’ ” Jo Ann Brown, School Aide

“Veronica was responsible for legislation that was passed that brought back the 55/25 early retirement program to the Loaders & Handlers. I’m proud of her eff orts.” Shaun Francois, I, Loader & Handler

“She’s my angel, she’s my teacher. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned with Ms. Veronica and the union. She’s a good leader. She’s the best.” Mabel Blandino, School Aide

Bloomberg called our civil service system, “antiquated.” Many of the democratic ideals of this great country were established in 1776, yes, it’s old, but not antiquated.

Our state civil service system was established in 1883, by the legislative initiatives of former President Th eodore Roosevelt, who was then a NYS Assemblyman. He sponsored the bill to create a hiring system that would be based upon merit and qualifi cations, instead of patronage and favoritism. NYS was one of the fi rst states to lead the nation in this forward thinking ideal of civil service.

where the political winner “took all.” Trust in government was low, there was corruption, and many workers were unqualifi ed. Th is caused incompetence in government. Because there was so much favoritism, the Civil Service Reform Association was created in 1877. Tests and rules were established so that everyday people could have the opportunity to get a government job through a fair process. Instead of favoritism and political patronage, now, qualifi cations and ability would determine employment. Th is is called a “meritocracy system.”

Still, rich political leaders in New York State fought against civil service. In 1897, the Civil Service Commission lost its authority to give examinations for jobs. However, when Roosevelt became Governor in 1899, he stopped these greedy politicians from reviving the spoils system. Years later the NYS Department of Civil Service was created under the progressive reforms of Governor Al Smith. Our fi ght didn’t end there. It took almost 70 years later,

for NYC public employees to be able to join a union. It was only then that employees could fi le grievances and receive due process on disciplinary actions. Due to union negotiations, the typical 72-hour workweek for city employees was reduced to 40 hours. DC 37 fought hard for these rights --- and we won.

Civil service is critical to everyday people. Th e government hired minorities and women when the private sector lagged behind. Th ere’s a lot on the line.

With our collective eff ort, let’s push back. We fought too long and hard to get where we are today. Th is is the time to write letters, attend rallies, and get involved. Th is issue can shape the future of civil service as we know it today.

What You Can Do

How Did People Get City Jobs Before Civil Service?

Before civil service, you basically had to be related to or a friend of a politician to get a government job. When a politician won offi ce, practically all workers would be fi red, so that friends and family of the new politician could get jobs, regardless of their qualifi cation. Th is is called “cronyism.” Th e system was called the “spoils” system

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Local 372 125 Barclay Street, Room 650New York, NY 10007