Public Employee Press

Know your officers
A promoter of unity

DC 37 President Eddie Rodriguez presides over Executive Board and delegates meetings, which sometimes get pretty hot. One of his unofficial duties, is to be a peacemaker.

"It's very challenging because you are dealing with a large group of leaders whose locals have specific needs," said Rodriguez, who is also president of Clerical-Administrative Local 1549.

Rodriguez, whose responsibilities include appointing leaders of union committees,
encourages thorough discussion. "As president, you do your best to help resolve things," he said. Once the smoke clears, he insists that people come together "as a family."

He said that while controversies sometimes arise, DC 37 activists must remain united as a group in their shared commitment to workers' rights and members' needs.

Rodriguez has dedicated virtually his entire adult life to public service and the union.

He began his civil service career at the age of 19 in 1972 as a Clerk and Eligibility Specialist in the Dept. of Social Services. In 1976, Rodriguez was elected as a shop steward at the Dyckman Center. He then served as chapter chair, delegate, sergeant-at-arms and 5th vice president before his election as president of Local 1549 in 2001.

As local president, his priorities have
included increasing salaries and benefits, saving jobs, protecting members' rights, ensuring workplace safety, and promoting civilianization at uniformed agencies. Most recently, working with DC 37, he convinced the NYPD to agree to hire more 911 operators to address understaffing.

One of Rodriguez's priorities has also been to promote diversity at the union. A founder and co-chair of Local 1549's Latino Heritage Committee, he served as vice president of the AFL-CIO's Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

As an elected vice president on the Executive Board of DC 37's national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Rodriguez enjoys dealing with the challenges that face the country's labor movement, such as privatization, attacks on public employee unions and campaigns to cut government programs.

"As president, I enjoy playing an important role in building our council," Rodriguez said. "We can argue and we can disagree. But we must always come together to make sure our institution remains strong."

—Gregory N. Heires