Public Employee Press

Know your officers
A supporter of fiscal transparency

DC 37 Treasurer Maf Misbah Uddin joined the municipal workforce in 1988 as an Actuary working for the New York City Office of the Actuary.

Actuaries make complex calculations for pensions and other related areas based on information such as life expectancies. Uddin has master's degrees in actuarial science, mathematics and demography.

Uddin immediately became active in Accountants, Actuaries and Statisticians Local 1407. Local members elected him president in 2000, and two years later he was elected to DC 37's Executive Board as the union's treasurer.

In his first term as treasurer, he initiated a budget process that has improved the transparency of union finances, and since then he has worked closely with DC 37 staff to analyze union expenditures and make long-term capital improvement plans.

In November 2012, Uddin was unanimously reelected to his fourth term as DC 37 treasurer. As treasurer he is responsible for the union's $49.3 million budget. "It's a responsibility that I take seriously, and that I am very proud of," he said.

An advocate for labor rights in his native Bangladesh as well, he is founder and president of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor. Under his leadership, the alliance has increased the political involvement and strength of workers from South Asian countries and exposed the exploitative and hazardous working conditions that factory workers in Bangladesh have to endure to make a living. He also chairs the DC 37 Asian Heritage Committee and serves on the board of the AFL-CIO's Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance.

Uddin lives in Queens with his wife, Mazeda, and their five children. Their daughter Jamilla was active in the recent primary election and worked as the South Asian Field Director for the John Liu campaign. Their son Anas worked on Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's primary campaign for comptroller.

—Alfredo Alvarado