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Public
Employee Press
Hispanic Heritage Month marks 15th year
at DC 37
By ALFREDO ALVARADO
Throughout the nation and for the last 15 years at DC 37, September is
recognized as Hispanic Heritage Month. The unions Hispanic Heritage
Committee and several locals marked the occasion with distinguished speakers,
colorful folkloric dance troupes and an impressive lineup of swinging
salsa bands.
Hispanic Heritage Month was started at DC 37 by Local 372,
said Santos Crespo, committee chair and vice president of Local 372.
Local 1070 kicked off the month-long festivities Sept. 16. Local President
Clifford Koppelman, the secretary of DC 37, and Vice President Fausto
Sabatino, introduced the Quarteto Borincano, which delighted the audience
with their renditions of classic songs from Puerto Rico.
Latinos and labor equals fuerza y poder (force and power),
was the theme of Local 371s celebration Sept. 23. Oscar Sanchez,
who directed the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and served
as a strategic organizer for the AFL-CIO, delivered the keynote speech.
Mr. Sanchez criticized the Bush administration for its handling of immigration
issues and for eliminating prevailing wage laws in the rebuilding after
Hurricane Katrina. The Bush administration is saying federal workers
should not have a union, said the veteran labor leader. The Mariachi
Infante and José Conde and his band Ola Fresca provided the evenings
entertainment.
Health and Hospitals Corp. President Alan D. Aviles was
Local 420s special guest Sept. 30. He emphasized the importance
of providing universal health coverage.
New York City provides an incredible safety net not found in the
rest of the country, but its still not big enough, because we have
1.8 million who are uninsured, said Mr. Aviles, who was made an
honorary member of Local 420 by President Carmen Charles.
We should all count our blessings and pray for a quick end to the
war, said President Mark Rosenthal at the beginning of Local 983s
annual event. We should open our hearts and our wallets to our brothers
and sisters in New Orleans, and we should be grateful that we belong to
a great union movement.
The grand finale Oct. 14 was co-sponsored by Locals 372 and 1549 with
the dance bands of Miles Peña and the legendary singer Azuquita
with the Copacabana Orchestra bringing down the house.
You play a great role in bringing a new energy and vitality to our
great union. You are a powerful voice, a voice that helps make DC 37 the
anchor for the labor movement in this great city, said DC 37 Executive
Director Lillian Roberts on the closing night.
There is no doubt that our Latino brothers and sisters
are gaining an increasingly influential role in the labor movement and
in American society in general, said Local 372 and DC 37 President
Veronica Montgomery-Costa. Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez observed
that the celebrations 15th year was a tremendous display of
Latino culture and Latino power.
Veteran labor leader Yolanda Medina DeJesus, regional education coordinator
for AFSCME, delivered the keynote address. Let us always keep in
mind that the vehicle that has brought justice to the workplace is the
union, she said. She also acknowledged the significant contributions
made to the labor movement by Hispanic women such as Aida Torres, Sonia
Ivany, Mariana Miranda and Julia Jorge.
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