Public Employee Press

Local 1549 conference
Strength and vision

By JANE LaTOUR

A lot of learning about how to be a shop steward comes from experience. But there are also specific skills, practical tips, and a wealth of information that can be passed on. Once every three years, Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 commits its resources towards empowering shop stewards in a marathon training session. Local 1549 stewards and officers spent Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 6-9, participating in a full-menu program to sharpen their skills and increase their political awareness.

One of the beneficial aspects of the four-day weekend was the cross-fertilization that resulted from experienced stewards spending time with the newcomers. Brand-new stewards brought their questions and insights and the old hands brought a wealth of practical information to share.

The newcomers learned that they are part of a community of caring responsible for a key mission: developing political awareness and using it to inform the members about a host of critical issues. As stewards spent time with others from different agencies, they learned new methods and improved their knowledge about the union.

Roberts presents action program
DC 37’s international union, AFSCME, lent Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy and seasoned staff to the mission. Lucy electrified the first evening with a crash course on the economics and politics of the upcoming election. Field Education Coordinator Yolanda Medina contributed greatly, and veteran labor organizer Jose La Luz invigorated the troops with a session on why labor needs to organize. Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint spoke on the importance of political action for public employees.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts brought the group to its feet with an impassioned delivery on her action program for the union. Her list included creating more childcare facilities, pushing for affordable housing, and promoting minorities and women in civil service positions into upper management to help bring the city into compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity regulations.

A full complement of expertise was provided through the long weekend by Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez, Executive Vice President Lenora Gates, 2nd Vice President Ralph Palladino, Clerical Division Director Ronnie Harris, Assistant Directors Ron Arnero, Eddie Gates, and Renee Gainer, and the council reps and grievance reps.

“Lillian Roberts, Bill Lucy, myself — we were all stewards,” said Rodriguez. “We were the roots. Now you’re the roots. Here we are building our leadership through training.”

Many present were new to their positions. Karen Palmer has worked at Metropolitan Hospital for 26 years, but has been a steward for only eight months. “I learned a lot. One thing I learned is that it’s important to have knowledge about what’s going on in the union. It’s all about being empowered to help others,” she said.

Clerical Associates Avery Seawright, from Elmhurst Hospital, and Eugene Williams, from Lincoln Hospital, have each been stewards for one year.Williams was intent on absorbing all the information he could from each session. “Your job as a steward is to educate the members. You have to start by educating yourself,” he said.

Seawright, shy and soft-spoken at the start, blossomed as the days went by. He proved himself an apt pupil in the arbitration training session offered by Hezekiah Brown. Chief Shop Steward Olivia Crum praised his skills: “He’s very serious, energetic, and he investigates everything thoroughly,” she said.

Felix Cooper, a Clerical Associate in the Food Stamp program in Mott Haven, has been a steward since February. He was impressed by the need to do the grievances correctly from the start. “You can’t help someone if you don’t know all the facts,” he noted.

“We have to make an extra effort to educate the youth and get young people involved,” said Seawright. “In order for our movement to grow, we have to share the wisdom with the next generation.”

“We educate the stewards so they can better help the members and build the union. They were given an Action Plan to carry out and will get follow-up training next year,” said Gates.