PEP, November 2006: Latino Heritage Celebration. Solidarity and Unity.

“Solidarity and Unity,” was the theme of the 16th annual Latino Heritage Celebration that kicked off Sept. 29 and continued throughout October at DC 37 headquarters with events full of music, dance, politics and good food.

The youthful dance troupe Danza Fiesta Puertorriqueña — provided the entertainment for the opening night event sponsored by Social Service Employees Union Local 371. They delighted the packed house with their renditions of traditional folkloric dances from the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.

State Assemlyman Luis M. Diaz, from the 86th District in the Bronx, was the keynote speaker. He blasted the anti-immigrant mood in the country. “Nobody talks about building a wall on the Canadian border,” said Diaz, who led his Albany colleagues in a walkout from the statehouse in solidarity with the pro-immigrant marches that swept the country earlier this year.

“This union is our common ground,” said the local’s president, CharlesEnsley, at the opening ceremony. He also paid tribute to the late organizer and local officer Benny Garcia for bringing more Hispanics into the union. “If it hadn’t been for Benny there wouldn’t be as many Latinos in the union as we have today.”

Latin American workers were also on the agenda on Oct. 3 at a roundtable discussion that shed light on the difficult times facing workers and the labor movement in Colombia.

Focus on Colombia
“More than 90 percent of the country’s public hospitals have been privatized,” said Jose Schiffino from the Committee for Social Justice in Colombia, a statewide organizer for the Civil Service Employees Association, Local 1000 of DC 37’s national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

“Labor reforms in Colombia have resulted in companies hiring temporary workers to avoid paying benefits,” said Schiffino, who visited the South American nation as part of a fact-finding mission sponsored by Queens City Council member Hiram Monserrate.

“There are as many as 1.4 million children beingexploited doing child labor in Colombia,” said Santos Crespo, chairperson of the DC 37 Latino Heritage Committee, executive vice president of Local 372 and moderator of the panel discussion, which also included Local 372 member Carlos Salamanca, New York City coordinator of the Association for a Sovereign Colombia.

Municipal Hospital Employees Union Local 420 and Court, County and Probation Employees Local 1070 sponsored a festive affair on Oct. 6 featuring great music and plenty of tasty Caribbean dishes. Dept. of Education Employees Local 372 and Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 collaborated on Oct. 13 to present the month’s grand finale, which featured a cultural presentation by Folklore Urbano. (Local 983’s event was scheduled for Oct. 27, after this issue of PEP went to the printer.)

Addressing participants at the grand finale about the benefits and programs the union provides for members, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said, “Let us never forget that we have all these things because we have this great union.” She also challenged members to become more active by attending union meetings. “We’re doing more than just raising wages, and there are more good things to come, but we need your support.”

— Alfredo Alvarado