PEP, November 2013: Letters to the Editor

Public Employee Press

Letters to the Editor

Liu, de Blasio, Roberts

I am very proud to have supported Comptroller John Liu in the primary and even prouder to be backing Bill de Blasio in the general election as we finally emerge from the darkness of the Bloomberg era and his ridiculous idea that the city is a business. City government is the public's mechanism for our safety and social justice, and I am proud that we in DC 37 have leaders like Lillian Roberts who understand that.

— Sarah Greene
Local 1549

Union college leads to success

I am most grateful for your article in the October Public Employee Press, "Changing Lives," in which three alumnae of our Bachelor of Arts program celebrate their educational experience at the DC 37 Campus of the College of New Rochelle.

A number of members have commented to me how moved they were when they read each alumna's story. The article's author, Alfredo Alvarado, captured these life stories in a heartfelt fashion that gives voice to the experience of many of our students, both former and current, who face comparable challenges and are able to move forward and complete the B.A. degree at the union college.

Each alumna praises the supportive learning environment and high quality of teaching she experienced here, and each describes how completing
the B.A. opened the door to significant employment and educational opportunities. We hope that seeing the success of their colleagues in articles like "Changing Lives" will encourage members to enroll and pursue their own educational advancement. To get more information, just phone 212-815-1710.

— STEPHEN GREENFELD, Ph.D.
DC 37 Campus Director, CNR

He asks how bad does it need to get?

I watched in anger and confusion as our dysfunctional government continued to disappoint us. Two changes could get us out of this quagmire, but neither party seems to have the moral will to change the system that has given them prosperity and power.

One: Undo the gerrymandering that has hijacked the democratic principle of majority rule. We need impartial panels to redraw political districts, because politicians seem exempt from compromise as they just play to their base and are never removed from office.

Two: Undo the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which lets corporations and unions spend unlimited amounts of money to convince people to vote for or against a candidate.

How bad do things need to get before the public demands reform? Or can the masses continue to be bought off - diverted with sports, new apps and the latest sex scandal as the media fails to accurately educate the public on issues that directly affect them. Why is voter turnout so low?

Perhaps gerrymandering and the Citizens United decision have temporarily stymied public hope. Let's hope that the growing frustration and anger generate political change before it's too late.

— Mark Shoenfield
Computer Specialist
Local 2627

Role model for labor

I was fortunate to attend the Oct. 13 unveiling of the tombstone of former DC 37 Retirees Association President Stu Leibowitz, who died in August 2012 and is buried next to his wife, Leatrice.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, came from his Sunday morning radio program to conduct the ceremony in his well-known warm, dignified and anecdote-filled way. He spoke of Stu and led participants in prayer.

Joining Stu's daughter Julie-Anne and her extended family at the unveiling were Retirees Association President Rochelle Mangual, other association leaders and activists and DC 37 staffers.

We all expected to find Stu's signature saying, "We are all retirees in training," on the gravestone, but we were in for a surprise. The stone bears the words of a moving gospel song, "May the Work I've Done Speak for Me."

Julie-Anne explained that Stu believed that song expressed his message and left her extra money to put it on his tombstone because engraving so many words would be expensive.

Stu loved Israel and his Jewish heritage deeply, but his choice of a gospel song for his grave shows his philosophy of life: working for and loving all people. What a wonderful role model for all of us in the labor movement.

—LENNY DAVIDMAN
Chair, DC 37 Jewish Heritage Committee and President, Local 1189