Public Employee Press

Staff hired, promoted to improve services

Promotions and new staff are part of DC 37’s ongoing effort to strengthen services to the union’s members. In 2006, four staffers received promotions and six were hired.

Mike Riggio was promoted to White Collar Division Director Nov. 27. A graduate of Brooklyn’s James Madison High School, an avid deep-sea fisherman, the father of two boys, and a former machinist, Riggio became active in the union as a shop steward at the Bronx Zoo shortly after he joined Local 1501.

In the Schools Division, Marcia Bryson and Craig Dickerson became Council Reps. Bryson, a grievance rep since 2000, was promoted in October. “When I see management closing the door in the face of our members, I enjoy being there to secure their rights,” she said. After years as a Family Worker, Dickerson works hard to “make sure our members are treated with respect.”

Promoted to assistant director in the Research and Negotiations Dept., Barbara Terrelonge now negotiates contracts with accounting, computer, real estate and Museum of Natural History employees. She’s the mother of four children and proud grandmother of one.

Nicholas Crupi, the new assistant supervisor of the union’s print shop, graduated from the New York High School of Printing. After a lifetime in noisy print shops, he now enjoys his quiet time, especially reading. His son teaches English at Maxwell Vocational High School in East Brooklyn.

Safety pro comes to union side
Lehman College grad Lillian Goodwine brought her expertise to DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept. after working for the city safety unit. “I enjoy being on labor’s side of the table and being able to get the city to meet its obligations to our members,” she said. Currently, her daughter is a junior at Florida State University.

Three attorneys have joined the General Counsel’s office at DC 37. If you listen to novelist Richard Ford’s new book, “The Lay of the Land,” on tape, you’ll hear the trained voice of attorney Joseph Barrett. Before joining the Legal Dept., Barrett, the father of four, earned his living as an actor and was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Barrett grew up upstate, where his father practiced law and was an amateur actor.

Assistant General Counsel Idina Gorman wanted to practice law to be an advocate for others. She attended a magnet high school for the law and graduated from Fordham Law School. Specializing in labor law, she represented unions from Teachers to Teamsters. “The best thing about this job is being able to help members solve their problems,” she said.

Steven Sykes, raised in Albany, attended Colgate University and graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. “I'm honored to have the opportunity to defend the rights of working people,” said Sykes. The recently married attorney is an avid runner.

Clarence Elie-Rivera joined PEP as staff photographer in June but has been taking photos since the age of 12. The native New Yorker studied photography and Latin American Studies at City College. His independent projects have included photo essays on the cultural history of Puerto Rico. His work has been published in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and El Diario La Prensa. To learn more about Clarence, visit his Web site at: www.clarenceelierivera.com.