Public Employee Press

Grim holidays for laid-off members
"Who's going to hire a 67-year-old?"

Former School Aide Milagros Carrera was looking forward to retiring in a few years and enjoying her golden years with her husband, a former Local 372 drug counselor. Instead she will be spending her holiday season looking for work.

"My seven years at P.S. 145 in Bushwick were great," said Carrera. She especially enjoyed working with the children and helping teachers in the classroom. "I miss my kids already," she said.

Carrera, a mother of three grown children, said that Oct. 7, her last day at the Brooklyn grade school, was very difficult. "I cried when I left that school," she said.

In her years in the public school system, Carrera also developed a deep appreciation for the teachers. "It's a very stressful job, and it's a tough job. People should respect them a lot more," she added.

Carrera now faces her own tough job, finding employment during the worst economic crisis in 80 years. She says she has younger friends who have struggled to find a job and admits to being worried about finding a job at her age. "Who's going hire a 67 year-old woman?" she asks.

But Carrera is not the type to give up easily when faced with a challenge. "I've worked all my life," she explains, "and I'm going to keep on working until I'm ready to retire."