I want to extend the union’s deepest condolences to the families and co-workers of EMS Lieutenant Barbara Poppo and School Crossing Guard Betty Davis. District Council 37 is a family, and we have lost two of our own. We shall miss them and we shall remember them.

Lt. Poppo was on the job when she suffered a fatal heart attack, and Ms. Davis was on the way to work when she was struck by a van.

These two union members, who lost their lives so suddenly in January, always held precious the lives of others. They spent their careers saving and protecting life, Ms. Davis safeguarding children on their way to school and Ms. Poppo in the ambulance force, rescuing the ill and the injured.

• Ms. Davis “was out there in the rain and the snow and the hot and the cold. She was so attentive to our children crossing the street every day,” said the Rev. Michael Gribbon. She sang in her church choir, and according to students’ parents, she was extremely caring and helpful to the youngsters.

• Lt. Poppo “lived to help people,” said her brother, Jim Poppo. “She was good at what she did, and she put 200 percent into her work,” according to Brooklyn EMS Chief Walter Kowalczyk. She “tried to make the world a little better every day,” said Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen.

We are proud that their uniformed co-workers and the Police and Fire Departments gave them full dress funerals and that the mayor joined their co-workers and the leaders of Locals 372 and 3621 at the ceremonies. Our members were not always treated with such respect in the past.

That respect means a lot to us as we move into the most critical phase of our economic negotiations. We have already achieved the largest pension gains in a generation and a huge infusion of funds into our benefit plans; now we are focusing directly on the fair and reasonable wage increases that our members deserve. We want city leaders and negotiators to keep in mind that our members have earned their respect the old-fashioned way — through hard work and dedication to public service.

The commitment to service that Barbara Poppo and Betty Davis showed is matched by members of every DC 37 local, the thousands of Everyday Heroes we celebrate in ads and PEP articles.

DC 37’s 125,000 Everyday Heroes

When I tell city labor relations officials that our members represent not only the machinery that keeps the city running, but the very heart of city government, I am talking about people like these Everyday Heroes:

• Beatrice Everett, Rubye Goode and Eula Bryan, members of Local 768 who help combat AIDS, poor nutrition and childhood diseases. On the job and in their communities, these public health crusaders dedicate their lives to improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

• Michael Lofreddo, one of Local 1455’s Traffic Device Maintainers, who go out in rain, snow and sleet to install and repair the traffic signs that prevent potential disasters. The bottom line for these hard workers is public safety.

• Isabel Figueroa, a Local 420 member whose gentle touch soothes the sick at a Bronx Health Center. She always goes the extra mile for her patients, her co-workers and her community.

• Bernice Smith, a clerical worker in Local 1549 and a widow who has raised three children herself. Ms. Smith keeps a careful watch on millions of taxpayers’ dollars in the Financial Information Services Agency.
  

Members like these give the city more than a fair day’s work for a day’s pay. They helped create the economic prosperity that has put a huge surplus into the city treasury, and now they deserve their share. That’s why we talk about a “fair and reasonable” wage increase at the bargaining table.

Many of our members are among the city’s lowest paid workers. All of us are paying more for food, housing and medical care. Our members and their families add up to 400,000 lives, making us one of New York City’s largest communities. Decent pay raises will reverberate throughout the local economy and give it strength in the face of the national slowdown.

As we work to settle a new economic contract, I am sending management’s negotiators a strong and simple message: The time has come for the city to recognize the value of the services our members provide every day.