PEP, March 2003: Stewards rally for contract

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

About 500 shop stewards rallied at DC 37 headquarters Jan. 29 to kick off a campaign for a new economic agreement.

Shop stewards will be at the heart of the contract fight. They will play a key role in getting members involved in the effort, which will involve lobbying state and local politicians, reaching out to the community, workplace education and action and building a mass demonstration in the spring.

Stewards recognize that the union faces very challenging contract talks with the city during its worst budget crisis in decades. But the challenge, stewards say, makes them more determined than ever to battle for a fair wage increase.

Next Rally
March 13

Stewards:
Save the date.

The next Stewards’ Mobilization Action Committee rally will be at union headquarters on Thursday, March 13, at 5:30 p.m.

(Other members who want to participate should contact their local president.)

“All of us are on thin ice right now,” said Local 372 member Judith Velazquez, a Dept. of Education family paraprofessional who works in the Bronx. “We must unite and save our jobs. They sacrifice the little people, the people that make the least money. They really should be looking at the people who make the most money.”

At the rally union leaders briefed the enthusiastic stewards about the tough bargaining climate, outlined DC 37’s plans for action and appealed to the activists to be the driving force of the contract.

“I need my army now, and you are it,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “With you with us, there is no way we can lose.” “We are taking on the city, and we are going to make them respect DC 37,” said DC 37 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa, who is also president of Local 372. “We need bodies behind this call to action,” said Program Director Frances M. Curtis, who moderated the event.

Dennis Sullivan, director of research and negotiations, and Rosaria R. Esperon, administrator of the DC 37 Health and Security Plan, discussed economic issues. General Counsel Joel Giller described the legal strategy to fight layoffs. Wanda Williams, director of the Political Action and Legislation Dept., spoke of political activities related to the contract fight. Associate Director Oliver Gray led the stewards in a pledge in which the activists committed themselves to doing “my share to win a good contract.” Barbara Ingram-Edmonds, field operations director, led a question and answer session.

“We are carrying a message to Mayor Bloomberg that anyone who threatens our job — guess what? We are going to fight back and not take it anymore. We have to have a raise and we can’t stand still,” Ms. Roberts said. “This is only the beginning.”