Public Employee Press

Members back Woodlawn Cemetery strikers

Members of Quasi Public Employees Local 374 honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his holiday Jan. 17 by marching alongside striking workers from Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

The DC 37 members joined with over 100 activists from numerous unions to support the strikers, who are battling exploitation, discrimination and contracting out.

After the 38 Woodlawn workers voted to join Teamster Local 808 to improve their working conditions, cemetery president John Toale decided to contract out 23 of the jobs to the Brickman group, which is notorious for exploiting immigrant workers.

The cemetery workers have been on strike since then, facing management's demand to cut pay by 35 percent or lay off nearly two-thirds of the workforce.

"This is a struggle between the wealthy and the working class, just like the war between capital and the public sector," said Local 808 President Chris Silvera, who has been appealing to the New York labor community for solidarity with his members. "We are saying "no" to poverty wages here in the Bronx, which is the poorest urban county in America."

Local 374 member Freddy Fret came up with the idea of a slogan and a special banner to make their solidarity with the strikers more visible Jan. 17. Botanical Gardens Chapter Chair Victor Maldonado was one of five Local 374 members who spent his holiday picketing at Woodlawn, where the strikers' jobs included digging graves, landscaping and maintenance.

"These are hardworking people. We do the same kind of jobs," said Maldonado. "This is a clear case of trying to bust a union. If we support each other, we can accomplish a lot," he said.

On Monday, Feb. 21, Presidents' Day, another contingent of union supporters joined the strikers.

"We find ourselves in the same position as they are," said Local 374 President Cuthbert Dickenson. "It's a union busting trend. It's going on all over the city - all over the country."

Maldonado feels a strong sense of solidarity with the strikers at Woodlawn. "I can't just be a person who goes to work and goes home," he said. "This affects all of us."