Public Employee Press

Local 1549 building “next wave” of leaders

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

“Back to basics” was the order of the day for the Local 1549 Shop Steward training held on Saturday, May 3. Over 100 stewards and activists participated in the session, which focused on answering questions such as, What is a union? What is the history of Local 1549? What is the labor movement? And what is a shop steward?

Local President Eddie Rodriguez opened the session by reminding stewards that they “play the key role in communication and action at the workplace for the membership and the local. This training is essential for you to carry out your tasks.”

Second Vice President Ralph Palladino told the group, “We are facing a big-time economic crisis that is affecting our jobs and living conditions, so we need to prepare now to fight for our members.” He explained how millions of working people nationwide who were unemployed in the 1930s improved their lot by building mass movements and how many of the 50,000 New York City civil service workers laid off in the fiscal crisis of the 1970s returned to their jobs as the municipal unions helped the city avoid bankruptcy.

District Council 37 Organizing Director Edgar deJesus described earlier struggles to build unions. He showed the AFSCME film, “I am a Man,” and focused on the 1968 sanitation strike in Memphis, where Martin Luther King was assassinated as he helped the union.

Participants learned about “The Next Wave,” a program for developing future union leaders developed by AFSCME, DC 37’s national union. Local 1549 assigned them to take the new Next Wave Survey to their worksites in order to find out more about members’ needs and views.

The Clerical Division staff led the interactive training, guided by Larry Kelly of the DC 37 Education Department.