PEP, June 2010: Latino activists alarmed by budget cuts

Members of DC 37 and other unions, elected officials and community activists gathered in Albany April 16-18 for the 23rd annual Somos Legislative Conference, which addresses issues of importance to the state’s Hispanic community.

The theme of this year’s weekend summit — organized by the Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force of the New York State Assembly and Senate — was “Hispanics: Diverse Ancestry, Diverse Cultures …We are one people!”

Newly elected State Senator Jose Peralta spoke of the financial challenges facing New Yorkers. “There is not one union that won’t feel the effects of this budget,” he said. “And if you think this year is bad, wait until next year. We will all have to work together to survive this economic crisis.”

DC 37 activists played leading roles in the conference’s workshops and panel discussions, which dealt with issues including increasing the participation of the Latino community in the 2010 census, organizing for immigration reform, addressing the dropout rate among Latino students and growing the green economy.

Local 372 Executive Vice President Santos Crespo participated in a panel discussion on “The tapestry of our Hispanic cultural and ancestral heritage,” which was moderated by Assembly member Adam Clayton Powell lV.

Local 299 member Sigfrido Benitez, a Supervising Activity Therapist at Harlem Hospital, took part in a panel that addressed mental health issues in the Latino community. Benitez expressed his concern at the alarming increase in suicide among adolescent girls.

At their traditional Saturday morning labor breakfast, sponsored by the New York City branch of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, union leaders Ed Murphy of the state AFL-CIO and Nelson Valdez of SEIU Local 1199 were honored for their many years of dedication to the union cause.

State Labor Commissioner Colleen C. Gardner received an award for her support of working people. At the closing dinner, the conference honored state Assembly members Nelson L. Castro, the first Dominican American elected to public office in the Bronx and longtime community activist Carmen E. Arroyo.