When the blackout struck on Aug. 14 and 15, city employees responded with hard work and dedication. Congratulations to our members, who met the needs of the people of New York City and prevented a far worse disaster.

DC 37 members at 911 answered a record number of emergency calls, and union ambulance crews made it through dark and dangerous streets to rescue accident and heart attack victims. Hospital staff performed heroically under dim backup lighting. Without hazardous and backbreaking work by members at the Dept. of Environmental Protection, pollution could have closed city beaches all summer.

The entire roster of DC 37 everyday heroes who shined during the blackout is longer than I can list here. But I will soon be pressing City Hall to acknowledge them with more than words of praise. Our members keep this city working, and they all deserve recognition in the form of a fair contract.

On Sept. 15, I will be leading your Negotiating Committee back to the bargaining table. We will forcefully tell the mayor’s representatives that now is the time to protect our jobs, safeguard our benefits and offer a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.

We will be restarting the contract talks with an outstanding record of accomplishments behind us:

We still suffered layoffs — and I believe even one layoff is an outrage in a city with $2 billion in uncollected taxes, a city that has ignored many of our solid recommendations for saving hundreds of millions of dollars. But overall, we did an effective job of protecting our jobs and the services we provide.

As we return to the negotiating table, the mayor says he will only agree to a pay increase funded through higher productivity or economic concessions in pensions or benefits. This is a direct attack on our families’ living standards and health care.

In response, I will demand full recognition for the sacrifices union members have made to keep the city running. As we have been forced to do more with less, our workload and productivity have risen sharply. Since our contract expired in June 2002, our cost of living has escalated more than 3 percent, our taxes, rents, transit fares and tuition have climbed even faster, and our real wages have fallen. We need relief, and that is spelled R-A-I-S-E O-U-R P-A-Y!

Let our voice be heard in City Hall
To win this battle, we need active participation by members and retirees. The voice of the membership must be heard in City Hall, and the power of the membership must be felt at the bargaining table.

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, we will take a huge step toward achieving our goals with the Rally for a Fair Contract Now. Save the date. You will get more details soon.

As we fight for what our members deserve, we must be careful not to undermine our negotiating position by focusing on internal disagreements. Every truly democratic organization has its differences of opinion, but we cannot let them divide us as we try to win a contract. I for one will focus on unity, and I will continue to put the members’ needs first.

I am also asking members to march in the Labor Day Parade on Saturday, Sept. 6 (see 'Labor Day Parade 2003'), to vote for the pro-labor candidates the union has endorsed in the Primary Election on Tuesday, Sept. 9 and to join in the Oct. 4 rally for immigrants’ civil rights. These activities will build the solidarity of the labor movement and strengthen our own spirit of participation as Oct. 29 approaches.

On Oct. 29, we will hold our future in our hands. A massive turnout will show City Hall we mean business about getting a fair contract now.