Public Employee Press

Political Action 2005
Local 1655 building new PAC

Local 1655’s drive to inspire activism among members met with success May 20 when 75 members attended its first Political Action Committee meeting.

“I want to see this work,” said newly elected President Kevin D. Smith. “Local 1655 needs to be more involved in every aspect of grassroots politics — voter registration, leafleting and phone banking.” The local represents 650 clerical and administrative employees of New York City Transit and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, Political Action Committee Chair Lenny Allen and Political Director Wanda Williams, who conducted a training session, as well as several state and city politicians and three City Council candidates also attended the after-work meeting.

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“Our active members work hard,” Smith said. To recruit volunteers, he said, “I approach them personally and ask for their help. Some of our members may be shy but they have a wealth of information others can benefit from.” Local 1655 PAC chair Gwen Turner and coordinators Allyson James and Norma Rivera helped organize the first meeting.

So far, Smith is happy with the results. With 10 new committees formed, the local is reinvigorating its labor union spirit. Each committee is co-chaired by a member from Transit and TBTA, he said, “so both groups come together as one.”

The local also has what may be DC 37’s only Men’s Committee in addition to its Women’s, Fundraising, Constitution, Budget and Finance, Good and Welfare and other committees.

“These committees help put the members first,” Smith said. “We sent Mother’s Day cards to retirees, and we are asking more members to get involved.”

At the PAC meeting, Williams explained the union’s fundraising and lobbying activities, which aid candidates who support working families and labor. Smith challenged Local 1655 members to increase their participation in PEOPLE, the AFSCME fundraising program, and in DC 37 political activities like Lobby Day and the union’s legislative conferences.

Several local members received Political Action medals at the meeting in appreciation of their volunteerism. Smith, who lives in Harlem, stressed the importance of being politically aware. “I have seen changes in my neighborhood and these will play out and repeat in other boroughs,” he offered. “If you’re not involved, you won’t understand the changes and won’t benefit from them.”

In coming months, the local PAC plans to assign members as borough coordinators in their communities, a move Smith sees as very important.

“With New York’s surge in housing and community redevelopment, and the crop of new younger politicians, we have to make sure our elected officials are still accountable to us,” Smith said. “We make a mistake if we elect leaders but fail to monitor whether they are keeping their promises.”

— Diane S. Williams