Public Employee Press

DC 37 women graduate at Cornell

A graduation ceremony on June 29 marked a milestone in the lives of four DC 37 women as they completed their participation in the Cornell-DC 37 Labor Studies Certificate Program.

The new DC 37 graduates were Allyson Collis and Annette Simonetti, members of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549; Mykel Isbell, Dept. of Finance Employees Local 1113; and Milly Velez, a member of Dept. of Education Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1251.

The ceremony was held at the Cornell Metropolitan Campus in midtown Manhattan and with DC 37 included students from other unions graduating from their own Cornell Labor Certificate programs.

Inspired by what they learned at Cornell, both Local 1549 members have become union activists. “I became a shop steward because of it,” said Simonetti, who is a Senior Police Administrative Aide on Staten Island. “That was a very big step for me. It’s an amazing program,” she said. “Just wonderful.”

Collis is now attending the National Labor College in Washington. “I’ve also gotten active with my local,” she explained. “I’m a member of the by-laws committee and I attend union meetings — something I never did before!”

DC 37 Education Fund Administrator Barbara Kairson and Program Coordinator Rosezetta Johnson presented certificates to the DC 37 graduates. “It seems like it was just yesterday that we were sitting through their initial interviews,” said Ms. Johnson.

Miriam Frank, who teaches a popular course in the program, was also on hand for the graduation. “In my DC 37 course on women’s labor history, their high hopes were equaled by their steady and thoughtful efforts to put learning into practice as union sisters,” she said.

Student speaker Cleo Silvers, a member of Local 1199/SEIU, spoke on behalf of her fellow graduates. “Secretly, I always wanted to experience a college education,” she said. “A whole new world opened up for me at Cornell,” she said. “It was some strange mixture of work and play. The harder I worked, the better I felt.”

Mykel Isbell “found that the program allows you to develop new perspectives on unions. It definitely has an impact. It encourages you to consider opportunities you’ve never considered before.”

“Newfound knowledge”
She appreciated the overall design of the program. “The instructors were fabulous. The program is geared for individuals who have busy working lives and families. It’s a great program and I encourage other people to consider it!” To learn more about the Cornell-DC 37 Labor Studies program, call Rosezetta Johnson at 212-815-1700.

Ms. Simonetti valued her newfound knowledge of the role of women in the labor movement. “By going through the program, you come to appreciate what we as women have contributed. It’s enlightening!” she said.

— Jane LaTour