Public Employee Press

DC 37 women graduate from Cornell Labor Program

By JANE LaTOUR

A June 28 graduation ceremony capped two years of hard work for the 14 members of DC 37 locals who completed the Cornell-DC 37 Labor Studies Certificate Program for Women.

Cornell’s programs bring together students from many unions to explore the wider world of labor. Basic courses on arbitration, labor history and grievance handling are offered alongside classes on the effects of the global economy and international trade on working families. They add up to a heady mix that often leads to continued education.

DC 37 Education Fund Director Barbara Kairson presented certificates to the DC 37 graduates. Quoting Thomas Edison, she observed that many people miss out on opportunities because their chances come along “dressed in overalls and looking like hard work.” She saluted the students for their own hard work and perseverance.

The students concluded the program with a rousing and heartfelt rendition of “Solidarity Forever,” led by Professor Miriam Frank. “The DC 37 women were smart when they started and now they’re even smarter,” she said. “It was an honor to be their teacher.”

Local 372 member Jenafeca Smith attended graduation with her husband and four children. “I was really impressed by the speakers,” she said. Local 372’s Denise Butler, daughter of a union leader, recalled attending union meetings with him as a child. By participating in the Cornell program, she took a step toward realizing her long-delayed dream of “working for a union and helping people in that way,” she said.

“I’ve been encouraging everybody to take these excellent classes,” said Local 2054 President Colleen Carew-Rogers. Aida Rivera, the only member of Local 1251 to attend, plans to spread the word among other Education Dept. clerical workers. “The Cornell program expanded my ideas about how a woman can be in a position of leadership,” she said. Continuing her education right after the graduation, Rivera headed for the AFL-CIO’s George Meany Campus in Maryland to attend the Northeast Women’s Summer School.

Tia Rucker, a member of Local 957 when she began the Cornell program in 2005, has become interested in labor and employment law. “After I complete my bachelor’s degree, I’ll be headed to law school,” she said.

“I will forever remember my graduation night and hold dear my certificate,” said Local 1549’s Andrea Bedford. Genitha Isaac of Local 372 said the classrooms of Cornell ignited her sense of urgency on behalf of the labor movement. “To keep it alive takes not just words, but action!” she said.

The DC 37 graduates also include: Theresa Duncan, Mary Purnell-Williams and Jeanette Soto, Local 372; Dinell Dixon, Local 384; Rosita Cadalin, Local 436; Ann Munroe, Local 768; Christine Alexander, Local 1070; Jennifer White, Local 1407; Crystal McGaney, Local 1549.