PEP, September 2011: PEP wins 10 national awards for top quality labor journalism

Public Employee Press

PEP wins 10 national awards for top quality labor journalism

District Council 37's Public Employee Press has received 10 national awards for top quality union journalism from the AFL-CIO's labor communications organization.

The honors focus on PEP's presentation of members' battles to protect jobs and community services and union efforts to rein in the Bloomberg administration's rip-offs of average taxpayers through contracting out and failing to collect revenue owed by big business.

The International Labor Communications Association used a panel of expert judges to select honorees from hundreds of entries of work published in 2010. PEP received prizes for writing, photography, illustration, design and video.

"These awards honor the activist fight-back spirit of DC 37 members, locals, staff and leaders and the dedication, hard work and expertise of PEP's staff," said Editor Bill Schleicher. First prizes went to:

Sr. Associate Editor Gregory N. Heires and Associate Editor Diane S. Williams for a series of articles on the waste of contracting out
Regular freelance contributor Gene Suchma for his cartoon on the three worst contractor rip-offs, and
Photographer Clarence Elie-Rivera for pictures of Local 768 pest control workers clearing vacant lots to deprive rats of places to eat and breed.

The pest control crews laid off by the mayor were also featured in a prize winning article by Associate Editor Alfredo Alvarado. Williams was also honored for her political action coverage, Heires for a series on the city's uncollected taxes and an article on Local 1320's 8-year struggle for fair pay, and Elie Rivera for a moving photo of members' children celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art Director Alyce Archer and Associate Art Director Elroy Dobson won a prize in the Best Publication Design category.

DC 37's video defending public employee pensions won honors for Heires as producer and Elie-Rivera as editor and videographer. Earlier this year the video received the special Doherty/Wells Award for Excellence in Broadcast Media from the Metro New York Labor Communications Council - marking the second consecutive year that Elie-Rivera has received the top video award.

Alvarado's pest control feature and Elie-Rivera's accompanying photos got first prizes and PEP received additional Metro awards for best headlines and for a column on poverty and unemployment and an article on uncollected city taxes, both by Heires.

DC 37 Education Fund Librarian Ken Nash and co-producer Mimi Rosenberg were honored by ILCA for their "Building Bridges" radio show on WBAI, 99.5 FM.