Public Employee Press

Political Action 2003
City Council: friends in deed

The DC 37 Executive Board voted overwhelmingly to endorse 46 candidates in the 51 City Council races in the Nov. 4 election. The final endorsements came Oct. 8 after the board received recommendations from the DC 37 Screening Committee.

“We supported these candidates in September, when for the first time 100 percent of the candidates we backed won their primaries,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “They have proved to be our allies at City Hall and our partners in the Fair Share Campaign to bring more state and federal funds to this city. They are proven friends in a political climate that is unfriendly towards labor.”

On Nov. 4, DC 37 will again put the power of the Green Machine of union volunteers to work helping our candidates win and defeating the Charter Revision Commission ballot proposals.

In the 18 months since the majority of these City Council members were elected, they have:

• Rejected the mayor’s doomsday budget, helping the union save 10,000 jobs.
• Acted on the DC 37 White Papers, calling for investigations into city overuse of high-paid consultants and contractors and holding hearings on the union findings.
• Instituted revenue-generating initiatives in the city’s fiscal year 2004 budget.
• Passed DC 37’s workplace violence resolution, which was sponsored by the late James E. Davis.
• Created jobs through the construction and operation of a new Bronx Water Filtration Plant.

Over the years, the City Council has sided with DC 37, even overriding mayoral vetoes on health care, affordable housing and other issues. Council members joined DC 37 in demanding that the mayor collect $2 billion in unpaid corporate taxes. This year they worked with DC 37 to bring $2.7 billion in state aid to the city.

In April, when DC 37 rallied to protect public sector jobs and public services, these allies came out of their City Hall offices and stood with 30,000 union members.

“We support candidates who have supported us on issues that affect our jobs, our communities and our quality of life,” Ms. Roberts said.

— Diane S. Williams