By ALFREDO ALVARADO

Hundreds of members at DC 37’s 19th Annual Puerto Rican Heritage celebration Nov. 22 welcomed a true labor pathfinder, Ellie Ortiz, AFSCME’s first elected president in Puerto Rico.

Mr. Ortiz was recently elected to head District Council 95, which after a tough organizing drive now represents 22,000 public employees on the island. The labor leader’s presence at the annual celebration exemplified the evening’s theme, “Puerto Ricans Opening Paths.”

“Your theme is very appropriate,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts in her opening remarks. “The Puerto Rican community was one of the first Latino communities to be established in our city and as a result opened the paths for others to come.”

“We should be proud of our accomplishments,” said Magda DeJesus, president of Local 1219 and chair of the DC 37 Latino Heritage Committee. “Several of our Puerto Rican sisters and brothers have been elected to leadership positions in their locals. Others continue to provide the day-to-day contributions that make our union family great.”

In his keynote address, Mr. Ortiz expressed his pride in being part of the AFSCME family, recounted the history of District Council 95 in Puerto Rico and highlighted the many struggles the workers have fought. “It is a great honor to be a part of AFSCME,” said the island labor leader. “We have fought against layoffs, for better health benefits for our members and for the right to collective bargaining and we have won all those battles,” said Mr. Ortiz. “Today, we represent over 22,000 employees in 10 government agencies in Puerto Rico.

“It’s an honor to have the president of District Council 95 here with us to celebrate Puerto Rican heritage,” said Eddie Rodriguez, president of Local 1549.

The festivities of the union’s Puerto Rican Heritage Celebration began Nov. 18 with an art exhibition, including the work of sculptor Daniel Alago and the paintings of Tainy. Mr. Alago’s work explores the mythology of Puerto Rico’s indigenous Taino people. With their acoustic guitars, Jr. González y Los Borincanos provided the opening night crowd with the sounds of Puerto Rico.