Public Employee Press


Snapshots
Edited by Alfredo Alvarado

Walthene Primus appointed to gender equality commission

Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Walthene Primus to the Commission on Gender Equality in January.

Primus is the president of NYC Housing Authority Clerical Employees Local 957 and was elected secretary of DC 37 in January.

She is one of seven commissioners chosen to advise the mayor on ways to reduce gender-based inequality and build a safer, more inclusive city with increased opportunities for women and girls.

"I am so thankful for this opportunity and glad for the confidence Mayor de Blasio has placed in me," Primus said. "It's time to shake up outdated thinking and remove barriers to education, health care, economic parity and mobility for women and girls."

Primus chairs the DC 37 Women's Committee and serves on the Women's Advisory Committee of DC 37's parent union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. She is a strong advocate for the rights of female workers, who make up 58 percent of the de Blasio administration's senior leadership and 60 percent of the city's unionized workforce.

Primus continues to work to ensure that all women now and in the future are respected on the job, are paid equal wages and get opportunities for training and promotions.

First Lady Chirlane McCray is the commission's honorary chair. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, feminist author Gloria Steinem and activist Robin Morgan serve as honorary commissioners.