Meet Your Stewards!

Jimmy Martinez

Department of Finance
Shop steward since 2006
Likes to play basketball, go biking, watch movies, and go dancing

What do you like about your job?

As a Title Examiner I look over documents that are submitted for recording deeds and mortgages, and I like the challenge of making sure everything is correct. On average my colleagues and I each examine 100 to 200 papers per day. I love interacting with my coworkers. Without them I could not have done my job—they taught me 80 percent of what I know. I was working with a marketing firm and took a pay cut to work for the City. It was a tough choice, but I needed something stable and it paid off.

What are the issues you face in the shop?

Most concern conflicts between employees and higher-ups, where I have to sit in as an observer. For example, higher-ups trying to impose their will on an employee who has been experiencing some personal or health issue that affects their performance. Those have been the harshest ones so far because of the emotions involved.

Why did you become a shop steward?

To be honest, at first I was disappointed in the union. When I ran for shop steward there were two other stewards in the building but the majority of the members did not know who they were. I make sure that when there is an event I spread the information and get people involved. I believe that’s what we are here for. I represent 30 to 40 people but there are others in our union in the Surveyor’s Office. I am open to anyone who needs help. I hope to learn more about the workings of the union and what employees are entitled to in terms of benefits, protections against harassment, and other workplace issues. I was told that this year the union had the highest number ever of new stewards. It may be a sign of changing times. I’d tell anyone who’s interested in being a steward, it’s a good experience. If you are in the mode of helping others it’s the perfect place to be.

What are your thoughts on contract negotiations with the City?

It seems like we have no power because we continue to negotiate and yet we are going into another year without a contract. We need to be respected. When we ask for something it is not because we are greedy, it’s because we are behind. Prices have all gone up. Why do we have to wait to get compensated for work that has already been done? The 1 percent was based on productivity. We have never stopped producing and every document that is recorded with us generates money for the city. So why is it that we have to beg for compensation? I’d like to sit down with the mayor myself.
—interview by Chude Mondlane

Joseph Marenfeld

Shop steward since 1999
Spends off hours with his family, including his two teenagers living with autism

What do you like about your job?

I am one of three Platoon Commanders who run the 911 call center. We take care of anything to do with 911 emergencies. When 911 started in New York City, it was mostly police officers. Eventually, civilians took over the roles of police officers, sergeants, and lieutenants. So I’m occupying a spot that was once held by a police lieutenant. It’s almost like a command center: 911 operators take the calls and then dispatchers dispatch the jobs to the units, the radio patrol cars, and then there are auxiliary functions. We coordinate all of that. But what means the most to me is helping the people who need help. It makes me feel good, just being there for people who are in need.

What problems do you face in the shop?

The most common issue here is that we are understaffed. One person is often doing the work of four people because they are pulled from their jobs to do administrative work. We are trying to relate our concerns to management and to our union to have these things addressed, and management doesn’t necessarily lend an ear. So it’s very frustrating. I’m hoping we can open up a dialogue because it’s been a problem for many years. You have two unions here, and District Council 37 members outnumber us, so management tends to adjudicate their problems before ours or lump us in with them and it’s not necessarily for our good. Until these things are straightened out I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing. I’ve been here for 33 years and I’ve seen every aspect of everybody’s problems here. I see that managers sometimes do their best not to listen. They just want to get the job done and they don’t care whether or not people are being stepped on to get what they need. It’s a lack of caring about the person as an individual and I have a problem with that. They want you to come to work but they don’t care about the stress levels, your needs, what is going on with your life. But if they don’t address your needs, you become a poor worker, and I don’t think they see that.

Why did you become a shop steward?

I have been an activist since high school, and when I came to work for the Police Department I was interested in helping my co-workers. I started as a shop steward at DC 37 and as I got promoted I wanted to stay involved. There are always issues that need to be addressed for the people I represent. Sometimes they only have the union to speak for them. Many of my coworkers are apathetic about the union, to tell the truth. I think it’s from so many years of working here without seeing things happen. So you have to keep on reminding them. My message is: Never give up! No matter how frustrating it can get, never give up. Don’t let management harass you. And if there’s a problem go to your union and tell them what’s going on.
–interview by Chude Mondlane

Ailsa Hernandez

School Construction Authority
Shop steward since 2005
She accompanies her daughter to soccer and ballet; takes classes at Queens College

Tell us about your job.

At the School Construction Authority (SCA), we build the city’s public schools from scratch, repair them, and stock them with furniture. I serve as secretary to the director of administrative services. What do I do? Everything! Set up meetings, reserve conference rooms, confirm my boss’s appointments, type her memos. I handle all the keys—send them out for copies, loan them out to people who need them. We loan out binoculars, microphones, remotes, cameras, and I handle all that. I’m a notary public, so I notarize a lot. I set up the access swipe cards. I take employee attendance. I handle cell phone bills, incoming correspondence. A little bit of everything. I enjoy what I do, and I’m happy here.

What are the problems you face in the shop?

A lot of people have scheduling issues, so I help them request hardship changes. I help people with their questions about the Family and Medical Leave Act. But the big issue is money. Everyone’s in a hurry to just get something, and they don’t realize that once you ask for a raise, then you have to fight for it. People are scared of losing their jobs, and I understand that, we all need to eat. But everyone has to contribute to making the union stronger, it can’t just be the nine people on staff.

You just finished negotiations on a new 14-month contract with the City, right?

Linda Jenkins and Michael Lamb came down and met with SCA management to try to replicate the 3.4 percent, 14-month deal that other Local 1180 members got. They only met two or three times, so the process was pretty quick. Everyone was happy with it, because they just wanted their money. I think if people had been willing to get together a bit more, maybe we could have gotten more money. If all the members came out, we’d have our 1 percent by now, but solidarity isn’t too strong in Local 1180.

Why did you become a steward?

I’d only been here four months when they voted me in. For me it was an adventure, I was curious. I was a correction officer before I came into Local 1180. I always say, If I could do that, I can do anything. I went to a Local 1180 steward training in fall 2005, and last year I went to a training course at Cornell. The trainings opened up my eyes to how unions make things happen. I learned that it’s the members who have to be motivated to get what we want. If everyone doesn’t get together to say, This is what we want, and if everyone doesn’t get the training we need, we can’t win.

Archi Pyati

Senior Associate
Human Rights First
Shop steward since early 2006
Off hours, she’s busy planning her March wedding and taking swimming lessons

Tell us about your job.

I work in the Human Rights Defenders program, which supports people in other countries who come under attack for doing human rights work. Recently got involved in a new global initiative focused on women—on the specific threats they face for doing human rights work. The backlash can be anything from arrest and detention all the way to rape, murder, or intimidation because they’re mothers. One Colombian woman received a mutilated doll in the mail with a note warning her not to sacrifice her children. I travel a lot, which I find very exciting. I’ve gone to Zimbabwe, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and Russia. It’s the way I connect with the people I’m trying to help. That’s the rewarding part—that’s how we stay committed. I have to give expert testimony before Congress on these cases, and if I haven’t seen what’s happening with my own eyes it’s hard to be effective. And I love working with these human rights activists. They’re often older than me, more experienced, and they’re incredibly inspiring. As an outsider I can’t go in and say, “This is what you need.” But I can say, “You have the right to call for change.” I hope that in the long run what I do helps human rights work become more sustainable.

What problems do you face in the shop?

The main issue is communication. Management doesn’t communicate with the staff in a transparent way, so often we don’t understand why they make the decisions they make. We formed the union to try to solve that disconnect—we wanted to systematize communication. We still need to find a way to achieve that better. And pay continues to be an issue. Like any other nonprofit, people work here because they believe in the organization’s mission, but that doesn’t mean we can sit back and say it doesn’t matter how we’re treated. We can’t all be individuals who can get along with very little pay, who don’t have student loans or family obligations. We want to attract a
diverse staff with different needs. We believe that would be good for the organization and for the human rights movement.

Why did you become a shop steward?

Organizations like ours have been at the forefront of the human rights movement for decades. As staff, our knowledge and skills are very specific. So it’s import that people who work in these organizations are able to do so in a long-term way. We have to feel that we can have a kid or get married or take care of our aging parents, and that we are not being mistreated or disrespected. If we can’t do that in these jobs, dedicated, well-trained staff will have to move on, and the movement will suffer. In the end, I see being part of the union as a way to strengthen the human rights movement.

Your first union contract expires at the end of May. Are you getting ready for negotiations?

Right now we’re gathering input from staff about what’s most important to them. Then we’ll start prioritizing our wish list. We hope to sit down with management by early March. One thing that’s been great in recent weeks has been interacting with other shops. [Local 1180 organizer] Erin Mahoney brought us together with other shop stewards a couple of times to talk about nonprofit needs. Human Rights Watch staff came to our shop to talk with union members about their recent negotiations. The sharing that’s going on now is critical; it provides solidarity and information and it’s been very helpful to me as a shop steward.

Angelique Darwin

Legal Secretarial Assistant III
New York City Law Department
Shop steward since 2005
Studies sociology, anthropology, and psychology at City College; spends a lot of time at her two children's sporting events

What do you like about your job?

There are over 800 attorneys here, and we defend all city agencies. I’m an assistant to the chief of the commercial and real estate division and I spend a lot of my day working on documents, handling correspondence, and keeping case files up to date. I’m pretty new to the commercial litigation division, so I’m learning a lot. If your property went into foreclosure, we’ll handle that case, or cases involving commercial buildings or construction sites. If people are suing the city, we take on the case. Sometimes I see cases on television and I think, I know about that because it’s come through our office.

What problems do you face in the shop?

We have one particular division where I get the most complaints. Many members feel they’re being micromanaged or they’re working out of title, and the morale is very low. One supervisor wanted a member to sign in and out when she went to lunch, but our lunch is automatically deducted and no other division requires that. Recently I’ve been meeting with one manager because of a new docutrack system that captures the time a person spends producing a particular document. Some workers feel stressed out by it, so I’m talking with union staff now about how to proceed.

You became a shop steward only 10 months ago, so you're very new to this. What made you decide to get involved?

The shop stewards prior to me would hold meetings, and I got turned off because I didn’t feel that they were informative. It came about that I had to file a grievance because I was being sent out on floating assignments, working out of title, and I didn’t feel confident in my interactions with the union. When we had a hearing regarding my case, I spoke just as much as the staff rep, and the two shop stewards didn’t speak at all. I thought, I can do this myself and give the people more. So I decided to become a steward. Since then, I went through the shop steward training and I’ve gained respect for the union. Bernadette Sullivan and Gina Strickland conducted the training well and I learned a lot. Since then I’ve been informing the members about things they’d never heard of, such as the co-pay reimbursement or their Weingarten rights. I try to give concise information, and if I don’t know the answer I’ll find it out and get back to them. At my first meeting I had 25 people, whereas in the past there were usually only 10. Many of the members think negatively about the union, but I can say I don’t think negative thoughts like I did in the past. Now I really see that the union is for the people. I have confidence now, and I’m trying to motivate the members.

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Catherine Alves

Assistant Coordinating Manager
Woodhull Hospital, Health and Hospitals Corporation
Shop steward since 2003
Likes to travel and spend time with her son; studying for her Master's ast Long Island University

What do you like about your job?

Sometimes patients coming in for their visits talk to you, elderly people who don’t have much of a social life, so they make the hospital part of their family. I try to offer a lending ear. That’s the caring part of health care, and some people forget that. I deal with the phones, I deal with the paperwork, but we still have to have a soul in it. For me, it’s the people.

What problems do you face in the shop?

The biggest issue is people being transferred from one area to the next, within the hospital or to an outside clinic, and sometimes it’s just because the managers don’t like them. Both parties sometimes have issues; it’s not always cut and dry. I often recommend to members that they go with the flow and see how it goes before we decide whether to take action.

How has it been with all the Coordinating Managers (CMs) entering the union?

When it happened on May 15 and we informed all the CMs, many were happy. Some who had issues with management look at the union as saving their jobs, giving them job security. And those who had to do a lot of overtime without being paid, they’re very pleased. Now they will receive compensation for overtime, and many of those who were carrying beepers, on call for 24 hours at a time, their beepers have been taken away. Others have a lot of questions about the medical benefits. My role was to educate them. We’d call meetings whenever we had new information from the local, and the CMs attended because they really wanted to know what was going on.

Why did you become a shop steward?

I believe becoming part of a bigger body has made me a better person, a more knowledgeable person. Management tends to respect you as a shop steward—they know they have their weapons but you have yours. If you know the law and your contract, all you have to do is set them straight. You just explain, this is what we stand for. We believe in what we’re doing. We want an environment that is good for us and for them. I think the union is a lovely thing.

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Maly Rosefort

PAA II
New York City Housing Authority
Shop steward since 1999
Likes to read, listen to music, and entertain

What do you like about your job?

I like the constant interaction with other employees and people from outside. I do income verification in the personnel section, so when I receive an application, whether it’s for housing or money or disability benefits, I have to respond with information about what that person makes. I do my best to accelerate the process; if I do my job efficiently, then people get their benefits faster. If someone’s applying for a mortgage and I sit on their request for too long, they might not be able to close on their house! I get a lot of frantic calls, but I try to be patient with people and help them as much as I can.

What problems do you face in the shop?

Most of the issues have to do with people who are working out of title. Either they do too much or what they’re doing is not in their title. For example, I have one who was doing work at the level of Staff Analyst and she was a PAA. I try to tell members to speak to their supervisor first and try to solve the problem in a friendly manner, but lately I have had to file a few grievances.

Tell us about your big fight to get safe windows at your work site, 90 Church Street, which is next door to the Ground Zero construction site.

After 9/11 our building was shut down and we were all scattered around the city for almost three years. Then, when we moved back into the building in July 2004, we realized that only the floors with state workers had doublepaned windows to keep out dust and pollution. So we all circulated a petition. I remember going to people one-on-one on different floors to get them to sign it, and to let them know about the health risks, the pollution, the noise. And we collected a lot of signatures, all the unions together. [More than a dozen unions with workers in the building, including Local 1180, formed the 90 Church St. Labor Coalition to fight for the windows.] We had a demonstration in front of the building and another at City Hall. And in May, we finally got the result. They just sent a memo out saying they might start installing them pretty soon. We were so happy!

Why did you become a shop steward?

I didn’t want to because I’m very shy, but another Local 1180 shop steward, Irene Edny, recruited me and encouraged me. I hadn’t seen that side in me, but then I realized I could help people and that I’m not afraid to speak to management for labor. I learned a lot about the contract, all of the civil service rules and regulations, and came to believe that the union is the only way to protect employees’ rights. I feel like I can help people that way. Once you follow the contract then you don’t have to be afraid of anything.

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Lester Woods

PAA II
Administration for Children's Services
Shop steward since 2002
Spends time outside of work with his teenage son and daughter, helping with homework and attending extended family functions.

What do you like about your job?

I like the fact that I’m helping children. All of these children have been mandated here by the state for committing crimes—it’s nice to know they’re in a facility, getting attention, and getting a chance to nip their behavior in the bud and become productive members of society. One of my responsibilities as an administrator is to make sure, when the kids are picked up from court, that an active Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) case is opened up so that the agencies get paid and the kids’ Medicaid eligibility stays active.

What problems do you face in your shop?

The major problem I see in this agency is people don’t get compensated for the jobs they’re doing. Some people here are doing four and five jobs and they’re barely making it. Everyone here is working out of title. There are women, clerical associates, who’ve been here 25 years and they’re barely making $35,000 a year. Some of them are single parents. Where’s the love and respect for her and her family? In any city job, there’s a minimum and a maximum salary. And if no one does anything for you you’ll stay at the minimum forever. But the merit raises are based on favoritism. It’s a morale buster. A lot of people don’t complain, because management doesn’t seem to forget—if you file a grievance you’re branded a troublemaker and it stays in your jacket forever. But filing a grievance is just standing up for your own rights and I don’t believe you should be penalized for that.

Why did you become a shop steward?

I became a shop steward because I wanted to fight for people, to inform them, to make some demands if necessary, because everyone needs someone to advocate for them. I’m a product of the ‘60s, the civil rights movement. In 1963 I was bussed from the South Bronx to Riverdale, and there were only eight black kids in the whole school. That’s when I learned about being identified as a “nigger,” because that was what I was called by the students there, and it changed my whole perspective. At the same time, my father had a newspaper stand on 130th Street and Eighth Avenue, and I used to go down there as a child and help him sell papers, and I used to see Malcolm X out there and listen to him. That’s when my radicalism started.

ACS has been in the headlines since the death of Nixzmary Brown in January. How has that tragedy affected workers at the agency?

The city decided that case workers weren’t getting out to the homes fast enough. The case workers in the field were simply overwhelmed, having to do two to three home visits for every case, along with the associated data entry. So the city sent 300 people out of 150 Williams Street, the central ACS office, to various field offices throughout the five boroughs—involuntary transfers. The impact it’s having is that it’s strengthened the other locations but made the central office weaker. People are sent out of 150 Williams and they’re not replaced. There’s no hiring. Now only skeleton crews are left at 150, and everyone here has to absorb the extra work.

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Bari Snyder

PAA I
Human Resources Administration
Shop steward since 2003
Co-president of the parents' association at her son's school; loves to shop

What do you like about your job?

I love the people. I love to supervise. I like when a client calls and thanks me for the job that I’ve done for them, or when a colleague appreciates me helping them with a case. I like to make a little dent. One of my daily functions is to collect statistics and create a report on applicants who fail to comply with employment rules, and it’s my joy to have those reports done efficiently and in a timely way. We’ve been number one in the last 10 months on reporting this data consistently and correctly.

What problems do you face in the shop?

There’s word that Greenwood might be closing, and if that happens, I’d be sorry. It doesn’t make sense to close down a center with so many clients. And I have history here—I’ve been at Greenwood going on 12 years. If we close, they’ll distribute the cases among the other centers and transfer people. We the Principal Administrative Associates (PAAs) aren’t sure where we would go. We might stay within HRA, but nobody knows. We don’t even know how much warning we’d have if they shut it down. I’ve known of situations where a worker on Friday is told to report to a new center on Monday. We’re all in limbo.

Why did you become a shop steward?

I liked the idea of organizing and representing. I love fighting for the cause of people, and I love the labor movement. I wanted to make sure my peers are getting fair treatment in HRA. I became very active last year, when the election was taking place over the new AJOS [Associate Job Opportunity Specialist] title. When they create that title, many of my colleagues and I decided to stay PAAs, because we knew we could use that title in another agency. With the AJOS title, you have to stay in welfare, and some PAAs who crossed over are now regretting it. During that election, I went through calling my peers to get them to come over to 1180 because of what 1180 represents, and how they go to the bitter end for their members. I explained how the union had fought for me, years before, when I had a group of 10, which was supposed to include an Eligibility Specialist IV, but I was working without one. The union fought it all the way with me and I got it. And I told them I like the benefits that 1180 offers, such as the union courses we can take for free, the Queens College program we can get involved in. And there’s a closeness.

What are your priorities for the upcoming contract negotiations?

For the PAAs I work with, the only issue we have is we want more money. That’s it.

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Thomas Gregory

PAA II
Department of Design and Construction
Shop steward since 2000
Likes to go running and go to the movies and the theater; leads hikes through the Appalachian Mountain Club

Tell us about your job.

I have a Master’s in Public Administration, and I got into the city doing budget work. I joined this department when it was first created under Mayor Giuliani. Now I take care of payroll for my floor and take care of the vehicles for our division. I track all of the vehicles we have, because it changes so rapidly—what we have, what went back.

What problems do you face in the shop?

The majority of grievances at DDC are out-of-title problems. A woman complained that she was doing PAA III work, but she was being paid as a PAA II, and she really was. The lines can be blurry between Level II and Level III, and that sometimes creates issues. In terms of city workers as a whole, unity is the big challenge. At the state level, six or seven state worker unions hung together and got a far better contract than we did. But in the city, teachers and uniformed workers go their separate ways, and we get played against each other. In the long run that backfires.

Why did you become a steward?

I did it because I wanted to know what was going on. There were many civil service rules I didn’t comprehend. I wanted to know if I was being treated fairly, if others were being treated fairly. I attended a lot of meetings, went to the steward training, and learned a lot. I suppose I like to help people—that’s where my social work training comes in.

What I really enjoy are the meetings and rallies and the parades. Those always make us feel great. At the last Labor Day Parade, I got to meet other locals in CWA that I didn’t even know existed. They all showed up and we all marched together. It was wonderful, really. A feeling of brotherhood, sisterhood.

I go to the membership meetings almost every month, and I write up notes and make sure all my members get them, and I make sure to post all the information we get as stewards. I think that’s the main job of a steward—to educate the members. And to let them know that the union only works to the extent that they’re active. If they’re active and they push, the union will be better.

Getting people to be involved is the main challenge. Some people have this attitude of hopelessness, and it’s a vicious circle. The hopelessness leads them not to get involved, to not bother letting the local know what they want. I’ve been to meetings of locals upstate, and they make sure their leaders are hearing what they want. Here people talk about a 1 percent raise with a tone of desperation. Negotiations for each new contract go on and on, and people get desperate as the bills pile up. If it’s not a good deal, and you tell people to vote no, you feel like Norma Rae knocking on the door of the man’s house and telling him to hang tough, and he looks back at her and says he only ate turnips for dinner that night. But maybe now people are hitting bottom and waking up. There’s only so much people can take, and then they start getting active. Maybe it’s a sign of hope.

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Lauchaune Hackett

PAA I
Department of Environmental Protection
Shop steward since 2000
Enjoys the theater and apple-picking with her boys; active in their school's parents' association

What are the problems in your shop?

We have a lot of out-of-title work and a lot of harassment from management, including verbal abuse, blatantly disregarding the rules, writing people up haphazardly, and basically creating a hostile work environment. We just filed a group grievance for failure to post job openings. It wasn’t until I pursued it with the help of my staff rep that they finally backed down. It’s a matter of how far can we go before someone hollers stop. But at 1180 we stop them every chance we get because we won’t tolerate it. Right now I’m dealing with two out-of-title grievances and another person being reprimanded for allegedly not calling in sick. Although they acknowledge that she called in the first day; their issue is that she didn’t call in every single day she was out. Now we’ve got a situation where they’re replacing windows in the building, so they pushed the furniture together, put up tarps, and closed the vents. No one was warned, and people couldn’t even get to their desks.

Have you faced retaliation for your union activism?

In 21 years as a civil servant, I’ve been without issue. It’s only the last few years, as I’ve become more active as a steward, that things hit the fan. My son started having febrile seizures back in 2000, and I was always able to take days off to care for him. Eventually we found out he needed surgery, and it was in the lead-up to his surgery that they start rejecting my leave requests. I would put in a slip in advance and my boss would deny it and declare me AWOL. That’s when we had to pull out the Family Medical Leave Act, which mandates that they give you unpaid leave, and the agency straightened things out. But some people don’t take kindly to a slap on the wrist. When I returned to work, I faced petty retaliation. They gave me a new work station, for example, that doesn’t have a printer, a fax machine, or an outside phone line.

Why did you become a steward?

I knew that without having someone to represent them here, these people would be lost. If you don’t have a voice here, you don’t have a defense. You can call it being nosy, or minding everybody’s business, but if it’s wrong, I’m the one to say, “It’s wrong, don’t do it.” I’ve always been for the underdog. Also, I like the camaraderie of the union. I like to talk to people, find out what’s on their minds. I enjoy trying to motivate people to be active and not to fear retaliation. The retaliation is real here—you complain about something and the next thing you know you’re sitting in the broom closet. But the more victories they see, the more confidence they get.

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Francine Gibbs

PAA III
New York City Transit Authority
Shop steward since 2003
Likes to work out and take African dance classes; she also earning her Master's through the local's Urban Leadership Program

What do you like about your job?

I think I like the union activities best! [Laughter.] I’m part of the engineering department, where they repair the subway system, and I serve as the secretary to all the chief managers who handle the repair contracts. I am also the training liaison, so I make sure the managers and staff are current on safety issues and get the training they need. One time I went out into the field to see the guys out there working, so when they report I know what they’re talking about. That was interesting. I also appreciate that here they offer on-the-job training.

What problems do you face in the shop?

One issue is that the Transit Authority outsources some of their work—a lot of their contracts and some of their administrative work. They get consultants to come in and work on projects when PAA’s should be doing the work. Then there are the back pay issues. When I first became shop steward and really read the contract, I found out about the longevity payments. A lot of the PAA’s here had not received their money and knew very little about it. So we worked on that. Most recently, the 1 percent pay raise issue came up, because once they read in the papers that DC 37 had settled with the city [an additional raise, based on productivity savings, was provisional in the last contract], they wanted to know when we were going to receive our money. I tell them that I can reach the union, but the members also have to take an interest, because they’re fighting a battle for you, and if you don’t take an interest it’s a lost cause. I ask them, are you really trying to solve the
problem and get the help you need?

Why did you become a shop steward?

Here at the Transit Authority we have quite a few CWA members, and from time to time we would talk and ask each other questions, what do we know about what’s going on with the union, and I’d share what I knew from going to
membership meetings and reading the union paper. So a few members said, why don’t you become a shop steward and let us know what’s going on? So I contacted all the Local 1180 members through our directory and set up a meeting with Harlan Reid, our staff rep, to find out a few things. Before that, no one even knew who our staff rep was. We took it from there, finding out about the contract, looking at who deserved longevity payments. Basically, I saw that a lot of us didn’t know what was going on and decided to take action. I like that as a steward I get to go to trainings. I attended a program at Cornell University, where I got the chance to see how around the country there are so many unions fighting for the same rights—decent wages and health care. I got to meet people from different states, different sectors, both public and private. Meeting the airline stewards was a big thing for me, because they were fighting so hard to unionize, and they were starting from scratch. It made me really appreciate what I have being part of the union.

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Doug Giacalone

Veterinarian
Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, ASPCA
Shop steward since 2004
Likes to go to the movies, go running, and work out at the gym.

What do you like about your job?

“It’s the love of animals and caring for them that drew me into the profession. I came to the ASPCA about 13 years ago after working at smaller animal hospitals because I wanted a more exciting environment. Here we have our hands in different things each day. I do everything from examinations, vaccinations, spaying and neutering to emergency trauma work—dogs and cats who’ve been hit by cars or fall out of the windows of high rises. Last spring, for example, someone’s miniature poodle, Snoopy, was running up and down the Major Deegan, and when the police finally caught the dog I was the one who handled his care. He’d been hit by a car but was very lucky—he just suffered some bruising—so I prescribed anti-inflammatory medications and rest. The owners were found and Snoopy was returned a couple of days later. Something’s always going on here, and I enjoy the constant rush, the adrenaline. I also like that we do humane law cases when animals have been abused, and we care for animals from families with fewer economic resources.”

What problems do you face in your shop?

“We’re 11 vets at the ASPCA, and we felt the need to form a union for economic security. At the onset, some of the workers had the mentality that we’re professionals, we’re not truck drivers, we don’t need to do this. But the way things are going in this field, the corporate mentality, where hospitals are being bought out by large business concerns and getting rid of experienced people in favor of graduate students they can pay less—we felt this might hit us as it has hit many others. We wanted job security and the ability to retain our excellent benefits, with generous vacation time and seniority, no matter what happens. Our new contract resolves our feelings of insecurity. Before we were at-will employees, and if for some reason they wanted to let someone go they had the right. Now they have to have specific grounds to fire someone, and we have the union in place to back us up. Management said that we had nothing to worry about, that we didn’t need to take this route, but we felt it would be in our best interests to have something like this in place. Now we’re a united front instead of being isolated when a problem arises.”

Why did you become a steward?

“When we started to look into unionizing I said I’d read up on it and so I got 'volunteered' for the job. So I reached out to Local 1180 and we came down to talk about our concerns, about job security and our benefits, and we decided to unionize at that point. It may be the first union of veterinarians in the country. The process was more difficult than I thought it would be, as far as being time-consuming and emotional. Still, the outcome was good, and we all feel proud of it. Now if people have complaints with management, they’ll bring it to me and we’ll come up with a solution. Our schedules vary so much that it’s hard to organize shop meetings. But we’re a very close group of vets, so we talk to each other immediately when something comes up and rectify it before it becomes a problem.”

To make an appointment at the ASPCA for your pet, call 212-876-7700. The clinic is located at 424 East 92nd Street between First Avenue and York.

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Arye Sivion

PAA III, Gouverneur Hospital, Health and Hospitals Corporation
Shop steward since 2000
Enjoys camping, hiking, and playing soccer and volleyball, and gets involved in his community, organizing street fairs. But mostly he loves to throw parties and dance—to the point that co-workers nicknamed him the “Dancing Queen.”

What do you like about your job?

“I work off-site, in a drop-in center for the homeless mentally ill. I take care of the banking books, the time sheets, office supplies, petty cash, and daily statistics on services that we provide. But what I like most is the interaction I have with the clients. I enjoy working with the most fragile of people, and improving their quality of life, within their limitations. It’s a great joy to see someone get rid of their substance abuse, get housing, and be ready to look for a job and get off of public assistance. I have two clients who are now in college after being homeless for 10 years. For the past three years I have organized a Christmas drive. It’s a huge production that I do in my free time. I get Timberland, Kenneth Cole, Pathmark, and other companies to donate food and clothing, and I distribute it according to the needs of the clients. They feel like I’m a great advocate for them.”

What problems do you face in your shop?

“The biggest complaint is work overload, beyond the job description. For example, a clerk will leave the job, and they won’t hire a new one, so everyone has to work harder to pick up the slack. And we have no overtime pay. If you need to stay late to complete a job, you have to ask permission for comp time. Often, we agree to stay, but our supervisor will say, ‘I don’t have permission to give you comp time, so sorry, you can’t record it.’ Also, a lot of jobs are taken up by temporary workers who never passed the exam, but they stay on and on and never get certified. And when someone is supposed to come in to take their title after passing the exam, the title of these provisional workers is changed to protect them.”

Why did you become a steward?

“I used to serve in the military in Israel, and there I had to learn how to fight for human dignity and rights. I have always been an advocate for job security, promotions free from discrimination, improved working environments, and, most important, the dignity of each person. This is what got me involved in the union. I’ve become a good negotiator between management and employees, and try to solve problems as fast as possible. So far, I’ve succeeded in not bringing any grievances to the union—I’ve always managed to work things out. Members usually seek out the union only when they have a personal issue with management. But I want members to become more active, to see that the union isn’t only benefits, it’s a chance to get involved and to unite.”

Arye is currently in the process of building a gay/lesbian/ transgender caucus within Local 1180. Call him at 212.675.2446 if you’re interested in joining.

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Desiree Chambers

PAA II, Department of Youth and Community Development
Shop steward since 2003
Has been a city employee for 19 years and at DYCD for four years; has two beautiful sons (ages 12 and 7); enjoys roller skating, bowling and reading

What do you like about your job?

"The thing I like best about my job is being able to assist members in any way that I can. I also try to help resolve their issues as quickly as possible. Sometimes, members just come to me when they feel like they need to vent. I have a compassionate nature and I'm always willing to listen." The DYCD works with a range of community-based organizations to sponsor youth programs throughout NYC. Desiree works as an Administrative Assistant with the Assistant Commissioner of the Planning, Research and Program Development Unit.

What problems do you face in your shop?

"The biggest problem I've encountered is mobilizing members. A majority of members just aren't interested in the union or its activities unless it involves a raise or some other type of compensation." She also has found that management "immediately become[s] defensive and somewhat combative" when she presents herself as a shop steward or mentions the union. †Another source of frustration for Chambers is that "members often feel intimidated by management." After a meeting is set up to resolve an issue that a member is having, members sometimes change their stories. She wishes members would feel confident enough to confront management in these meetings.

Why did you become a steward?

"The shop steward at my agency was leaving and had a union meeting. I wanted to know what the job entailed. Since I was the only one asking questions, someone at the meeting nominated me for the position and everyone else seconded the nomination. So, here I am!" Chambers works to maintain “constant communication” with the 47 members in her agency and DYCD’s union representative. On occasion, she consults with other stewards on certain shop matters. “They’ve been able to give me a different perspective on issues that I've had to deal with at my agency. They've also given me scenarios of how they've handled issues at their agencies.” Chambers enjoys being a steward because her position has enabled her to learn “a lot more about the union’s function."

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Barbara Peaks

PAA III, Department of Probation
Shop steward since 2003
Has a "huge family" (12 kids between her and her husband) with lots of family gatherings; goes to church, likes to fish and every once in a while, visit Atlantic City

What do you like about your job?

"I like the interaction with the staff. I'm a liaison with the state and I like meeting people from other agencies, too." Peaks works in the Information Technology unit of the Department of Probation and she is the director of NYSPIN Services (that's New York State Police Information Network). She trains people in that system, which keeps track of criminal histories and maintains links to the Department of Homeland Security as well as other states, and she makes sure that the data entry is accurate.

What problems do you face in your shop?

"Mainly out-of-title issues." Peaks says that 1180 members are generally treated with respect ("because they need us") and conditions generally are good. But when it comes to paying people what they are worth, there's a problem. "All the PAAs are like level I and they're doing a lot, like I am; they're office managers, directing payroll, etc. They [the agency] don't want to pay us, and we have to fight for it." So there are many out-of-title grievances that Peaks handles.

Why did you become a steward?

"I was actually drafted, by the members. They voted me in. And then I started liking it. I enjoy the meetings, the conferences, the trainings. I want to get more involved, more active." There are about 40 PAAs in the Department of Probation, at various locations. Peaks organizes regular shop meetings, both at the central office where she works and at various other locations. "When I'm going to be in the field for my job, I call the members at that location and set up a meeting." The meetings generally cover nuts-and-bolts issues about the contract and the grievance procedure. This past year, Peaks also succeeded in signing up all but a few members for COPE. "It takes a lot of work," she says about the steward position. "I have spent many lunch hours making copies, sending out copies, putting flyers up on the bulletin board."

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Abdullah Nazeer

PAA I, Administration for Children's Services
Shop steward since 1997
Avid biker and into yoga; politically active, Working Families Party, COPE and lots of demonstrations

What do you like about your job?

Nazeer works in the Information and Referral Vacancy Control Unit at ACS, and he deals with the enrollment of people who are applying for publicly funded daycare. "I deal with the enrollment, computer stuff, and liaison work with the daycare programs and parents. It gives me contact with the community. I like interacting with the programs and the parents." Nazeer has been at ACS since 1987.

What problems do you face in your shop?

"We don't really have too many problems." There are two areas that are the most common subject of grievances. "We have basic grievances with time and leave issues," particularly getting leave balances, i.e., the correct leave time. Out-of-title complaints are the other subject most frequently the subject of grievances. "We have environmental problems at the site, too. They won't regulate the thermostat on a daily basis," which means that changes in outdoor temperatures often result in the building being too cold or too hot. This problem has been the subject of complaints and QWL (Quality of Work Life) meetings but has not been fixed. "Also, air quality is not good."

Why did you become a steward?

"I like to get a chance to let members know what benefits they get, and it's a point of interaction with the other members in my location. I try to get them involved in activities that will make the jobs better. There's strength in numbers: the more they're aware of what's going on with the union, the more we can do." There are five 1180 members at Nazeer's location, a small enough number that Nazeer opts to talk to them one-on-one rather than hold shop meetings. One piece of that interaction is explaining "what a grievance can do, what it can't, and what the structural issues are."

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