20 minute read
Union Matters
Falling leaves, rising membership
Gregory Floyd
President, Teamsters Local 237 and Vice President at-Large on the General Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Fall marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new season. For some of us, the change is met with a little sadness, while for others, fall is greeted with enthusiasm: it ushers in the start of the new school year; the excitement of Halloween and Christmas looming ahead, and the annual holidays that salute labor and regale the discovery of the “New World.”
Local 237 would like to thank our members and other public sector employees for their tireless efforts on behalf of so many New Yorkers, whose lives and livelihoods depend on municipal agencies operating seamlessly despite the challenges. As former President Barack Obama said: “When times are tough, we don’t give up. We get up.” That’s precisely what public employees did and continue to do. During the height of the pandemic, at a time of unimaginable grief, when a sudden, highly contagious virus rocked the entire globe and our own personal world, union members—and especially public sector workers—didn’t give up; they got up and went to work. During a time that immersed us in dread and paralyzed so many with fear— an unnerving time that, for some, meant there would be no final hug, goodbye or sacraments to meet our maker—these essential municipal workers were on the job. Now, as we are trying to revive the City and the State, public workers remain an essential element in New York’s recovery.
Union membership across the nation has declined from its peak of 35% in 1954 to only 10.8% currently. With New York among the states with the largest number of union workers—roughly 22%—about 70% of the union workforce is in the public sector—consistent with the national percentage of public sector union membership being approximately five times that of the private sector—with African Americans making up the largest component of that group.
But today, after a decades-old hiatus, union membership in both the public and private sectors is on the rise. The remarkable win by Amazon workers in Staten Island to unionize was no small feat. Just two years ago, this newly formed “Amazon Labor Union” did not exist. A Staten Island Amazon warehouse worker, Christian
U.S. now has its first unionized congressional office
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO
Special to the AmNews
“The results are in! Staff in @RepAndyLevin’s office unanimously voted to form a union, making it the FIRST congressional office union in the history of the U.S. Congress.” the Congressional Workers Union (CWU) declared in a celebratory tweet on Sep. 26.
The CWU has been organizing Washington, D.C.’s congressional staff since July. Legislative workers had come together this past February to create the CWU—and they asked Rep. Andy Levin (D-Michigan) to draft a bill that would grant Capitol Hill staffers the right to unionize and collectively bargain.
That bill, H.Res. 1096, passed the House on May 10, 2022 and, after a 60-day probationary period, on July 18 staffers were permitted to begin organizing.
And now it’s the staff in Rep. Levin’s office who have formed the nation’s first unionized congressional office. Staff voted electronically in the Levin office union election and the next elections are set to take place in the offices of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) on Sept. 28 and Sept. 29.
“It is with great pride we announce the landslide union election victory in Congressman Andy Levin’s office,” the CWU said in a press release. “While exercising their right to vote, the workers clearly and emphatically expressed their desire to bargain collectively and have a seat at the table to determine workplace conditions and benefits. CWU is ecstatic to support these workers as we move to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract representative of workers’ needs for the first time in congressional history.”
Legislative workers have been speaking out about the drudgery of the work their members have had to put up with: they are often tasked with helping politicians create legislative proposals, write speeches, and assist politicians as they provide services to people in their districts. Many legislative staffers say that a job whose profile promotes positive public service too often leads to their being stuck with low pay, long work hours, and occasionally abusive bosses.
House and Senate staff workers received raises this Sept. 1 after lawmakers increased their office budgets, but people of color and women claim they still are being paid less than their white counterparts.
See CONGRESS on page 37
Trader Joe’s in Williamsburg wants a union
By KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO
Special to the AmNews
Employees at the Trader Joe’s grocery store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn are planning to form a union.
The Williamsburg store, located at 200 Kent Avenue in northern Brooklyn, has only been open since December 10, 2021. Yet store employees filed with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize its 185 workers last Friday, Sept. 23.
Staffers at the store claim they’ve faced poor working conditions and have had to deal with racism and union busting.
Jaz W., a 29-year-old Black worker who was trying to unionize at the store, was summarily fired once management found out about her efforts and appeals to have her reinstated have been ignored. In an interview with the magazine Jacobin, Jaz W. spoke about some of the problems she encountered while working at Trader Joe’s: “They’re always telling us that Trader Joe’s doesn’t believe in hierarchy and bureaucracy. That’s why they have this lingo where general managers are called ‘captains,’ assistant managers are called ‘mates,’ and we’re called ‘crew members.’ But even though the company uses this lingo, the same hierarchy— the same power structure—is still there.
“At our store, there’s a particular mistreatment of workers of color. Lots of the people they’ve been recently letting go or punishing are people of color. And now I’m part of that list.”
After Jaz W. was let go, other TJ’s workers demonstrated in front of the store and handed out fliers to customers and anyone passing by.
The flier they passed out stated:
“This store, Trader Joe’s Williamsburg-548, has a pattern of inappropriately targeting workers of color for discipline. We say NO MORE. That’s why we’re organizing for our rights and dignity at work by forming a union to fight for an NYC living wage, better access to healthcare and paid time off, clear and fairly applied disciplinary processes, and much more.
“We’re asking you to stand with our crew as we work together for the protections and fair working conditions we deserve.”
If the Williamsburg store unionizes, they will affiliate with Trader Joe’s United, and will be TJ’s third store in the United States to win official union recognition. The other two Trader Joe’s locations to unionize are in Massachusetts and Minnesota—the Williamsburg location would be the first one in New York City.
Trader Joe’s Wine Shop, store #541, was reportedly attempting to unionize when it abruptly closed last month, on Aug. 11, after having been open at 138 East 14th St. in Manhattan’s Union Square for 15 years.
Zeldin is a zero!
AMNEWS ENDORSEMENT
Our endorsement of Kathy Hochul EDITORIAL for governor is a rebuke of Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate, mainly for his stance on abortion and the ad he ran that included Saheed Vassell, a Black man killed by the police in April 2018. Zeldin, who currently represents part of Long Island’s Suffolk County in the House, has consistently opposed abortion and his position was made more emphatic as he applauded the overturning of Roe V. Wade.
More disturbing is the clip of Vassell posted on Zeldin’s Twitter account with a voiceover citing that “actual violent crimes caught on camera in Kathy Hochul’s New York” in which Vassell allegedly points a pipe at a person’s head in Crown Heights. Vassell’s father, Eric, outraged at the depiction issued a statement stating that the image of his son in the ad is akin “to trampling on Saheed’s grave.” His death, which aroused protesters who charged that shooting him was unnecessary since he was mentally ill and presented no danger, occurred three years before Hochul became governor.
Mr. Vassell has demanded that Zeldin remove the ad and offer an apology for demeaning his son. We have no indication if the ad is no longer running, though a recent viewing may have been a truncated version.
Whether it’s been removed or not, usage of the ad has already been done and to associate Hochul with the incident has not been disavowed by the Zeldin campaign, which comes as no surprise for a candidate who has welcomed Trump into his camp.
We should get a better understanding of these two issues when the candidates debate later this month—and at this point only one debate seems to be guaranteed. Over the past several years, and certainly during Trump’s campaign, all’s fair in love and politics, and Zeldin has taken his attack on Hochul to a false and disrespectful edge to make a case that she is soft on crime.
Once more, it should be clear that Zeldin is a zero, and our vote is for Kathy Hochul for governor.
Kathy Hochul for Governor
Giving our endorsement to Gov. Hochul in the race against Republican candidate Lee Zeldin for us is a nobrainer. Not only has Hochul grown into her position at the helm of the state, one of the things we were concerned about during the primaries, she has demonstrated keen insight on managing the gubernatorial office. And she certainly got our attention back in the summer when she announced the commitment of $8 million for improvements to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Even before this initiative, she had shown great compassion in allocating $3.8 million for Choose Healthy Life to address health inequities and to administer preventative wellness programs run by 20 churches, a plan she announced at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem. It was at this event that she revealed her understanding of the healthcare disparities in the Black community as a result of the pandemic, and promised to make sure concrete action was applied to remedy the situation. In short, we join the 35 labor unions, including 1199SEIU, in our endorsement of Kathy Hochul for governor. She has made some tremendous strides toward serving the diverse sections of the state, and we have every expectation that this growth will continue and become even more effective in reaching and improving our marginalized communities.
For these reasons and many more, we endorse Kathy Hochul for Governor.
AMNEWS READERS WRITE
Arrogance and self-adulation have the former president backed in a corner and the optics don’t look good
By JAMES B. EWERS JR. ED.D.
Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher
and Editor in Chief Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Nayaba Arinde: Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor
The political landscape is ripe for comment and critique. Almost every day, something happens to make you pause and wonder if it will ever stop. It is my thinking that these rumblings will always be with us. One of the political occurrences that keeps on giving is what is happening with the former president of the United States of America. If it’s not one thing, it’s another with him. His ascent to the presidency has only brought more attention to his checkered past and now his questionable future. Money and power or maybe I should say the quest for it have caused him problems galore. Like many in America, Mr. Trump is in the fourth quarter of his life and the 2-minute warning is approaching. I just wonder how he sleeps at night given what is hanging over his head. I listened to him on Fox News recently and he’s in a totally different reality. Contrary to popular opinion, he believes he is above the law. Donald Trump thinks that the rule of law does not apply to him. The state of New York has come after him. New York State Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the Trump organization for financial fraud.
They inflated their profits to gain certain economic advantages and benefits.
It appears that he wasn’t as rich as he said he was.
Attorney General James said, “The statements of financial condition were greatly exaggerated, grossly inflated, objectively false and therefore fraudulent and illegal.”
She added, “And as a result of that we are seeking relief, and Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization, his family, they should all be held accountable.”
Will this result in the former president being convicted and going to prison?
Carl Tobias, law professor at the University of Richmond said, “Even for Trump, people don’t like him, but do they want to put him away? What kind of punishment would be appropriate? So, it’s just all around more difficult.”
Can we imagine Mr. Trump spending time in a federal prison and ordering a diet soda from his room?
That is almost laughable and full of satire.
Because he is self-serving and a narcissist, there are people who want to see him do some time.
He has hired lawyers to defend his positions which many believe are frail and puny.
Will he win this court battle? We will just have to wait and see.
On another Trump-infused problem, the classified documents taken by him to his home are causing a problem for him.
Of course, his lawyers are saying that he declassified them but have offered no proof.
Senior Federal Judge Raymond Dearie said, “My view of it is you can’t have your cake and eat it. I can’t allow litigation strategy to dictate the outcome of my recommendations to Judge Cannon.”
Aileen Cannon is the U.S. District Court judge who chose Judge Dearie as the special master.
The former president believes in my opinion that because he lies that he can get his lawyers to do the same.
Not so. The lawyers representing him will not perjure themselves.
That will result in them losing their license to practice law.
The Department of Justice is continuing its probe of what many believe was an illegal activity.
Mr. Trump is tied up and tangled up and the truth is not in him.
His troubles are going downhill faster than a skier.
Don’t forget the January 6th hearings which will resume in the coming weeks.
It is widely speculated that the former president is the reason for the attack on the Capitol.
It is my thinking that Mr. Trump has hit a ground zero political trifecta.
His money is wrong, his judgment is wrong, and his tampering is wrong.
Do you remember the television show, “Cops”?
The theme song was “Bad Boys” written by Ian Lewis.
Some of the lyrics were, “Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do? Watcha gonna do when they come for you.”
Is that a fitting song for what is happening now?
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.
ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS
The Second Amendment addressing the right of American citizens to bear arms, is a touchy subject these days, but its effect on our daily lives cannot be overstated. Being able to protect ourselves in a world that is becoming more dangerous by the day is essential to survival. The right to arm oneself, whether the weapon is concealed or not, has become more important than ever.
Take a stroll through any big city and you’re likely to see a replay of what I witnessed recently in New York City: rampant homelessness, burgeoning crime and a proliferation of drug use. Feeling safe should be an inalienable right. But today that’s no longer a given in this country.
Instead, our cities are in a dangerous downward spiral. They are increasingly filthy and crime rates are skyrocketing. Make no mistake about it, America and its people are at risk. Cities that used to be barometers for the American experience are now bastions of hellish disarray.
Go to San Francisco and you will see precisely what I mean. Shoeless drug addicts roam the streets like zombies in a trance, treating the streets like public toilets. Droves of homeless people shoot up heroin not in trash-littered back alleys, but in plain sight on major roads. The gutters are filled with discarded syringes.
What we need to rectify this situation is more policing and enforcement of the rule of law. Until then, we are going the wrong direction by focusing upon gun control. We need to be increasing funding to the police, not “defunding” them. And we need to ensure that law-abiding citizens are afforded their constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms. It’s an essential way for men and women to protect themselves.
People kill people. Guns do not. And it is obvious that over-regulating gun ownership will have zero effect on the estimated 400 million guns that are already in private circulation. Gun control simply cannot stop violence in this country, which is being caused by a crime-ridden society that is out of control.
Imagine that you are a small businessman in a big city rife with crime and short on cops. Imagine how you might react if an armed robber burst into your store, pulled a gun and demanded cash. You could meekly hand the money over and put your fate in the hands of an armed criminal, hoping he doesn’t just decide to orphan your children. Or you could up the odds in your favor by defending yourself with a legally purchased and properly registered firearm.
In San Francisco, the former district attorney decided that the city would not be prosecuting thieves who stole, as long as their thievery fell beneath a certain price point. The initiative was announced publicly. The result of that ridiculousness? Gangs of criminals breaking into stores.
Talk about throwing gasoline on a fire. We saw the videos of these shocking crime sprees posted online.
In this era of lawlessness, the best life insurance policy is one tucked into a holster. Should we be forced to choose a thug’s life or our own, we should have the means to make the right decision.
Gun control advocates like to point to the mayhem wreaked by mass shootings, especially in schools, which are a truly terrifying reality. But we know that the perpetrators of those horrors are often mentally ill people. I am not opposed to sensible steps to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of the insane and the criminal—but I am opposed to over-reach by the government to prevent law-abiding and rational Americans from securing the firearms of their choice.
Gun violence deaths detailed by Giffords Law Center hype the numbers but fail to look at the hard truth: gun deaths are caused by people who misuse guns and stricter gun legislation would do little to stop those individuals who are compelled to use guns to commit crimes.
The sooner we recognize this truth and the sooner we recognize where our country is headed, the quicker we will come to the realization that we truly must protect ourselves at all costs. Responsible gun owners know how to properly secure their weapons away from children, and often train with professionals and carry with care.
Gun ownership by good people deters crime. Criminals may think twice about committing their attacks if they are forced to wonder if their victims are packing heat. As the saying goes, “if guns are outlawed, then only outlaws will have them.” What’s more, stricter gun laws make it more difficult for people to protect their homes and families, a growing concern in a day and age where fewer and fewer people want to become police officers.
In addition, consider the reality. Police simply cannot protect everyone all the time. Response times may be short, but the window for self-preservation often occurs in mere moments.
A Pew Foundation report found that 79% of male gun owners and 80% of female gun owners said owning a gun made them feel safer. Another 64% of people living in a home in which someone else owns a gun also said they felt safer.
Safety in a land without allowing people to exercise their Second Amendment will become even harder to find. But good people can make America safer with a permit in their pockets, and a holstered gun on their hips.
Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirkholdings.com
CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.
Recently Republican governors and lawmakers have been playing political football with people’s lives. They have been loading recently arrived immigrants—men, women, children, and even newborns—on buses and planes and shipping them to “liberal” cities to prove a point to Democratic lawmakers. As a nation of immigrants, both voluntary and involuntary, the recent behavior of Republican politicians is disgraceful and cruel.
Many of the recently arrived immigrants are arriving with little to no English and have been promised the prospect of jobs and housing. Many are desperate and are looking to establish roots in order to take care of themselves and their families. Like Irish, Italian, and German immigrants sought to do just a century ago, these new immigrants from Mexico and Central America are literally seeking the same thing as the grandparents of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and current Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
Republican lawmakers are dropping off the newly arrived immigrants in sanctuary cities, communities with formal and informal policies that limit and/or discourage cooperation with local law enforcement from using one’s immigration status against individuals unless a serious crime is reported.
The governors of Texas and Florida, Abbott and DeSantis respectively, have made the lives of vulnerable people their political game. They argue that cities like Washington, D.C. (in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’ home), New York City, and even the small island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts should have newly arrived immigrants dropped at their doorsteps. Part of their strategy is the belief that Democratic cities will be as cruel and unwelcoming as other places have been. In many ways their strategy has backfired. Democratic mayors have rallied resources and are thinking of ways to expedite paperwork so these individuals can get jobs and job training as well as housing.
Communities and neighbors are figuring out ways to donate food and clothing and rally to accommodate some of the city’s most vulnerable. It is apparent that Republican lawmakers will continue these antics in the weeks leading up to the November 8th election since Republicans tend to make “caravans of illegal immigrants invading your towns” a central and steady argument to their election strategy every election season.
It is imperative we as a city and a nation do not fall for this divisive and hateful rhetoric. Yes, it will be difficult at times to accommodate newly arrived groups, but this is what this country has done for centuries, literally. As waves of immigrants came from European nations, they were treated with hateful imagery, discrimination, and exclusionary practices. Sadly, some of their descendants have now taken up the mantle of exclusion and are attempting to do the same.
Do not fall for the alarmist rhetoric of Republicans. America has the resources and we should pressure our electeds to make sure they are distributed equitably.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio.
