11 minute read
Our Caucus
from 1199 Magazine
by 1199SEIU
1199 International Latino Caucus members Juan Alonzo and Danisha Marrero helped raise money for hurricane and earthquake disaster relief in Puerto Rico.
UNION’S LATINO CAUCUS RESPONDS TO THOSE IN NEED Efforts to aid Puerto Rico and those closer to home are central to Caucus mission.
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As Puerto Rico recovers from a swarm of earthquakes that have crip pled the island as it just beginning to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria, members of 1199’s Latino Caucus are mobilizing to send aid to the hobbled territory and raise awareness around the issues facing Puerto Rico and other Latin countries. The 1199 International Latino Caucus is part of the Union’s larger program that includes the Women’s Caucus, People with Disabilities Caucus, AFRAM, the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, and the LGBTQ caucus. Reflecting 1199’s core value of solidarity, caucus groups welcome all members, regardless of race, ethnicity, or ability. The Inter national Latino Caucus—like the broader Union—represents the global Latin diaspora and has noticeably expanded recently, with large contin gents showing out at the Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Venezuelan Day Parades in New York City. 1199 has a long history of celebrating Latino and Hispanic pride and standing with movements representing Latino and Hispanic workers: 1199ers stood with California Farmworkers and their leader Caesar Chavez in their fight for justice; union members were and are vocal opponents of U.S. intervention in Central and South America; union members have been on the front lines of the battle for justice in the current immigration crisis; and 1199ers have, of course, stood with Puerto Rico, whether it’s in disaster recovery or the fight against the U.S. military’s interference in Vieques.
Juan Alonzo, a litigation specialist with New York City’s Legal Aid So ciety, says joining the Latino Caucus was a natural extension of his trade unionism and community activism. Alonzo, who is Puerto Rican and Dominican, was a Community Board member in his uptown Manhat tan neighborhood of Washington Heights. An established Dominican neighborhood, Washington Heights has been undergoing a recent wave of gentrification and struggles with
re-zoning that opponents say will dis place many long-time, mostly Latino, residents and their families.
“Everything I do is part of the work of the caucus,” says Alonzo, referring to the need for Latino repre sentation in local politics. “In society we are labeled as minorities, but in so many places we are the majority and we need to have a voice in what happens in our communities and in policies that affect us. We have to make sure we have a seat at the table so we can make sure all Latino people are represented.”
Alonzo and his Union sisters and brothers in the Latino Caucus recently oversaw two recent initiatives to help raise money for Puerto Rico and lend a hand more locally by distributing school backpacks and supplies to underprivileged kids in the Bronx. “A lot of these kids live in shel ters,” says Alonzo. “I felt it was a way for us to give back and expand our network by going out into the community.”
In early January, officials from 1199’s sister union in Puerto Rico sent a let ter of thanks to 1199’s rank-and-filers and officers for their efforts on behalf of Puerto Rico.
“We are deeply grateful for your solidarity and prompt response to our request for assistance our members,” wrote UGT President Gerson Guz man Lopez and Secretary Treasurer Myrnalee Lamboy Rivera.
The officers acknowledged the food, water, blankets, pillows, and other essentials sent from 1199ers to disaster-affected Puerto Ricans. In the interim, 1199 members have contin ued to raise funds through events and a wildly popular drawing for Marc Anthony concert tickets. (At press time, this drawing is scheduled for early February.)
“We have a lot of struggles as Latinos, but the work we do is not just about Latinos, it’s about showing that we can work together—especially to help people in need,” says Caucus member Danisha Marrero, a Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Manhattan. “Our caucus is like 1199 as a whole. We represent people who come from different cultures and have different beliefs, but we come together, and we show how much we can do together. We’re like an airport, with many airlines going in a lot of directions, but our hub is 1199.”
EL COMITÉ DE LATINOS DE LA UNIÓN RESPONDE A LOS NECESITADOS Esfuerzos de ayuda a Puerto Rico y a los que están más cerca de casa son la esencia de la misión del comité.
Mientras Puerto Rico se recupera de una cadena de terremotos que ha paralizado la isla cuando apenas em pezaba a recuperarse de la devastación del huracán María, los miembros del Comité Latino de 1199 se están movili zando para enviar ayuda al tan afectado territorio y están creando conciencia acerca de los problemas que enfrentan Puerto Rico y otros países latinos.
El Comité Internacional de Latinos de 1199 es parte del programa mayor de la Unión que incluye el Comité de Mujeres, el Comité de Personas con Discapacidades, AFRAM, el Comité de Asiáticos Americanos e Isleños del Pacífico y el Comité LGBTQ.
Reflejando el valor fundamental de solidaridad de 1199, los comités dan la bienvenida a todos los miembros sin importar su raza, etnicidad o habilidad. El Comité Internacional de Latinos al igual que la Unión en su totalidad representa la diáspora global latina y se ha expandido recientemente de una manera notable, con grandes contin gentes participando en los desfiles puertorriqueños, dominicanos, pana meños y venezolanos de la ciudad de Nueva York. La 1199 tiene una amplia historia de celebrar el orgullo latino e hispano y de apoyar movimientos que representan a los trabajadores latinos
e hispanos: Los miembros de la 1199 apoyaron a los trabajadores agrícolas de California y a su líder César Chávez en su lucha por la justicia; los miembros de la Unión han sido y son voceros de la oposición a la intervención ameri cana en América Central y del Sur; los miembros de la Unión han encabezado la lucha por la justicia en la presente crisis inmigratoria; los miembros de 1199 por supuesto que han apoyado a Puerto Rico ya sea en la recuperación de un desastre o luchando contra la interferencia militar estadounidense en Vieques.
Juan Alonzo, un especialista en litigio de la Asociación de Asisten cia Legal, dice que hacerse parte del Comité Latino fue una extensión natural de su labor sindical y activ ismo comunitario. Alonzo, quien es puertorriqueño y dominicano, era miembro del comité comunitario en su vecindario de Washington Heights en el alto Manhattan. Un vecindario dominicano, Washington Heights ha recibido recientemente una ola de gen trificación y batallas de rezonificación, que los oponentes dicen desplazará a los residentes con más antigüedad, principalmente latinos y sus familias. “Todo lo que hago es parte del trabajo del comité”, dice Alonzo, re
Miembros del Comité Latino de la Unión recientemente supervisaron dos iniciativas para reunir dinero para Puerto Rico y para a nivel local, distribuir mochilas y materiales escolares a los niños no privilegiados del Bronx.
firiéndose a la necesidad de la representación latina en la política local. “En la sociedad estamos etiquetados como minoría, pero en muchos lugares somos la mayoría y necesitamos tener una voz en lo que pasa en nuestras comunidades y en las políticas que nos afectan. Tenemos que asegurarnos un asiento en la mesa para asegurarnos que la gente latina esté representada”. Alonzo y sus hermanas y her manos del Comité Latino de la Unión recientemente supervisaron dos ini ciativas para reunir dinero para Puerto Rico y para a nivel local, distribuir mochilas y materiales escolares a los niños no privilegiados del Bronx. “Muchos de estos niños viven en refugios”, dice Alonzo. “Yo sentí que fue una manera de corresponder y extender nuestra red al ir a nuestra comunidad”.
Al comienzo de enero, dirigentes de la Unión hermana de 1199 en Puerto Rico enviaron una carta de agradecimien to a los líderes y membresía de la 1199 por sus esfuerzos a favor de Puerto Rico. “Estamos profundamente agradecidos por su solidaridad y oportuna respuesta a nuestra petición de asistencia a nuestros miembros”, escribió el presi dente de la UGT Gerson Guzmán López y la tesorera Myrnalee Lamboy Rivera.
Los dirigentes agradecieron la co mida, agua, cobijas, almohadas y otros productos de primera necesidad que los miembros de 1199 enviaron a los puertorriqueños afectados por el desas tre. Entretanto los miembros de 1199 han continuado recaudando fondos a través de eventos y la ampliamente popular rifa de boletos para el concier to de Marc Anthony. (El sorteo se ha programado, al cierre de esta edición, para principios de febrero.)
“Como latinos tenemos muchas batallas por luchar, pero el trabajo que hacemos no es nada más para los latinos, es para mostrar que podemos trabajar juntos, especialmente para ayudar a gente necesitada”, dice Dane sha Marrero, miembro del comité, quien es consejera certificada en abuso de alcohol y drogas en Mount Sinai Beth Israel en Manhattan. “Nuestro comité es como la 1199 en su totali dad. Representamos gente que viene de diferentes culturas y que tienen diferentes creencias, pero estamos unidos y demostramos todo lo que po demos hacer juntos. Somos como un aeropuerto, muchas compañías aéreas yendo hacia muchas direcciones difer entes, pero nuestro centro es 1199”.
Reinvigorated program supports new and experienced delegates alike. Leaders for Today and Tomorrow Preparing Our
Delegates are 1199’s backbone. Without a force of specially trained, dedicated members in 1199-represented institutions, the union would not be able to negotiate and enforce contracts, grieve labor law violations and uphold our hard-won standards, benefits, and salaries—some of which are the best in the health and social service industry.
Keeping delegates at the top of their game requires an ongoing investment in training to make sure new delegates know the ropes and long-standing delegates stay up to date. The constant drumbeat of anti-union propaganda in the country at large has meant that many younger members do not enter the Union with a consciousness of what collective bargaining means for them, and more broadly, the entire working class. The Union’s Education Department is committed to giving delegates all the tools they need to be effective in their roles—whether that be representing members during a grievance or informing members about contract negotiations and encouraging them to take part. And to that end, the department has recalibrated 1199’s Delegate Training Program, implementing new materials and methods that reflect new demographics entering the workforce, relationships with burgeoning social
Delegates from Whitman-Walker Health at a recent training in Washington, D.C.
Delegates from D.C.: (Top to bottom) WhitmanWalker Health workers Kelli Jenkins, Camille Benbow, and Raul Hernandez.
movements, and current pedagogical philosophy.
So far, 950 delegates from downstate New York, the Hudson Valley, and Maryland/D.C. have taken part in the recalibrated delegate training program. At least another 1,100 are due to join the program in the coming months. Graduation ceremonies will be taking place around the region in February and March.
The classes, which are conducted by regional staff in collaboration with the Union’s Education Department, emphasize interactive learning and role play to prepare delegates for real-life situations.
Instructors employ a popular education model in which participants draw lessons from their personal experiences. Among the subjects that were covered in the curriculum were labor history, politics, social justice, public speaking, the role of leaders in the workplace and workplace organizing projects.
At a recent meeting, graduates say that the classes spoke directly to current issues, exploring topics as wide ranging as the increased attacks on labor, the rollback of social and economic gains, the #MeToo movement and Black Lives Matter. In the Maryland/DC region, members from Whitman-Walker Health, a nonprofit community health center in Washington, D.C. with a special expertise in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ health care, participated in a delegate training session earlier this month. The classes employed methods and language geared toward today’s younger workers.
Camille Benbow, a Peer Ambassador at the clinic who took part, recalled the organizing drive that brought Whitman-Walker workers into the union: “Everyone came together as a collective because they were simply tired of being overworked and underpaid.
Client Services Representative, Raul Hernandez, said the training taught him how different forms of retaliation for union activity could take place without members realizing it was happening. Referral Coordinator Jisanet Gonzalez shared how the classes deepened her understanding of the meaning of leadership.
