In this issue:
Solidarity Without Fear
Street Bureaucrats
We Won 3.25%
Update for Members in the Bureau of Day Care
Join us! Upcoming meetings
DC 37 Education Fund Provides Free Social Worker Workshops For Local 768 Members
Contribute! Share your story!
Power in the streets
Solidarity Without Fear
Erica Llewellyn, DOHMH Local 768, Shop Steward
I’ve worked as a health inspector DOH for four and a half years. I visit people’s homes when a child tests positive for lead. I chose to get involved with my union to learn how to equip myself with my rights as a city worker. I took a shop stewards class and became one of the first stewards in my unit. I’m also successfully pursuing a masters degree while with the department.
I try my best to promote solidarity in my community and the health department right now with all the federal cuts and ice raids.
At the recent Labor Notes Troublemakers School we talked about overcoming divisions put in place by management to prevent unity.
As a steward or an active union member, how can I assist with building community and expanding reach? How can we connect with people on a personal level, find our common and uncommon ground, and show up when we are called and connect where we can?
How can we network and find common issues with other unions, coalitions, caucuses, and federations to build solidarity and a movement that has power? Can we network across sectors public or private, state, local, or federal and maintain those relationships?
How can we build awareness and support when dealing with immigrant communities — our colleagues and the communities we serve? Our solidarity can build a movement to spread awareness and support from the Deportation Machine to Palestine, without fear.
The Labor Notes’ TroubleMakers conference gave me tools to show solidarity without fear. Solidarity and organizing are key tools and forces for our current times and we would do right to use them.
Congratulations, Erica, on your upcoming graduation!
Street Bureaucrats
By Erica Llewellyn, DOHMH Local 768, Shop Steward
I arrive at what appears to be a hotel; strange but not unheard of.
Read about a day on the job with Erica Llewellyn.
We Won 3.25%
Our 3.25% raise that we won for May 26, 2025 will be coming soon. We’ll keep you posted on when it will be paid at each agency. All monies will be retroactive. We win through our collective power.
Update for Members in the Bureau of Day Care
Recently our Early Childhood Education Consultant and Public Health Sanitarian members in the Bureau of Day Care were asked to sign a non disclosure agreement (NDA). Here are the questions we asked DOHMH regarding this issue:
What is the need for the NDA? It is a contractual requirement by NYS OCFS for our Day Care Grant.
What titles are being asked to sign this form? All titles on the Grant (e.g. APHS, PHS, ECEC, Community Associates, and others) covering 210 Staff.
When are members being asked to sign this form by? ASAP, as OCFS will not sign the contract without this, and we are already into Month- 5 of the contract.
If the NDA impacts you and you have questions, please contact Charlton Smith, Executive Vice President of Local 768, and Grievance Representative for the above titles in Day Care, at (917)920-0346 or at [email protected].
Join us! Upcoming meetings
Join us for these upcoming events:
- May 20, 8 pm: Public Health Sanitarian Chapter Meeting
- May 21, 7 pm: MAT/Stewards meeting
- June 18, 7 pm: MAT/Stewards meeting
- June 5, Dental Assistants/hygienists
- June 11, 7pm: Social Work Chapter Meeting
- June 14, 8 pm Creative Arts Therapists chapter meeting
- June 25 7 pm *in person*at 125 Barclay Street and hybrid General Membership meeting
Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. Did you know that the City’s Workplace Wellness partnership offers free programming? Check out WorkWell’s wellness-mental health programming and other upcoming events.
Check out classes and education opportunities and more from DC 37, including first time homebuyers workshop, education, climate justice and more. Our political action committee is planning an event to meet our endorsed mayoral candidates (date & details TBD), and mobilize our members to vote in this mayoral primary. Stay tuned for updates.
We’ve been using our members-only moderated group chat to communicate announcements and updates to the Local using Slack. It's also a place for member discussion and to share union resources. Join us!
DC 37 Education Fund Provides Free Social Worker Workshops For Local 768 Members
The District Council 37 Education Fund, in conjunction with the National Association of Social Workers, New York State Chapter plans to host continuing education workshops for eligible Local 768 licensed Social Workers. These workshop is:
See My Color: Why Racial Colorblindness is Unethical (3 CE)
- Wednesday, May 28 from 6-9 p.m.
- Registration deadline: May 19
If you are interested in attending this virtual workshop, please click HERE. If you have any questions regarding the online application or the workshop, please send an email to [email protected].
Power in the Streets
In May 1999, DC 37 members took their power to the streets.
Contribute! Share your story!
Want to contribute to the next Local 768 Newsletter? Share your photos, your writing, your poetry, your drawings, your comics, cartoons, and more: https://www.local768.net/content_submission. Thank you!