Stronger
Representing more than 1,200 active members in 14 different titles working in all city agencies, Health+Hospitals Corporation (H+H), NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA), and the City University of New York (CUNY).
Representing more than 1,200 active members in 14 different titles working in all city agencies, Health+Hospitals Corporation (H+H), NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA), and the City University of New York (CUNY).
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NY Assembly Maps to Be Redrawn by Dysfunctional Redistricting Commission
New lines will go into effect for the 2024 election cycle.
Tier 6 Pension Changes
The 2022 New York State Budget Bill was signed into law by Governor Hochul on April 9, 2022.
World Trade Center Presumption Filing Deadline Extended
For NYSLRS members who participated in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery or cleanup efforts, the deadline to reserve your rights under the World Trade Center Presumption Law has been extended. The new deadline is September 11, 2026.
Biden Cancels Up to $20K in Student Loan Debt and Extends Forebearance to Jan. 1, 2023
President Joe Biden announced on Aug. 24 an income-based student debt relief program that forgives up to $20,000 in student loan debt. He also extended the CARES Act student loan forbearance through Jan. 1, 2023.
Health Insurers Kill Medicare Plan Change City-Job Retirees Railed Against
New York City’s years-long effort to shift retired city workers to a cost-cutting health care plan was dealt a major blow Monday when the insurer in charge of running the plan announced that it is withdrawing from the deal.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline launches new 3-digit number: 988
By dialing only three numbers, anyone can now reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for mental health crises.
Pressure Mounts on City to Come Clean with 9/11 WTC Files
A 2003 EPA Inspector General report held the EPA accountable for mischaracterizing the air quality in lower Manhattan as "safe to breathe."
Judge Rules NYC Municipal Voting Law for Noncitizens Violates State Constitution
New York City’s law extending voting rights in municipal elections to noncitizens who are legally allowed to live, work and go to school in the five boroughs violates the New York State Constitution, according to a ruling issued by Justice Ralph Porzio in Richmond County State Supreme Court on Monday.
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down NY’s Concealed-Carry Law
The Supreme Court of the United States struck down a New York handgun-licensing law on June 23, 2022, that required New Yorkers who want to carry a handgun in public to show a special need to defend themselves. The 6-3 ruling is the court’s first significant decision on gun rights in more than a decade.
Dear Members,
I hope that you’re keeping well and safe. On behalf of the executive board, I want to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year. It was with a heavy heart that we canceled the Local 300 holiday party this year. With the uptick in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks, we believe we made the best decision for the safety and wellbeing of our members. Hopefully, next year we will find ourselves in better times to carry on with one of our favorite traditions.
We know the holidays are supposed to bring comfort and joy, but in these times, it is increasingly difficult to find. While labor remains under attack, we do have reasons to be hopeful though. Local 300 is currently negotiating with the city for our new contract, although we expect that process to be delayed as the new mayor takes office. Kellogg’s workers who have been striking for more than 10 weeks might be close to a deal, and Starbucks has unionized its first store.
It would be impossible to close out the year without mentioning COVID-19 and the vaccination mandates imposed on our workers by the mayor. Local 300 affirms your rights as an individual, which is why we participated in every suit filed by the Municipal Labor Committee against unequal mandates in the past year. The MLC lost on all counts because the court’s decision was that public health takes precedence. Your individual rights are my individual rights. I may choose not to get the vaccine for freedom of choice, but in doing so, I am infringing on your right to life and liberty. Local 300 believes in vaccinations. We want all our members to be as protected as possible against this awful virus.
Vaccines are why we no longer have polio, smallpox, cholera, and the avian flu. I’m old enough to remember neighbors in iron lungs, so I do not understand vaccine hesitancy. I do not understand when friends quote quacks like Dr. Oz who are anti-vax to make some money and win a Senate seat. Fox News and Facebook would have you believe vaccines are a means of government control or a leftist conspiracy. Tucker Carlson is a millionaire, he’s vaccinated, and he builds a platform telling people why they shouldn’t be. He is protected from the worst, but he’s more than happy to throw you all to the wolves. Society is built on individuals, but it is also built on collective action and cooperation. There is power in dialogue. There is power in taking a breath and seeing where power lies. The rich don’t want you to be an individual. They want you to be paranoid. They want you alone so you’re easy to control.
As union members, we know there is power in solidarity. We must turn our sights to private interests and corporate greed, and fight back just as our brothers and sisters are doing against Kellogg’s. Power does not fear an unvaccinated person, it fears a conscious people.
Let us all hope that 2022 focuses on more than COVID-19. We will work to get you the best possible contract from our new mayor; we promise you that. Again, I wish you a safe and restful holiday season and new year. Once the dark clouds pass, we will resume in-person membership meetings again – with a vaccine requirement, of course.
In Unity,
James Golden
President
