Local 237 NEWSLINE

“Reclaim the Dream” march echoed King's own in his 1963 "I Have aDream" speech when he said "Now is the time to open the doors of op-portunity to all God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the

quick sands of racial injustice to the solidrock of brotherhood.

At the Dunbar rally, Sharpton empha-sized the growing gap between rich andpoor, educated and disadvantaged, em-ployed and unemployed. “We made a lotof progress,” he said, adding, “but we stillhave a long way to go. We’re still behindin jobs, reading and math. We’re the lasthired and first fired. We're not there yet,and we’re not going to let you turn theclock back.”

Reaffirming the federal government’smission to advance civil rights, PresidentObama’s Education Secretary Arne Dun-can emphasized that education is the“civil rights issue of this generation.” Thepresentation of a $100,000 scholarship toa local student, Leah Carr of Northwest

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Vol. 44, No. 8 October 2010

President Gregory Floydaddresses the audience atDunbar High School in thenationʼs capital as the Rev. AlSharpton looks on.

Commemorating the 47thanniversary of the Rev. MartinLuther King’s “I Have a Dream”speech, 600 members of theTeamsters National Black Cau-cus (TNBC), including PresidentGregory Floyd and several Local237 officials, participated in theRev. Al Sharpton’s “Reclaim theDream” rally in WashingtonD.C., on Aug. 28, exactly thesame date King delivered hishistoric speech at the LincolnMemorial during the massive“March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.”

“I applaud Rev. Sharpton for making sure wedo not lose sight of why we are here,” said Floyd,addressing an audience of union members, civilrights activists, students and churchgoers thatfilled the football field at Dunbar High School inthe nation’s capital. “When we needed [King] hewas here for us. Labor and the Civil Rights move-ment are one and the same.”

As poverty and jobless rates continue to rise,especially for people of color, the message of the

We’re On the MarchTo Save the American Dream

The candidates below were endorsed by PresidentGregory Floyd and the Executive Board for their posi-tions on issues of importance to our members andtheir record of support for public employees. The pollswill be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Nov. 2.

Governor: Andrew CuomoLt. Governor: Robert Duffy

Attorney General: Eric SchneidermanComptroller: Thomas DiNapoli

Senators: Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand

United States Congress

Dist. Candidate* County/Borough

1 Timothy H. Bishop (D/WF) Suffolk2 Steve J. Israel (D/I/WF) Suffolk3 Peter King (R) Nassau/Suffolk4 Carolyn McCarthy (D/I/WF) Nassau5 Gary L. Ackerman (D/I/WF) Queens6 Gregory W. Meeks (D) Queens7 Joseph Crowley (D/WF) Queens/Bronx8 Jerrold L. Nadler (D/WF) Manhattan/Brooklyn9 Anthony D. Weiner (D/WF) Queens/Brooklyn10 Edolphus Towns (D) Kings11 Yvette Clark (D/WF) Brooklyn12 Nydia M. Velazquez (D/WF) Brooklyn/Manhattan

13 Michael McMahon Staten Island/Brooklyn14 Carolyn B. Maloney (D/WF) New York/Queens15 Charles B. Rangel (D/WF) New York16 José E. Serrano (D/WF) Bronx17 Eliot L. Engel (DL/WF) Bronx/Westchester18 Nita M. Lowey (D/WF) Westchester19 John Hall (D/I/WF)Westchester, Duchess, Rockland

New York State Senate

1 Kenneth P. LaValle (R/C/I) Suffolk2 John J. Flanagan (R/C/I) Suffolk3 Brian X. Foley (D/WF) Suffolk4 Owen H. Johnson (R/C/I) Suffolk5 Carl L. Marcellino (R/C/I) Nassau/Suffolk6 Kemp Hannon (R/C/I) Nassau7 Craig M. Johnson (D/WF) Nassau8 Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. (R/C/I) Nassau/Suffolk9 Dean G. Skelos (R) Nassau10 Shirley L. Huntley (D/WF) Queens11 Frank Padavan (R/C/I) Queens12 Michael Gianaris (D/WF) Queens13 José R. Peralta (D/WF) Queens14 Malcolm A. Smith (D/WF) Queens15 Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. (D) Queens16 Toby Ann Stavisky (D/WF) Queens17 Martin Malave Dilan (D) Kings18 Velmanette Montgomery (D/WF) Kings19 John L. Sampson (D/WF) Kings

20 Eric L. Adams (D/WF) Kings21 Kevin S. Parker (D/WF) Kings22 Martin J. Golden (R/C) Kings23 Diane M. Savino (D/WF) Staten Island/Kings24 Andrew J. Lanza (R/I) Staten Island25 Daniel Squadron (D/WF) New York/Kings26 Liz Krueger (D/WF) New York27 Carl Kruger (D) Kings28 José Serrano (D/WF) Bronx29 Thomas Duane (D/L/WF) New York30 Bill Perkins (D/WF) New York31 Adriano Espaillat (D/WF) New York/Bronx32 Ruben Diaz Sr. (D) Bronx33 Gustavo Rivera (D/WF) Bronx34 Jeffrey D. Klein (D/I/WF) Bronx/Westchester35 Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D/WF) Westchester36 Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D/WF) Bronx/Westchester37 Suzi Oppenheimer (D/WF) Westchester39 William J. Larkin Jr. (R/C) Orange/Ulster40 Greg Ball (R) Putnam/Westchester41 Stephen M. Saland (R/C) Columbia/Dutchess

• C – Conservative; D – Democrat; I – Independent;L – Liberal; R – Republican; WF – Working Families

Continued on page 6

Local 237 Endorsements for the Midterm Election, Tuesday, Nov. 2

Endorsements for State Assemblyappear on page 5.

We want jobs, living wages, secure retirement and equality for all – NOW! (See page 5)

2 NEWSLINE, October 2010

Anger is everywhere. So many peopleare angry about so many things thatyou can almost smell it in the air.

New Yorkers and Americans across thecountry have been angry for a long time,and it is coming to a head. Public anger cancause great change, but it can also dotremendous damage. Lately, too much angerhas undeservedly fallen upon the labormovement, and we need to fight back hard.

After the financial crisis hit, Americananger was directed squarely at Wall Streetand the greedy bankers who drove thecountry into a deep recession. This angerwas almost like a unifying force in whichAmericans could find a shared experienceamid financial difficulties.

Since then, that anger has intensifiedand expanded to include politicians, largecompanies and, most disturbing for us,unions, especially public sector unions.Even after the severe budget cuts that ourunions have faced over the years, many ofour opponents cry fowl when they seeunions maintaining good wages and bene-fits. They ask, “How can they get theseperks when the private sector is scrappingfor every penny?”

City newspapers like to point to the TopTen pension double dippers or the fifteenhighest paid public employees who milkedovertime opportunities. So-called experts saythat union benefits are too generous, haverun out of control, and are eating up ourpublic revenues. They forget that for everyperson who abuses the benefit system thereare thousands who depend on it to survive— a few overtime hours help feed the fami-ly; a pension check helps pay skyrocketingrent after retirement.

We can never forget who got us into thiseconomic mess. It was not the wages orbenefits of average working-class New York-ers and other Americans. It was greedybankers not content to make millions ayear. They drove our economy off a cliffand put our governments’ budgets and pen-sions on the brink of near collapse. Now wemust fight to recover our previous financialstability.

It is not as thoughour members havenever seen hard timesbefore. For severalyears, governmentbudgets have beenslashed, workers havebeen laid off, and thosewho still have jobs havebeen asked to do morework with less. MayorBloomberg just an-nounced that city agen-cies must cut anothertwo to four percentfrom their bottom line.Local 237 has been ableto keep most membersworking only through

constant vigilance and activism to stave offharsh cutbacks.

But such a fight is exactly what unionsare for! We protect workers from troubledtimes when economic markets are ruled moreby greed than by respect for the rights ofworking men and women. A better questionis why are union memberships droppingaround the country at a time we need themto defend workers more than ever. Now isnot a time to shy away from organized labor,but to embrace it.

We should not be forced to apologizefor the benefits we fought long and hard toget. We should instead put the blame whereit belongs: with those responsible for de-stroying the economy and the politicianswho have done little to create more jobsand better wages. Many Americans have theright to be legitimately upset, but we mustremind them where their anger belongs.

That is why I am excited to travel toWashington, D.C., as this issue goes topress, to participate in the “One Nation,Working Together” march, where unionsfrom around the country will join togetherto make a statement. It’s time for politi-cians, the public and the press to stop put-ting the burden of this recession on theshoulders of labor.

Hopefully, this massive march will raiseawareness across the country as Americanshead to the polls in November. We are at acritical moment, when the widespread angercould force many labor advocates from office.In such an environment, our members mustunderstand that not voting is the same as vot-ing for the anti-labor side.

We must take our own anger — our pas-sion — to the polls, and make sure we pro-tect people with union interests at heart.We can’t sit on the sidelines and allow theleaders who support us to be thrown outsimply because they are currently servingin office. We can be angry along with mosteveryone else, but we must show that emo-tion by storming the polls and not byavoiding them. That is what demonstratesreal passion, and if we have passion on ourside, we will be hard to defeat.

A Message FromThe President

Let Passion for Labor Drive Your Votes

BillKresse

UNION HEADQUARTERS

216 West 14th StreetNew York, NY 10011-7296212-924-2000

LOCAL 237 DIVISIONS

CITYWIDE DIVISION, 2nd Fl.Donald Arnold, DirectorPeter Gutierrez, Deputy DirectorAl Soto, Law Enforcement

DirectorRandy Klein, Assistant Director

HOUSING DIVISION, 2nd Fl.

Remilda Ferguson, DirectorBrooklyn, Queens & Staten

IslandJames Giocastro,

Deputy Director

LONG ISLAND DIVISION1727 Veterans Memorial

HighwaySuite 308Islandia, NY 11749631-851-9800John Burns, DirectorBenedict Carenza,

Deputy DirectorJohn Sepulveda,

Assistant Director

Long Island Welfare Fund:For information on the variousfunds call 800-962-1145

RETIREE DIVISION, 8th Fl.Provides a variety of pre- andpost-retirement services, includ-ing pension and health insur-ance counseling to members.(Pension counseling by appoint-ment, Thursdays only). Generalretirement counseling andretirement planning series dur-ing spring and fall.212-807-0555Nancy B. True, Director

LOCAL 237 DEPARTMENTS

(Citywide and Housing)

SKILLED TRADES, 2nd Fl.Donald Arnold, Director

HEALTH AND SAFETY, 2nd Fl.Donald Arnold, DirectorDiane Stein, Coordinator

MEMBERSHIP, 2nd Fl.Provides membership servicesand records, including addresschanges.Laverne White,

Administrative Manager

WELFARE FUND, 3rd Fl.The Fund administers the eligi-bility, enrollment, disability,optical and death benefitsdirectly by the Fund’s in-housestaff, as well as prescriptionand dental programs indirectly.212-924-7220Paul E. Juergensen, Director

LEGAL SERVICES, 4th Fl.Lawyers advise and representmembers on covered personallegal problems, including domes-tic relations (family court pro-ceedings, divorce and separa-tion), purchase and sale of a pri-mary residence, wills, adoptions,credit and consumer problems,tenant rights and bankruptcies.212-924-1220Office Hours:Mon.- Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Mary Sheridan Esq., DirectorKenneth Perry Esq.,

Deputy Director

EXECUTIVE OFFICES, 5th Fl.

Gregory Floyd, PresidentRichard Hendershot,

Vice PresidentRuben Torres,

Secretary-TreasurerPERSONNEL, 5th Fl.Edmund Kane, Director and

Chief Negotiator

POLITICAL ACTION &LEGISLATION, 5th Fl.Local 237 protects members’rights by helping to sponsor leg-islation that is important to mem-bers, and by opposing initiativesthat would hurt members.Patricia Stryker, Director

GRIEVANCES/DISCIPLINARYPROBLEMS, 6th Fl.For grievances and job relatedproblems, first contact your shopsteward and/or grievance repre-sentative. If they cannot resolvethe issue, they or you shouldcontact your business agent.Mal Patterson, Director of

Grievances and HearingsTodd Rubinstein, Esq.

Grievance CoordinatorDebbie Coleman, Esq.

Grievance Coordinator

CIVIL SERVICE BARASSOCIATION, 6th Fl.212-675-0519Gloria Johnson, Esq., PresidentAldona Vaiciunas,

Office Administrator andGrievance Coordinator

John Picucci, Esq.,Grievance Representative

CSBA Welfare FundAlicare 212-539-5117

COMMUNICATIONS, 8th Fl.Tania M. Lambert, EditorLocal 237 NewslineWebsite: www.local237.org

EDUCATION, 8th Fl.Provides a variety of trainingand educational advancementopportunities for members.212-807-0550Frederick Dunn, Director

USEFUL NUMBERSFOR PRE-RETIREES

NYCERS (New York CityEmployees Retirement System)

By Mail: 335 Adams St., Suite2300, Brooklyn, NY 11201-3751In Person: 340 Jay Street,Mezzanine, Brooklyn, NY 11201Gen’l Information: 347-643-3000Outside NYC toll-free:877-6NYCERS

NYCERS Internetwww.nyclink.org/html/nycers

NYC Department of EducationRetirement System

65 Court St., Brooklyn, NY 11201718-935-5400

Social Security Administration

800-772-1213

NY State and Local RetirementSystems518-474-7736

Local 237 Member Services

School SafetyAgent L3 CherylMauro, center,demonstrates newpayroll software asLocal 237 officialsand payroll person-nel look on.Pictured from leftare: Pete Gutierrez,deputy director,Citywide; CharlesCotto, businessagent; Al Soto,director, LawEnforcement Unit; SSA Evelyn Balestrino; Mal Patterson, director, Grievances;and SSA Robert Raisley Jr.

NEWSLINE, October 2010 3

Local 237NEWSLINE

216 West 14 St., New York, NY 10011212-924-2000

Website: www.local237.orge-mail Newsline: [email protected]

Local 237 Newsline (USPS 700-000 ISSN 1083-3536) is published 10 times a year in thefollowing months: January, February, March, April, May, (June, July and August will becombined into one issue), September, October, November and December by Local 237,

International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 216 West 14 Street, New York, NY 10011.Periodical postage paid at New York, NY. Postmaster: Send address changes to

Local 237 Newsline, 216 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10011.

Executive BoardGregory Floyd Richard Hendershot Ruben Torres Patricia Stryker

President Vice President Secretary-Treasurer Recording Secretary

Edmund Kane Steven Gordon Curtis ScottTrustee Trustee Trustee

Newsline and www.local237.orgTania M. Lambert

Editor

Citywide Division .................212-924-2000Housing Division..................212-924-2000Long Island Division ............631-851-9800Welfare Funds .....................212-924-7220Education Department.........212-807-0550Legal Department................212-924-1220

Health & Safety ...................212-924-2000Retiree Division/Pension Counseling ..........212-807-0555

Membership.........................212-924-2000CSBA...................................212-675-0519

Local 237 Telephone Numbers

If you move...Please send your change of address in writing to Membership to insure that you

continue receiving your newspaper.Metro NY

LaborCommunications

Council

Joyner Heads Welfare FundLocal 237 named Carnell Joyner Jr., director

of its Welfare Fund. Joyner, an accomplishedbenefits professional, succeeds Paul E. Juer-gensen, who is retiring from the position he hasheld since 1998.

Joyner brings strong experience to the table,having served as the benefit funds administratorfor six funds at Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 21in Peekskill, NY, and for three funds at StagehandsLocal One IATSE, in Manhattan. He holds a Bach-elor of Arts Degree with a concentration in HumanResource Management from City College of NewYork and is in the process of completing post-graduate work to earn theprestigious Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation.

As director of Local 237’s Welfare Fund, Joyner says he looks for-ward to exploring methods to continue to effectively and efficientlyservice the membership and deliver the benefits they are entitled to asLocal 237 members.

The fund provides supplemental benefits to active and retiredmembers, including dental, optical, prescriptions, disability and deathbenefits. These benefits support the hospital and medical insuranceprovided by employers, including the City of New York and Long Is-land Townships.

Payroll personnel at the MichaelJ. Petridis Education Center on StatenIsland were among the first to test andimplement the new Citytime Work-force Management software. It makesthe process of inputting payroll datamore accurate and thorough and it’sfriendlier to the environment, since itmakes paperless pay stubs an option.The new system has become the oper-ating standard at school safety com-mands throughout the five boroughs.

Recently, SSA L3 CherylMauro, shop steward and head ofpayroll personnel at Petridis,demonstrated the new system tovisiting Local 237 officials at theStaten Island site, which comprises

about 300 SSA’s.“The new system takes more

time and requires more details,”noted Mauro. “The mayor wants toknow where money is beingspent...and wants more accuracy.”Mauro also emphasized that all time-keeping details posted online arecarefully backed up in traditional filecabinets with a folder for each mem-ber containing original paper timesheets and other relevant documents.

Each school safety agent has ac-cess to their individual online pay-roll record by using a private pass-word, making it easier to reviewand resolve conflicts in a timelymanner.

SSA Payrolls Go PaperlessON AIR

Save the Date

Friday, Oct. 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.at Union Headquarters

Join us at Local 237’s annual ItalianHeritage Celebration. There will be food,music, awards, and guest speakers,including State Sen. Diane Savino and LouDiBella, a boxing promoter and televisionand film producer.

Come Celebrate Italian Heritage

If you plan to attend, call Ruth Eaddy at 212-924-2000 to make a reservation.

Staten Island Community Television(CTV):Time Warner, 57, and Verizon, 37Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.Fridays at 6 p.m.Bronxnet:Cablevision, 67, and Verizon, 33Tuesdays at 7 p.m.Manhattan Neighborhood Network(MNN):Time Warner, 34, RCN, 82, and Veri-zon, 33

Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.Brooklyn Community Access (BCAT):Time Warner, 35, Cablevision, 68,Verizon, 43, and RCN, 83Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.Queens Public Television (QPTV):Time Warner, 34, Verizon, 34, andRCN, 82Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 1:30 p.m.Time Warner, 35, Verizon, 35, andRCN, 83Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m.

Reaching Out With Greg FloydThis month on “Reaching Out With Greg Floyd,” Local 237’s pub-

lic affairs radio program on WWRL AM 1600, President Floyd’s guestsare Denis Hughes, President, New York State AFL-CIO, on Saturday,Oct. 9, at 3 p.m.; and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. on Sat-urday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. If you miss a program, you can see video ex-cerpts on Local 237’s website at www.local237.org.

Local 237: On the AirOur Cable TV series airs weekly on several NYC cable systems.

This month’s schedule is listed below. The numbers are channels.

Our Video Wins an AwardLocal 237’s video “School Safe-

ty, My School Has Rhythm Not Vi-olence,” won second place in theInternational Labor Communica-tions Association’s national com-petition.

The judges said that our video,one of nine entries in the Electron-ic Media, Long Videos category,“highlights the role of school safe-ty officers in the community, stepping up to involvement beyond cam-pus borders. The video is pitch-perfect; the union’s place in this is in-tegrated without calling attention to itself.”

See the video, produced in 2009 by APL Anderson ProductionsLtd., on our website at www.local237.org under “Watch More Videos”on the home page.

Some of the students who appeared inthe video and participated in the schoolsafety program.


The Teamsters Local 237 Motor-cycle Crew roared into Harlem onceagain on June 26, for the 15th Annu-al Bikers for Babies Run, sponsoredby the Ghetto Coalition. As many as20 Local 237 riders participated inthe event for the sixth year in a row.The riders raise funds and contribu-tions for the disadvantaged childrenserved by Hale House Center Inc. atWest 122 Street.

The run, one of the largest in theMetropolitan area, began at CooperPark Houses in Brooklyn and endedin Harlem. The night before, theTeamsters crew dropped off morethan 200 boxes of Pampers and atleast 30 packs of wipes collectedfrom Local 237 members.

The Hale House, a nonprofit or-ganization, was founded by the lateClara McBride Hale, affectionatelyknown as “Mother Hale,” for hertireless dedication to caring forHarlem’s disadvantaged children.

A month later, some membersof Local 237’s crew rode on a mis-sion to raise more than $300 for theElohim Food Pantry in RichmondHill, Queens. Last month, ridersparticipated in a Midnight Run toGround Zero, a memorial on the eveof Sept. 11.

If you are interested in ridingwith the Local 237 MotorcycleCrew, contact Norberto Luna, Hous-ing Division business agent, at 212-924-2000.

Riders for a Cause

Lehman CPOs Save a Man’s LifeCampus Peace Officer Angel

Irizariz took the call for help at LehmanCollege in the Bronx at about 3:30 p.m.on Aug 3. It was from Joseph Palazzo,a kitchen staff manager on campus,who reported that a co-worker waslying unconscious on the floor. Palazzowas so distressed he couldn’t give thespecific location of the cafeteria. SoIrizariz notified Sgt. Angela Galan,who has 9 years of service. She dis-patched all the Public Safety field unitsto search several campus cafeterias.

In less than 10 minutes, the offi-cers located Valdemar Porretta, theunconscious worker, inside theMusic Building’s cafeteria. Sgt. JoséRuiz, with 16 years of service, and

Irizariz, with 5, immediately admin-istered CPR and applied the defibril-lator to Porretta, 52 years old, whoreceived a total of four shocks beforeregaining his pulse and breathing onhis own. Soon after, EMS Para-medics arrived and transported thepatient to Montefiore Hospital.

Several campus peace officers,including Sgt. Galan, visited Porret-ta in the hospital. He is recoveringfrom a massive heart attack, his first,but his doctor said he cannot workfor one year.

Undoubtedly Porretta has manyguardian angels, including all theCPOs who responded in his time ofneed.

Postseason Call

The School Safety Division Mobile Task Force of the Brooklyn SouthCommand formed a softball team last spring, extending the invitation to allschool safety agents citywide. Each borough now has its own team, whichplay at various schools throughout the five boroughs. For next season, theinvitation is extended to all Local 237 family members. If you are interestedin playing, or already have a team, contact SSA L3 Louis Marquez at 347-408-9400, or SSA L2 Robert Hawkins at 646-358-5583.

School Safety Talks Continue

Officials from the School SafetyDivision visited Local 237 for a reg-ularly scheduled labor and manage-ment meeting recently and met withCitywide Division Law Enforcementofficials.

In the meeting, chaired by AlSoto, director of the union’s Law En-forcement unit, discussions touchedon overtime policy, the opening ofnew schools, deployment and com-

munications issues.Present at the meeting and pic-

tured above clockwise, from left, areSchool Safety Division InspectorManuel E. De La Rosa, DirectorRamon Garcia, Deputy DirectorAudie Cruz, Al Soto, Local 237Trustee Steven Gordon, and Busi-ness Agent Charles Mussa. Also inattendance, but not pictured, wasBusiness Agent Charles Cotto.

DiNapoli’s Our Man in AlbanyAs New York State

comptroller, Tom Di-Napoli proved to bethe fierce watchdog weneed in Albany duringthese tough economictimes. He watchesevery dollar to makesure workers’ benefitsremain secure and taxdollars used wisely.He signs off on statecontracts and payrolls,and conducts audits.

As sole trustee forthe $129 billion statepension fund, one ofthe largest institutional investors inthe world, DiNapoli also steers thestate’s retirement system on asteady course, safeguarding the in-terests of more than one millionmembers, retirees and beneficiaries.At a time when other pension fundsare facing funding crises the PewCharitable Trust, which studiespublic policy issues, declared inFebruary that New York State’s re-tirement fund was the strongest inthe nation. And Governing maga-zine reported in its August issue:“New York is the nationwide pen-sion leader, with the country’s high-est-funded public pension at 107percent. Though the state has longbeen in fiscal turmoil, it has met itsnecessary funding level every yearsince at least 1997.”

Since becoming comptroller in2007, DiNapoli, a Democrat, hasworked hard to root out waste andfraud, saving New Yorkers over $3billion through his audits of state

and local govern-ments. He has heldWall Street account-able for putting NewYork’s retirees’ pen-sions at risk, and initi-ated tough rules to endcorruption in the man-agement of the pen-sion fund.

DiNapoli’s Repub-lican and Conserva-tive party opponent inthe race for comptrol-ler, Harry Wilson, hascalled for shifting thestate’s pension fund

system to a 401(k) model, whichwould put the fund in the hands ofWall Street bankers, a risky-busi-ness proposition. He also favors pre-serving a federal income-tax loop-hole that lets hedge fund managerspay less on their taxes than the mid-dle class.

Previously, DiNapoli represent-ed northwestern Nassau County inthe State Assembly for 20 years.During his legislative career, hefought to restore fiscal responsibili-ty in Nassau County, prevent fraudand mismanagement in school dis-tricts, and clean up the state’s watersupply.

DiNapoli is a proud product of aunion family, and Local 237 isproud to endorse him once again.He was a recent guest of PresidentGregory Floyd on the radio program“Reaching Out With Greg Floyd,” onWWRL AM 1600. See the video-taped interview with DiNapoli on-line at www.local237.org.

Tom DiNapoli

Endorsement


The Political Scene

Dist. Candidate* County/Borough

1 Marc S. Alessi (D/I/WF) Suffolk2 Fred Thiele Jr. (R/I/C/WF) Suffolk3 Rob Calarco (D) Suffolk4 Steven Englebright (D/I/WF) Suffolk5 Ken Mangan (D) Suffolk6 Philip Ramos (D/I/WF) Suffolk7 Michael Fitzpatrick (R/C) Suffolk8 Philip Boyle (R/I/C) Suffolk9 Andrew Raia (R/C/I) Suffolk10 James Conte (R/C/I) Nassau/Suffolk11 Robert Sweeney (D/I/WF) Suffolk12 Joe Saladino (R/C/I/WF) Nassau13 Charles D. Lavine (D/I/WF) Nassau16 Michelle Schimel (D/I/WF) Nassau17 Thomas McKevitt (R/C/I) Nassau18 Earline Hill Hooper (D/WF) Nassau19 David McDonough (R/I/C) Nassau20 Harvey Weisenberg (D/I/WF) Nassau22 Grace Meng (D) Queens23 Audrey Pheffer (D/WF) Queens24 David Weprin (D/WF) Queens25 Rory I. Lancman (D/WF) Queens26 Ed Braunstein (D) Queens27 Nettie Mayersohn (D) Queens28 Andrew Hevesi (D/WF) Queens29 William Scarborough (D/WF) Queens30 Margaret Markey (D) Queens31 Michelle Titus (D/WF) Queens32 Vivian Cook (D/WF) Queens33 Barbara Clark (D/WF) Queens34 Michael Den Dekker (D) Queens35 Jeffrion Aubry (D/L/WF) Queens

36 Aravella Simotas (D/WF) Queens37 Catherine Nolan (D/WF) Queens38 Michael Miller (D/WF) Queens39 Francisco Moya (D/WF) Queens40 Inez Barron (D/WF) Kings41 Helene Weinstein (D/WF) Kings42 Rhoda Jacobs (D) Kings43 Karim Camara (D/WF) Kings44 James Brennan (D/L/WF) Kings45 Steven Cymbrowitz (D/WF) Kings46 Alec Brook-Krasny (D/WF) Kings47 William Colton (D/WF) Kings48 Dov Hikind (D) Kings49 Peter Abbate Jr. (D/WF) Kings50 Joseph R. Lentol (D) Kings51 Felix Ortiz (D/WF) Kings52 Joan Millman (D/WF) Kings53 Vito Lopez (D) Kings54 Darryl Towns (D/WF) Kings55 William F. Boyland (D/WF) Kings56 Annette Robinson (D) Kings57 Hakeem Jeffries (D/WF) Kings58 N. Nick Perry (D/WF) Kings59 Alan Maisel (D) Kings60 Janele Hyer-Spencer (D/I/WF) Kings/Richmond61 Matthew Titone (D/WF) Richmond62 Louis Tobacco (R/I/C) Richmond63 Michael Cusick (D/I/C/WF) Richmond64 Sheldon Silver (D/L/WF) New York65 Micah Z. Kellner (D/WF) New York66 Deborah Glick (D/WF) New York67 Linda Rosenthal (D/WF) New York68 Robert Rodriguez (D) New York69 Daniel J. O’Donnell (D) New York

70 Keith Wright (D/WF) New York71 Herman Farrell (D) New York72 Guillermo Linares (D/WF) New York73 No Endorsement New York74 Brian Kavanagh (D/WF) New York75 Richard Gottfried (D/WF) New York76 Peter M. Rivera (D/WF) Bronx77 Vanessa Gibson (D) Bronx78 José Rivera (D/WF) Bronx79 Eric Stevenson (D/WF) Bronx80 Naomi Rivera (D) Bronx81 Jeffrey Dinowitz (D/L/WF) Bronx82 Michael R. Benedetto (D/WF) Bronx83 Carl E. Heastie (D/WF) Bronx84 Carmen Arroyo (D) Bronx85 Marcos Crespo (D) Bronx86 Nelson Castro (D) Bronx87 J. Gary Pretlow (D/I/WF) Westchester88 Amy Paulin (D/I/WF) Westchester90 Sandra Galef (D/I) Westchester/Putnam91 George Latimer (D/WF) Westchester92 Thomas Abinanti (D) Westchester93 Michael Spano (D/C/WF) Westchester94 Kenneth Zebrowski (D/WF) Rockland95 Ellen C. Jaffee (D/I/WF) Rockland96 Nancy Calhoun (R/C) Orange/Rockland

• C – ConservativeD – DemocratI – IndependentL – LiberalR – RepublicanWF – Working Families

Endorsements for New York State Assembly

President Gregory Floyd, speak-ing at a forum, “Under Attack: TheFuture of Public Sector Unionism,”vigorously countered conservativeclaims that public sector unions areto blame for the nation’s economiccrisis, emphasizing the sacrificespublic employees have made andtheir importance as “the engine thathelped create the shared Americanprosperity of the 20th Century.”Floyd explained to the audience atthe CUNY Murphy Institute forWorker Education and Labor Stud-ies in Manhattan that New YorkCity’s public sector workers hadmade trade-offs over the years be-

tween wages and retirement securi-ty. In fact, a recent survey found thatpublic employees earn less thancomparable private sector workerseven with pension and health cover-age included.

Adding urgency to the crisis isthe fact that all working families inboth the private and public sectorsare losing decent wages and bene-fits. “The stakes are greater,” saidFloyd. “If the right wing succeeds inits attacks, we risk the end of abroad middle class that can sustainsociety.”

Emphasizing the latest censusfigures, which showed a sharp in-

crease in poverty,Floyd noted thatthe median familyincome fell for thefirst time in 2009.“With wages andjobs disappearingin the private sec-tor, we compoundthe race to the bot-tom by cuttingpublic sector jobs.”Other panelists

at the Sept. 24forum includedJoshua B. Freeman,professor of historyat Queens CollegeCUNY and authorof “Working Class New York;” JosephA. McCartin, associate professor ofHistory, Georgetown University;Arthur Cheliotes, President, Local1180, Communications Workers ofAmerica; and Diane Savino, NewYork State Senator, District 23.

Recalling earlier attacks onunions, Cheliotes noted that eversince President Reagan de-unionizedthe private sector, “theWall Street in-vestor class” has ruled with greedand anarchy. “Yet government isabout being stable,” said Cheliotes.“Government workers are the foun-dation on which civilization isbuilt.”

Savino, who held positions inboth public sector unions and gov-

ernment, encouraged public unionsto “stop preaching to the choir” andinstead stand up for all workers andeducate them on “the relevance ofunions.”

Freeman compared labor to a“punching bag” for liberals as wellas conservatives globally, notingthat layoffs and cutbacks in pay andbenefits have become an interna-tional crisis for all workers.

McCartin noted the widespreadattempts to “roll back gains of 50years” that workers had fought hardto achieve. “We are all part of thelabor struggle,” he said, adding thatwe need to build alliances with pri-vate sector workers, and that “Pub-lic workers need to lead the way.”

At press time, Local 237 began preparing for an historic march,“One Nation Working Together,” scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 2, whentens of thousands of Americans were expected to descend on Wash-ington, D.C., to call for an economy that works for everyone, not justthe privileged elite.

Local 237 booked several buses to carry officials, staff and mem-bers to the nation’s capital to participate in the nationwide coalition ofunion members, community activists, clergy and students — all mobi-lized to show solidarity and power to influence elected officials, espe-cially one month before Election Day on Nov. 2.

We are calling on Congress to reset the national agenda and getthings done for working- and middle-class families. We want qualityjobs now, bargaining rights, pension protection and the change thatwas promised with the election of Barack Obama as president.

See Newsline next month and our website at www.local237.org formore details and photographs of the “One Nation” rally.

Unions March as ‘One Nation’

Floyd Fights Anti-Labor Lies With Facts at CUNY Forum

President Gregory Floyd speaks at the CUNY Forum asother panelists listen. They are, from left, State Sen. DianeSavino, Professor Joshua B. Freeman and AssociateProfessor Joseph A. McCartin.


Washington, was a highlight of the Dunbarrally. Carr, who volunteered at the rally, wasamazed when Larry Handfield, president ofBethune-Cookman University in Florida,presented her with the scholarship. Carr,who has a 3.5 grade-point average, had saidshe did not know if she could attend collegebecause her mother struggles to make endsmeet.

Other speakers included communityleaders, pastors, civil rights leaders andTNBC chairman Al Mixon. After the rally,participants marched from the school tothe building site of a memorial to King.Sharpton personally requested that Team-sters lead the four-mile march.

Teamsters ArOn the MarchTo Reclaim KinAnd Rekindle

Continued from page 1

The Rev. Al Sharpton is surrounded by Local 237ʼs contingent, including, from left, in greenT-shirts: Abdul-Hamid Jabir, business agent, Housing Division; Charles Mussa, businessagent, Citywide Division, Law Enforcement Unit; Ken Roper, business Agent, HousingDivision; Curtis Scott, trustee; Remilda Ferguson, director, Housing Division; StevenGordon, trustee; President Gregory Floyd; and Donald Arnold, director, Citywide Division.

A member displays the back oshirt, a memento of the conve

Local 237ʼs contingent displays handmade posters before marching.They are from left, Pete Gutierrez, deputy director Citywide Division;Steven Gordon, Curtis Scott, Ken Roper, Remilda Ferguson, GregoryFloyd, Charles Mussa, Abdul-Hamid Jabir, and Donald Arnold.

Teamsters from across the nation march together behind the Teamsters NationalBlack Caucus banner.

Pamela Boylan, a caretaker J at WebsterHouses in the Bronx, sports a “Reclaim theDream” T-shirt with pride onstage at theDunbar High School Rally, where she sang.

“When we nLabor and ththe same.” –


re

ng’s DreamHope

of his Teamsters National Black Caucus T-ention that preceded the march.

President Gregory Floyd and Rev. Al Sharpton listen to another speaker at the rally.

eeded Dr. King he was here for us.he Civil Rights movement are one andGregory Floyd

Teamsters Honored

President Gregory Floyd and other honorees hold their awards at the 35thAnnual Teamsters National Black Caucus Educational Conference Banquet.He is flanked from left by George L. Miranda, president and principal officerJoint Council 16, secretary-treasurer and principal officer Teamsters Local210; Albert R. Mixon, chairman TNBC; James McCall, Esq., InternationalBrotherhood of Teamsters Legal Council; and Thomas “Tommy” Ratliff Sr.,vice president Joint Council 55, president and principal officer TeamstersLocal 639.


O’DWYER GARDENS – President Floyd is greeted by workers during a re-cent visit to O’Dwyer Gardens. To his left are Lynn Carter, shop steward, andCheryl Hart, business agent. Below, President Floyd greets housing assis-tants in the office at O’Dwyer Gardens.

SURFSIDE HOUSES – The Surfside Houses staff surrounds visiting Local237 officials at the entrance. President Gregory Floyd stands to the right ofcenter in the second row and Housing Division Business Agent Cheryl Hartis fourth from left.

Sites to See in Brooklyn

Of all the great attractions in Brooklyn, including ConeyIsland, Prospect Park, the grand Brooklyn Museum, andstunning views from the “Heights,” we are especially

proud of its great public housing complexes, among the bestnationwide. Behind the success of these facilities are Local 237Housing Division members working to keep New York CityHousing Authority properties running smoothly. Meet a few ofthese great public employees here.

WILLIAMS PLAZA – Below, staff members gather for a group shot outsideWilliams Plaza.

KINGSBOROUGH – Caretakers meet by a bobcat on the grounds at Kings-borough.

SITTINGPRETTY AFTER

RETIREMENT

John McKinney, arecently retired su-pervisor of caretak-ers and training co-ordinator at the In-

gersoll TrainingCenter, sits at his

former desk.

CYPRESS HILLS – Workers gather by a Housing Authority truck on thegrounds at Cypress Hills.


Congratulations to…

...SCHOOL SAFETY AGENT LAURELLE SINGLETON and HEATING PLANT TECH-NICIAN ROBERT SINGLETON, who welcomed their baby girl, Jalise, on July21. Baby weighed 6 pounds and 11.9 ounces and was 18 inches long.

• • •...LT. REINALDO PINERO and LT. JOHN THOMAS of the Taxi & LimousineCommission, on their July retirements.

• • •...VICTOR CARPIO, caretaker J with New York City Housing Authority,who works at Throgs Neck Houses in the Bronx, and his family, for be-coming the stars of TLC’s new reality show “Sextuplets Take NewYork.” Victor and his wife, Digna, became parents of the first Latinosextuplets born in America 23 months ago. They also have a 10-year-old boy. The first of eight episodes following the daily life of the fami-ly aired Sept. 14 at 10 p.m. on TLC.

We’d like to hear from you. If you’d like us to report on what’shappening in your life, drop a line to Teamster Notes, Newsline,

216 W. 14 Street, NY 10011, or call 646-638-8636,or e-mail [email protected].

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TERN

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…the family of the late DAR-REN ROBINSON, a school safe-ty agent who died of liverdisease Aug. 9. Robinsonworked at Grover ClevelandH.S. in Queens North Com-mand and is survived by adaughter and a sister. On theevening of Aug. 13, hun-dreds of students held a can-dlelight memorial at theschool where they were joined by Local 237’s Director of Grievances MalPatterson.

• • •…SSA HUSNA MAVRUK at Stevenson H.S. in the Bronx East Command onthe death of her father, Irfan Mavruk, on Aug. 4. He is survived by hiswife, 3 daughters, 3 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.

• • •…SSA MELINDA GRANT of Brooklyn North Command on the death of hermother, Willietha Grant. Funeral services were held Aug. 14 in Brooklyn.

• • •…the family of the late SSA MAURICE DAVIS of Brooklyn North Command.Funeral services were held Aug. 20 in Brooklyn.

• • •…SSA LUCY VOURDERIS LOPEZ at P.S. 5 in Manhattan North Command onthe death of her husband, Erasmo Lopez, on Aug. 20. He had endured twoyears in a coma.

• • •…the family of SSA L3 MERCEDES GOODSELL of Brooklyn North Command.Funeral services were held Aug. 22 in Brooklyn.

• • •…SSA L3 PAUL JOHNSON at I.S. 203 in Bronx West Command on the deathof his mother, Mary Johnson, on Aug. 25. She is survived by her son, 4daughters, 28 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

• • •…SSA DAHAN HAWKINS at I.S. 158 in Bronx East Command on the deathof her mother, Marsha Hawkins, on Aug. 28. She is survived by 3 daugh-ters, 3 sons, 10 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

• • •…SSA MITTIE CLARK-JOHNSON at P.S. 66 in Queens South Command onthe death of her mother, Lillian Jones, on Sept. 5. The funeral service washeld in Wilson, North Carolina. Jones is survived by her daughter, onegrandchild and two great grandchildren.

• • •…the family of the late VINCENZO VITALE, a plasterer in Brooklyn with 24years of service. Vitale died suddenly on Sept. 6, and is survived by hiswife and children.

• • •…the family of LT. JEFFERY NEWMAN, the late inspector at the New York CityTaxi and Limousine Commission, who died April 3. Newman, who had 22years of service at TLC, is survived by his wife of 39 years, Sharon.

CONDOLENCES TO...

Added to the Roster of Retirees

In the WorksNewly retired Elizabeth Brown is flanked, from left, by Edmund

Kane, trustee, and George Wade, business agent, Citywide Division.Brown, a former senior housekeeping supervisor at Gouverneur

Hospital in Manhattan, retired Oct. 1 with 22 years of service. A shopsteward for six yearsand a grievance repre-sentative for 10, Brownsaid she wanted tothank Local 237 for the“opportunities for pro-fessional and personaldevelopment that youhave provided me overthe many years.”

The Brooklyn resi-dent, who has threeadult children and 10grandchildren in LongIsland and Pennsylvania, said, “I look forward to spending time withmy family and traveling around the world.” Her first stop will be Puer-to Rico, said Brown, adding, “a cruise is in the works” with ports ofcall in Jamaica, Mexico, and St. Thomas.

Good TimingSecretary-Treasurer Ruben Torres presents Felix Centeno with a re-

tirement plaque as Al Soto, director, Citywide Law Enforcement Unit,and Charlie Cotto, business agent, Citywide, far right, look on.

Centeno retired from his position as a Level 3 school safety agent in theBronxWest CommandTask Force with 35years of service. He in-tends to move to Flori-da, where he recentlybought a house (asmortgage rates hitrecord lows). He willbe joined by his wifeand 19-year-old grand-daughter, who plans toattend college in thesouth.

Time OutHospital Police Of-

ficer Ila Coakley holdsher retirement plaqueand is congratulated,from left, by ByronChavers, assistant di-rector of police, andTimothy Kennedy, di-rector of police atHarlem Hospital Cen-ter, Division 8. Coakleyretired in August with25 years of service.

Revising the MenuErrol Selby, a former senior cook at Kings County Hospital in

Brooklyn, holds hisretirement plaqueand is flanked, fromleft, by CitywideDivision BusinessAgents George Ser-rano and GeorgeWade. Selby retiredJuly 30 with 17years of service. Hesaid he plans to gohome to Trinidad toopen a food busi-ness.


Know Your Rights

By Sanford Rubenstein

If something doesn’t seem rightabout the medical care and treat-ment you are receiving, ask ques-

tions and insist upon responses thatare meaningful. You should be fullyinformed of your medical condition,the type of treatment available,prognosis, available alternatives tothe type of treatment proposed, andmost importantly what risks areinvolved.

Did you know that under certaincircumstances if you are injured inthe course of a medical procedurewhich you underwent without firstbeing fully informed about the risksor alternatives available, a physicianmay be held responsible for damageto your body that you may suffer?

If you suspect that you have suf-fered physical injuries as the resultof medical malpractice you shouldconsult a lawyer as soon as possible.Lawyers, including our law firm,don’t charge for a consultation re-garding possible medical malprac-tice. Consultations are free.

Here are a few examples of casesour office has handled.

The first is one which beganwhen we received a telephone callfrom the family of a young womanwho were concerned because no ex-planation had been given as to whyshe lapsed into a coma in the courseof delivering her healthy baby. Afew days later, she died. The autop-sy concluded that the cause of deathwas a preventable obstetric compli-cation. The lab results had been

mislabeled, resulting in a delay indiagnosis. Had her diagnosis beentimely, she could have undergone acaesarean delivery with a safe out-come for both her and her child. Themalpractice case for her wrongfuldeath on behalf of her family wassettled for $5,000,000.

In another case, we received atelephone call from a young womanwho had undergone a difficult labor.Upon learning about the compro-mised condition of her baby, shecontacted us to inquire whether shehad a potential case. Since the factswere still fresh in her mind, she re-layed them to us in great detail. Itturned out her baby had suffered abrain injury and spastic quadrapare-sis as the result of the failure of doc-tors to perform a timely caesareansection delivery despite signs offetal distress. This medical malprac-tice case was settled for $3,000,000.

Use your common sense. Ifsomething doesn’t seem right orthere is an outcome that is unexpect-ed, or if you suspect that a physicianor hospital may be responsible forcausing you harm or injury, contactan attorney for a consultation.

Sanford Rubenstein, Esq., is thesenior partner at the Brooklyn lawfirm of Rubenstein & Rynecki, whichhandles all types of cases for per-sonal injury, medical malpracticeand cases involving police miscon-duct. The law firm can be reached at718-522-1020.

Attorney Sanford Rubenstein, who has represented victims in high pro-file cases in New York for many years, will be writing a column, “Know YourRights,” on a regular basis covering areas of the law that affect our members.

Medical Malpractice

October Is Breast CancerAwareness Month

This month, as it has for the past25 years, the National BreastCancer Awareness (NBCA)

organization is promoting educationand empowerment to battle the mostcommon cancer in women in theUnited States. The American CancerSociety (ACS) estimates about 192,000new cases of breast cancer will bediagnosed among U.S. women thisyear. An estimated 40,000 womenwere expected to diefrom the disease in2009.

The good news isthat there are about 2.5million breast cancersurvivors living in theUnited States. Onesuch survivor is MarieTomlinson, a schoolsafety agent at P.S. 269in Brooklyn SouthCommand. The moth-er of two adult chil-dren, Tomlinson wrotean essay about her ex-periences with ovarian cancer andcancer in both breasts. In “StrongSurvivor Three Times Over,” Tom-linson describes her victory over thedisease that took the lives of hermother and grandfather.

Tomlinson first battled ovariancancer in Aug. 1999 with a life-sav-ing hysterectomy. “Three monthslater, right after my shower, I wentto bed,” wrote Tomlinson. “Lying onmy right side I discovered blood onthe sheet.” The blood was comingfrom her right breast. “The onlything I could think of was that thecancer had spread upward from thenipple and my life was over.”

A specialist diagnosed Tomlin-son with cancer of the milk duct,and performed successful surgery in

December 1999. Soon after, howev-er, her left breast began “bleedingheavier than the right breast,” wroteTomlinson. “During my lifetime, Inever asked for anything great as faras I can remember. On that day inFebruary 2000 in the operatingroom, lying on that table, just beforeI was put to sleep, I prayed like Inever did before, telling God if I sur-vive this surgery, I will change my

way of living.”Tomlinson — who

has beens going strongsince then — has kepther promise, startingwith a new career as aschool safety agent inAugust 2000. “God hasgiven me a secondchance at life and I amusing it to help others,”she wrote. Her advice tocancer patients is: stayfocused on recovery;don’t let the diagnosisget you down; and seek

help from advocacy groups such asthe NBCA and the ACS. “They helpyou go down the road to recovery.”In addition to attending cancer-sur-vivor support programs, Tomlinsonsays she participates in the annualcancer-walk fundraiser. “I feel closerto those who share a part of my sick-ness.”

Early detection, including selfexamination and annual mammo-grams, can save your life as well asawareness of the most commonsigns of breast cancer, which are alump in the breast; abnormal thick-ening; change in the shape or color;swelling, redness or warmth thatdoes not go away; and a bloody orclear discharge from the nipple.

Marie Tomlinson

For more information go online towww.nbcam.org and www.cancer.org.

¡Viva la Diferencia!

Whether they prefer to be calledHispanic or Latino, this monthwe celebrate the contributions

of one of the most diverse culturalgroups in the United States — a force tobe reckoned with. A record 9.7 millionLatinos a.k.a. Hispanics, voted in the2008 U.S. presidential election, anincrease of 2.1 million over 2004,according to exit polls reported in a NewYork Daily News article.

But for those who are curious aboutthe origins of the two terms, here is a lit-tle history. The term Hispanic is used bythe Census Bureau to define people, re-gardless of race, who have ties to Spain. Hispan-ics have roots in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Cen-tral and South America, or other regions once

conquered by Spaniards, who occupied a Romanprovince, a peninsula called Hispania (Spain),where Spanish is the primary language.

The term Latino generally refers to people

from countries or cultures that wereruled by Rome, including Italy, France,Spain, and Portugal, and have similar“Romance” languages derived fromLatin. In the United States, we use theterm Latino to describe people fromLatin America, who are all Latin, but notall are Hispanics. Brazilians, for exam-ple, speak Portuguese.

Also remember to say “Latino” whenreferring to both men and women; “Lati-na” when specifically referring towomen.

Most often, the terms Latino and His-panic are used interchangeably to de-scribe a diverse, dynamic and influentialgroup of “Americanos.”

At press time, Local 237 was preparing for itsannual Latino Heritage Celebration, which willbe featured in next month’s Newsline and onlineat www.local237.org.

This Month Also Celebrates Hispanic Heritage


¡Viva La Diferencia!Ya sea que usted prefiera que lo

llamen Hispano o Latino, este mescelebramos las contribuciones deuna de las culturas más diversas enlos Estados Unidos – una fuerzapoderosa.

Un número record de 9.7 Latinostambién conocidos como Hispanosvotaron en la elección presidencialdel 2008 de los Estados Unidos, unaumento de 2.1 millones más que enel 2004, de acuerdo con las encuestasde salida reportado en un artículo delperiódico New York Daily News.Pero, para aquellos que estén curiososen cuanto a los orígenes de los dos vo-cablos, he aquí un poco de historia.

El vocablo Hispano es usado porel Buró del Censo para definir per-sonas, sin importarse raza, quetienen descendencia de España. LosHispanos tienen raíces en México,Puerto Rico, Cuba, Centro y SurAmérica, u otras regiones que en untiempo fueron conquistados por losEspañoles, que ocuparon una provin-

cia Romana, una península llamadaHispania, (España) en donde el Es-pañol es el idioma primario.

El vocablo Latino generalmentese refiere a personas de países o cul-turas que fueron dominados porRoma, incluyendo Italia, Francia,España, y Portugal, y que tienen id-iomas “Romances” similares deriva-dos del Latín.

En los Estados Unidos, usamosel término Latino para describir per-sonas de América Latina, quienestodos son latinos, pero no todos sonHispanos. Los Brasileños, por ejem-plo, hablan Portugués.

También hay que acordarse dedecir “Latino” al referirse tanto ahombres como mujeres; “Latina”cuando se refiere específicamente amujeres.

Con mucha frecuencia, los vo-cablos Latino e Hispano se utilizanintercambiablemente para de-scribir un grupo diverso, dinámicoe influyente de “Americanos.”

El comité que organiza la Celebración de la Herencia Latina, incluyendo el per-sonal de la División de Jubilados, varios jubilados y Nancy B. True, directora, conlentes; Patricia Stryker, Secretaria de Actas del Local 237; a la izquierda, orgul-losamente exhiben los carteles creados para el evento.

A la hora de cierre de este periódico, el Local 237 se prepara parasu Celebración Anual de la Herencia Latina, que será estrenado en laedición de Newsline del próximo mes y en nuestro portal de Internetwww.local237.org.

Octubre es el mes de la Herencia Hispana

Sialgo no le parece bien en cuan-to a su tratamiento y el cuidadomédico que usted está recibien-

do, haga preguntas e insista que le denrespuestas correctas. Usted deberíaestar completamente informado de sucondición médica, el tipo detratamiento disponible, su prognosis,las alternativas de tratamientodisponibles de lo que proponen, y lomás importante, qué riesgos podríaenfrentar. ¿Sabía usted que bajo ciertascircunstancias, si usted resulta lesion-ado durante el transcurso de un pro-cedimiento médico del cual no leinformaron adecuadamente sobre losriesgos o las alternativas disponibles,un médico podría ser declaradoresponsable por el daño que ustedsufra a su cuerpo?

Si usted sospecha que ha sufridodaño físico como resultado de negli-gencia médica usted debería consul-tar con un abogado lo más prontoposible. Los abogados, incluso los denuestro bufete legal, no cobran poruna consulta en cuanto a una posi-ble demanda por negligencia médi-ca. Las consultas son gratuitas.

Por ejemplo recibimos una lla-mada por teléfono de la familia de

una joven que se preocupabanporque no hubo explicación delporqué ella había caído en una comaen el transcurso de dar a luz a unbebé sano. Unos días después ellamurió.

La autopsia concluyó que lacausa de muerte era una compli-cación obstétrica prevenible. Los re-sultados de laboratorio habían sidoescritos equivocadamente, lo que re-sultó en una demora del diagnósti-co. Si le hubieran hecho el diagnós-tico a tiempo, podrían haber hechoel parto por Cesárea, lo cual hubieraresultado en un desenlace segurotanto para ella y su hijo. El caso denegligencia médica por su muerteinjusta fue resuelto por la suma de$5,000,000 a favor de su familia.

Sanford Rubenstein, Esq., es di-rectivo de la firma legal en Brooklynde Rubenstein & Rynecki, que litigatodo tipo de casos de trauma per-sonal, negligencia médica, y casosrelacionados a mala conducta poli-cial. Se puede poner en contacto coneste bufete legal al 718-522-1020.

Este mes, la Organización Na-cional de Alerta de Cáncer delSeno (NBCA, por sus siglas en in-glés), celebra 25 años de promoverconocimiento, educación y habil-

itación para combatir la enfer-medad. NBCA pone un tesoro deinformación en su portal de Inter-net, www.nbcam.org, que informaque el cáncer del seno es el cáncer

más común en las mujeres en losEstados Unidos, excepto el cáncerde la piel. La Sociedad Americanadel Cáncer (ACS) calcula que unos192,000 nuevos casos de cáncer in-vasivo del seno serán diagnostica-dos entre mujeres en los EstadosUnidos este año.

Las buenas noticias son que hayunas 2,5 millones de sobrevivientesde cáncer del seno viviendo en losEstados Unidos. Una de estas sobre-vivientes es Marie Tomlinson, unaagente de seguridad escolar en la Es-cuela Pública 269 en el ComandoSur de Brooklyn. La madre de doshijos adultos ha escrito sobre sus ex-periencias con el cáncer.

Abajo se pueden apreciar ex-tractos de su composición “Sobre-viviente Fuerte Tres Veces de Más,”en el cual ella describe su victoriasobre la enfermedad que tomó lasvidas de su madre y su abuelo.

Tomlinson empezó su luchacontra el cáncer de ovarios en Agos-to de 1999 con una histerectomíaque le salvó la vida. “Tres meses de-spués, me fui a dormir después dedarme un baño. Acostada del ladoderecho, descubrí sangre en lasábana,” escribe Tomlinson. La san-gre venía del pezón del seno dere-cho. “Lo único que podía pensar esque el cáncer se había expandidohacia arriba a mi seno y que mi vidase acababa.”

Después de ser examinada, elcirujano diagnosticó que Tomlinsonsufría de cáncer de los ductoslácteos en su seno derecho, y realizóuna cirugía exitosa en Diciembre de1999. Poco después, el seno izquier-

Conozca Sus Derechos Por Sanford Rubenstein, Esq.

Negligencia Médica

Mes Nacional de Alerta Sobre Cáncer del Senodo “empezó a sangrar más profusa-mente que el derecho,” escribióTomlinson, recordando que le pre-guntó a su doctor ¿“Porqué a mí?” Elrespondió “Porqué no a ti,” y meconsoló con una estrategia para re-cobro.

“Durante mi vida, nunca he pe-dido algo grande, según me puedoacordar,” escribió Tomlinson, añadi-endo, “En ese día de Febrero 2000en la sala de operaciones, acostadaen la mesa, poco antes de que medurmieran con la anestesia, resécomo nunca antes diciéndole a Diosque si llegare a sobrevivir esta op-eración, cambiaría mi modo devivir.”

Tomlinson — quien se en-cuentra fuerte desde su sufrimien-to, incluyendo el iniciarse en unanueva carrera como agente de se-guridad escolar en Agosto del2000 — cumplió su promesa.“Dios me ha dado una segundaoportunidad en mi vida y lo estoyusando de muchas maneras parayudar a otros,” escribió ella. Suconcejo a otros pacientes quepadecen de cáncer es: mantenerseenfocado en el recobro; no permi-tir que el diagnóstico le deprima;y buscar ayuda de organizacionesde soporte, tal como NBCA y ACS.“Ellos le ayudarán a transitar lavía hacia el recobro.” Tomlinsontambién participa en la caminataanual de cáncer para recaudar fon-dos. “Me siento más cerca deaquellos que comparten parte demi enfermedad.

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64 SSAsGraduateThe New York Police Department held a gradu-ation ceremony at One Police Plaza on Sept. 1,welcoming 64 school safety agents into theteam. The agents completed 15 weeks of train-ing in everything from constitutional law to op-erating scanning machines.

“You are ready,” said Police CommissionerRaymond W. Kelly, adding that they will havea role in making “a substantial contribution togenerations of public school students.”

Kelly was joined on the dais by President Gre-gory Floyd and School Safety Division officials.Also on hand to congratulate the graduateswas Al Soto, director of the Citywide Division’sLaw Enforcement unit.

“Fear and disorder will not find a safe harborin our schools,” said SSA Colin H. Corr, in hisvaledictorian address. “We commit ourselves tothe highest levels of courtesy, professionalismand respect, and to improving the quality of lifefor students.”

Top, graduates wait to be calledonstage for their certificates.Above, President Gregory Floydcongratulates the valedictorian,School Safety Agent Colin H. Corr.Above right, Al Soto, director,Local 237 Law Enforcement Unit,is flanked from left by SSASermiqua McCray and SSA SandraD. Lovell.Right, the graduates raise theirhands to take their oath.

WELCOME TO THE TEAM!

After the ceremony, SSA Francisco J. Mercadocarries his sleeping son.

Demi Harkness, 2 years old, is carried by Sandra Lovell, middle, as her mother, EbonyBarnes, looks on.

Local 237 NEWSLINE

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