Local 372 Honors Scholarship Winners

Board of Education Employees Local 372 held its 19th Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet on June 16. At the dinner, seven students were honored for their character and academic achievement by the Local 372 Scholarship Committee. Scholarship recipients were Lisa-Ray Edwards, Sophia Weg, Sarah Mashiat, Ryan Devlin, Martina Ibrahim, and Zoe Castello. Devrin Goodridge was awarded the Wydenia S. Perry Scholarship.

PDIG Celebrates Pride and Inclusiveness at Queens Parade

Solidarity and pride was the agenda when the DC 37 Pride Diversity Interest Group (PDIG) Committee celebrated the struggles and accomplishments of the LGBTQIA++ community at the 31st New Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival in Jackson Heights, on June 4. Photo: Valentin Colon

Mayor Adams Signs Union-Backed Healthcare Transparency Act

At a June 21 ceremony in City Hall, Mayor Eric Adams signed the Healthcare Accountability & Consumer Protection Act. The new law, strongly supported by DC 37 and other New York City unions, establishes the Office of Healthcare Accountability, making New York City the first municipality to have an agency tasked to monitor and gather data on hospital prices in the City’s hospital systems. Photo: Thea Setterbo

Local 983 Re-Elects Joe Puleo and His Team for Another Term

Local 983 President Joe Puleo and his team were recently re-elected to lead the 2,500+ members he has represented since 2013. Re-elected with Puleo is First Vice President Marvin Robbins, Vice Presidents Thomas DiNardo, Victor Shannon, and Ralph Baselice, Secretary-Treasurer Marlena Giga, Recording Secretary: Donald Chapman, Sergeant-at-Arms Sylvester Ervin, Executive Board members Farris Coley, Michael Gorga, Celia Joseph, Vincent Gismundi, Robert Aponte, and Jose Padilla, and Trustees Van Scatliffe and Jessica Torres. DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido performed the swearing in.

Local 1482 Shakes a Leg at Annual Summer Picnic

With the theme of Summer of Reflection, Local 1482 Brooklyn Public Library Guild held its annual picnic in Prospect Park. The June 11 event was the local’s first in-person picnic since before the pandemic. Members and their families joined Local 1482 officials for food, games, and activities.

“While 2019 was our last in-person picnic before this year, we put on a virtual picnic in 2022 so staff could have an opportunity to get together away from work,” said Ronaldo Barber, President of Local 1482. “We even held a raffle online. Afterward, winners would come and pick up the prizes at various branch locations.”

This was the year for a return of a sense of normalcy for Local 1482 members and their families. More than 300 enthusiastic picnickers showed up at Prospect Park.

“For so many, this was their first time coming because they became employed during the pandemic or after we did the last picnic,” Barber said. “So they never experienced this camaraderie and really loved it and enjoyed themselves.”

The picnic was like a joyful gathering, with attendees playing volleyball, follow-the-leader, and other fun activities leading up to three-legged and sack races through the late afternoon.

“Our members felt this was needed since morale was slightly low during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Barber said. “Some of us lost colleagues during it, and because members work in different locations, many have not seen each other in a while.”

A raffle showcased top prizes, including two adult bicycles, household items, kitchen appliances, gift cards, and toys for the children. Between the raffles items and the large amount of food, no one walked away from the picnic empty-handed.

According to Barber, the picnic is the only event the Local holds to bring members and their families together. He hopes that more will come to next year’s picnic, commenting some people weren’t ready to go out to a public event this year, but that those who attended are already looking forward to next year.

Local 1482 represents members at all 60 branches of the Brooklyn Public Library. From Librarians to Graphic Artists, the local’s members provided access to essential reading and virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The picnic offered the perfect opportunity for everyone to enjoy the fellowship and fun gathering together on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.