january unionist
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Volume 40 Number 1January 2010
Continued on page 7
1965 Welfare Strike 45 Years Ago This MonthForty-fve years ago this month, on January 4, 1965, thousands o our Union
members went out on strike to win one o the frst and most comprehensive
collective bargaining agreements or municipal workers in the country. In the
course o the 20-day strike in which our brothers and sisters aced dismissals,sub-reezing temperatures and the wrath o the City administration and the press,
10 Union leaders were jailed on January 21 or deying an injunction against the
walkout. The strike ended in victory on February 1, 1965.
Hold the Dates
Local 371s Annual Black History
Celebration February 5, 2010
Local 371s Social Work Month
Celebration March 12, 2010 P t A
Local 371 members
make the Holidays extra
special or many New Yorkamilies every year.
See story and photos on Pages 45
Santa Came to Town
When Youre United Everything Works Better
Local 371s annual Delegate Train-ing took place at District Council 37
Headquarters this year, welcoming morethan 170 delegates on January 9. Despitethe bitter cold, Delegates rom nearly everyNew York City agency participated, manyattending or the frst time.
This month also marked the 45th Anni-versary o the 1965 Welare Strike. Presentat the Delegate Training were Sybil Alex-ander and Dempsey Phillips, two memberswho participated in the historic strike andcontinue to serve the Union as a Delegaterepresenting members in the Human
Resource Administration/Adult ProtectiveServices and Associate Director o the Local371 Grievances Department, respectively.
When youre united everything worksbetter, said President Faye Moore in herwelcoming remarks. When managementsees us willing to put our bodies on the line,this is what its all about.
Upon being introduced, the ofcers out-lined the role o each department. ExecutiveVice President Yolanda Pumarejo explainedhow each body within the Union is orga-nized and emphasized the importance o theagency chapters in the Unions unctioning.
Training Delegates to Serve the Membership
Andrea Walters, Associate Secretary-Treasurer, represented Secretary-TreasurerJoe Nazario and detailed where membersdues are allocated and who makes decisionsover Union expenses.
Vice President o Political Action andLegislation Michelle Akyempong stressedmembers need to keep their contact in-ormation at the Union up to date or thephone-banking process the Political Ac-tion Committee conducts ater the Unionendorses candidates. She also urged everyDelegate to spread the word about the 2010Census because its tally appropriates undingor each government district.
Union Delegate Iris Bracy-Cooke asks aquestion at one o the training sessions
as other Delegates look on. B C t l
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January 2010 | The Unionist 3
January
18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Anocial City holiday
19 aLuMni association Meeting: 2 p.m.Union Oce, 12th Floor
20 DeLegate asseMbLy: 6:30 p.m. AdvanceRealty, 235 West 23rd Street in Manhattan
25 bLacK history coMMittee Meeting:6:30 p.m. Union Oce, 12th Floor
26 PoLiticaL action coMMittee Meeting:6:30 p.m. Union Oce, 12th Floor
27 civiLians in Law enforceMentchaPter Meeting: 6:30 p.m. UnionOce, 12th Floor
February
1 bLacK history coMMittee Meeting:6:30 p.m. Union Oce, 12th Floor
3 executive boarD Meeting: 6:30 p.m.Union Oce, 12th Floor
5 bLacK history ceLebration: 5:30 p.m.DC 37 125 Barclay Street in Manhattan
12 LincoLns birthDay A foating holiday
(see calendar on page 6 or details)15 PresiDents Day An ocial City holiday
16 aLuMni association Meeting:2:00 p.m. Union Oce, 12th Floor
17 DeLegate asseMbLy: 6:30 p.m. AdvanceRealty, 235 West 23rd Street in Manhattan
23 PoLiticaL action coMMittee Meeting:6:30 p.m. Union Oce, 12th Floor
24 civiLians in Law enforceMentchaPter Meeting: 6:30 p.m. UnionOce, 12th Floor
CALENDAR
Published monthly except or a combined issue in July/August and a Supplement in January by the SocialService Employees Union Local 371, District Council 37,
AFSCME, AFL-CIO. Subscription Price $2.00 annually.Periodical postage paid at New York, N.Y.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: TheUnionist, SSEU Local 371 , 817 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y. 10003.
USPS# 348990 (212) 677-3900ISSN# 0041-7092
PresidentFaye Moore
Executive Vice PresidentYolanda Pumarejo
Secretary-TreasurerJoe Nazario
V.P. Negotiations & ResearchAnthony Wells
V.P. Organization & EducationBeverly Mallory Brown
V.P. Grievances & Legal ServicesLloyd Permaul
V.P. Legislation & Political ActionMichelle Akyempong
V.P. Publicity & Community RelationsMichelle Conklin
TrusteesMichael Ballesteros
Yolanda DeJesusMelva Scarborough
EditorMartin Fishgold
Director of CommunicationsLinda Schleicher
Editorial Associate
Jessica Ramosv .371.
Dr. Boyce Watkins, the Peoples Scholar,to Speak at Black History Celebration
Dr. Boyce Watkins, the peoples scholarwho specialies in fnance, education andBlack social commentary, will highlight
the Unions Annual Black History Celebration
program on Friday night, February 5 at DistrictCouncil 37. The theme o this years event isThe Challenge o Change.
Following dinner, which begins at 5:30 p.m.,President Faye Moore will make the welcom-ing remarks. The event is being coordinated byMoore and VP Beverly Mallory Brown. Thisis one o our best programs yet, said Moore.Come early and celebrate our rich culturalhistory with the Union.
Watkins Has Spoken to Millions
Keynote speaker Watkins is an international
authority on fnance and investing. Hes maderegular appearances on CNN, CNBC, MSN-BC, ABC News, and BET. Hes written or and
been quoted inThe New YorkTimes, TheWashington
Post, Black En-terprise Maga-zine and more.Besides fnance, heis also committedto social justiceand has been anoutspoken critic o racial and social inequality.His ourth book, What I George Bush Were aBlack Man? is a riveting social commentary.
Changes to CLW Title Series
Specic inormation regarding the recent reclassication oworkers in the Community Liaison Worker title series rom
competitive to non-competitive status will be published in theFebruary Unionist. In the meantime, members may call theUnions Negotiations section or Grievance section at 212-677-3900 or inormation.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2010-
2011 academic year for the Committee of Concerned
Social Workers Scholarship and the Sol Gorelick
Scholarship. The one-time grants$2,500 this
year have been awarded to more than 75 mem-
bers through the years. In order to be eligible for the
scholarships, persons must be Union members ingood standing and have completed at least six credits
as a matriculated student in a graduate program lead-
ing to a Masters degree in Social Work.
An application packet must be requested in writing
from Yolanda Pumarejo, chair, Committee of Con-
cerned Social Workers, SSEU Local 371, 817 Broad-
way, New York, New York 10003. The deadline for
submitting completed applications is April 30, 2010.Winners will be announced on or about July 3, 2010.
CCSW Scholarship Deadline is April 30, 2010
Union to Celebrate Social Work Month in MarchLocal 371s 25th Annual Celebration o Social Work Month will take place on Friday, March 12 at DC 37 withan evening o music, ood, speakers, and recognition o the Unions social workers.
This event honors those Union members who have graduated rom social work school in the past year,said Executive Vice President Yolanda Pumarejo, the coordinator o the event and chairperson o the UnionsCommittee o Concerned Social Workers. We expect to have a great time this year, as always. All Local 371members, amily and riends are invited to attend the celebration, which will begin with a ree buet dinnerrom 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The program will ollow, and is expected to end by 9:00 p.m.
Attention Recent SSEU Local 371 Graduates:
Please fll out the coupon below i you have graduated rom social work school in the last year, June 2009,August 2009, or will graduate in January 2010, so that your name can be listed in the commemorative journal ad.
Hundreds o Union members who received their MSWs have been honored at this event over the years.
Please return to Yolanda Pumarejo, CCSW, SSEU Local 371, 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
I received my MSW in q June 2009 q August 2009 q January 2010
SCHOOL ____________________________________________________________ DATE OF GRADUATION ______________________
NAME ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS __________________________________________________________________________________ APT. ___________________
CITY ______________________________________________ STATE _______________________________ zIP _____________________
WORK TEL. ________________________________________________ HOME TEL. ___________________________________________
S.S. # ___________________________________________ CIVIL SERVICE TITLE ______________________________________________
JOB FUNCTION ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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sana came o
Local 371 members make the Holidays extra special for many New York fami-
lies every year. This year was no different. Together, they pooled their time and
energy, and at many locations even their money, to make sure their clients and
children had a wonderful time with food, toys, and plenty of Holiday cheer!
The Holidays Persevere at
Staten Island ACSIt almost didnt happen.Cutbacks in agency undingmeant ewer contributions tothe childrens holiday party thisyear, but the workers elt thatChristmas without a party orthe children was like peanutbutter without jelly, says RobertSalemi, Supervisor II at StatenIsland ACS. They just gotogether. Salemi coordinated
a un-lled holiday party, withmuch help coming rom theCaseworkers, collecting $500among themselves or theholiday estivities. Donationsrom SSEU Local 371 and toysrom Holy Child Church, theRichard Gardner MemorialFoundation, and Toys or Tots,among others, also helpedput together a wonderulevent. A clown and a magicianentertained the children oStaten Island ACS at BrightonHeights Reormed Church onDecember 18. The children alsodanced to the tunes o a localdeejay, were visited by SantaClaus, Steve Taub (Photo #6),and ate cotton candy (Photo #5).Another happy child is picturedin Photo #7. Some o theworkers who helped organizethe aair were: Deborah Pride,Samantha Velez, Rob Timmons,
Natalia Rosado, Lania Carter-
Johnson, Carla Cornick, Nancy
Fine, Jeanette Jack, ChristinaPope, Heather Richardson,Celeste Rivera, Alane Ruchman,Lawrence Scott, MelissaSugarman, Magdalena Leszcoand Wadeeah Sweatte.
Many Happy Families atBrownsville HASA
December 18 was also the dayworkers at Brownsville HASAchose to celebrate the holidays
with clients and their children.Local 371 members PatriciaVega, Brenda Bennett, SherylCalderon, Trin Leatham,Cassandra Young, and JuliaDouglas worked together tocoordinate an aternoon oood and toys. Donations romthe Union and $5 they hadcollected rom each worker atHASA made the event possible.The children were overjoyedwith their gits (Photo #13, 14and 15) and a very special visitrom Santa Claus, also knownas Brownsville HASAs very ownWalter Fields. They sang alongto Christmas music and had amerry time.
Through Tough Times,Queens HASA Pulls Together
Only a ew days ater the bliz-zard, with snow still piled upon the streets, Queens HASA
hosted their holiday party on
December 22. To make theparty a reality, the workers beganholding brunches and rafeundraisers nearly six months inadvance! All their hard work paid
o. They served ood or theirclients and children (Photo #9).The children also received toysrom Santa Claus, CaseworkerMichael Detman. Sta memberswho helped coordinate the partyinclude: Jelena Grim, YvonneKatallage, Jill Peters, DerrickCarr, Howard Sosis, MargaretMcKenzie, Carol Maynard, AidaCrespo, Tammy Hardy, BelindaLewis, Gail Grandsoult, JocelynRamirez, Merline Sanon, RaaelMedina and Didtrich Carr; manypictured with Local 371 Orga-nizer Joe Locust in Photo #8.
Amsterdam HASA has Plentyof Holiday Cheer
The workers at AmsterdamHASA set out to help theirclients in most need this year.One o the organizers o theholiday party, Abby Campbell,says, Some o our clients are
totally dependent on us. With
this in mind, preparations or theparty started at the beginningo December when a box wasset up to collect toy donationsrom HASA workers themselves.Donations rom the agency andthe Union allowed or ood,more toys and git certicates tobe purchased. On December 22,ood was served to approximately25 happy amilies. Families
invited to join in holiday cheer
WorkErS BrING HoLIdAY JoY
To CLIENTS ANd CHILdrEN
1
11
12
Photos4&5:P
atArnow.Photos:#8,9JessicaRamos
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January 2010 | The Unionist 5
possible. Some o the workersare pictured with toys and theirclients children in Photo #12.
Feliz Navidad! From BronxHASA
The children at Bronx HASAhad sparkling smiles as theycelebrated the Holidays withgreat warmth rom the workers.
Alice Adeyeye, a Caseworker,welcomed the clients andtheir children to their annualholiday party on ChristmasEve, December 24. MoniqueLewis, Sonia Bryant, SholaOshole, Rosanna Rodriguez,and Yvette Theus prepared toysto be distributed to the children(Photo #3). Santa Claushimsel, Caseworker AngelFrete, had help rom ellowCaseworker Yvette Theusgetting dressed (Photo #4)and then distributed the gitsto the children. Sonia Bryant,Supervisor I, helped serve theood to the amilies and said,We really made an eort toserve a healthy meal. We madesure to include all the oodgroups or balanced nutrition.
The children sang along toChristmas carols throughoutthe celebration. One little girl
even got up rom her seat to
towngive her own rendition o JoseFelicianos Feliz Navidad! The
workers at Bronx HASA alsoheld a clothing drive, allowingneighbors to deposit usedclothing in bins outside thecenter or others to pick up.
Children Enjoy the Holidaysat Greenwood HASA
Twas the aternoon beoreChristmas and many childrenlined up to receive the toys andclothes Greenwood HASA
workers bought or them. Thechildren were allowed to choosetwo gits, all careully categorizedby age. Alison Thomas, PatriciaCliord, Tiany Porter, andHazel Gowasack, pictured inPhoto #1, assisted the childrenand received their glowingsmiles in return. They makeall the hard work worthwhile,said Alison Thomas, aCaseworker. Thomas headedthe party committee, which alsocoordinated the ood and icecream served or all the amilies.Sharon White (Photo #2) helpedserve child ater child bowlulso ice cream and cookies. Allthe amilies agreed: GreenwoodHASA was the perect start to a
wonderul Christmas!
Jessica Ramos
were those with unemployedparents, with 3 or morechildren, and/or children doingexceptional work in school.We really elt those childrenshould be rewarded or theireort and hard work, assuredCampbell. The children enjoyedchoosing their gits (Photo #10)and had a great opportunity tocelebrate the Holidays with theiramilies (Photo #11) with lotso love rom the workers. Local371 members who contributedto party planning were: AbbyCampbell, Adela Cruz, LivithaDeSouza, Ade Mola, and AllanHoare. Warrnia Rumph andEileen Honan worked extra hardto fnd resources and go the extra
mile to make the holiday party
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5
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Photos by Pat Arnow and Jessica Ramos
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6 The Unionist | January 2010
Assistant to the President John Tal-butt and Executive Secretary KarenDavis-Phoenix have both recently
retired rom Union service.
TalBuTT, who retired on January 9,
worked or the Union rom 1970 to 1972and then rom 1988 to thepresent. He became a Cityworker in 1961 and worked as aCaseworker and Supervisor I atthe St. Nicholas Welare Cen-ter, the Kingsbridge WelareCenter and the Non-ResidentsWelare Center. He was activein the 1965 Welare Strike andin the 1967 Strike or improvedworking conditions and con-
tract enorcement. While with the Union,Talbutt dealt primarily with workers servingthe homeless population.
Among the highlights o Talbutts careerare the ollowing: The best work action weever held was the one we organized at theNon-Residents Welare Center which suc-ceeded in getting the City to hire hundredso Caseworkers to bring the caseload down.It was truly a rank-and-le action in which311 out o 312 workers stopped work im-mediately at 3:00 p.m. and remained solidor seven days until we reached a landmark
LEGAL HOLIDAYS 2010
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
New Years Day Friday, January 1, 2010
Martin Luther Kings Birthday Monday, January 18, 2010
Lincolns Birthday* Friday, February 12, 2010
Washingtons Birthday Monday, February 15, 2010
Memorial Day Monday, May 31, 2010
Independence Day Monday, July 5, 2010
Labor Day Monday, September 6, 2010
Columbus Day Monday, October 11, 2010
Election Day Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Veterans Day Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 25, 2010
Christmas Day Friday, December 24, 2010
New Years Day** Friday, December 31, 2010
*In lieu Linclns Bithay, emplyees subject t the hliay
pvisins the Citywie Ageement the Leave regulatins
Management Emplyees eceive ne fating hliay t be
use uing calena yea 2010, pviing that the emplyee
was in active pay status pi t Febuay 12, 2010.
** New Yeas day calena yea 2011 will be bseve n
Fiay, decembe 31, 2010.
Base n the 2002 MEA with the exceptins Unins that
pte ut this pvisin, civilian emplyees newly hie n
ate July 1, 2004 ae nt eligible the Flating Hliay.
MELVIN ALSTON, a lngtime Lcal 371 membe
an activist was ne 10 City emplyees t e-
ceive a pestigius Public Sevice Awa m the
Hune Yea Assciatin wking tielessly
ut the sptlight. The awas, which ttale
$22,000 in cash, ae pesente annually by the
ganizatin which is mae up cmpanies that
have been in business ve 100 yeas.
Alstn, a Cmmunity Cinat in the Aminis-
tatin Chilens Sevices, was awae $1,000 his wk invlving cmmunity ganizatins in
ste cae an
chil suppt, an
his uning
Halem Men
Stan Up, a gup
that suppts men
aising chilen.
The Hune
Yea Assciatin
was une in 1927 an has given ut me than$1.5 millin since it began its awa pgam.
Union Member Melvin Alston Wins Prestigious Award
hiring agreement. The election o Stan-ley Hill in 1970 as president o Local 371was another truly rank-and-le action. Hewas the rst president to serve a ull termwith the merged union, and he was therst Black president. The workers identi-
ed their interests with the interests o theclients being served and theyrecognized that the unionmovement was as an impor-tant actor in infuencing theentire culture. Most o theunions at that time were ocus-ing on the bread and butterisssues, and we understood theneed or unions to be involvedin broader social movements.In the late 1970s, I saw our
union receding into the back-ground o the general unionmovement and losing itsspecial militant connection tosocial issues. Then along cameCharles Ensley to revitalizeour local and reconnect to itsmilitant, socially conscioustradition. Theres a really tal-ented group o people now whoare working or the Union. Every one othem has that understanding o how ourwork connects to the broader social issues
in the society at large. Ive truly enjoyedworking with them.
Talbutt expects to continue his lielongpolitical activism in retirement. He livesin Elmsord with his wie Andrea, and hehas two children, a son in Elmsord and adaughter in Providence, Rhode Island, andtwo grandchildren.
Davis-PhoENix, executive secretaryto President Faye Moore, retired romthe Union on December 31, ater 32years o service. Phoenix was rst hiredunder President Joe Sperling and workedor VP o Grievances and Legal ServicesGeorge Clark and VP o Organization NatWilliams. She also worked or PresidentCharles Ensley rom 1983 to 2008.
She looks back on her years working orthe Union with ond memories. I met a loto interesting people, I learned a lot, and I
enjoyed mysel. Rev. Al Sharp-ton, Senator Charles Schumerand lots o other prominentNew Yorkers crossed my path.My co-workers were especiallynice to be around.
And what about her plansor retirement? My mainplan is to help care or myaging mother. Id also like to
travel a little and just take it easy.Local 371 wishes Karen and John a long
and happy retirement!
Two Longtime Union Employees Retire
Congratulations
F the past u seasns, Aubey Z. Nis, sn
Lcal 371s Assciate diect oganizatin
Aubey Nis, has been the quateback Cental
Cnnecticut State Univesitys champinship tball
team. In his u yeas at the helm the team, N-
is eane the 2005 Ntheast Cneence oensive
rkie the Yea awa, an CCSU has wn tw
cneence champinships. Nis ene his cham-
pinship seasn this decembe, thwing ve 200
yas in the annual Giin Classic game. Althugh
they lst the Giin game t Butle Univesity,
CCSU ene thei egula seasn with a 7-1 ec.
In all humility, I can say as a athe, he has mves
that I int have when I was his age, sai Nis.
With his natual talents cuple with the suppt
his immeiate amily an iens at Lcal 371, it is
me than bvius that Aubey Z. Nis has a bight
utue ahea him.
John TalbuttJessicaRamos
JessicaRamos
Karen Davis-Phoenix
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January 2010 | The Unionist 7
When Youre United Everything Works Better
Union ofcers (clockwise 1-7) are: President Faye Moore, VP Lloyd
Permaul, Executive VP Yolanda Pumarejo, and VPs Anthony Wells, BeverlyMallory-Brown, Michelle Conklin, and Michelle Akyempong. Associate
Secretary-Treasurer Andrea Walters (8); Delegate Maria Jimenez (9);Assembled Delegates (10); Delegate Saundra Galloway (11); Delegate
Arleen Gill (12); Delegate Joseph DiGirolomo speaking (13); Organizers
(l-r) Amador Suarez, Adrienne Miller and Jose Vlez hand out Delegatepackets (14); Delegate Estella Nuez (15); and Delegate Eric Seroy (16).
VP o Publicity Michelle Conklin saidshe loves this event because, this is theheart o this Union. Conklin encouragedDelegates and members at their location towrite letters to the editor oThe union-
istand sign up or E-news on the Unionwebsite, www.sseu371.org, to receive thelatest inormation.
Research and Negotiations, Grievancesand Legal Services, and Organization andEducation were the three departments tohost each o the inormation sessions. VPo Research and Negotiations AnthonyWells and his team, Glenda Lee, RoseLovaglio-Miller and Sladiee Cole, listedthe seven dierent contracts Local 371 ne-gotiates with the City and explained many
o the important clauses in them.VP o Grievancesand LegalServices
Lloyd Permaul led his department indescribing how the section enorces theUnions contracts. Grievance representativesDempsey Phillips, Peta Gaye-Jamieson,Reuben Adeshuko, Robert Jordan, and Pat-rick Verone each took turns explaining how
the Delegates can tell between a grievanceand a gripe, how to fle a grievance using theappropriate orms, and how time and leaveor workers is determined.
Each location whose workers are rep-resented by the Union have an organizerassigned to guide Delegates through thesystem. Local 371s organizers, AubreyNorris, Ronald Moore, Jose Velez, AmadorSuarez, Joe Locust, Magda Santos, AdrienneMiller and Lisa Turner, each made presen-tations highlighting a City workers rights.
Union members have Weingarten Rights,allowing a worker to have union represen-tation at an interview. In these situations,Delegates can provide counsel, interrupt ameeting i intimidation is being used, andmeet privately with the worker in question.Another tool Delegates are encouragedto use at job locations is calling or a labor
management meeting when necessary.VP o Organization and Education Bev-erly Mallory-Brown and her team coordi-nated the high-energy Delegate Training.
Jessica Ramos
Continued from page 1
Bruce
Cotler
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8 The Unionist | January 2010
Social Service Employees Union
Local 371
817 Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10003
WANTED- Top cash paid or your old jazz,
soul, R&B and gospel albums. Call Howard
at (212) 873-4016.
HRA CHESS CLUB will meet on Tuesday
evenings at 6:30 p.m. at McDonalds 355 8th
Avenue at West 26th Street in Manhattan. For
more inormation, call Henry Brooks ( 347)
499-0223 or (212) 971-2000.
FOR SALE- Large ceiling xture, clown col-
lection, dolly, luggage, dishes, pots, glass-
ware, git items, tie rack, never worn size
small ladies clothing including dark brown
Borghese aux ur jacket, boots and shoes
size 8, large American fags, books, new
cordless telephone with clock radio, electri-
cians meters, lots more. Call 718-430-1769
and leave a message.
SWAP- Caseworker at HRA/UAP 180 Water
Street would like to swap with Caseworker
at West 34th Street or 400 8th Avenue in
Manhattan. I interested, please call (212)
331-3164. (11)
SWAP- Hospital Care Investigator at Coney
Island Hospital would like to swap with
Hospital Care Investigator at Kings County
Hospital. I interested, please call (718) 616-
4093. (12)
FOR SALE- Large, dark silver rerigerator
dispenses water and makes ice. Heavy-duty
GE washer and dryer used or ew months, in
excellent condition. I interested please call
(646) 373-4055 or (212) 848-6536. (12)
SWAP- JOS worker at HRA/FIA 132 West
125th Street in Manhattan would like to swap
with JOS worker at Linden, Dekalb, or Euclid
Job Centers in Brooklyn. I interested, please
call (646) 280-5062. (1)
FOR SALE- New, never been used Maytag
washer, dryer and dishwasher. Good price. I
interested, please call (347) 272-9280. (1)
buLLeTIn bOarD
MeMbers
Condolences are extended to Miriam Ramos-
Ortiz, Legal Trustee of Local 371 and AJOS
II at Crotona Job Center #46, on the death
of her sister, Margaret Ramos-Velasquez on
December 15. Condolences may be sent to
Miriam Ramos-Ortiz, 140 Parkchester Road
#6G, Bronx, NY 10462.
Get well wishes are extended to Richard
De Ariaz, Union Delegate and Supervisor I at
HASA. Get well wishes may be sent to Richard
De Ariaz c/o HASA, 400 8th Avenue, New York,
NY 10001.
Congratulations are extended to Carmen
Johnson, Community Associate at Department
of Homeless Services Vacancy Control, on her
retirement after 25 years of service.
Periodicals Postage
Paid at New York, NYCondolences
M
arlene Marshall must have known
her only daughter would somedaybe a star. Shakira was born 25 yearsago in New York City and was named aterthe Guyanese model and actress ShakiraBaksh (who later married Michael Caine).Today, Shakira Marshall is making herBroadway debut in the ensemble o thenew musicalFela!
Marlene herselhails rom Guyana,arriving in Brook-lyn in 1968 andcurrently a proud
Cambria Heights,Queens resident. She has 26 years o Cityservice, and previously worked in the CASAprogram in HRA. For the last eight years,shes worked at Adult Protective Services asa Supervisor II and a location-based trainer.Her dedication to her work and her clientscomplimented her husbands, a Commanderin the U.S. Army, in providing their chil-dren with the opportunity to develop theircreativity in dance and the arts. Shakiras twobrothers, Malik and Sidique, are also trained
in dance but have pursued other endeavors.Shakira says her mission in lie is to shareher light with the world through all ormso art and she exhibited her passion roman early age. Shakira began her career at theage o three and a hal when Marlene placedher in piano, ballet, tap, jazz and acrobat-ics classes. While her exceptional learningcapabilities earned her continuous spots inadvanced classes, her stunning stage pres-ence earned her the nickname Sunshineby the time she was attending high schoolat St. Johns Preparatory School in Astoria,
Members Daughter on Broadway
Queens. Once shesteps oot on stage,everything justlights up! Marlene
exclaims proudly.Marlene says she
loved to dance whenshe was younger,but never pursued itproessionally. Shesproud Shakira has,though, with much
ocus and devotion. While attendingthe State University o New York at
Purchase, in pursuit o a degree inMedia, Society and the Arts, Shakira contin-ued to train in New York Cityat Dance Studio A, Perec-tion Dance Center, the EdgeSchool o the Arts and Alvin
Ailey on weekends.She has not stopped. Upon
earning her degree in 2006,Shakira has complimentedher proessional work withQueenz Finest Dance Com-
pany, perorming in the UnitedStates and internationally, most notably orthe Danish royal amily. Beore starring inFela!s ensemble, she perormed at the ApolloTheater and was cast or the o-Broadwayshow Scandalous People: A Sizzling Jazzical.She has also perormed on stage and in musicvideos with artists such as Machel Montano,Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Eve, N*E*R*D,and many others.
Shakira plans to release her frst albumsoon, with songs o her own inspiration.
Jessica Ramos
ShakiraMarshall
MarleneMarshall
Get Well
Congratulations