Union Affiliation
AFL-CIO/AFSCME District Council 37, Local Union 420
Background
District Council 37
Largest public employee union in New York City: 121,000 members, 1,000 job titles
Oral History
Honduran Systems Analyst
Employed at Elmhurst Hospital, Queens, New York
Came from an upper-middle class family in Honduras
Faced many changes upon immigrating to America, both economically and socially
Feels stress on the job, but enjoys it very much and learns something new each day.
Colombian Hospital Housekeeper
Employed at Elmhurst Hospital, Queens, New York
Immigrated to the United States with an elementary school education, completed high school and college in America
Worked as a flight checker in JFK, LaGuardia, Newark - quit due to harassment
Has a very busy life; always working to support her family - “there is no time for me”
Organization
Grievance Won By Local 420 Members
Union members filed grievance for being denied overtime wages
Hospital management informed members that doing so would be waste of time
Persistence of Union Members led to negotiated settlement with Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC)
Rally To Save Municipal Restaurant Employees
1997 rally - Union argued that the contracting out of a hospital employee cafeteria would not serve workers well
Many restaurant employees were laid-off and lost union membership and retirement benefits
Hospital Workers still hold bitter feelings against the City of New York’s decision to contract out employee cafeteria
Latin American Hospital Workers
