Union Matters

April showers

The remarkable win by Gregory Floyd Amazon workers President, Teamsters Local 237 in Staten Island and Vice President at-Large on the to unionize was General Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters no small feat. Just 18 months ago, this newly formed “Amazon Labor Union” did not exist. I recall that not long ago this was unthinkable! In 2018, Amazon announced that, after a national search, Long Island City was chosen as the site for a huge, 4 million-square-foot headquarters, with plans for 25,000 jobs immediately and an additional 40,000 jobs within 15 years. Among those protesting their strong opposition—which ranged from concerns about congestion to environmental issues—there were those who feared that Amazon, with its long history of worker abuse and union bashing, could never be tamed in this union town, let alone succumb to union organizing. True to form, in March of 2020, a Staten Island Amazon warehouse worker, Christian Smalls, led a walkout in protest of deplorable, COVID-related workplace conditions. Amazon’s general counsel’s meeting notes said of Smalls: “He’s not smart, or articulate, and to the extent to which the press wants to focus on him versus us, we will be in a much stronger PR position.” WOW! They not only dismissed Smalls as insignificant, but arrogantly condescended that an unpolished, tattooed young Black man could be used to unionize. Amazon fired him, but their strategy backfired.

Among other features of this phenomenal win was its true home-grown, grassroots nature. There were no high-end, highly paid professional consultants and organizers involved. There were no deep-pockets, all-in, 24/7 outside companies, community groups or even larger unions providing a constant flow of funding, advice, and “boots” on the ground. This was a worker-driven effort by current and former Amazon workers, who set up a GoFundMe page and held BBQs, and after-work parking lot chats—in several languages. Workers connected to one another in a way no one else could. This was more effective than any clever talking points created by Amazon’s team of PR pros.

Many lessons have been learned from this victory. Clearly, other workers throughout the nation, working at jobs formerly thought to be impossible to unionize, now see that it can be done—and with little money by rank and file workers. Labor scholar Jane McAlverey wrote in her book “No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age” that “staffers see themselves not as ordinary people, but as key agents of change.” What have big unions with more money and members to utilize on organizing efforts learned from this David and Goliath triumph? Clearly, they need to question how their assets should be spent. Big media buys? Organizers’ iPads for instant sign-ups? Block parties? No doubt, the options will be discussed at length, studied by focus groups, polled and analyzed—probably with many opinions and conclusions. But with the economy currently at a record high, unemployment at a record low, and while we are still basking in the glory of making labor history, now is the time for all of us who believe in workplace equity and dignity to fight, collectively, and oneon-one, for union formation and membership growth. As the old adage reminds us: “April showers bring May flowers.” For union workers, long-time and brand new, the protections and benefits they enjoy make up many bouquets.

TWU Local 100 handling subway shooting the best way they can—carrying on

TWU Local 100 members were close to Tuesday’s shooting physically and mentally (Courtesy of: Marc A. Hermann/ MTA & Tim Minton/MTA)

By STEPHON JOHNSON

Amsterdam News Staff

Workers at the station weren’t too keen on speaking to people following Tuesday’s subway shooting in Brooklyn. But they carried on with their jobs as they have since the pandemic, since failed terrorist attacks, and since 9/11.

According to TWU Local 100 Safety Director Earl Phillips, carrying on is one of the best ways to approach working in the subway. Like a football coach telling his cornerback to forget the last play when he was beat by a wide receiver for a touchdown.

“The next step when you realize that my members didn’t have no kind of bruises, you have to [check on] their mental state of mind,” Phillips said. “Because a member didn’t show blood or bruises, that don’t signify that they are okay. If you follow the history of our members, if it was 9/11, if it was the pandemic, our members will not run away from incidents. Somehow, it seems like it’s a part of their DNA.

“I don’t care how many years they have on the job. Ten years, 20 years, 30 years, 1-year-olds, we go right into action to assist an agent when needed. And that is exactly what happened,” continued Phillips. “They went right into action and became a part of the evacuation process.”

On Tuesday, April 12, a gunman wearing a gas mask and dressed in an orange, construction workers’ vest set off a smoke bomb and shot multiple people inside an R-subway train car at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Ten people were shot, five are in critical condition and six others were injured. Police have found a U-Haul truck that they believe was rented by the gunman who currently remains at large.

Transit and MTA workers have the respect of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Both expressed gratitude for their presence and their actions in a time where most would take flight instead of fight.

“My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones, as well as the emergency personnel and law enforcement responding to this situation,” stated Gillibrand. “I am incredibly grateful to the courageous New Yorkers who came to the aid of their fellow passengers and to the MTA train operators whose quick thinking saved lives—their bravery and fortitude represents the best of our state.”

Richards also said that all authorities need to work together to prevent another event of this kind.

“We will never cower in the face of such callous violence…The MTA, NYPD and all relevant agencies must conduct an immediate, system-wide review of subway safety and emergency response protocols to help prevent such an assault on our city and its people from occurring ever again,” Donovan stated.

Phillips, like New Yorkers on both sides of the political spectrum, believe that the increased intensity of subway crime requires more cops (uniformed and plain-clothed). But when the AmNews asked him about the number of cops already patrolling the subway system, he said that they haven’t been deployed properly.

“You can take hundreds of police officers and put them in the subway,” Phillips said. “And if you walk ’em on top of each other, it [the shooting] would still happen. Because it’s how you dispatch them.

“Our members, MTA workers, know the hotspots. We know the areas where people hide. They know the areas where people sleep,” Phillips continued. “It’s not about putting cops in here to address something politically. If you’re going to do something, let’s do it correctly. Remove the politics out of it.”

The AmNews also spoke with Robert Kelley, TWU Local 100’s vice president of stations department. He spoke about the usual protocol his workers undergo in events like these. Protocol that’s supposed to be practiced.

“There’s supposed to be a shapeup area,” said Kelley. “We’re supposed to go there and there’s supposed to be designated areas at each station. For our members, if anything like this arises, they meet on a certain corner or location.”

The problem?

“Now, is this practiced? Absolutely not,” Kelley said. “Now it’s just a wake-up call. For the authority to understand—and when I say the authority, the MTA—to understand that they need to be more proactive and practice. I think that it’s necessary, right? But we’re tired from our end, the union side of the house. It’s going to take management for them to really wake up and see that these need to be taken seriously.

“[If] this is not the wakeup call,” said Phillips, “I don’t know what will be.”

The MTA recently touted the $1.5 million it would save capping OMNY fares (the New York equivalent of an Oyster Card). MTA board members have recently proposed an increase in fares across the city, while engaging in current experiments, continually citing its debt. With the money they do have, they’ve worked with the city to install cameras in every subway station. The ones at the 36th Avenue station couldn’t transmit to the MTA or the New York Police Department at the time of the incident. Phillips thinks there’s a reason for this.

“Cameras are more designated in high-privileged areas,” said Kelley. “And when you have low-income areas and stuff like that, they don’t put the same care into low-income areas. And that’s a very big concern among us.”

By STEPHON JOHNSON

Amsterdam News Staff

New Yorkers without means used what they had to march on Wall Street.

New York Poor People’s Campaign (NYPPC) marched to Wall Street starting at the Museum of the American Indian, passed the New York Stock Exchange and ending at Trinity Church Wall Street where multiple people spoke about the plight of the voiceless and what needs to be done politically to fix things.

“We live in a time where there is great suffering and crisis,” said Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, at the mass meeting. “And much of what is going on doesn’t make sense. We throw away more food than it takes to feed every man, woman and child in this country…We have brokers here on Wall Street bidding on food prices as families in this country and around the world are facing some of the highest food prices in history!

“But it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Rev. Dr. Theoharis.

The march was part of a national “Poor People’s Campaign” that aims to use “grassroots community and religious leaders, organizations, and movements” to fight against systemic racism, poverty, environmental issues, and overreliance on the military engaging in perpetual war with some entity or nation.

Representatives from Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts joined the march as part of the “Mass Poor People’s & LowWage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls.” The groups want to hit the nation’s capital on June 18.

“I worry for my son. I worry that he’ll be able to find a living wage,” said Kelly Smith, a trichair of the NYPPC. “I worry that he lives in a world where his Black skin is valued less than my white skin. And I could worry and worry and worry and wring my hands. Or I could stand up. I could speak up. I could fight.”

Pamela Poniatowski, tri-chair of the Rhode Island Poor People’s Campaign, said that she wasn’t aware of the number of households with disabled members living below the poverty line. According to Annual Disability Statistics Compendium via the Administration for Community Living’s National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (which is funded by the federal government) people with disabilities live in poverty more than twice the rate of people without disabilities (27.8% to 11.9% respectively), which gave her yet another reason to march and voice their displeasure with the way things are.

“There are still millions of people waiting for housing, just look around,” Poniatowski said. “We can see them in every state. It is heartbreaking and there are 140 million people who are just one emergency away from losing everything. The waiting list for housing anywhere is years long. What are we expected to do during those years?”

“You’ve got a mess,” added Bishop William J. Barber. “These kinds of politics turn us against each other, blame the poor for their poverty even though we live in the midst of abundance. And we know that poverty is not so much a personal choice as a political consequence of policies. We have the resources to meet the needs of everybody.

“The only thing we don’t have enough of is moral consciousness and the will to do what’s right. And that’s our job––to shift the moral narrative of this nation.”

The Poor People’s Campaign March calls for an end to systemic racism and the economic gap in America (Courtesy of: Stephen Pavey/Poor People’s Campaign/ Repairers of the Breach/Kairos Center)

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s impact: ‘Representation matters’

By CASILDA ELENA ROPER-SIMPSON, ESQ.

The confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson allows me to describe the moment simply as: ‘I loved it! A moment that will have an impact on little Brown girls who will come after her, on women like myself, who have and will continue to climb the legal ladder and make every attempt to surpass the proverbial glass ceiling. Simply put, ‘Representation matters!’ When first I heard that Judge Brown Jackson, a Black woman, was being considered for the Supreme Court appointment, I recall saying to myself, “I would believe it only when it happens.” Then, it happened, Justice Stephen G. Breyer announced his retirement and I thought, it’s gonna happen. But for me, nothing happens until it happens. And then it happened! District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was nominated for appointment to the Supreme Court, and she had to wait to be confirmed.

As we watched the confirmation process, many were unclear and questioned why Judge Brown Jackson—with her credentials, qualifications, and experience—had to go through such a rigid process. Some said, “What’s up with those questions?” I read where Senator Cory Booker stated that he heard from people who related “their stories about having to come into a room where you’re more qualified than the people sitting in judgment of you and having to endure the absurdities….” I recall once applying for a position and was asked the question, “Do you consider yourself an overachiever?” Ask yourself that question, how would you answer that question? Wanting to be an attorney was not looked at as a job for me, but a passion. My papa, the late Ralph Roper Sr., had my siblings and I think about careers as teenagers. I recall my papa saying, “If you do something you enjoy, it will never be a job.” My commitment to the justice system along with many of my colleagues, has sometimes been a very long and hard road, especially because, as women of color, it has required dogged determination, hard work, strength and grace. With staying focused on the long road, I am often conscious of one of my many affirmations: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” said Shirley Chisholm. I have walked into many courtrooms, ready to make an appearance in court, and been asked whether I was either a defendant’s family member, a social worker (there is nothing wrong with being either) or been ignored, until I showed my attorney identification. Would my bringing a “folding chair” help? Yes, how, because, we all have the ability to make changes and be a part of the change.

Judge Brown Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court—since its 232 year history, 17 chief justices, 103 associate justices, 5 female justices, two Black males and now a soon-to-be confirmed first female Black judge—is historic and an inspiration to future generations of Americans.

As we celebrate this historic moment, be reminded:

“Does my sassiness upset you?…Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?…You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise…Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise! I rise! I rise!” said Maya Angelou.

Under Siege!

Marc Morial, president & CEO of the National Urban League, expressed in the introduction to EDITORIAL the organization’s report on the “State of Black America” an outlook that is consistent with what many African Americans believe, and we are certainly in accord. He stated that “Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the United States has seen a steady rise in disenfranchisement practices giving one party an edge over the other. But never before has the nation seen such an insidious and coordinated campaign to obliterate the very principle of ‘one person, one vote’ from the political process.”

These invidious developments, Morial summarizes, are “a plot to destroy democracy.”

These are not just Morial’s impressions or opinions, they are based on data and analysis from his research partner, The Brennan Center for Justice that outlines “how unscrupulous state and federal lawmakers, devious political operatives, and violent extremists are working in concert to disenfranchise, delude, manipulate and intimidate American voters and establish one-party rule.”

It’s a strong and troubling indictment of the forces afoot to undermine the democratic process and the rule of law at the bedrock of the nation’s founding.

They list a number of steps that you can take to protect your voting rights, or at least to reclaim your vote which is being suppressed from state to state.

First of all, check your voter registration status, and then review the voter ID laws in your state because they are often not the same; make sure you know where your polling station is located since it may have changed without you knowing it; plan ahead and learn exactly what process of voting is in place, whether paper ballot or electronic; and then inquire as to how you can reclaim your vote.

There is no guarantee these steps can stop or offset the attacks on your rights, but an informed and vigilant populace is one safeguard you as a citizen can use to bolster the fight for your rights.

An alert and informed electorate is the best defense against those determined to destroy our democracy, and the National Urban League has made it clear that we are Under Siege!

Casilda E. Roper-Simpson, Esq. is an adjunct professor at Molloy College and a former administrative law judge. She can be contacted at croper-simpson@molloy.edu

Elinor R. Tatum: Publisher and Editor in Chief Kristin Fayne-Mulroy: Managing Editor Nayaba Arinde: Editor Cyril Josh Barker: Digital Editor Damaso Reyes: Investigative Editor Siobhan "Sam" Bennett: Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Advertising Wilbert A. Tatum (1984-2009): Chairman of the Board, CEO and Publisher Emeritus

AMNEWS READERS WRITE

PRESIDENT BIDEN, CANCEL THE STUDENT DEBT By CANCEL STUDENT DEBT COALITION

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has once again brought to light the systematic, and historical miscarriages of justice foundational to this nation. And once more, it is Black and Brown people facing the brunt of these injustices. The world is watching, bearing witness, and as subjects of this empire—what are we going to do about it? We, the working class people, humbly aspiring for economic equality and financial security, most of the time not only for ourselves but for our families as well, must pay an egregiously high price. A soul crushing, life-long debt simply for pursuing an education. It is what we’ve been told to do our entire lives, after all. Both implicitly and explicitly by our schools and as a condition of life. So why is something so essential to a person’s quality of life so expensive that most of us have no choice but to take out loans structured to keep us drowning in debt? The answer is comically predictable. So the rich can get richer, our labor is less valuable, and loan servicers, as well as universities get a steady revenue stream predicated on preying off the backs of regular people.

The people who keep this country running. The masses. Black people who are at the very bottom rung of every social economic measurement index, are being asked by the likes of U.S. Rep (D) Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, to make even more sacrifices than we already have! When questioned about whether the rising gas prices were a worthwhile sacrifice in order to support sanctions against Russia he responded, “I’m asking the people of the United States to also make that kind of sacrifice because in the long run, democracy is at stake.” To this statement from a puppet of the ruling oligarchs of this country, and with the consideration that Black women are disproportionately burdened with this crushing and lasting debt, we the Black community demand that Joe Biden use the power of the executive order to cancel and eliminate All Student Debt. Through mid-March the U.S. had already spent $13.6 billion in support of Ukraine. There should be no problem allocating funds we clearly have to help 46 million Americans with our collective $1.7 trillion—and mounting—student loan debt. It is fundamentally a display of bad leadership to pour more funding towards escalating war in another country, before helping the people of your own. Seeing how this is an issue that affects people of varying ages and how Biden explicitly ran on a platform of easing the debt, it is well within our right to demand he follow through. And not by handing us crumbs either. The fact that Biden may extend the repayment debt to August does not change our demand. The masses of Black people are vehemently opposed to war, and the suffering of all people. We are also against the imperialist mechanism known as N.A.T.O., as it has caused wholesale killing and destruction all over the world under the guise of “democracy.” We are calling on you, the students, to get plugged in. We make this country, and therefore we can break it if our demand is not met, if our people continue to be neglected and preyed on. Join the Resistance today. Demand that President Biden Cancel the Debt. For for information contact: 718-398-1766 Twitter: @CSDCoalition IG: cancelstudentdebtcoalition Email: cancelstudentdebtcoalition@gmail.com

THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS

O P I N I O N

This Easter, let’s rediscover our purpose

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the New York Amsterdam News. We continue to publish a variety of viewpoints so that we may know the opinions of others that may differ from our own.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS

The celebration of Easter provides us with the opportunity to take a step back and reassess our lives. It gives us the chance to contemplate who we are and what we aspire to be. Given that Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we should take advantage of this opportunity to reflect on ourselves and delve deeply into our minds in order to discover what brings us fulfillment and, ultimately, what our mission is in life––our purpose. In the same way that Jesus Christ led his disciples as his purpose and is now praised for it, we too should uncover what it is about ourselves that we may celebrate as well, and that may ultimately change the world.

Purpose is an amorphous concept; it encompasses a multitude of variables that we must examine, balance, and ultimately interpret in order to give light to the answer of what our purpose is. When discussing purpose, it is critical not to mistake it with outcome; that is, we should not become fixated on the end result of our actions, but rather on what we can do to ensure that our actions lead to the right result.

Our purpose of life may take various forms; it can be as simple—but vital—as being a good parent and raising a well-behaved and productive child who will ultimately develop into a fulfilled and productive adult. It may also be considerably broader in scope, such as being a world-class athlete, a scientist who conducts ground-breaking research, or even the leader of a country. This is to say that no cause is less deserving of respect.

Each individual, irrespective of who they are or what they do, plays a critical role in society. For example, the trucker may find purpose in performing good, honest work and raising a family, but the aggregate influence of that honest effort ultimately results in millions and millions of people receiving food, gas, and other necessities of life, and those people can use that truckers efforts to more easily fulfill their own purpose in life. Similarly, a mother who simply wants to raise a successful child may raise a child who ends up changing the world, and her simple goal of raising the child well may wind up altering the world for the better.

When one’s purpose is fulfilled, that purpose for which they have worked so diligently comes to fruition and all their hard work proves to be worthwhile. Pursuing fulfillment inspires us to be better, to do better, and to contribute to the world as much as we give to ourselves.

A sense of purpose seems to have been lost in today’s society; many disregard their values and indulge in unethical activity out of self-interest. Self-interest is not the same as purpose. A self-centered individual will undoubtedly have an influence on the world, but it may not be for the better. When people lie, cheat, and attack others in order to advance their own immoral interests, the only thing accomplished is that such a person may reduce, cut off, or obstruct the development of another’s purpose, thereby resulting in a domino effect in which the scores of people who could have been benefited from the actions of that person end up worse off because of the bad actor.

We witness instances of this in daily life; political operatives and disturbed persons work tirelessly to convince and manipulate others into adopting views and acting in ways they would not otherwise. One of the most prominent recent examples of how bad actors can persuade people to be worse off is the propaganda surrounding Texas’s improperly dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” law. This entirely made-up propagandistic term has persuaded a vast group of people to join the side of fringe, farleft individuals who want to teach 2nd graders about transgenderism and gender identity. I assumed it would go without saying that teaching children political views would immediately alter their path of life and alter their perspective on the world in ways that they would not have consented to had they been of a more mature mind, but apparently not.

Easter is a time for celebration and prayer, for our own well-being, the well-being of our loved ones, and the well-being of the planet. I pray that the people of this world discover the purpose for their being and that it is not thwarted by a malevolent few. I pray that everyone finds fulfillment in life, improves as a result, and positively impacts the world. While no one is flawless, every one of us has a role to play in achieving success in this life, both for ourselves and for the world. It is my hope that we will see that, and I believe that we will, as long as we see beyond those who want to undermine our life’s purpose.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirkholdings.com

CHRISTINA GREER PH.D.

I constantly overhear people saying they are “over COVID!” I get it. Folks are tired of living in fear, masking up, and changing their way of life. However, even though we may be “over it,” COVID is surely not over us.

Across the country and even in New York City, mask mandates are being loosened as more and more New Yorkers are doing their civic duty by getting vaccinated AND boosted. More New Yorkers realize that even though they may not be in a high-risk group, their loved ones and neighbors may have pre-existing conditions and/or may be immunocompromised and need the collective to do their part to help decrease the spread of COVID by getting vaccinated and boosted.

As the variants of COVID come and go and more and more people catch COVID and move through the varying symptoms—ranging from sore throats and headaches to full-on hospital visits due to lack of breath or feeling like they cannot move a muscle—the fear of COVID seems to be drastically decreasing in so many communities.

By no means am I advocating for living in fear. However, I am advocating for staying vigilant. I recently traveled and noticed hundreds of maskless people in the airport. They were either wearing their mask as a chin strap, which is completely ineffective, or they had it barely covering their mouths with their nose exposed, which is hardly effective at all. We must remember that thousands of people are still dying from COVID each day. That is, family, friends, and community members are losing a loved one due to a virus that could be curtailed if we stay vigilant even when it is slightly uncomfortable.

For those who are interested in reflecting on those lost to COVID, the Brooklyn Museum currently has an exhibit, “Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: A Crack in the Hourglass, An Ongoing COVID-19 Memorial” which runs until June 26, 2022. The exhibit is described as: “a modified robotic plotter deposits grains of hourglass sand onto a black surface to recreate the images of those lost due to COVID-19. After each portrait is completed, the surface tilts and the same sand is recycled into the next portrait, echoing the collective and ongoing nature of the pandemic.”

If you would like to submit a photograph of someone you lost to COVID, you may do so at www.acrackinthehourglass.net, accompanied by a personalized dedication. Ultimately, the resulting memorials will be available, via livestream and in archive form, on the project’s website, https:// memorialCOVID-lozanohemmer.web.app/archive/

Until we are officially on “the other side” of COVID and its many variants, please remember to stay safe, wash your hands, maintain six feet, wear your mask, and test yourself if you can. I want the Amsterdam News family to continue to stay healthy despite these scary times.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.