May 2, 2025

Transit crews who worked at WTC pile still awaiting disability pension benefit

UFT leadership prevails in voting dispute

BY CRYSTAL LEWIS clewis@thechiefleader.com

In a victory for the current leadership of the United Federation of Teachers and its longtime president, a New York State Supreme Court judge has given a green light to in-person voting options in the union’s upcoming election.

Although it is expected that the majority of votes will be cast by mail ballot, the union’s election committee in January voted unanimously to expand in-person voting options.

Amy Arundell, who is running for UFT president on the A Better Contract slate, filed a suit April 15 claiming that the union’s plan to allow in-person voting at a number of events violated its constitution. The lawsuit alleged that the consti-

tution does not include language permitting in-person voting, and that the plan was “heavily skewed towards getting members to vote who favor the Unity Caucus,” which is headed by the union’s incumbent leadership.

The suit called for the in-person voting plan to be blocked.

After receiving a letter threatening a lawsuit over in-person voting, the union on April 9 asked a state judge to determine whether in-person voting was allowed.

Judge David Cohen last Thursday denied Arundell’s request, effectively permitting in-person voting to go on as planned. No explanation accompanied the order, which simply states that Arundell’s petition was dismissed.

“The UFT members won today. The court ruled the union can implement a plan to expand in-person voting in the upcoming election,”

Union’s Mulgrew facing challenges from two slates

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said in a statement. “The UFT is a vibrant democracy with a long history of vigorous internal elections. Expanded in-person voting is simply the next step in that process.”

Labor lawyer Arthur Schwartz, who filed the suit on behalf of Arundell and A Better Contract,

See UFT, page 2

BY RICHARD KHAVKINE richardk@thechiefleader.com

Philip Ronnie Shpiller retired from his 30-year career with the city as an emergency-response plumber with the New York City Transit Authority in 2012. But in a very real sense, the work never left him.

Shpiller and dozens of his colleagues at the authority had labored with firefighters, cops and other first responders at ground zero following the September 11 terror attacks, sifting through still-smoldering rubble over the course of six long days and nights. As a stunned city tried to make sense of the events, they worked to find the remains of the dead. They did so out of a sense of duty, Shpiller said a few years ago.

He and his TA coworkers toiled at the site over four 16-hour days and two 12-hour days. Shpiller and hundreds of those who labored at

the site would pay and still do pay, often dearly, for the time they spent on the pile.

In the years following his retirement, Shpiller, who would eventually move to Florida, was diagnosed as having post-traumatic stress syndrome, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and reactive airways dysfunction syndrome, which can be caused by a single exposure to high levels of an irritant or after repeated exposures to lower levels. His treatment was being paid through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

He eventually succumbed to illness attributable to his work at ground zero, last Sept. 10, in his hometown of Boynton Beach. Shpiller was 70. For years, though, he had led an effort on behalf of his colleagues to secure a disability pension granted to thousands of other civil servants who sifted through the ruins of the twin tow-

ers. Sick, but also frustrated and increasingly angry, he lobbied elected officials to correct what he believed was not just an oversight, but an injustice.

“We did 16-hour days and when we were being taken back to our shop by bus at 11:30 at night, there were thousands of people lining the sidewalks holding lit candles because there was no electricity and they were thanking us and calling us heroes, and yet 21 and a half years later we are still fighting for what we deserve,” Shpiller said two years ago, as yet another legislative effort to secure the pension provision languished in Albany.  For at least six years, a bill that would grant the retired NYCTA workers who contracted an illness as a consequence of having participated in the rescue, recovery

With ranked endorsements, DC 37 rejects Cuomo, hears out activist members

Retirees shunned BY DUNCAN FREEMAN dfreeman@thechiefleader.com

Within a day of District Council

37’s endorsement of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for mayor, the union had already printed out dozens of pro-Adams signs and marshaled Attorney General Letitia James and the heads of two other powerful unions — UNITE HERE Local 100 and Local 1180 of the Communications Workers of America — to join DC 37’s leadership and Adams at a press conference in the union’s new, state-of-the-art downtown headquarters. The rapid creation of a coalition of support could be a sign of things to come for Adams as DC 37’s Executive Director Henry Garrido pledged April 23 to do “everything in our power” to get the speaker elected mayor. James promised to do the same, saying that she planned to speak with Adams in Black churches across the city, and identified her as someone who could “protect the rule of law and our democracy.”   Garrido’s and James’ endorsements were not entirely unexpected. Both reportedly urged her to

run, and after a DC 37 mayoral forum in February, which Adams didn’t attend because she had not yet joined the race, Garrido told The Chief she was someone he hoped his members could hear from.   Adams could also be counted as in support of switching municipal retirees to a privately administered Medicare Advantage plan, an issue championed by Garrido and other labor leaders as a means of saving the city around $600 million annually, money that would help replenish the Joint Health Insurance Premium Stabilization Fund, which props up municipal unions’ health and welfare-fund benefits.  DC 37 also ranked Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and State Senator Zellnor Myrie in a  slate of three candidates, in effect passing up two candidates who have championed labor during their respective tenures — State Senator Jessica Ramos, the chair of that chamber’s Labor Committee, but who has spoken out against the proposed switch, including at a DC 37 mayoral forum in February, and Comptroller Brad Lander who also opposes the switch. Lander also declined to register a nascent Medicare Advantage contract negotiated with managed-care giant Aetna in

2023, saying at the time that he was “seriously concerned about the privatization of Medicare plans.”

At last Wednesday’s press conference, Garrido, James and Adams hammered former Governor Andrew Cuomo — the race’s de facto front-runner — for, among other things, creating the Tier 6 retirement plan that increased the retirement age for public employees. Gloria Middleton, Local 1180’s president, said that some New Yorkers’ support of Cuomo is evidence of “selective amnesia.”

But since the former governor has to date won the backing of other prominent unions, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and two DC 37 locals representing EMS workers and officers among them, some union members predicted that DC 37 leadership would also endorse him. But members of the union’s committee, which interviewed all the mayoral candidates, were turned off by much of Cuomo’s record, including his push for Tier 6, said Laura Pirtle Morand, president of Local 2627 and a member of the committee.

“He brought about Tier 6 that

Executive Director Henry Garrido, center, stood Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, to Garrido’s right, after announcing the union’s endorsement of Adams in her run for mayor.

Solemn salute to labor amid threats to worker safety

BY CRYSTAL LEWIS clewis@thechiefleader.com

Elie William, a 45-year electrician’s assistant working on a renovation project at the Waldorf Astoria, was the first worker to die in New York City this year.

The construction worker fell 40 feet through a drywall ceiling from a suspended catwalk Jan. 2.

Labor advocates, elected officials and workers gathered Monday near the Park Avenue hotel where William died to commemorate Workers Memorial Day, the annual event honoring those who died on the job in the past year.

“Workers Memorial Day reminds us that worker health and safety is not a luxury, like those at the Waldorf Astoria probably thought. Worker safety is a matter of life and death,” said Charlene Obernauer, the executive director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, said during the ceremony.

Advocates highlighted that William, originally from Haiti, had been in New York City just six weeks.

“Immigrants perform some of the most dangerous work in New York City, with some of the fewest protections. Whether they’re in agriculture, delivery work, construction or meatpacking, these jobs are where workplace injuries and fatalities occur, and they’re at alarming rates,” Obernauer said.

She said recent efforts by the Trump administration to cut funding at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and to increase immigration raids puts all workers at risk.

“When ICE raids workplaces, safety becomes secondary to survival,” Obernauer said. “Workers who might speak up about missing guardrails, or faulty equipment or fake training know that visibility can mean vulnerability. These sick policies hurt immigrant families and undermine safety for everyone.”

Since last year’s Workers Memorial Day, at least 41 workers have died on the job in New York City.

“Over 40 workers, who just like any number of you woke up in the morning, went to work healthy and did not come home to their families,” said Brendan Griffith, the chief of staff at the New York City Central Labor Council.

Among those known to have died while at work during the past year, 16 worked in construction, making it the deadliest industry.

“Every single one of us deserves to return home at night. Unfortunately we continue to see in the construction industry unscrupulous contractors [and] unsafe conditions,” said City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, who chairs the Council’s Civil Service and Labor Committee. “Today, we mourn for those that are gone, those empty seats at the dinner table tonight, but we also make a commitment, a living memorial, to those that are still here that we must ensure that our policies meet the moment, that workers at the margins are protected, that each of you has the resources and the conditions to return to your family. Only then will we then see justice for those that have fallen.”

Ned Hanlon, president of the American Guild of Musical Artists, noted that safety was an issue that affects workers in every industry.

“Every night I sing at the Metropolitan Opera House, which is a safety nightmare with set pieces literally flying around all over the place — and the only reason I stay safe is because a) the collective bargaining agreement that we have

negotiated and b) because of my union brothers and sisters, particularly our stagehands,” he said. “Because the thing is, we have to keep each other safe, because the bosses don’t care, they’re not going to do it.”

De La Rosa and Father Brian Jordan of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi read aloud the names of the workers who died. Although 41 names were read, it’s possible that some worker deaths were unaccounted for since there is no official way to track the deaths,

Which is why, Obernauer said, it’s especially important for the Council to pass legislation introduced last year that would require employers to report workplace fatalities.

Many of those who died were deliveristas, but “a lot of times there are incidents where a bicyclist was killed and they don’t know if they were working at the time, especially because they’re not typically employees of one company; they’re usually independent contractors,” she explained. “So we do want to make sure that this information is tracked because you can’t write good policy if you don’t know what’s absolutely happening, and in a lot of industries we don’t really know the information.”

Educators frustrated about their delayed reimbursements for travel, coursework

BY CRYSTAL LEWIS clewis@thechiefleader.com

Therapists, nurses and other educators working in the city’s public school system are sick of having to wait months and even years to be reimbursed for travel and coursework expenses.

Members of the United Federation of Teachers rallied near the Department of Education’s headquarters at Tweed Courthouse April 23 to sound the alarm over what they claim are frequent delays the educators face to get their contractually entitled reimbursements.

Nurses, occupational, physical therapists and speech therapists, counselors and other educators who travel to more than one school building in a day are entitled to travel reimbursements known as TRAC — for Travel Request and Approval Certification. About 15,000 educators travel to different school buildings each day, often using their own vehicle and paying for their own gas, according to the union.

Michael Mulgrew, the UFT’s president, said that it has taken as long as 53 months for members to receive their mileage reimbursements.

Occupational and physical therapists are also entitled to up to $1,800 a year in reimbursements for courses needed to maintain their licenses.

“We’re asking for the Department of Ed to tell their payroll division ‘Enough is enough,’” Mulgrew said during the press conference. “This money is allotted in the budget every year. So the money is here.”

Melissa Teodosio, an occupational therapist who has worked in the city school system for 10 years, said that it took eight months for the DOE to reimburse her after she submitted a request last June.

“In my experience, we’ve never received our reimbursement in a timely manner. And it’s not getting any better; it’s only getting worse,” she said. “With these kinds of delays, I’m often reluctant to sign up for classes because I don’t know if I’m ever going to receive this money or how long it’s going to take.”

Lori Fernandez, an occupational therapist, said she waited nine months to be reimbursed $249 for a course. “We’re responsible to keep up with our courses in a timely manner because that’s how we keep our license, but they’re not responsible for paying us in a timely manner. I don’t get it,” she said. Caroline Murphy, chapter leader for the speech therapists, decried the cumbersome reimbursement process.

“Every month, they have to put in every single address of every school they traveled to each day. If they

‘The DOE system for this is broken.’

— Catherine Cirillo, A UFT SUPERVISOR

happen to put the wrong number, or didn’t spell the name right, it all gets kicked back,” she said.

Murphy said that some speech therapists were owed thousands of dollars going back several years. “I have one member who is owed mileage from 2024, 2023 and 2022, for a total payment outstanding of $3,460. I have another member who has also been waiting for three years for $1,938. They have been filing grievances every three months,” she said.

Catherine Cirillo, the UFT’s supervisor of OT/PTs and nurses, said it was unfair for members awaiting reimbursement to have to wait 90 days before they can file a tuition or a travel reimbursement inquiry — and then they must hold off four to six weeks before they can file another inquiry.

“The DOE system for this reimbursement is broken; it needs to be fixed. We want it fixed now,” she said.

Teodosio also implored the DOE to establish a more efficient system. “It’s very important that the DOE is stepping up to reimburse us, this is our contractual right and we need this money to maintain our license,” she said.

Jenna Lyle, a DOE spokesperson, said in a statement that “Here at New York City Public Schools, we work to ensure that our dedicated staff have the resources they need as they support our students, like adding additional staff to assist in processing claims, developing documentation and processing guidance for staff, and developing ongoing trackers for any issues to ensure timely resolution. We are working diligently to ensure that all approved outstanding claims are processed within 120 days.”

But Fernandez noted that although many of the educators were owed just a couple of hundred dollars, that amount wasn’t insignificant.

“Four hundred dollars might not sound like a lot of money, but we don’t even make a lot of money. I could have used that — used that for groceries,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be something huge, it’s huge to us.”

ELECTION: In-person vote OK’d

Continued from Page 1

did not return a request for comment. In-person voting is expected to be held at the UFT’s district offices, at the union’s delegate assembly meeting, two awards ceremonies, and the union’s annual spring conference, scheduled for May 17. This year’s election will be overseen by Global Election Services, whose officers will be present at the events where in-person voting is planned. The union pointed out that “the option of in-person voting is not new.” In previous years’ elections,

there have been limited cases of in-person voting, which usually took place at an office of the American Arbitration Association, the independent organization charged with overseeing previous UFT elections. Mulgrew, who has headed the union since 2009, is facing challenges from two slates — A Better Contract and ARISE. The union represents nearly 200,000 active and retired public school educators. Ballots will be mailed out to members starting May 1 and are expected to be counted May 29.

Crystal Lewis/The Chief

Construction workers, labor advocates and elected officials honored workers who have died on the job Monday on Park Avenue near 49th Street. This year’s Workers Memorial Day ceremony was held outside of the Waldorf Astoria, where construction worker Elie William, 45, died in January.

United Federation of Teachers

Members of the United Federation of Teachers rallied outside of the Department of Education’s Chambers Street headquarters to urge the DOE to reimburse educators for their travel and course expenses in a more timely fashion.

Gillibrand, unions condemn staff cuts at area Social Security Admin offices

AFGE’s Osorio: workers ‘disenchanted,’ ‘alienated’

BY DUNCAN FREEMAN dfreeman@thechiefleader.com

Federal Social Security employees are “being set up for failure,” the president of a union representing 1,200 Social Security Administration employees in New York City, Westchester and Long Island is saying.  Edwin Osorio, president of Local 3369 of the American Federation of Government Employees, says his members are accepting voluntary resignation offers, being arbitrarily reassigned to different departments, facing harsher consequences for infractions and are forced to work in-person every day despite a collective bargaining agreement provision that allows them to work from home.

“My members are facing myriad issues,” Osorio said during a phone interview with The Chief last Friday.

“We’re being set up for failure.”

As the Trump administration continues to slash broad swaths of the administrative state, more than

50 members of Local 3369 have left their post, reducing staffing levels below even the historic lows at which the office operated prior to Jan. 20. In one office in Jamaica, Queens, staffing has been reduced from nearly 150 to around 40 in the last 20 years, even as workloads have increased, Osorio said.

“You have about a third of the size of staffers servicing 20 to 25 percent more people,” the union leader said. “We’re asking people to do more than above what they were already unable to do.”

In total, more than 2,000 Social Security employees have already accepted voluntary buyouts, and the Trump administration intends to cut an additional 12 percent of the service’s staff, or roughly 7,000 employees.

On April 22, Osorio joined New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Brooklyn U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, labor leaders and elder advocates in lower Manhattan to deride what they said was the administration’s attempts to clandestinely cut the agency that provides benefits to 73 million Americans, and in the process slowing down wait times and demoralizing staff. They

were joined by advocates for seniors and the executive director of the city’s largest municipal union, District Council 37’s Henry Garrido.

“The Trump administration’s cuts, however, are making it more and more difficult for retirees to access their Social Security,” Gillibrand said at the April 22 rally. “The website keeps crashing. They keep demanding you use online services and they’re not working. It’s wrong and it’s unfair.”

‘All-hands-on deck moment’

Goldman and Gillibrand said that the Trump administration was attempting to gut the Social Security Administration without congressional approval by exhausting and demoralizing its workforce. Trump has denied that he’s cutting the program, but Elon Musk, the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has singled out Social Security as rife with fraud and inefficiencies.

The agency has announced plans to close several field offices, cut the agency’s phone service for beneficiaries to cut fraud and use X, Musk’s social media app, as the

City academic unions condemn Trump’s attacks on universities

BY DUNCAN FREEMAN dfreeman@thechiefleader.com

Union leaders gathered outside of City Hall last week to condemn the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education as it withholds federal funds earmarked for university coffers, rescinds research grants and deports students.

Leadership of the Professional Staff Congress-CUNY, United Auto Workers Region 9A and Local 1104 of the Communications Workers of America joined the City Council’s Progressive Caucus at a recent rally to denounce the administration’s efforts.

James Davis, the president of PSC-CUNY, which represents about 30,000 faculty and staff at the City University of New York, called Trump a “wannabe authoritarian” and said that university unions and management had to unite to defend universities’ funding and students.

“Cancelling federal grants, like this administration is trying to do, is a clear sign of weakness,” Davis said at the rally. “They are out to make scapegoats of people to intimidate others. We will not be intimidated, and our administrations should not be intimidated.”

Union officials and rank-and-file workers represented a wide variety of institutions in New York City that have all been affected in different ways. Workers at Columbia, represented by several locals within UAW Region 9A, has faced the brunt of the attacks, with the Trump administration detaining several pro-Palestinian immigrant students, revoking $400 million in funding and cancelling some federal research funding destined for the Ivy League institution.

The unions at Columbia have been united in demanding the university stand up to the administration, but university leadership has yet to tap into its endowment to cover funding gaps, as union leaders have asked. University officials also fired Grant Miner, president of a UAW Local 2710 unit of 3,000 un-

dergraduate and graduate workers.

Other speakers, including a New York University professor and the president of a CWA local representing workers at Fordham — which Trump attended for two years — talked about the need for university administrations to work with their unions to stand up for their funding.

Leadership of universities across America has started pushing back on the Trump administration as well. In a letter released last week, leaders of more than 800 American universities wrote that “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” from the administration is “endangering” higher education.

The signatories include the leaders of Columbia University, several CUNY colleges and the president of Fordham.

“We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding,” the higher education leaders wrote. “Most fundamentally, America’s colleges and universities prepare an educated citizenry to sustain our democracy.

The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society.”

The letter followed Harvard University’s resistance earlier this month, when it rejected Trump administration demands that the institution better police antisemitism on campus. The White House has said it would withhold $9 billion in federal grants research funding if the university failed to comply.

Union members at Harvard rallied on Monday in support of their administration’s stance, and the university has filed a lawsuit seeking to unfreeze $2.2 billion in funding being held up by the federal officials.

Already some of the Trump administration’s policies affecting universities have been rolled back.

The administration last week restored the legal status of thousands of international students following waves of lawsuits from foreign-born

means to field service requests. After backlash from groups advocating for senior citizens and Social Security beneficiaries from across the country, the planned cuts to phone service were scrapped. Instead the administration is instituting new technology that allows staff to conduct anti-fraud checks over the phone and flag abnormal behavior, they said.

“The Social Security anti-fraud team has worked around the clock in person to improve technological capabilities and they are now able to identify fraud on claims filed over the telephone,” a department spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

senator said one constituent called every single day in March, sometimes multiple times a day, and was repeatedly put on hold and told to call back later.

It wasn’t until the constituent reached out to Gillibrand’s office and got help from the senator’s staff that she was able to get their questions answered by Social Security’s staff, more than a month after she had initially called. She insisted that the White House has the funds to properly administer Social Security.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” Gillibrand said. “We have to protect Social Security.”

scholars on student visas or with permanent resident status who had been threatened with detainment and deportation.

Arturo Enamorado III, a PSC member and faculty lecturer at Kingsborough Community College, said Trump was revealing his true nature with his “attacks on academic freedom” and the “kidnapping” of our students.

“Higher education is the way to our future,” he said.

The White House has tried to assure the public that there wouldn’t be any disruption to service, but callers are spending nearly 50 percent more time on hold and are taking slightly longer to receive a callback since Trump came into power, according to the agency’s own figures. “President Trump has promised to protect Americans’ hard-earned Social Security benefits so that all eligible individuals can access them,” Lee Dudek, the department’s acting commissioner, said in a recent statement.   New Yorkers are still being put on hold for hours when trying to contact SSA, Gillibrand said. The

Osorio says that the staffing cuts and heavy workloads has left his members “disenchanted” with their jobs and “alienated.” The Trump administration has insisted that Social Security employees work in-person every day and has ignored the contract provision that permits them to work from home several days a week.

That, and the heavy workloads have been two of the biggest drivers of his members’ discontent, Osorio said. “It makes it very challenging to start each day and not hope for it to end,” he said. “We only became less efficient since [DOGE] got involved.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Dan Goldman flank Edwin Osorio, president of Local 3369 of the American Federation of Government Employees, at a lower Manhattan rally last week.

Duncan Freeman / The Chief James Davis, PSC-CUNY’s president, speaking at a rally near City Hall last week

alongside members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus.

COMMENTARY COMMENTARY COMMENTARY

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dereliction

To The ediTor:

Retirees are accustomed to breaches of faith by labor and political leaders who otherwise have a moral obligation to protect our hard earned health benefits.

The latest betrayal? Last year, State Senator Pete Harckham sponsored the Health Equity for Retirees Act, legislation that would forbid the diminishing of public sector retirees’ health insurance benefits, such as through a switch to Medicare Advantage.

He recently withdrew his bill, seemingly succumbing to pressure from District Council 37, the United Federation of Teachers and the New York State AFL-CIO (DC 37’s Henry Garrido and the UFT’s Michael Mulgrew serve on its executive council).

The bill will likely now not come up for a vote. Adding insult to injury, the arm twisting calls for a watered down version with a UFT-inspired poison pill, i.e. health benefits can be reduced as long as they apply equally to active employees!

It is no coincidence that the State AFL-CIO has endorsed Harckham. And that their offices are at 50 Broadway, owned by the UFT. As a grassroots reform UFT member organization, A Better Contract (ABC), has observed, “This isn’t just political irony. It’s political rot.”

The pressure campaign is analogous to the political thuggery that Garrido has exerted on City Council members to oppose Intro 1096, which would codify health benefit protections. When a similar bill was being considered; he told the Daily News in 2023: “I’m prepared to withdraw support … money, endorsements — everything.”

DC 37 has now endorsed City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for mayor, a consistent roadblock of Intro 1096.

Retirees will keep reminding union voters which candidates and labor leaders have their back.

Harry Weiner

Time for a reboot

To The ediTor:

State legislation that would have preserved the current health benefits of all state and city retirees, Health Equity for Retirees (S3607/ A4639), is dead on arrival. State Senator Pete Harckham, the bill’s

sponsor in that chamber, caved to the machinations of District Council 37’s Henry Garrido and the United Federation of Teachers’ Michael Mulgrew.

The bill would also have done away with recently enacted co-pays that these same union heads allowed to happen. The NYC Municipal Labor Committee controlled by Garrido and Mulgrew has embraced reduced health care for retirees while also accepting contractual raises for their members that fail to meet increases in the cost of living.

It’s time to elect leaders who will send the current union heads and their patronage mills packing. We can learn much from advocate Marianne Pizzitola and the Chicago Teachers Union for their unapologetic support of unionists. NYC labor needs a major reset!

Joseph Campbell

Veto Cuomo

To The ediTor:

In a disturbing move, some political, religious and union leaders announced their support for Andrew Cuomo for mayor. Having these leaders side with an accused sexual harasser is deplorable. He resigned, but is now backing off from his eventual apologies to run for mayor, countersuing his victims into submission. The scandals cost taxpayers millions in court and settlement fees.

During Cuomo’s tenure, rents statewide rose 33 percent. In New York City, 50 percent of tenants became rent-burdened, spiking homelessness while enriching real estate developers. He underfunded city schools, then ignored a court order to provide the $2 billion owed. When he resigned, that debt had increased to $4 billion, placing the state shamefully at #48 in the country.

He created the disastrous Tier 6, treating new hires as second-class citizens by increasing service years, contributions and penalties, while decreasing benefits. This caused mounting vacancies in the civil service and an inability to attract new workers to replace Tier 4 retirees.

This self-professed “car guy” syphoned $465 million from the MTA, while subways fell further into disrepair. He refused to refund, instead proposing using $216 million to create a light and music show at NYC bridges.

WORK RULES by Barbara Smaller

But most unforgivable was his order placing Covid patients in nursing homes, thereby exposing residents to the virus and leading to 15,000 deaths. He’s now accused of lying to Congress, with this case referred to the DOJ for prosecution. Do we want another mayor beholden to Trump for a pardon for his misdeeds? Although a Queens native, he’s only shown contempt for our city. The suffering inflicted in his years as governor is unforgivable. Please do not rank this immensely corrupt, self-serving and possibly criminal politician in the upcoming primaries. New York City can and must do better than this!

Rebeca Pagan-Rodriguez

Idiotology

To The ediTor: Donald Trump’s first 100 days can be summed up by one word —

incompetence. Fire scientists researching Ebola and phone staff at Social Security without understanding the consequences; scramble to re-hire them.

Develop a ham-fisted algorithm to cut and replace DEI; discover you eliminated programs handling financial equity and portfolio diversity and even deleted references to the Enola Gay. Try to undo the damage. Top aides sharing detailed, real-time military bombing operations over a phone-app chat, with civilians —twice! Trump’s health tsar claiming autism is “preventable.” Finish by insulting autistic Americans, saying, “these are kids who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go on a date.”

Planes crashing, falling from the sky, clipping wings at airports and engines bursting into flames, all met by silence at the FAA.

Tariffs are on-off-on-off, increased, decreased, implemented (or not) to stop fentanyl and border crossings, or perhaps to bring back jobs, possibly to reduce trade imbalances, or maybe as a negotiating tactic.

Tariffs are permanent or temporary, starting in March, or April, in 90 days or never. They will be 10 percent, or 20 percent or 145 percent, or they will “come down substantially.”

Even Trump’s signature mass deportation program has been chaotic. The high-profile first effort was to remove the worst of the worst. But, according to a “60 Minutes” background check, 179 of 238 deportees have no criminal records. How did Trump identify these bad guys? Tattoos! What a buffoon. Joseph Cannisi

See LETTERS, page 5

THE CHIEF welcomes letters from its readers for publication. Correspondents must include their names, addresses and phone numbers. Letters should be submitted with the understanding that all correspondence is subject to the editorial judgment of this newspaper. To submit a letter online, visit thechief.org and click on Letters to the Editor.

For Adams, independence is no guarantee

BY BERNARD WHALEN

It’s no secret that in New York City the most important qualification for getting elected mayor is being a Democrat. It does not even require a candidate to be a good Democrat. Since the five boroughs merged in 1898, some of the worst mayors have been Democrats — Robert Van Wyck, Jimmy Walker, William O’Dwyer, Abraham Beame and Bill de Blasio. Both Walker and O’Dwyer resigned in disgrace and for a while it looked like Eric Adams would have to do the same, but he dodged a bullet and will at least finish out his term.

To be fair, John Lindsay won as a Republican, but he was so bad even the Republicans abandoned him when he ran for reelection. When it became apparent that the Democrats were going to do the same thing to Adams, he decided he was going to abandon them first and take his chances running as an Independent. History, however, is not on his side. Independent candidates are usually supported by an amalgamation of fringe political parties and disgruntled voters on what is called a

fusion ticket. For a fusion candidate to win, the incumbent mayor has to be extremely unpopular. In 1897, Seth Low ran as a Republican and lost to Democrat Van Wyck to become the first mayor of the Greater City of New York.  At the time, mayors were restricted to a single four-year term. A lot of voters would probably like that today. Van Wyck was so bad that the city charter was changed to limit the mayoral term to just two years and give the public an opportunity to replace a bad mayor sooner rather than later. Seth Low won the mayoralty as a fusion candidate and served from 1902 and 1903. But two years to accomplish the reforms he promised was not enough. The Democrats defeated him next time around and then changed the city charter back to four-year mayoral terms. It also allowed incumbents to remain in office for as long as they were reelected.

Fiorello La Guardia and Robert Wagner both served three terms under that provision. The city charter was changed a third time, restricting the winner to two terms, but Michael Bloomberg, running as an independent, got around that. It

NYC Municipal Archives

Vincent Impellitteri, who won a special election for city mayor in 1950, is one of a select few to have succeeded without Democrat support.

turned out bad for him. His third term tainted any chance he had for higher office. Adams’ main problem is that his first term has been nothing to brag

about. He has made some inroads in the fight against crime, but little else. His favorability record is very low and several of his appointed officials have tarnished his adminis-

tration, so he can’t campaign as an independent on the incompetence of the previous mayor in the way that both Low and Vincent Impellitteri, who won a special election in 1950 without Democrat support after O’Dwyer resigned in disgrace, did.

Adams will have to come up with another formula if he is to defeat the current presumptive Democratic Party nominee, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ironically, also resigned from office in disgrace. Fortunately for Cuomo, New Yorkers have short memories when it comes to electing their mayors, otherwise they would not keep repeating the mistakes of the past. Lastly, Adams is unlikely to siphon enough Democratic voters away from Cuomo to make a difference. Even ranked-choice voting will not help him, because if he’s not a voter’s first choice, the question becomes, what has he done to deserve to be a voter’s second choice to win reelection? One thing is for certain, blaming Cuomo for taking votes away from him is not the best way to ingratiate himself to the voters.

Judge blocks Trump attempt to nix federal workers’ union rights

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing an executive order that a labor union says would cancel collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled last Friday that a key part of President Donald Trump’s March 27 order can’t be enforced at roughly three dozen agencies and departments where employees are represented by the National Treasury Employees Union.

The union, which represents nearly 160,000 federal government employees workers, sued to challenge Trump’s order. The union said it would lose more than half of its revenue and over two-thirds of its membership if the judge denied its request for a preliminary injunction. Friedman said he would issue an opinion in several days to explain his two-page order. The ruling isn’t the final word in the lawsuit. He gave the attorneys until this Friday to submit a proposal for how the case should proceed.

Union president Doreen Greenwald said the judge’s order is “a victory for federal employees, their union rights and the American people they serve.”

“The preliminary injunction granted at NTEU’s request means the collective bargaining rights of federal employees will remain intact and the administration’s unlawful agenda to silence the voices of federal employees and dismantle unions is blocked,” Greenwald said in a statement.

Some agencies, including the FBI, are exempt from a law requiring federal agencies to bargain with labor organizations over employment matters. Presidents can apply the exemption to agencies that have a “primary function” of performing intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative or national security work.

But no president before Trump tried to use the national security exemption to exclude an entire cabinet-level agency from the law’s

requirements, according to the employees’ union. It said Trump’s order is designed to facilitate mass firings and exact “political vengeance” against federal unions opposed to his agenda.

“The President’s use of the Statute’s narrow national security exemption to undo the bulk of the Statute’s coverage is plainly at odds with Congress’s expressed intent,” union attorneys wrote.

Government lawyers argued that the court order requested by the union would interfere with the president’s duty to ensure federal workers are prepared to help protect national security.

“It is vital that agencies with a primary purpose of national security are responsive and accountable to the American people.” Justice Department attorneys wrote.

The IRS is the largest bargaining unit represented by the National Treasury Employees Union. A day after Trump signed his order, the administration sued a union chapter in Kentucky to seek a ruling that it can terminate the collective bargaining agreement for the IRS.

The union says the administration has “effectively conceded” that its members don’t do national security work. The union members

Ex-DOJ prosecutor challenges his firing by

White House

Following Laura Loomer social media post

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

A former career Justice Department prosecutor is challenging his firing by the White House, saying it was for “unprecedented partisan and political reasons” and undermines a “bedrock principle” of the justice system after he was dismissed following a post by rightwing activist Laura Loomer.

Adam Schleifer, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, was fired without explanation in March in an email from a White House official. It came exactly one hour after Loomer, a conservative internet personality known for incendiary comments, called for his removal in a social media post highlighting his past critical views about Trump while running in a Democratic primary for a New York congressional seat.

In a filing with the Merit Systems Protection Board — which is responsible for protecting government employees from political reprisals — Schleifer argues he was unlawfully fired in retaliation for protected political speech from a time when he wasn’t working as a government lawyer. He’s seeking reinstatement, back pay and other relief.

“Nothing in Mr. Schleifer’s conduct as a private citizen would cast any doubt on his commitment to defend the Constitution and the rule of law and to advance the impartial administration of justice,” Schleifer said in the filing obtained by The Associated Press. Schleifer declined to comment to the AP on Monday.

An email seeking comment was sent to the White House. At the time of his firing, Schleif-

affected by the executive order also include employees of the Health and Human Services Department, the Energy Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission.

The union said it will lose approximately $25 million in dues revenue over the next year. Some agencies, it says, already have stopped deducting union dues from employees’ pay.

“In the absence of preliminary injunctive relief, NTEU may no longer be able to exist in a manner that is meaningful to the federal workers for whom it fights,” union lawyers wrote.

Government attorneys argued that the courts typically defer to the president’s judgment on national security matters.

“Executive actions that are facially valid — that is, within the lawful authority of the executive — are entitled to a presumption of regularity,” they wrote.

AFGE will layoff more than half of union’s staff

Outspoken Trump opponent

BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

The largest union for federal employees is planning to lay off more than half of its staff nationwide after President Donald Trump’s executive actions have rapidly weakened the organization’s finances, the union said.

The American Federation of Government Employees will move ahead with a reduction in force that could cut its 355 employees to approximately 150, eliminating organizers, national representatives, support staff and others.

The layoffs will weaken a leading opponent to Trump’s dramatic reshaping of the federal government.

AFGE has filed a flurry of lawsuits seeking to block everything from the mass firings of probationary workers to the sharing of sensitive data with billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. It has also helped organize protests and other pushback against Trump and DOGE.

In a statement after its national executive council approved the plan April 24, the union blamed Trump’s policies for the layoffs, calling them a setback, “but not the end of AFGE — not by a longshot.”

“We will not be deterred, silenced or intimidated into submission,” the statement said. “Whether it’s in the courts, on Capitol Hill, or in the press, AFGE will continue to stand tall and defend the rights of America’s civil servants as long as it takes.”

The White House has declared AFGE a “hostile” organization that has too much power over how the government functions.

Trump signed an order last month seeking to strip union rights from roughly 600,000 of the 800,000 federal workers that AFGE

represents, including those at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. The Department of Homeland Security previously eliminated union rights from 47,000 Transportation Security Administration workers.

The union is challenging those moves in court, arguing they are illegal and retaliatory.

After Trump’s orders, agencies have stopped allowing employees to have their union membership dues automatically deducted from their paychecks, striking at the union’s finances. The union has been engaged in a frenetic push to convince members to pay dues through electronic bank account withdrawals, but still expects to see a significant reduction in revenue.

The downsizing is expected to cut more than 100 employees who work under the national AFGE president’s office, and dozens more who work around the country for the union’s 12 districts.

One union president said the staff cuts would be devastating for the ability of AFGE’s local unions to represent employees.

“It’s going to demolish us,” said Justin Youngblood, president of an AFGE chapter that represents workers at a VA hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. “That’s going to cut the legs off of AFGE and all of the locals.”

He said the union’s national leadership should have been better prepared to manage an expected downturn in revenue during Trump’s second term.

The news comes days after AFGE organized a town hall in Kansas City where scores of federal workers denounced the mass firings, reorganizations and chaotic return-to-office mandates that they have endured under Trump’s new term.

Employees haven’t been notified which of them will be cut but earlier received notices from the union that permanent layoffs could take effect as early as June.

er was working on a corporate & securities fraud strike force at the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles. He was prosecuting a fraud case against Andrew Wiederhorn, the former CEO of Fat Brands Inc., who donated during the presidential campaign to groups supporting Trump.

While dozens of Justice Department lawyers have resigned, been pushed out or fired in the weeks since Trump took office, Schleifer’s firing was highly unusual because it was carried out by the White House rather than department leadership. Unlike political appointees, rankand-file career prosecutors usually stay across presidential administrations and have civil service protections designed to shield them from firings for political reasons.

Loomer has set out to identify members of the administration she has deemed insufficiently loyal to the president’s agenda. Shortly after Schleifer’s termination, Trump fired some National Security Council officials after Loomer met with the president in the Oval Office and raised concerns about staff loyalty.

Molly Riley/The White House

President Trump heads to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House after speaking with the press April 25.

Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo

Right-wing activist Laura Loomer in front of the New York City courthouse where the hush-money trial of Donald Trump got underway in April 2024.

Washington lawmakers approve unemployment for striking workers

BY MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press

In the final days of the Washington legislative session, lawmakers hashed out agreements to approve a measure that gives striking workers unemployment benefits. The bill, passed along with a rent-control measure, awaits a decision by Governor Bob Ferguson, a Democrat.

Washington joined Oregon in efforts to give striking workers unemployment payments, following recent walkouts by Boeing factory workers, hospital nurses and teachers in the Pacific Northwest. If passed, the two Northwest states would join New York and New Jersey in giving striking workers unemployment benefits. Senate Democrats in Connecticut have revived legislation that would provide financial help for striking workers after the governor vetoed a similar measure last year.

Washington passed its bill on a 27-21 vote with some changes, while Oregon lawmakers continue to discuss the plan.

The bill started with a 12-week cap on unemployment benefits. That was cut to four weeks in the House before the conference committee reached a compromise of six weeks.

Democratic state Senator Marcus Riccelli, who sponsored Washington’s bill, said it will level the playing field for workers, even with the shorter benefits period.

“A strike is a last resort, but the bill gives striking workers the ability to afford basic needs like food and housing,” Riccelli told The Associated Press Tuesday. “The whole thing for me is when there’s not a safety net, they face tremendous pressure to end the strike quickly.”

The Employment Security Department must report strike data to the Legislature starting in 2026, so they can assess impacts, Riccelli said. The bill sunsets on Jan. 1, 2036. If signed into law, the rent stabilization bill would be among the first in the nation, adding Washington to states like Oregon and California that have sought new ways to curb homelessness.

County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Will Burrell, c/o National Realty, 225 Liberty Street, 31st Floor, New York, NY 10281. Purpose: any lawful activities. 041825-6 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Formation of AJCMD Enterprises, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 4/14/25. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Corporate Creations Network Inc., 600 Mamaroneck Ave. #400, Harrison, NY 10528, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: all lawful purposes. 041825-7 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Formation of Beer and Zeitler Dermatology PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 4/11/25. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 600 3rd Ave., 25th Fl., NY, NY 10016. Purpose: practice the profession of medicine. 041825-9 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of NADC New York LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State: 4/16/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 121 W. Oak Dr., Cedar Creek, TX 78612. LLC formed in TX: 4/14/25. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. TX addr. of LLC: 1601 Elm St, Ste 4360, Dallas, TX 75201. Cert. of Form. filed with TX Sec. of State, PO Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711. Purpose: all lawful purposes. 041825-8 4/25/25-5/30/25

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF T-Spoon Solutions LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/31/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is Entity Protect Registered Agent Services LLC 447 Broadway 2nd Fl. - #3000 New York, NY 10013-2562. The principal business address of the LLC is 276 5th Avenue, Suite 704, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Real Estate and Dumpster Rental. 041625-2 4/25/25-5/30/25

OF

At Pa. labor conference, Teamsters leaders urge action against Amazon

‘This is the beginning of a war’

BY IAN KARBAL Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Union leaders met in Hershey, Pa., this week for the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters annual convention.

Some of Pennsylvania’s most powerful politicians, like Gov. Josh Shapiro, state House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks County) have already appeared to voice their support.

Teamsters leaders at the gathering discussed their goals for the year, and broadly outlined strategies in areas from workplace organizing to making political endorsements. But many who spoke had a particular target in their sights: Amazon.

The union has been at odds with the company for years over working conditions imposed on their drivers and warehouse staff. And they’ve fought Amazon’s decision to classify some workers as independent contractors, which lets the company off the hook for providing certain benefits, like health and insurance, and guarantees, like minimum wage.

The feud reached a boiling point during the last holiday season, when Teamsters struck at Amazon warehouse locations across the country over the company’s refusal to bargain with the group. Teamsters also organized picket lines at several nonunion locations in Pennsylvania.

But speakers at the Hershey conference said that action was just the opening salvo.

“This is the beginning of a war with Amazon,” said William Hamilton, president of the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, which represents around 95,000 workers in warehouse, transport and other industries. “Amazon started the war on workers because they’ve continually attacked workers across this country and mistreated them. They created this environment of unsafe

conditions, of low pay, of doing things to people that people on the outside would never even consider to be something an employer should be doing.

Amazon has come under scrutiny in the past for the low wages it pays its workers, as well as policies critics say have led to unsafe conditions. In particular, it’s been reported that Amazon aggressively tracks worker productivity, leading some drivers and warehouse staff to skip bathroom and food breaks.

Across the country, Teamsters have been leading an aggressive drive to organize the company’s workers, as well as raising awareness among lawmakers, regulators and media about poor working conditions.

Teamsters have also been fighting the company in court too. Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that Amazon had to come to the bargaining table with a local Teamsters chapter representing distribution center workers for the company in San Francisco.

That follows another victory last year when the NLRB sided with Teamsters, who were calling for  Amazon delivery drivers in Palmdale, California, to be classified as “joint employees” instead of independent contractors.

Despite the legal victories, Randy Korgan, the national director of the Teamsters’ Amazon division, said he believes the battle must be waged on the ground by workers, instead of focusing on courts and state capitols.

“It’s been multiple decades since that system has truly done what it’s supposed to do, which is protect workers in an expeditious way,” Korgan told attendees at the Pennsylvania conference. “What we’re doing is we’re building committees. We’re educating workers and we’re getting them to understand that you’re not going to get your employer to recognize anything until you shut it down.”

Korgan noted that the union organized nearly 10,000 Amazon workers in 2024 alone. He said that wasn’t done in a “traditional setting.” Instead he and others encouraged workers to stage walkouts and

“take direct action.”

Liana Dalton, an organizer for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ Amazon division said that work needs to be continued in Pennsylvania, where she hopes to see more Amazon facilities and workers unionize, and build capacity for a potential strike.

And she’s hopeful. She said she’s heard from many who were inspired by the strike last winter, some of whom went to New York to join a picket line.

“We’ve gotta build this and we’ve gotta scale it, so that we shut down the entire market in these key regions,” Dalton said.

Amazon also came up repeatedly in discussions of the union’s political goals.

Thomas Doyle, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ state program director, said the union is also pushing bills in state legislatures around the country in the hopes of passing laws to improve conditions for Amazon warehouse workers.

Doyle noted that warehouse workers at Amazon are injured at higher rates than many companies in the sector. And he cited the company’s policies when discussing a bill the union is pushing around the country It would require warehouses to disclose productivity quotas to their workforce, a practice Doyle said that Amazon has not done in some circumstances, leading to workers rushing and increasing the potential for injury.

“In [typical] warehouses, we understand there are productivity quotas, but our workers are made aware of what they’re being measured against,” Doyle said. “This bill would mandate that a company has to make their workers aware of what they’re being measured against. So by eliminating that invisible clock, workers will be able to pace themself in a safer manner.” Doyle said that bills accomplishing this have already passed in five states — New York, California, Minnesota, Washington and Oregon. And he’s hoping for progress in Pennsylvania as well.

2nd

is 447

NEW YORK, NY, 10013. The principal business address of the LLC is 564 Liberty Ave., Apt. 2F, Brooklyn, NY 11207. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 041625-3 4/25/25-5/30/25

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Russom Psychiatry PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/19/2025. Office location: New York County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the PLLC served upon him/her is 50 West 29th Street, NY, NY 10001. The principal business address of the PLLC is 50 West 29th Street, NY, NY 10001. Purpose: Psychiatric treatment. 041625-1 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of NORDIC CAPITAL INVESTMENT ADVISORY LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/03/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/15/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: Universal Registered Agents, Inc., 300 Creek View Rd., Ste. 209, Newark, DE 19711. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 041425-2 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of THE ALYN SPE LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/08/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/11/25. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Gordon Property Group LLC, 441 Lexington Ave., NY, NY 10017. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 041425-3 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of KAIZEN INITIATIVES, LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/02/25. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/01/25. Princ. office of LLC: 1441 Broadway, Ste. 5029, NY, NY 10018. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 041425-4 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of MILLDRAKE, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/03/25. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware

(DE) on 03/25/25. Duration of LP is Perpetual. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 041425-5 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of EVERNORTH BEHAVIORAL SERVICES, LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 4/9/25. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 3/3/25. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 28 Liberty St, NY, NY 10005. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St, Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity. 041425-7 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice of Qualification of Enviva, LLC. Authority filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 2/12/25. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/6/24. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 28 Liberty St, NY, NY 10005. DE address of LLC: 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Formation filed with DE Secy of State, 401 Federal St. Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is C T Corporation System, 28 Liberty St, NY, NY 10005. Purpose: any lawful activity. 041425-6 4/25/25-5/30/25

Notice is hereby given that an OnPremise Restaurant Full Liquor License, NYS Application ID: CL25-101513-01 has been applied for by Tartinery W3 LLC serving beer, wine, cider and liquor to be sold at retail for on premises consumption in a restaurant, for the premises located at 78 W 3RD St New York NY 10012. 042825-4 5/2/25-5/9/25

Notice is hereby

for Authority filed with the

of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/8/2025. Office location: New York County. LLC formed in Tennessee on 1/24/2025. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against

be

The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is Steve Soderholm at 5421 Highway 100, PO Box 50281, Nashville, TN 37205. The principal business address of the LLC is 316 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10014. Certificate of LLC filed with Secretary of State of Tennessee located at 312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue, 6th Floor, Snodgrass Tower, Nashville, TN 37243. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 042525-3 5/2/25-6/6/25

Notice of Formation of MIRLAS HOLDINGS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State: 4/11/25. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Corporate Creations Network Inc., 600 Mamaroneck Ave. #400, Harrison, NY 10528, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: all lawful purposes. 042525-2 5/2/25-6/6/25

Notice of Qualification of YRM Holdings LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State: 3/24/25. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 85 Broad St., 17th Fl., NY, NY 10004. LLC formed in DE: 3/19/25. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc. (CGI), 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: CGI, 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert.

Governor Bob Ferguson’s Office

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson with IBEW Local 46 members in March. A bill to provide striking workers has reached his desk.

Labor Relations Analyst Trainee

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services established a 446-name list for Labor Relations Analyst Trainee on January 29, 2025. The list is based on Exam 4060, which was recently held. Readers should note that eligible lists change over their four-year life as candidates are added, removed, reinstated, or rescored. The list shown below is accurate as of the date of establishment but list standings can change as a result of appeals.

Some scores are prefixed by the letters v, d, p, s and r. The letter “v” designates a credit given to an honorably discharged veteran who has served during time of war. The letter “d” designates a credit given to an honorably discharged veteran who was disabled in combat. The letter “p” designates a “legacy credit” for a candidate whose parent died while engaged in the discharge of duties as a NYC Police Officer or Firefighter. The letter “s” designates a “legacy credit” for being the sibling of a Police Officer or Firefighter who was killed in the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Finally, the letter “r” designates a resident of New York City.

UPCOMING EXAMS LEADING TO JOBS

Below is a roundup of New York City and State exams leading to public-service positions. Most of the jobs listed are located in the New York Metropolitan area and upstate.

There are residency requirements for many New York City jobs and for state law-enforcement positions.

Prospective applicants are advised to write or call the appropriate office to make sure they meet the qualifications needed to apply for an exam. For jobs for which no written tests are given, candidates will be rated on education and experience, or by oral tests or performance exams.

DCAS Computer-based Testing and Application Centers (CTACs) have re-opened to the public. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, walk-ins are no longer accepted and appointments must be scheduled online through OASys for eligible list or examination related inquiries.

All examination and eligible list related notifications will be sent by email only, you will no longer receive notifications via the US mail.

All new hires must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for religion or disability. If you are offered city employment, this requirement must be met by your date of hire, unless a reasonable accommodation for exemption is received and approved by the hiring agency.

For further information about where to apply to civil service exams and jobs, visit the thechief.org/exams.

The Federal Government has decentralized its personnel operations and holds few exams on a national or regional basis. Most Federal vacancies are filled by individual agencies based on education-and-experience evaluations. For information, contact the U.S. Office of Personnel Management or individual agencies, or see www.usajobs.gov.

Assistant $39,439$81,164

Probation Assistant, Bilingual (Spanish Speaking) $39,439-$81,164 60036050 Correction Officer $40,330$110,758 60213010 Geographic Information System Specialist Trainee $42,351$87,85362249010 Geographic Information System Specialist $75,000-$95,000 66697010 Traffic Systems Inspector II $53,581-$111,654

86560010 Assistant Superintendent of Electric Utilities $150,000-$185,000

86563010 Geographic Information System Specialist I $45,623-$95,113

5007 CR Nurse Practitioner I (Neonatology) $59,507-$108,383

103 and 653 on List 1157 to replace 1 provisional at Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

ELECTRICIAN (AUTOMOBILE)–19 eligi-

86978010 Electrical Inspector $75,203$100,765 ➤ OPEN CONTINUOUSLY 7078 CR(D) Cytotechnologist I $43,863$91,243 7094 CR(D) Cytotechnologist II $52,099$108,383 7095 CR(D) Cytotechnologist III $66,357$132,168 61-639 CR Librarian I $43,000-$61,333 60-180 CR Librarian I, Bilingual (Spanish Speaking) 5263 CR(D) Medical Technologist I $31,963-$74,978 5002 CR Nurse Practitioner I (Acute Care) $59,507-$108,383 5003 CR Nurse Practitioner I (Adult Health) $59,507-$108,383

bles between Nos. 5 and 23 on List 2106 to replace 15 provisionals in NYPD.

MAINTENANCE WORKER–156 eligibles (Nos. 1-156) on List 3128 for 3 jobs in Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

MANAGEMENT AUDITOR–21 eligibles between Nos. 9 and 434 on List 1022 to replace 1 provisional at Administration for Children’s Services.

QUALITY ASSURANCE SPECIALIST (BUILDING REPAIRS)–14 eligibles between Nos. 2 and 88.5 on List 2068 for 1 job in Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

SCHOOL COMPUTER TECHNOLO-

GY SPECIALIST (DOE)–300 eligibles between Nos. 23 and 423 on List 3093 to replace 3 provisionals in Department of Education.

SOCIAL WORKER–147 eligibles between Nos. 9 and 213 on List 4091 for 6 jobs in DOC.

PROMOTION

ASSISTANT RESIDENT BUILDINGS SUPERINTENDENT–1 eligible (No. 128) on List 3527 for any of 12 jobs at Housing Authority.

CHILD PROTECTIVE SPECIALIST SU-

PERVISOR–13 eligibles between Nos. 12 and 159 on List 3558 to replace 2 provisionals at Administration for Children’s Services.

COMPUTER SYSTEMS MANAGER–6 eligibles between Nos. 1 and 7 on List 4524 for 1 job in Department of Buildings.

PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE–106 eligibles between Nos. 5 and 255 on List 1507 for 5 jobs in NYPD.

SUPERVISOR II (SOCIAL SERVICES)–110 eligibles between Nos. 38 and 163 on List 9530 for 2 jobs in Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services.

5008 CR Nurse Practitioner I (Obstetrics/Gynecology) $59,507$108,383 5009 CR Nurse Practitioner I (Oncology) $59,507-$108,383 5010 CR Nurse Practitioner I (Palliative

MAJOR DUTIES

Laborers operate heavy power equipment such as lawn mowers, brush cutters, brush chippers, portable snow blower , and various types of hand and light power tools, such as shovels, pulaskis, picks, digging bars, rakes, lawn edging equipment, electric drills and the like to maintain buildings.

They load and unload supplies and materials from trucks, trailers and dollies; move furniture, remove and set signs, paint picnic tables and signs, rake and water lawns, trim trees and shrubbery, pick up litter and clean and repair fire pits.

Laborers also dig ditches and trenches with pick and shovel where soil is hard and compact and must grade or slope; occasionally break up pavement, soil, or concrete; mix and pour concrete, asphalt, and hot/cold mix and fill and level holes in damaged roads. They operate and perform mi-

nor operator maintenance on light duty motor vehicles such as pickup trucks, panel trucks, flatbed trucks, carryalls, sedans, and crew cab pickup trucks, which typically have an approximate gross vehicle weight of up to 10,000 pounds. They also perform janitorial duties for buildings and grounds when required. They may be required to work oncall, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must be either at least 18 years old or 16 years old if they have either a) graduated from high school or have certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or b) have completed a formal vocational training program; or c) have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or d) be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work

part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

They also must be U.S. citizens and have met Selective Service Registration Act requirements for males.

They will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards and could be required to live in government quarters.

Appointees will be required to have a valid driver’s license to operate a government or private motor vehicle as part of their official duties. They must also submit a copy of their certified driving records from all states that disclose all valid driver’s licenses, whether current or past, they possess.

Appointments are subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.

For complete information on the positions, including on how to apply, go to https://www.usajobs.gov/ job/823328000.

LABOR AROUND THE WORLD LABOR AROUND THE WORLD LABOR AROUND THE WORLD

Seattle.

Remembering Alexis Herman, the first Black secretary of labor

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Labor leaders, politicians and civil rights activists are mourning the death of Alexis Herman, the first Black U.S. Secretary of Labor and a fierce advocate for workplace equality.

She died on Friday at the age of 77.

Herman broke many barriers in her prolific career, and the outpouring of praise since her death suggests how she empowered others to do the same.

“In every effort, she lifted people with her unfailing optimism and energy,” said former President Bill Clinton. “We will miss her very much.”

Within months after joining Clinton’s Cabinet, Herman mediated the negotiations between United Parcel Service leaders and 185,000 striking postal workers that ended the largest U.S. strike in a decade.

The deal was one of many ways in which Herman advanced the interests of “those who had been shut out of opportunity for decades” the AFL-CIO said in a statement following her death on Friday.

Herman also promoted initiatives that brought the U.S. unemployment rate to three-decade low, oversaw two raises to the minimum wage and helped pass the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which expanded workforce training for low-income Americans across the country.

“As a leader in business, government, and her community, she was a trailblazer who dedicated her life to strengthening America’s workforce and creating better lives for hardworking families,” current U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said.

Herman was a pioneer long before her work in the Clinton administration. She was just 29 when President Jimmy Carter appointed her to lead the Women’s Bureau at the Department of Labor in 1977, making her the youngest person to ever hold the position.

Herman worked on political campaigns for prominent Black politicians throughout the 1980s, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s two presidential bids, and became the first Black woman to hold the position of CEO of the Democratic National Convention in 1992.

She also founded her own consulting firm to advance diversity in corporate America, working with Proctor & Gamble, AT&T and other corporations.

“Her legacy will continue to guide us in our ongoing efforts to build a more just and inclusive society,” said Virginia Rep. Robert Scott, who described Herman as a friend.

Born in 1947 in segregated Mobile, Alabama, Herman witnessed firsthand the racial violence that Black people were subjected to across the South. She once watched her mother “collapse” from exhaustion in the front seat of a public bus after a long day of work as a school teacher. When her mother refused to move to the back, the driver physically forced Herman and her mother off.

“She held her head high and said to me, ‘Come on Alexis, we will just keep walking.’ She just kept moving,” Herman wrote in “My Mother’s Daughter,” an anthology of essays published in 2024. “At critical times throughout my life, that life lesson has been my special mantra, ‘keep it moving.’” Herman married Dr. Charles Franklin in 2000, a Black physician well known for his advocacy on behalf of his alma mater, Howard University. He died in 2014.

Herman said her childhood home was often filled with students that her mother tutored. She credited her mother with modeling “a ‘can do’ attitude and service, no matter the odds.”

Before becoming a powerful voice for women and minorities in Washington D.C., Herman held a wide variety of jobs to support herself and her mother. She was a telephone operator, house cleaner, camp counselor, teacher’s aide, social worker and adoption counselor, according to an interview with The New York Times in 2000. And she said she “never had a bad job.”

“My work has always been a source of fulfillment,” Herman said at the time.

Market turmoil plays havoc with retirement savings

BY MATT SEDENSKY Associated Press

Michael Montgomery used to check the balance on his retirement account once a week and smile. But lately, not wanting to get upset and question if he could retire in a few years, there was only one solution.

“I’m not looking,” says the 66-year-old professor from Huntington Woods, Michigan.

As the White House simultaneously injects turmoil into financial markets with its trade war and dismisses fears of a downturn, retired and near-retired Americans are anxiously looking on, worried about outliving their savings or having to put off entries on their bucket lists.

Keeping logged off his account has made Montgomery’s days less worrisome. He and his wife adjusted their portfolio after Election Day, including moving more money into bonds. But he’s not sure what more he can do if the entire world economy can be affected by Washington’s decisions.

“I hope like hell I don’t lose all my retirement savings,” he says. “But where else could you put the money that these people could not disorder? They can’t get into your mattress but that’s about it.”

Many experts warned U.S. stocks were overpriced and due for a correction even before President Donald Trump reclaimed the Oval Office. But a historic blanket of tariffs has injected new uncertainty into the market.

Though stocks rallied this week, the S&P 500 is down 10 percent from an all-time high reached in February. Losses in the Nasdaq and among smallcap stocks are steeper. Even bonds and the U.S. dollar have been volatile. Many economists are warning of a possible recession.

It has 71-year-old Jeanne Oats Estridge feeling so “paranoid”

she called her financial planner with an idea.

“How about we put it all in cash?” Oats Estridge asked.

“I just don’t advise it,” she heard back.

Oats Estridge, who lives in Dayton, Ohio, retired from a job in software engineering and now writes books, including her latest, on four octogenarian women kidnapped by sex-trafficking aliens. Her account is down more than $40,000 and she gets angry thinking about how some in Washington have reacted to the market volatility, including Trump’s recent market assessment that it was “a great time to buy.”

“Where am I supposed to come up with the money to buy? My underwear drawer?” Oats Estridge asks.

Last month, the Cboe Volatility Index, considered a “fear gauge” of investor pessimism, reached its highest level in five years. The index, known as VIX, has since retreated but is still in territory reflecting fearful investors. Another measure of market sentiment, the Cboe S&P 500 Left Tail Volatility Index, which tracks investor worry about so-called “black swan” events such as the 2008 housing crash that spurred the Great Recession, likewise has backed off from highs but remains elevated.

Stock holdings add to volatility

Trump has urged people to “be cool” in assessing the impact of tariffs on their investments. Asked about his own savings earlier this month, he chuckled and replied: “I haven’t checked my 401(k).”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meantime, brushed off the possibility that some might need to delay retiring, saying people “don’t look at the day-to-day fluctuations of what’s happening.”

That seeming nonchalance isn’t sitting well with some old-

er investors.

Peter Rost, 72, retired from his software development job last year and planned to start tapping his retirement savings to supplement Social Security. But he doesn’t want to bake in his losses.

“I’m looking to take $2,000 and meanwhile the account drops by $30,000,” he says.

He’s been through serious downturns before, but those were different.

“I had the time to be patient and let it work its way back,” says Rost, who lives in New Hartford, Connecticut, “but now I’m retired and I need money from that account.”

At his age, he says, there’s one goal: “Make sure I don’t run out of money before I die.”

Americans’ retirement savings totaled about $44 trillion at the end of 2024, according to the Investment Company Institute. The composition of those savings has shifted increasingly toward stocks in the last couple decades as the 401(k) has become employers’ typical offering.

Among fund giant Vanguard’s nearly 5 million accounts, for example, the average investor puts three-quarters of their savings in stocks. Even older investors are still heavily steeped in equities: People 55 to 64 have 64 percent in stocks at Vanguard; those 65 and older have 49 percent in stocks. With that exposure, financial advisers are getting an influx of calls amid the recent market uncertainty.

Tj Binkowski, who runs Narrow Road Financial Planning in Clarksville, Tennessee, says some clients find themselves obsessively checking their accounts and feel the emotional strain of worrying about their money. A downturn, he says, hits an older investor much differently.

“When you’re retired, paper losses aren’t just on paper anymore,” says Binkowski. “You’re locking them in every month

that you take money out.”

Paul Duesterhaus, a 68-yearold retiree from Quincy, Illinois, is passing up an IRA withdrawal this year to avoid selling at a low. Instead, the retired manager at an air compressor manufacturing company will put off buying a new car as planned and cut back on things like eating out. Still, he can’t help but feel bigger impacts of a trade war are ahead.

“I think there’s going to be longer lasting effects that are going to affect every American,” he says.

That angst is more common among older adults than younger people. An April poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found just under half of U.S. adults ages 45 and older said their retirement savings are a “major” source of stress for them right now, compared to about one-third of younger people. Older Americans were also more likely to say they’re stressed about the stock market.

For now, many older investors are taking the advice of many experts, to fine-tune investments if necessary but avoid dramatic moves. But it can be hard advice to swallow.

“The more things go up and down, the more nervous you get,” says Steve Turner, a 74-year-old from Chesterfield, Missouri, who runs a small public relations business. He now finds himself anxious when he goes to log on to his retirement account, wondering, “Gee, do I want to press the button?”

“You worry that things may work themselves out in the long run, but you don’t have as long,” says Turner. “You’re not 30, you’re not 40, you’re not 50, you’re not even 60.”

The AP’s Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.

Labor group sues Starbucks, claiming slave-like conditions for workers in Brazil

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN Associated Press

A labor rights group has sued Starbucks, alleging that it sourced coffee from a major cooperative in Brazil whose member farms were cited for keeping workers in slave-like conditions. International Rights Advocates filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of eight Brazilian coffee farm workers. The lawsuit alleges that Starbucks violated U.S. trafficking laws

Advocates founder Terry Collingsworth, who is representing the plaintiffs. “It is time to hold Starbucks accountable for profiting from human trafficking.”

Starbucks said that the lawsuit’s claims are without merit.

The company said it only purchases coffee from a small fraction of Cooxupe’s 19,000 coffee farm members. All of Starbucks’ coffee comes from farms whose labor and environmental practices meet the company’s standards, it said. Starbucks said its verification

program was developed by outside experts and includes regular third-party audits.

“Starbucks is committed to ethical sourcing of coffee including helping to protect the rights of people who work on the farms where we purchase coffee from,” the company said in a statement.

Cooxupe said Thursday that it was not part of the lawsuit and doesn’t have access to it. The AP’s Mauricio Savarese contributed.

Khue Bui/AP Photo

Labor Secretary Alexis Herman and other advocates for child labor reform looked on as President Clinton signed an international treaty banning the most flagrant forms of child labor, in December 1999 in

Richard Drew/AP Photo