Workers' World Today - Issue 4

INSIDE

August 8-22, 2019 Managing Diabetes at Work ... 4-page Summer Health Guide

The Whistleblower Program ... 7

Newly Single? How to Survive a Breakup... 19

Issue #4

The Trigger Finger of Racial Hatred

BY MARIBEL HASTINGS

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acism and prejudice incite violence. That is a fact that this country knows very well owing to its murky history of slavery, segregation, lynchings, persecutions, false accusations,

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discrimination against different ethnic groups and, now, with a President who exploits this racism as a political and electoral weapon. The examples multiply every day that Donald Trump occupies the presidency.

Saturday in El Paso, Texas,

white racist Patrick Crusius fired an AK47 rifle in a Walmart store, killing twentyone people and injuring another twentysix. The death toll is now 22. The twentyone-year-old young man chose this place on purpose; it was no accident because, as he himself wrote in a manifesto, “this attack is in response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas.”

But he does not even know his own history, because if he did, he would know that Texas was Mexican territory far before it was part of the United States. And he would also know that his attack was in many ways “inherited” from those who perpetrated thousands of atrocities against the remainder of the Mexican population in the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth, at the hands of the white population and its new aucontinued on page 10

Hot Topics and News You Should Know About

AG James Joins Coalition to Challenge Trump’s Attack ... 17

Eric Garner’s Mother: My Son Deserves Justice ... 6

The Struggle of Living & Working in New York ... 5

Labor-Related News - Nationally & Locally

Remembering Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate Novelist ... 22

a Success ... 13

Women: We Are the Leadership

We Must Focus Our Anger on the 1%, Not on Each Other

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t the 2019 CWA Convention in Las Vegas, CWA members from every sector and district came together to discuss and make decisions about the union's future and how to make CWA STRONG, held national and district elections, recognized locals for their organizing accomplishments, and much more.

In his keynote address, CWA President Chris Shelton outlined the three key challenges facing CWA today: overcoming the divisions which split the unity of the working class, building workplace power and strengthening the union, and electing a pro-worker government in November 2020.

Shelton urged CWA delegates "in the fierce urgency continued on page 23

Where Are Our Queens?

BY JAMELIAH FRANCIS, SPECIAL TO WWT

Reflections on the Life of Hector Figueroa... 21

Pay Discrimination in Women’s Sports ... 8

Women Support Best Market Workers...12

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pack of cards could never be complete without its Queen! Neither should our society be without our Black sisters and mothers.

For years the terrible epidemic of missing African American women and girls plagued our homes, churches and schools. Almost every day one of our

Teandah Slater.

Photo: Chicago Police Dept.

continued on page 18

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

Organize, and stand together. Claim something together, and at once; let the nation hear a united demand from the laboring voice, and then, when you have got that, go on after another; but get something.

— Wendell Phillips

Saying Goodbye to a Legend: Toni Morrison :......... 22

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Contents In Solidarity Hate Has a Home and a Champion.

Why Do We Allow It?..............................................................3 Civil RIghts The SPLC Fights an Internal Threat to Our Democracy......................................................................4

Novelist Toni Morrison smiles as she is presented with a Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House May 29, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com

Call on Lidl to Address Gender Inequality Issues at Best Market Unions In Action:......... 12

Workers’ World The Struggle of Living & Working in New York.............................................................................5 Workers’ Safety The Whistleblower Protection Program..........................7

Let’s be clear: Trump has spent more time resisting investigations than leading the country.

Workers’ Matters Pay Discrimination in Women’s Sports Is a Labor Issue.....................................................................8

American Politics: Time for the House to Begin Impeachment Proceedings against President Trump........14

Love, Health & Travel Newly Single? How to Survive a Breakup..............................................................................19

Family: The True Modern Relationship

NYCHA is Poisoning the Children........14

Missing Teen: Areall Murchinson, a 16 year old Black girl from Chicago.

Workers’ Matters: Save the Apprenticeships.........9

Love, Health & Travel When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.............................................................................20

COLUMNS Sports & Conversations Tennis Sensation Coco Gauff Meets Forever First Lady, Michelle Obama ............................ 18

Old & New Immigrants: Their Rights ... 16 Presidential Memo on Enforcing the Legal Responsibilities of Sponsors of Aliens

Back to School with Union Made School Supplies Don't forget to support your brothers and sisters by purchasing union made school supplies! Visit www.workersworldtoday.com for full listing of brands and products from the Union Label and Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO.

August 8-22, 2019

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In Solidarity

Hate Has a Home and a Champion in America.

Why Do We Allow It?

BY MICHAEL DURFEE

H Supports Workers’ World Today

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ecently, I was in Albany fighting and seeking support of A1261/S1947, legislation that will create a clear definition of public work and level the playing field for New York’s contractors.

District Council 9 Painters and Allied Trades Union (DC9), the union for painters, prides itself on being a strong advocate for workers’ rights and safety. We are excited about this new publication, Workers’ World Today, which covers the issues of relevance and concern for all workers.

We are encouraged that all workers: blue and white collar will have a voice and platform.

Congratulations on your inaugural issue. We wish much success to the leaders and team of Workers’ World Today and pledge our support.p Davon Lomax Political Director, DC9

ate has always found safe harbor in the U.S. But, while it had moved to the recesses of our public culture following a variety of social movements and subsequent social progress, today we find hate back from the periphery of our civic engagement to a place that is troublingly mainstream and validated by conservative media outlets, as well as Donald J. Trump.

Television news, digital platforms, as well as the undisciplined, irresponsible, inflammatory rhetoric and twitter feed of the president have all played a substantive role in this shift. Why are we still complicit?

This past Monday, Trump ostensibly condemned racism and white supremacy in the wake of two mass shootings that left more than 30 people dead. His message, read dispassionately from a teleprompter, was undermined by his own racist rhetoric and divisive comments in the past.

"In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy," Trump said. "Hate has no place in America."

The trouble is, hate does now occupy an increasingly large place in the U.S., and our singular voice in times of tragedy — traditionally the president of the United States — has been a catalyst and champion for hate.

Trump began his presidential campaign by generalizing Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "criminals" in an attempt to champion the

hate and fear manifested more extremely in a recent spate of mass shootings. This pattern has persisted through this last week, where a variety of public statements issued via tweets and in rallies create a direct line to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton that need to be acknowledged.

In August 2017, after violent clashes with white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one woman dead, Trump blamed the "alt-right" and neoNazi groups for the violence, but then equivocated.

"I think there is blame on both sides," he said during a news conference days after the deadly conflict. "You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say it, but I will say it right now."

How soon will he equivocate here? How can citizens reconcile the staggering juxtaposition of his prepared statements Monday set against his political rhetoric on the campaign trail and in office?

Trump's comments after the shootings came on the heels of two attacks still fresh in the country's mind: his tweets and subsequent public statements about Baltimore and Rep. Elijah Cummings, and his attacks on a group of four Congresswomen of color, Rep. Alexandria Oca-

sio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

On July 14, Trump tweeted that the four Congresswomen should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." Days later, a crowd at a Trump rally in North Carolina chanted "send her back" when Trump talked specifically about Omar. Three of the women were born in the United States; Omar came to the U.S. from Somalia when she was a child and is an American citizen. This is patently un-American, unless we want to carve out a larger home in our public sphere for hate and bigotry.

"How do you stop these people? You can't," Trump said at a May 2019 rally in Panama City Beach, Fla. When someone in the crowd yelled back, "Shoot them," Trump joked, "Only in the Panhandle can you get away with that statement."

It would be unwise for an historian to speculate prematurely regarding the minds, rationale and inspiration behind committing the heinous acts of this past weekend. However, we have seen this before. Cesar Sayoc pleaded guilty in March to a total of 65 felony counts in connection with death threats, 16 counts of using a weapon of mass destruction and illegal mailing of explosives with the intent to kill or injure. Sayoc's attorneys’ argued persuasively that Sayoc was "radicalized" by Trump's rhetoric. In a sentencing memo filed last month, Sayoc's attorneys said the 57year-old former pizza delivery worker became radicalized via a daily consumption of Trump's tweets, Fox News, and conspiracy theories on the internet. The

TEAM Publisher Workers’ World Today, Inc Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip Online Editor Elias Gebrehiwot Contributing Writers Marilyn Silverman Charles Tabasso Victoria Falk Erin Telesford Jennine Estes, MFT Travis Morales Jamileliah Francis Janet Howard Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq. Telephone 1-866-435-3286 Email info@workersworldtoday.com Visit us at www.workersworldtoday.com

trouble is all three forces reinforce each other on a seemingly daily basis. Attorneys argued that Sayoc sent the packages because he believed that "prominent Democrats were actively working to hurt him, other Trump supporters, and the country as a whole."

Perhaps most troubling is the reality that Donald J. Trump himself has been radicalized by the same diet of media consumption. He, too, is a low-information citizen who insulates himself, and his media consumption, to sources that will affirm and validate him and his world view.

While Trump spoke earnestly, for a moment, about gun control he quickly pivoted to the primary tragedy of the week from his perspective, Chinese currency manipulation.

The victims of El Paso and Dayton deserve more. Rather than hopes and prayers alone, we need policy and change.p Durfee is the Assistant Professor of History and Director of Africana/Black Studies Minor Program at Niagara University.

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

4

Civil Rights

The SPLC Fights an Internal Threat to Our Democracy

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n his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia’s ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation’s elections.

All Americans, regardless of their political beliefs, should be gravely concerned about this threat from abroad. But we should be equally — perhaps even more — concerned about efforts to rig our elections from within.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, partisan politicians at the state level have enacted a wave of voting restrictions that have disenfranchised hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of people.

The promoters of these laws, including President Trump, claim they’re intended to prevent individual voters from committing fraud at the ballot box, such as voting more than once or voting when they are not eligible. But that’s a fig leaf — and a skimpy one at that.

Researchers have confirmed through exhaustive studies that such fraud is a myth.

The real threats to democracy are laws and election procedures clearly designed to help the party in power win elections by placing needless barriers in front of African Americans, low-income voters and others who are more likely to vote for their opponents.

Immediately after the ruling in Shelby County v. Holder six years ago, for example, North Carolina lawmakers enacted new voting restrictions that were later struck down by a federal court as an unconstitutional effort to “target AfricanAmericans with almost surgical precision.” The law’s voter ID provision, the court wrote, “retained only those types of photo ID disproportionately held by whites and excluded those disproportionately held by African-Americans.” Plus, its elimination of early voting disproportionately affected black voters.

To its credit, the U.S. Supreme Court let the lower court’s ruling stand. But a number of other voter suppression laws and procedures have been allowed by the courts, sometimes because the discriminatory intent or impact is not as obvious as the

All Americans, regardless of their political beliefs, should be gravely concerned about this threat from abroad. But we should be equally – perhaps even more – concerned about efforts to rig our elections from within.

Will You Help Us Honor a Labor Hero?

Reuther

North Carolina law.

This summer, the Court decided that disputes over another form of election-rigging — partisan gerrymandering — are “non-judiciable,” meaning it will not intervene when politicians intentionally draw legislative and congressional districts in ways that give them a partisan advantage.

In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan, wrote: “The partisan gerrymanders in these cases deprived citizens of the most fundamental of their constitutional rights: the rights to participate equally in the political process, to join with others to advance political beliefs, and to choose their political representatives.

[They] … debased and dishonored our democracy, turning upside-down the core American idea that all governmental power derives from the people. These gerrymanders enabled politicians to entrench themselves in office as against voters’ preferences. They promoted partisanship above respect for the popular will.

They encouraged a politics of polarization and dysfunction.

If left unchecked, gerrymanders like the ones here may irreparably damage our system of government.”

Whether based on race or the political preference of voters, gerrymandering can sometimes result in the control of legislative bodies by parties that get fewer votes than their opponents when every member is on the ballot. Indeed, this happened in the elections for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, when Democrats picked up 1.4 million more votes than Republicans, yet Republicans won 33 more seats. In 2018, majorities of voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina chose Democrats for state House races,

yet, because of gerrymandered maps, Republicans maintained their House majorities in those states.

To be clear, the Supreme Court did differentiate between gerrymandering based on partisanship and that based on race. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that redistricting plans that “explicitly discriminate on the basis of race … are of course presumptively invalid.”

But some civil rights lawyers fear this may be a distinction without a real difference and that the new precedent could have unintended consequences for legal challenges to racial gerrymanders. Kristen Clarke and Jon Greenbaum of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under law wrote: The Supreme Court’s Rucho decision may lead legislators to believe that they can get away with racial gerrymandering in places where race and party are highly correlated, by defending these claims on the basis that their decisions were made for partisan, not racial, reasons. Although the Rucho decision did not give an express imprimatur to such connivance, history has shown that those intent on discrimination will use any means available to achieve their goals.

The Supreme Court’s decision comes at a crucial time.

After the 2020 Census, every state will redraw its district lines. Those new maps could help politicians lock in their power for years even when the majority of voters may want something different.

Whether through gerrymandering, strict voter ID laws or other types of voter suppression, it’s clear that our electoral system – and democracy itself – is under assault.

That’s why the Southern

Poverty Law Center (SPLC)this year launched a new legal team to join the fight for voting rights in the courts and legislatures across the Deep South.

In early July, the SPLC filed suit against the state of Florida to overturn a new law that contradicts the explicit language of Amendment 4, a ballot initiative approved by more than 60 percent of Florida voters last November. The amendment overturned a Jim Crow-era law that prevented about 1.4 million people from voting because of previous criminal convictions. In reaction, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring those new enfranchised voters to pay off all court-related debt before they could regain their voting rights — effectively disenfranchising many of them again.

The SPLC is also suing to overturn a similar Jim Crow law in Mississippi, one that strips voting rights — for life —from people convicted of certain crimes. Today, the law prevents one of every six black adults in the state – and some 200,000 people overall – from casting a ballot.

These are just a few of the cases and causes the SPLC is taking up as it works to end systematic voter suppression and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to make their voice heard at the ballot box.

“Many people fought and died so that all citizens have a voice in our society through the right to vote, yet many men and women – disproportionately people of color and poor people – have been denied this right,” said Nancy Abudu, the SPLC’s deputy legal director for voting rights. “A healthy democracy depends on full participation by all members of society.”p

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ext year marks the 50th anniversary of the early death of a labor hero: UAW President Walter Reuther. Reuther helped to form the labor movement as a force for not only workers’ rights, but women’s rights, civil rights, environmentalism and social justice, too.

In honor of Reuther’s colossal legacy, we are joining our UAW brothers and sisters in asking the postmaster general to issue a commemorative stamp for the anniversary of his death. Will you join us and sign the petition today?

In his lifetime, Reuther was a strong ally of Martin Luther King Jr., marching with him across the American South. He advocated for universal health care, better public education and access to affordable housing. It’s imperative that Reuther’s powerful message— that unions are a force for good for all people—not be lost to history.p In Solidarity, Team AFL-CIO To sign the petition asking the postmaster general to make a commemorative Walter Reuther stamp, visit www.workersworldtoday.com

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! Send an email to info@workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

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Workers’ World

The Struggle of Living and Working in NY

BY WWT STAFF WRITER

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ew York is believed to be one of the greatest cities in the world. It’s a city that cannot be compared to any other…with its unique architecture, beautiful parks, diverse population and mouth-watering cuisine, makes for a place of uniqueness. On a regular basis, people relocate to New York in search of a better life, making it one of the most densely populated cities and home to many.

Quite frankly though, living in New York can be extremely challenging for some. The cost of living in this city can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to the issue of housing.

Though New York is deemed as the greatest city in the world, there are still instances where persons, due to the high cost of living, need to rely heavily on governmental programs in an effort to make ends meet. This includes, but is not limited to, housing, food, medical, transportation, etc.

SOTA Program In the area of government assistance for housing, one which needs special mention is the

Special One-Time Assistance (SOTA) program. This is a government assistance program which allows one year of full rent in advance for persons coming out of shelters. This program also enables Dept. of Social Services (DSS) clients to move within New York City, New York State counties, or outside of New York State. Working individuals and families, people who receive SSI, and SSD can access this program; however, success with the program highly depends on future ability to make future rental payments.

These questions are then asked: Is this program effective and what eventually happens to the persons under programs such as this one?

The Storm after SOTA Workers World Today (WWT) interviewed an individual who re-

cently returned to New York under the SOTA program. Her name is Adesewa Onifade and she lives in the East New York area.

Onifade mentioned that she made the decision to return to New York in order to fulfil her daughters dream of living and schooling in her city of birth.

However, though Onifade was pre-approved for the SOTA program, when she finally got to New York, her application was later denied. According to Onifade, the SOTA program seems to be very flawed. She believes that the working class is seriously neglected when making deliberations on who is eventually eligible for programs such as those. Onifade, among many other New Yorkers are seriously rent burdened and sadly, the programs that are in place such as SOTA are of no use to them, since they are deemed overqualified. She stated that Senator Kevin Parker, from the Flatbush area, in speaking with the City Comptroller, mention that approximately 1.4 million New Yorkers are spending 50% more on housing. According to Onifade, “as a community overall, there are a lot of issues going on and they are all based on quality

of life and being able to afford to live.”

Quality of Life Issues in East New York According to Onifade, $3 billion is allocated to homeless services while none is being allocated to preventative measures. She believes that some of these resources should be redirected in creating preventative measures rather than homeless shelters.

Ways in addressing this issue is for community representatives to hold city agencies accountable for their budgets and by creating an avenue for persons to be able to receive assistance whether they qualify for public assistance or not. Onifade believes that housing and food should be made a human right.

Onifade also spoke about her concerns with her commute to and from work. She stated that it is a very excruciating experience when travelling on the bus as it is sometimes over packed.

She explained that the reason for this is because on any given day the wait for the bus is approximately 45 minutes. She mentioned that there are no express trains from Utica to East New York at rush hours. This makes the commute an even longer

one. Another issue raised by Ms. Onifade were the countless amount of trash seen in the East New York community. Her wish is to see the trash be picked up on a timely basis. Her last concern was not having access to clean and healthy fruits and vegetables in the East New York neighborhood.

Steps Taken Onifade mentioned that she got an opportunity to express her issues at the Quality of Life Town Hall meetings held by Congressman Hakeem Jefferies. In her words, “a lot of the issues were addressed and some of them were given timelines where they were going to make some resolutions for them.” She expressed how happy and impressed she was by the panel present at the meeting.

WWT asked Onifade what advice she would give to her community members. In quoting Mahatma Gandhi, she urged her community members to “be the change that they want to see.” She stated that representatives need to know what the issues are on the ground and persons need to voice their opinions and concerns so that changes can be made. p

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

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World News

Eric Garner: Chokehold Cop “Should Be Fired,” Says U.S. Judge VIA BBC.COM - U.S. & CANADA

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U.S. judge has ruled that a New York police officer should be fired over the death of an unarmed black man whose dying words were "I can't breathe."

Policeman Daniel Pantaleo was accused of using a banned police chokehold on Eric Garner in July 2014, after he resisted arrest for allegedly selling cigarettes.

Pantaleo does not face any criminal charges related to the death, which was caught on mobile phone video.

It is now up to the Police Commissioner to decide whether to fire him.

The death of 43-year-old Garner, after he was stopped for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes on the street, became a rallying cry for activists in the Black Lives Matter Movement.

NEW YORK CITY - July, 23 2014: Funeral services for Eric Garner, the Staten Island resident who died while being taken into custody by NYPD. Activists with signs in front of Bethel Baptist Church. Photo: A katz / Shutterstock.com

New York City - July 17, 2019: People protesting the actions of the NYPD on the anniversary of the death of Eric Garner in Lower Manhattan.

Photo: Christopher Penler / Shutterstock.com

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Trials Rosemarie Maldonado ruled that Pantaleo had used a chokehold— which is banned by the police department—despite his repeated denials that the strangle move had not been employed.

An NYPD statement after the judge's recommendation was

views of elected leaders who have been calling for Pantaleo's firing, and the rank-andfile police brass who do not want to see one of their own used as a scapegoat.

He will have until the end of August to reach that decision, after prosecutors and defense lawyers respond to the judge's ruling.

There has been speculation that Mr Pantaleo could resign before being formally terminated.

O'Neill told a local radio station that a decision will be made "within the next week or two, and then we'll move forward."

revealed said that Mr Pantaleo has been suspended "effective today, as is the longstanding practice in these matters when the recommendation is termination."

A statement from the city's police union blasted the recommendation, calling it “pure political insanity.”

The judge "trampled" on the officers "due process rights in order to deliver the result that the grandstanding politicians and protesters demanded," wrote Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association.

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What happens next?

The decision on whether or not to terminate Pantaleo — who has been excoriated in the city's black and Hispanic communities and by Democratic presid e n t i a l candidates — now falls to Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill.

Local media say O'Neill will have to balance the

Political implications New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is running for president, has come under fire for his handling of the case.

He was interrupted during the Democratic Party debates by protesters yelling "fire Pantaleo".

He has not explicitly called for the officer to be fired, saying it is up to the commissioner to decide, but promised in the debate that the Garner family would "get justice" within the next month.

He told local radio program, Ask the Mayor that "the most troubling part of this is that the justice department decided to do nothing... the justice system failed here.”

Esaw Snipes, Garner's widow, warned CNN that "it's not gonna be pretty" and called for "civil unrest" if the officer was not fired.

"We're not gonna stop," she said.

"I don't know what the next step would be legally; I don't know what the next step

would be civilly; I just know that there's gonna be a next step."

How has his family reacted?

In a Twitter thread after the recommendation was announced, Garner's mother Gwen Carr said other officers also deserve to be punished for attempting to cover up the death.

"My son deserves more than recommendations; he deserves justice. New Yorkers deserve to know that police who kill our children and those who try to cover it up will be fired from the NYPD so that they don't get paid with our taxpayer dollars to be a danger to us," she wrote.

Who was Eric Garner?

The 43-year-old was African American and proud of it, to judge from what his heartbroken daughter Erica Snipes told the BBC back in 2014.

"He had me watching Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X and Martin Luther King," she said.

He had frequent run-ins with the police for years before his controversial death on July 17, 2014 while under restraint on a New York street.

After 30 prior arrests, when he was frequently accused of illegally selling single cigarettes, it seems he had had enough of what he personally regarded as police harassment.

"Every time you see me you want to mess with me. I'm tired of it. It stops today!" he yelled to officers that afternoon, as he refused to be handcuffed. p

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

7

Workers’ Safety

The Whistleblower Protection Program

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SHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program enforces the whistleblower provisions of more than 20 whistleblower statutes protecting employees from retaliation for reporting violations of various workplace safety and health, airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health insurance reform, motor vehicle safety, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime, and securities laws and for engaging in other related protected activities.

Protection from Workplace Retaliation An employer cannot take an adverse action against employees, such as: firing or laying off, demoting, denying overtime or promotion, or reducing pay or hours, for engaging in activities protected by OSHA’s whistleblower laws.

What Is Retaliation?

Retaliation occurs when an employer (through a manager, supervisor, or administrator) fires an employee or takes any other type of adverse action against an employee for engaging in protected activity.

An adverse action is an action which would dissuade a reasonable employee from raising a concern about a possible violation or engaging in other related protected activity.

Retaliation can have a negative impact on overall employee morale.

Because an adverse action can be subtle, it may not always be easy to spot. Examples of adverse actions include, but are not limited to: nFiring or laying off nDemoting nDenying overtime or promotion nDisciplining nDenying benefits nFailing to hire or rehire nIntimidation or harassment nMaking threats nReassignment to a less desirable position or actions affecting prospects for promotion (such as excluding an employee from training meetings) nReducing pay or hours nMore subtle actions, such as isolating, ostracizing, mocking, or falsely accusing the employee of poor performance nBlacklisting (intentionally interfering with an employee’s ability to obtain future employment) nConstructive discharge (quit-

ting when an employer makes working conditions intolerable due to the employee's protected activity) How to File a Whistleblower Complaint You have the right to file a whistleblower complaint with OSHA if you believe your employer retaliated against you for exercising your rights as an employee under the whistleblower protection laws enforced by OSHA. In States with OSHA-approved State Plans, employees may file complaints under section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act with Federal OSHA and with the State Plan under its equivalent statutory provision.

How to Create an Anti-Retaliation Program Employers can create workplaces in which workers feel comfortable voicing their concerns without fear of retaliation.

There are five key elements to creating an effective anti-retaliation program or enhancing an existing one.

What to Expect during a Whistleblower Investigation Filing a Complaint An employee, or his or her representative, can file a whistleblower complaint with OSHA via mail, fax, telephone, in person, or online, against an employer for unlawful retaliation.

During the investigation, the employee who files the complaint is referred to as "the Complainant," and the employer, against whom the complaint is filed, is referred to as "the Respondent." Neither side is required to retain an attorney, but if a party designates a representative, the designee will serve as the point of contact with OSHA. It is imperative for the Complainant or his or her representative to provide OSHA with current contact information.

Failure to do so may cause OSHA to conclude the investigation.

OSHA will interview the Complainant to obtain information about the alleged retaliation, and will determine whether the allegation is sufficient to initiate an investigation under one or more of the whistleblower protection statutes administered by OSHA. Regardless of the statute under which the complaint is filed, the conduct of the investigation is generally the same.

Conclusion of the Investigation At the conclusion of the investigation, the investigator will make a recommendation to his/her supervisor regarding whether the evidence provides reasonable cause to believe that the Respondent violated the specific statute in question. If the supervisor and management concur with the merit or dismissal recommendation, OSHA will issue a findings letter to both parties, which will include information about remedies (if appropriate) and the right to object and have the case heard by an administrative law judge, except in cases under section 11(c), AHERA, or ISCA. In those cases, Complainants may request review

by OSHA's National Office of dismissal decisions. In merit section 11(c), AHERA, or ISCA cases, unless a settlement is reached, the Department of Labor would have to file a complaint in district court to remedy the retaliation. p

Investigative Process posing party's position.

If the allegation is sufficient to Whistleblower investigations proceed with an investigation, vary in length of time. The parthe complaint will be assigned ties may settle the retaliation to an OSHA whistleblower In- complaint at any point in the vestigator who is a neutral fact- investigation either through finder who does not represent OSHA's Alternative Dispute either party. The investigator Resolution (ADR) program, will notify the Complainant, with the assistance of the asRespondent, and appropriate signed investigator, or through federal partner agency that their own negotiated settlement OSHA has opened an investiga- that OSHA approves. tion.

Under certain statutes, the The Complainant and the Re- Complainant may "kick out" spondent should keep any po- and file the retaliation comtential evidence regarding the plaint in federal district court if circumstances of the allega- there is no final order and a tions, including all pertinent specified time from the filing of emails, letters, notes, text mes- the complaint with OSHA has sages, voicemails, phone logs, passed (180 or 210 days depersonnel files, contracts, work pending on the statute).

Source: whistleblowers.gov products, and meeting minutes.

OSHA will request that both parties provide each other with a copy of all submissions they have made to OSHA related to the Are you working? Have you been injured on the job? complaint.

Both the ComWas it a serious injury as defined under NY Workers’ plainant and Compensation Law? the Respondent should provide If yes, then call Figeroux & Associates contact inforfor a FREE Consultation at 718-222-3155. mation for witnesses who could support or refute the alIn addition to being leged retaliaeligible for workers' tion. compensation, you may OSHA will also have a claim against ask the Respona party other than your dent to provide employer. That is why it a written deis so important to seek assistance from our fense to the alexperienced team. legations, also known as a position statement.

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8

Workers’ Matters

Pay Discrimination in Women’s Sports Is a Labor Issue

BY KIM KELLY

T

he U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) captured hearts worldwide this year for a few very good reasons, including, of course, their fourth straight Women’s World Cup victory. There was also co-captain Megan Rapinoe’s unapologetic, joyful rebuttal of President Trump’s bigotry and bullying. And there was their unflinching demand to get paid what they deserve.

On the field, at victory celebrations, and in press interviews, members of the USWNT returned to a glaringly unfair point: They are pop culture juggernauts and elite professional athletes, and yet their compensation is still only a fraction of what the (much less successful) men’s team earns — roughly twothirds less, according to a lawsuit the team filed against U.S. Soccer earlier this year. This sort of gendered pay discrimination for professional athletes is hardly unusual. Women athletes at the highest levels of play, like tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, generally make much less money than their cis male counterparts.

Wimbledon only closed its pay gap in 2007, and the Williams sisters remain fierce advocates for equal pay, particularly for women of color.

Professional National Football League cheerleaders, who are often unjustly left out of these discussions, have taken their fight for proper compensation and better working conditions to court, but many are still barely making minimum wage, if that, and sexual harassment remains a pervasive

Rapinoe

workplace issue.

While there are fewer nonbinary and trans professional athletes, those who play in designated women’s leagues often experience the same pay discrimination as cis women athletes. For example, Harrison Browne, a trans man who was the first openly transgender athlete in a professional U.S. team sport, played on a National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) team until his retirement in 2017. In 2015, the year he joined the Buffalo Beauts, the highest-paid player on his team was Megan Bozek, who made just $22,500.

The next year salaries were cut by 38%.

The fight to close the pay gap kicked into high gear in the 1970s. In 1972, the pivotal civil rights law Title IX came into effect; the law “protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance,” such as school sports teams (and all other aspects of education that receive federal funding). Title IX also required that girls and women be given equal opportunities to participate in sports. Up to that point, only a fraction of young women were involved in school athletics programs; the

Williams

number exploded post-1972.

Pay discrimination was launched further into the spotlight in 1973, when tennis legend and longtime advocate for equality Billie Jean King won the historic Battle of the Sexes match against Bobby Riggs.

But Title IX wasn’t a cure-all.

The subject of equal pay has factored into some of the biggest labor disputes in recent sports history, including the basketball court, hockey rink, and soccer field.

Professional athletes who are represented by labor unions, like the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) or U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Players Association (USWNSTPA), regularly engage in contract negotiations with their employers. Those who are not unionized are represented by organizations like the National Women's Hockey League Players' Association (NWHLPA) or Commission for Equity in Women’s Surfing (CEWS), which advocate for their members but do not engage in collective bargaining.

Players who are union members are able to use their collective bargaining agreements to address concerns and push for improvements in pay, benefits, and working conditions,

like any other union member.

There is also a long history of professional sports teams (mostly men's baseball and hockey) going on strike. It’s important to remember that though the pay scale for professional athletes is often above what most people can fathom, they are still workers; they can have greedy bosses, workplace safety issues, and be mistreated or underpaid compared with their peers.

And they owe a debt of solidarity to their fellow workers, something that certain men’s teams seemed to have forgotten during last year’s Marriott hotel workers strike.

But contract disputes are fundamentally different for female athletes, who face structural barriers to undoing the unfair pay system. It’s no wonder some teams are taking action and channeling the spirit of labor militancy to get the job done.

Trailblazing trans athlete Browne’s tenure with the Buffalo Beauts happened to coincide with a particularly contentious period for U.S. hockey. In 2017, the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team boycotted the International Ice Hockey Federation world championship because contract negotiations — in which pay equity was a major issue — had broken down.

Thirteen days after the boycott was announced, the team got a deal, which included travel and insurance provisions commensurate with what the men’s national team receives.

Earlier this year, after the demise of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League left North America with only one women’s league, the U.S. Na-

tional Women’s Hockey League threatened to sit out an entire season if their demands over low wages and a lack of health insurance are not met.

Less than a month later, they struck a deal, which the player’s union hailed as a “breakthrough” on pay.

As these women athletes made clear, direct action gets the goods — and that notion appears to be spreading into other arenas. The WNBA has been embroiled in a labor dispute over salaries dwarfed by what their male peers rake in.

As Dallas Wings center Elizabeth Cambage noted on Twitter in June 2018, “Today I learnt NBA refs make more than a WNBA player and the 12th man on a NBA team makes more than a WHOLE WNBA team.” Cambage threatened to sit out the season in protest (she later signed with the Las Vegas Aces), and rumors of a potential strike continue to swirl.

Back on the soccer field, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s lawsuit is just their latest attempt to rectify their own shocking salary situation (as SBNation notes, “The highestpaid men’s national team player makes nearly $200,000 more than the highest-paid women’s national team player”). When the players’ bargaining committee, which included Rapinoe, sat down to negotiate a new contract, a grueling process that stretched over four months, the team encountered significant pushback from the federation. The hard-won result, a five-year collective bargaining agreement, gave the players a hefty raise in 2016, yet didn’t level continued on the next page

August 8-22, 2019

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9

Workers’ Matters

Save the Apprenticeships: Keep Sham Training Out of Construction

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orth America's Building Trades Unions' (NABTU) world-class registered apprenticeship programs train U.S. workers to become highly-skilled, six-figure earning construction workers through a debt-free, technologically-advanced education.

These earn-as-you-learn programs pay family-sustaining wages and provide health care coverage and retirement benefits. These programs also ensure the workers rebuilding our infrastructure have the highest level of training, keeping our communities and families safe. However, these programs and our future is at risk.The Department of Labor recently released a new proposal that could decimate training and labor standards in registered apprenticeship programs across the country, and

we only have a few weeks to stop it.

Apprenticeships are key pathways to gainful employment, training workers for highly skilled jobs while paying living wages and providing health care. This new proposal would drive down standards for the world-class apprenticeship programs that workers and industries depend on. It would jeopardize not only good jobs, but safety

standards in industries like construction. Watering down these programs is just plain wrong.

Right now, the Department of Labor is asking the public for feedback on this misguided proposal. We have to let them know that working people won’t stand for this. Help save our apprenticeships. p Visit www.saveconstructionapprenticeships.org

Pay Discrimination continued from page 8 the playing field; men still made much more. That same year, five USWNT members filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

In 2019, the team filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Soccer that alleged “institutional gender discrimination.” The federation fought back, arguing essentially that the women did not deserve equal pay because they performed “different work” than the male players.

Given the team’s sterling track record, this insinuation was laughable at best, and offensive at worst. The players don’t seem worried, though; as they said in a press release, “We look forward to a trial next year after the World Cup.” After this year’s explosive Cup win, they’ve got a lot of new fans on their side.

When the USWNT was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City earlier this month, the streets rang out with the chant, “Equal pay now!”, and that refrain hasn’t

quieted since. On July 23, U.S. Reps. Doris Matsui of California and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut introduced a bill to block federal funding for the 2026 men’s World Cup until the USWNT receives “fair and equitable wages” compared with the men’s team; a similar bill is already circulating in the Senate.

It will take a combination of worker power, union muscle, and legislative force to make equal pay a reality. However, if these athletes have made one thing clear, it’s that quitting isn’t an option — they’re certainly not giving up.p No Class is an op-ed column by writer and radical organizer Kim Kelly that connects worker struggles and the current state of the American labor movement with its storied — and sometimes bloodied — past. This week, Kim explains how unions are helping female athletes get the pay they deserve.

This story was originally published on [July 29, 2019] by TeenVogue.com

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10

In the News Racial Hatred continued from page 1 thorities, lynching equally men, women, children and elderly people, all of Mexican descent, with the goal of terrorizing this social group. Because, just as it occurs today at the national level with the official anti-immigrant rhetoric, they did not want to see them here anymore.

This is a fact that is spoken very little, as if Texan history wants to sweep it under the rug of U.S. history.

Very soon, the authorities will catalogue the massacre in El Paso as an act of domestic terrorism. The question of how he acquired the powerful weapon with which he carried out the killings is also a subject that has converted the United States into a nation where racial hate is always literally at the trigger finger.

Trump and his Republican accomplices took to Twitter to offer their hollow “condolences,” something that would be laughable if the topic were not so tragic. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds, but the rhetoric of hate and division has remained a registered hallmark of Republican “Trumpism” that will define them forever.

“Invasion” is one of Trump’s favorite terms when he talks about immigration. For him, immigrants are “criminals” and “rapists.” Minorities of color “should go back to the places they came from,” as he said about four Democratic congresswomen who are citizens of the United States, three of them born in this country.

He has looked for all ways possible to keep Central Americans fleeing violence from soliciting asylum in the United States. He also separated immigrant families and caged brown-skinned children in inhumane conditions. But this is not limited to immigrants or Hispanics. Majority AfricanAmerican cities, like Baltimore, Maryland, are places that in his opinion are “disgusting” and “infested with rats and rodents.”

It’s an accumulation of expressions of hate similar to those used by white nationalists and which one read in books about racism and discrimination that plagued this country in earlier decades, the same ones that some believed had been overcome with the idea that this nation had continued adapting in the historic evolution of multiculturalism and tolerance.

Senate Finally Votes to Reauthorize 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund All throughout Sunday, Trump’s accomplices defended him, declaring it is unfair to argue that the President’s rhetoric provokes violent attacks because they are committed by people with mental disorders. Trump himself blamed “mental illnesses.” Of course, that is always the first excuse when it comes to a white attacker, not when the skin color or religion are different and then the entire weight of the law —political, social, and legal— rains down strongly on one who has dared to emulate “Western law,” which defines both the advancement and the barbarism of this country.

But racism and the defense of white supremacy are not mental illnesses. They are what many Trump supporters defend, those who applaud him rabidly every time a refrain targeting someone is voiced in his campaign rallies, in order to continue maintaining the support of racism and xenophobia.

Thus, at this stage in the game we have no hope that Trump will face off unequivocally against this racist sector that supports him. This is a segment of his base that he does not want to lose. In fact, this is the group of followers who watched the election of the first African-American President in United States history, Barack Obama, in horror. The sector that during the eight years of Obama’s presidency saw their prejudice only intensify to the point of a pressure cooker about to explode. And at that point Trump makes his entrance, he who has become their anticipated “Messiah.”

This past week a group of colleagues from America’s Voice visited The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, which reviews the history of slavery and racism in this country. In the face of the photos and narrations about the treatment of slaves, lynchings, segregation, abuses and injustices, one would like to think that this country has learned from its history never to repeat it.

But reality teaches us the opposite. The target of these attacks has expanded. The methods have changed, but the prejudice and racial hate persist. What use, then, has this painful historical experience served to a country that is now seeing all that it supposedly learned go to waste?

The most terrible thing is that we have a President who exploits this prejudice with his incendiary and racist rhetoric, and will not stop using it even with this tragedy in El Paso and those that occur in some other part of the nation. In the face of the 2020 election one would anticipate that this same rhetoric will intensify, with political-electoral goals.

That is why it is urgent that Trump’s rhetoric not continue to be “normalized.” It’s also urgent to not lose sensitivity to the violence that generates this racial hate. p Maribel Hastings is a Senior Advisor and columnist at America’s Voice and America’s Voice Education Fund. During her career, Maribel has received numerous awards, including the 2007 Media Leadership Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) for her coverage of the immigration debate in the U.S. Senate.

A

fter years of funding disputes with Congress, the Senate has officially voted to reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for the next 73 years, effectively providing financial support to help pay the health care bills for thousands of first responders and survivors of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The bill overwhelmingly passed to the sound of applause in a 97 to 2 vote The reauthorization allows for 9/11 victims and their families to file claims through 2090, but they will be paid out through 2092.

The most visible argument for the bill's pas-

sage was the testimony of Luis Alvarez, a former NYPD detective and 9/11 responder, who testified before Congress as he was undergoing his 69th round of chemotherapy to treat the cancer he was diagnosed with in 2016, stemming from his work at the World Trade Center on the day of the 9/11 attacks and for three months afterward.

"This fund isn't a ticket to paradise – it's to provide our families with care," Alvarez testified. "You all said you would never forget. Well, I'm here to make sure that you don't." Alvarez died of cancer just weeks later and was honored with a hero's salute by hundreds of law enforcement officials at his New York City funeral. Alvarez is now forever immortalized in the name of the funding bill.p

Buzzfeed News Voluntarily Recognizes BuzzFeed News Union

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ver five months after announcing their union drive, the editorial employees of BuzzFeed News officially secured NewsGuild representation after a card-check was conducted at BuzzFeed News headquarters. A third party verified that a majority of staffers elected to be represented by the NewsGuild of New York after more than 90% of eligible staff signed to the effort.

The 80-member bargaining unit consists of reporters, editors and designers working for BuzzFeed News across the nation. Voluntary recognition of the union comes on the heels of an extremely contentious five months of negotiations over who was eligible for the bargaining unit. Frustration with management reached a tipping point in June, when employees staged a four-hour walkout on June 17, 2019, to protest managements’ hardball tactics and mark the four months that had passed without their union being recog-

nized.

“I’m proud of the hard, fearless work the organizing committee and the BuzzFeed newsroom has done so that we can advocate for ourselves in our workplace,” said Rachel Sanders, Deputy Culture Editor and member of the Organizing Committee. “We stayed strong in the face of fierce resistance from BuzzFeed management. Now that we’re finally recognized, I’m excited to bargain for a contract that will not only make this a stronger newsroom and company, but raise the bar for how workers are treated across our industry.” p

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August 8-22, 2019

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11

Education

Student Loans: Understanding How They Work

BY KHOURY DOUGLAS, ADIA MASHARIKI & JUSTIN SMALL

H

ow do you plan on paying for college? It’s not as simple as paying for a phone bill. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 69% of high school graduates were faced with this question for the last two years of school in 2018.While there are multiple ways to pay for college, some students choose to pay for it by using loans.

Student loans are borrowed funds that come from an outside source that is used to help pay for education after high school. The college admissions process should be introduced early on in high school, so that this way students and their families can be well prepared for their future.

There are multiple programs that students can apply for to gain loans. There are regular student loans, private loans which are given by private organizations such as banks or

credit unions are more expensive, and FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which is a federal government-based application, that determines if students can receive financial aid. As explained in Your Guide to Understanding Every Type of Student Loan Available Today by Andrew Pentis, the regular loan programs include Direct Subsidized Federal Loans, which is when the Department of Education will cover the interest that accumulates on your loans while you’re enrolled at least half-time in school, and Direct Unsubsidized Federal Loans, in which interest is gained while you are enrolled,

during a grace period, or while in a suspension. A Direct Plus Loan in which the loan can be taken out by parents for the child, or by graduate and professional degree students. A Parent Plus Loan which supports biological, adoptive, and stepparents regarding their dependent undergraduates; however, the government doesn’t offer a way for parents to transfer a parent plus loan to their children as the loan focuses on the parents paying for their child; however, some private lenders allow you to refinance a parent plus loan in a child’s name. Regarding Direct Consolidation Loans, these types of loans above allow the

ability to pool multiple loans into a single loan with one loan servicer. This means that you can make a single monthly payment as well and payment would be lower than your past loans as the repayment period can be extended up to 20 years.

Some private lenders will say to think about taking out federal loans before weighing their products due to protection, while others would work with your financial situation regarding your student loan options. There are loan details that can be more situated to fit your needs and can be changed regarding: variable/fixed interest rates, a credit history that can lower your rate, and repayment options that can be managed in order to lessen the burden on yourself or family. One of the benefits of in-school student loans in the private marketplace is that there are many to choose from. For starters, Sallie Mae offers different loans that help pay for education, which

also includes private kindergartens. Refinanced loans also exist for graduates, in which you can save on your debt, as well as having a good credit score and good income can help with getting lower interest rates.

Graduates also could apply for loan forgiveness, which allows the debt to either be lessened and was introduced in order to reduce the burden on high graduates and encourage them to get public service careers, which are jobs that are centered on services or commodities for a community.

However, there are qualifications that must be met for the public service loan program which include working full time for a government agency, have Direct Loans, repay those loans on an income base payment plan, and have 120 qualifying payments. Furthermore, there are multiple programs for other careers, such as teachers, doctors, lawyers, and milcontinued on the next page

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August 8-22, 2019

12

strate its commitment to employees and the greater community. I’m calling on Lidl to do right by our neighbors and provide workers with the compensation, benefits, and fair labor conditions they deserve.”

“As a union member, I believe all employees are entitled to fair and equitable treatment and a collective voice on the job,” said State Senator Monica R. Martinez. “All people, regardless of gender, race or socioeconomic status should receive equal pay for equal work and treatment. I am proud to stand with the members of Best Market/Lidl as they advocate for their rights.”

“Lidl may be new to the neighborhood, but the thousands of hard-working Long Islanders who run their Best Market stores are not—they are members of

our community and they deserve a living wage, an opportunity for advancement regardless of gender, and the stability of consistent hours and wages,” said State Senator Anna M. Kaplan. “I’m calling on Lidl to demonstrate their commitment to our community by elevating their standards and treating their workers—our neighbors— with the respect they have earned and the opportunities they deserve.”

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, said, “We need to make sure all workers are treated with dignity and respect.

I recently spoke with leaders from Lidl and have encouraged them to constructively address the concerns of their employees.”p

Union In Action

Women of UALE Summer School Support Best Market Workers

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AST MEADOW, NY: On July 30, workers from Lidl’s Best Market stores rallied with New York State Senators Jim Gaughran, John Brooks, Anna Kaplan, Kevin Thomas, and Monica Martinez, New York State Assembly Members Michelle Solages and Kimberly Jean-Pierre, Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen, and over 150 women attending the United Association of Labor Educators (UALE) Northeast Summer School for Working Women, and community members to call attention to the fact that women are much less likely than men to hold store-level leadership positions within the company’s Best Market stores.

Dozens of workers from Lidl’s Best Market stores took personal time off work to attend the rally.

Rally attendees also delivered a letter addressed to Lidl U.S. President and CEO Johannes Fieber that asks him to explain the unequal leadership structure and immediately provide better jobs and opportunities for all employees.

“When women can’t reach management positions, our wages, families and communities all suffer,” said Ashley Geyer, who works in prepared foods at Lidl’s Best Market store in Selden. “We aren’t asking for the world, only for a clear and equal opportunity to advance our careers and improve our lives.”

“I’m never working the same number of hours or shifts and my struggles with scheduling are not unique,” said Jill Cooley, who works in the bakery at Lidl’s Best Market store in Astoria. “Many of my coworkers complain about how difficult is to arrange childcare, go to school or attend family events because their schedules are always shifting. People simply can’t live a good life when it’s a mystery what hours or days they’ll be working the next week. Long Island deserves better jobs than the ones Lidl is currently providing.”

“It is imperative that women have access to the same employment opportunities as their male counterparts,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James. “I stand with these workers to demand that Lidl not only recognize this glaring gender disparity, but take real steps to address it and change it.”

“Long Island families depend on consistent paychecks and fair employment practices from the region’s major employers—and

Photos: Liz Eastman

Lidl must meet those necessary standards” said State Senator Todd Kaminsky. “I support the grocery workers in their fight for these basic protections, and stand with them against economic insecurity and corporate indifference.”

“The hard working men and women who keep our grocery stores running and our families fed deserve fair wages and benefits to be able to put food on their own tables,” said State Senator James Gaughran. “As we

welcome Lidl to our neighborhood, our message is unequivocal – Lidl must improve wages and benefits and provide a dignified working environment for their thousands of employees.

Anything short of this is unacceptable.”

“I stand with Lidl/Best Market employees, their families, and all those who work hard every day to keep our grocery stores running,” said State Senator Kevin Thomas. “This is an opportunity for Lidl to demon-

August 8-22, 2019

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We Are the Leadership

Never Fear! The Women Are Here!

Photo credit: Janette Pellegrini he 44th UALE Northeast School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations! Summer School took place from Saturday, July 27th to Wednesday July 31st at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York. For 44 years, the Summer School has provided women in unions and other labor organizations with an opportunity to interact with like-minded women, learning from one another as well as from experienced labor educators and practitioners. This year’s summer school was dedicated to the memory of Lois Gray, a professor and mentor at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell who helped found the Institute for Women and Work and the Latino Leadership Center, and Carolyn Jacobson, a founder of the Berger-Marks Foundation and C.L.U.W. who organized against sexism in the labor movement. The hosts for the Summer School were CUNY School of Labor Studies and Hofstra University.

In 2019, the challenges confronting us are immense. As individuals, we might feel overwhelmed by the assaults against unions, refugees, women and trans people, and the civil rights we thought we could take for granted. What we can take for granted is that, as Frederick Douglass said: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did

T

and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both.“ Douglass gives us hope in recognizing that, collectively, we are able to overcome.

Never fear, the women are here! We are truly the superheroes of our workplaces, unions, organizations, and communities.

Together, women will and can take a stand against their oppressors and fight for their rights and for justice for all. The women who attended the Summer School left with a renewed sense of commitment to their unions and worker organizations and with an enthusiasm for tackling the challenges before us. Lead coordinator, Diana Robinson expressed that, “It was my great honor to be the lead coordinator of the 44th UALE Northeast Women’s Summer School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations. It was beautiful to see women from all walks of life come together in solidarity and sisterhood. I am extremely moved and motivated by how we all came together. We will continue to build a strong labor movement that includes the voices of women, immigrants, the

LBGTQ community and Black workers and takes leadership from them as well. I am so grateful to all the instructors and my co-coordinators Sarah Knispel, Maureen LaMar and Mary Anne Trascatti. I believe that we will win! The past five days was evident of that.”

Here’s what some of the participants had to say: Wanda L. Harrison, Inv. Chapter Chair, Local 1113 This summer school is a great investment in the lives and careers of women who are in the union. We fellowshipped with one another; we encouraged one another; and we promised one another that we will continue to fight for equal pay, equal opportunity and equal respect in the workplace. The UALE Summer School provides women with the necessary tools for union advocacy.

I met some wonderful women who exchanged union cards, union paraphernalia and words of inspiration. We sang and loved on one another and promised to keep in touch!

“Women in the Union Rock!”

Trina Prior, Chairperson, DC 37 Local 372 Housing: Summer School at Hofstra University was an awesome 5 day experience.

During that time I had the opportunity to meet and network with women from various labor unions, from

different cities, and states.

Within the classes and workshops attended, I learned the skills and knowledge to obtain leadership roles in labor unions and abroad. I’m truly grateful that I was afforded the opportunity to attend.

Denise McLain, DC 37 member under Local 372, which represents the Department of Education employees, excluding most teachers and administration: This leadership experience has had a permanent impact in my life. Beginning with the amazing women I met during the five days of such positive growth and development and in every corner of this energized leadership trainings. Each one supported the next one. I felt like I had nothing to worry about from day one within any aspect because I just knew one of my UALE sisters would look out for me. I believe every woman in leadership should have an opportunity in life to spend time learning about who they are by learning about the women that came long before they did. What it does for many of us is give a genuine purpose for why we must continue the movements. There is always a cause to support our sisters.

Living, learning, laughing and loving life what more can we ask for. My heart, mind and soul have been impacted

eternally with positive energy.

I know “Why Women are Warriors” because it has always been required from the beginning of time. Thank you UALE. Jessica Huffman, SecretaryTreasurer of AFSCME Local #3330, Executive Board Member for AFSCME District Council 86 — Pennsylvania’s AFSCME Council is Council 13: My impressions: everyone was easy to talk to, I never had to sit alone. I could sit with any of my sisters and have a decent conversation about anything. I learned so much just by talking with the other sisters attending the school. As we all approach things differently, we were able to offer help and advice to each other on improving our unions and engaging our members. It was also gratifying to meet younger women new to union office and looking for advice — and see the myriad of women stepping in to help them.

I attended the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire memorial event. We sewed pieces of fabric on to a larger ribbon that will be incorporated into a memorial for the victims of that fire. I was proud and humbled to be able to memorialize my mother, a union sister who passed away too young.

Clearly, women are here to stay. Women Are the Leadership!p

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

14

American Politics

Time for the House to Begin Impeachment Proceedings against President Trump

BY MICHAEL BLAKE

W

hen I was growing up in The Bronx, my mama taught our family about the promise of America. She said that no matter what block you live on and no matter what you look like, you can make a good life for yourself if you work hard and follow the rules. Mama Hilary emigrated from Jamaica, and she imbued in us the profound idea that we are all equal. In America, nobody is above the law.

I believe this to be true of the President of the United States, in particular.

Following President Trump’s mean-spirited, racist tweets about four Democratic Congresswomen, 95 members of the House of Representatives tried to force a vote on impeachment. The vote failed, but the momentum to hold the President accountable for his actions will continue as more damning evidence comes out.

For example, search warrants released on by a federal court in New York detail how President Trump and his allies hastily arranged a hushmoney deal to cover up his illicit behavior leading up to the 2016 election.

After reading portions of what is publicly available from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s exhaustive 448-page report, speaking to lawyers with federal experience and engaging with leaders on both sides of the aisle, I’ve been reflecting on how Congress must hold the executive branch accountable.

Mueller’s report is very clear: Trump and his associates openly welcomed Russian interference during the 2016 presidential campaign and committed unethical and illegal acts while in the White House.

When an investigation was launched, Trump clearly abused his power and obstructed justice multiple times.

Per the report, Trump instructed his White House Counsel, Don McGahn, to fire Mueller, then told McGahn to lie about the episode. Trump attempted to limit the scope of the investigation to prevent himself from being implicated and tried to stop the public disclosure of evidence.

Photo: shutterstock.com

Mueller stated that he could not clear the President of wrongdoing saying, “If we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.” In no uncertain terms, Mueller passed the baton to Congress to do their duty as a co-equal branch of government. His report found that “Congress has authority to prohibit a President’s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice.”

It is clear from this pattern of unethical and illegal behavior, not to mention the explicit racism, intentional disregard for vulnerable communities, and prioritizing the interests of other countries over our own, that President Trump is not fit to continue leading the nation.

This behavior, along with my belief that we must move forward in a new direction, is why I am calling on the House to begin impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States.

It saddens me to write these words. I have arrived at this decision after careful analysis and consideration. I worked in the White House for President Obama, and I believe that talk of impeachment should not be thrown around casually. It must not be used for political points, but rather, only in extreme circumstances.

For clarification: Impeachment by the House is not the end of the process; it is the start. The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a President if a majority of its members believe the President has committed “Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” If the House votes

to impeach, the process then moves to the Senate where much like a criminal trial, members of the House (called “managers”) will prosecute the case to the members of the jury — all 100 members of the Senate. The President will have lawyers to provide a defense.

Based on the information provided in the Mueller report, I strongly believe that President Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Yes, people make mistakes, but blatant disregard for justice by the most powerful official in the country is unacceptable. We would not accept this level of reckless behavior by a local public official, and we certainly shouldn’t accept it by a President of the United States.

This Department of Justice might not believe that a sitting President can be indicted, but it does not mean he is innocent — a point Mueller will certainly make when he sets the record straight by testifying before Congress Let’s be clear: Trump has spent more time resisting investigations than leading the country. Instead of using his authority to invest in education for the next generation, support the people of Puerto Rico, treat elected officials with the respect they deserve, or welcome those fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution, Trump has used his power to obstruct justice. Instead of taking action to address lead paint in public housing or increase access to Mitchell Lama homes, Trump has fawned over Vladimir Putin. On top of all of this, let it sink in that a widely respected former FBI Director is unwilling to say no crime was committed.

Many Members of Congress have demurred on impeachment, believing that the politically wise move is to hold out unless there is significant support from across the aisle. But this moment is not about politics. It’s not about allegiance to any party. It’s about preserving the institutions, laws, and norms that make the United States an exceptional country.

It’s about protecting the Constitution. It’s about teaching children in The Bronx and across the country that there will always be consequences if and when a public official abuses his or her power.

Some say that instead of impeachment, Congress should focus on issues affecting the American people right now.

Just last week in The Bronx, for example, the shameful neglect of human life by public officials was on full display when hundreds of NYCHA residents at the Andrew Jackson Houses lost power after a transformer exploded, endangering people with disabilities, seniors, and young children.

My view is that Congress must do both simultaneously: focus on everyday issues such as addressing the urgency of our housing affordability crisis, while also initiating impeachment proceedings at the same time.

Before announcing he was leaving the Republican Party, Congressman Justin Amash wrote: “While impeachment should be undertaken only in extraordinary circumstances, the risk we face in an environment of extreme partisanship is not that Congress will employ it as a remedy too often but rather that Congress will employ it so rarely that it cannot deter misconduct.”

Congressman Amash is right.

We’re in an extraordinary moment, and we have an obligation to deter the type of misconduct that President Trump has consistently engaged in before our eyes.

It is time for justice. It is time for the House to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump. p

Student Loans continued from page 11 itary personal all for loan forgiveness.

Student loans serve to enable families that may not have the funds now, to send their children to college. This is especially apparent with minority families that may not be able to afford to go to college. Programs such as FAFSA help with expenses as they grant money awards which depend on the financial status of the child’s parents. Sometimes these families may get a lot of money in the award letter that would be sent to them, and other times they may not.

However, student loans may benefit these families, as long as they don’t go over the limit.

Some people have the luxury of not having to pay for college until later.

I, Adia Mashariki am one of these students. My high school is one of the very few schools that offer a free two-year associate degree program at New York City College of Technology. However, once my program is complete, I will have to begin the FAFSA process in order to receive money to help pay for my education. In other cases, some people choose to do the regular four years of college and are required to do the FAFSA application before entering college.

I, Khoury Douglas am one of these students, and I was required to complete the application in order to know how much money I would be receiving to help pay for my college of choice, New York City College of Technology. Not all FAFSA applications work out for some students.

I, Justin Small am one of these students who filled out the FAFSA application for the college of my choice, which is Baruch College because I was eligible for an award package in order to pay for college.

Overall, implementing the college admissions process to apply for student loans earlier in high schools allows students and parents to be aware of what to expect soon, regarding paying for school. With there being multiple programs and applications to choose from, anyone can find what they are looking for to suit their needs.p

NOTE: This post reflects the views of Michael Blake and not the positions taken by the Democratic National Committee.

Khoury Douglas, Adia Mashariki, Justin Small are interns from the Summer Youth Employment Program 2019.

August8-22, 2019

www.workersworldtoday.com

15

Family: The True Modern Relationship

NYCHA is Poisoning the Children

BY GREG B. SMITH, THE CITY Additional Reporting: Gabriel Sandoval

T

he number of children in city public housing poisoned by lead is rising, NYCHA’s new federal monitor declared in a report detailing scandalous housing conditions — including rats scaling garbage piles to invade 14th-floor apartments.

In his first report, Monitor Bart Schwartz found the city housing authority has fallen far short of its promises to inspect and clean up lead paint in apartments where young children live — sparking what he called an “emergency.” At least 18 more kids have registered elevated blood-lead levels so far this year, he revealed.

Schwartz’ 81-page report also found failures to address other unsafe and unhealthy apartment conditions affecting NYCHA’s 400,000 residents — including insufficient mold cleanup, an inadequate elevator rehab program and a horrific rat infestation at an East Harlem development.

“These first few months of our work have revealed NYCHA as an organization fraught with serious problems in structure, culture and direction and perhaps even worse,” Schwartz wrote. “No one needs a monitor to be appointed to figure that out.”

Business as Usual Schwartz was appointed in February as part of the city’s deal with federal Housing Secretary Ben Carson and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who documented a pattern by NYCHA managers of covering up squalid conditions in the nation’s largest public housing system.

Mayor de Blasio recently appointed a new NYCHA chairperson, Minneapolis public housing chief Gregory Russ, for $400,000 a year. But he doesn’t start his new job until next month.

In issuing his first quarterly report, Schwartz castigated the authority for business as usual, charging many of the promises made as part of the city’s deal

A squirrel watches over garbage piled up in front of a Queensbridge Houses building.

Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

with the federal government had not been kept.

In response, NYCHA General Manager Vito Mustaciuolo made clear the authority is working with Schwartz to attack, in granular detail, the issues raised in the report.

“NYCHA’s challenges are deep rooted and changes will not happen overnight, but with the full commitment of our dedicated staff, we are taking the necessary steps to transform the Authority and to improve the quality of life for our residents,” he stated.

Rats ‘the Size of Cats’ Schwartz’s inspectors cited a nightmarish scenario at the Washington Houses in East Harlem where 400 tenants signed a letter to NYCHA, saying workers refused to enter the basements there for fear of being attacked by rats.

Trash compactors were shut down but tenants continued to stuff garbage down the chutes.

Soon, trash stacked to the 14th floor.

“The rats then climb the garbage in the compactors to reach upper floors and enter apartments,” stated the ten-

ants’ letter. “We are hostages in our own homes at night… due to the rats that are the size of cats that come out from their burrows that they’ve dug around and under our buildings.”

Sixth-floor tenant Betsy Vega recalled one unwelcome encounter.

“I was going to throw out the garbage and there were rats coming out of the chute,” Vega, 31, told THE CITY Monday.

Schwartz wrote that NYCHA managers initially did not respond to the tenants’ concern — and only did so after until his team brought it to the attention of NYCHA headquarters. But on Monday, tenants said the rat army remains an occupying force.

“They play hide and seek.

They play tag. They run,” said tenant Stella Bruno. “I have a small dog and sometimes my dog looks miniature [compared] to the rats outside.”

Schwartz predicted NYCHA will fall short in its systemwide continued on page 19

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

16

Old & New Immigrants: Their Rights

Presidential Memo on Enforcing the Legal Responsibilities of Sponsors of Aliens

BY JAMELIAH FRANCIS

T

he President of America Donald J. Trump on May 23, 2019, released a Presidential Memorandum on “Enforcing the legal responsibilities of sponsors of Aliens.”

In this memorandum, he implores related federal agencies to inform and implement procedures, guidance, and regulations with regards to current laws. This is mainly to prevent ineligible immigrants from receiving federal means-tested benefits such as supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). According to President Trump, this is in an effort to protect the American taxpayer.

In the President’s memorandum, Trump stated that one of his mandates is to reestablish the rule of law whereby ensuring that existing immigration laws are imposed. One such

law is making certain that if government or non-government agencies provide public benefits to immigrants, such as various means tested public benefits, this must be repaid by the alien’s financial sponsor.

As it stands, persons applying through family-based and some employment-based petitions must provide Form I-864, which is an Affidavit of Support. This document, according to the law is a legally binding agreement which states that the alien’s sponsor agrees to financially support the intending immigrant. It was reiterated that the principle of self-sufficiency for immigrants has been a part of America’s immigration laws since the 1800s, as such President Trump and his government are doing all in their power to ensure this remains a reality.

In some cases, the petitioner or sponsor’s income may fall below the required guidelines,

Photo: shutterstock.com

once this happens, then a joint sponsor is also required to submit an affidavit of support pledging legal financial obligations to the beneficiary in the event that the immigrant applies for and receives a means tested public benefits. In cases where the petitioner/sponsor’s income falls below the required guidelines, a joint sponsor must also execute an

affidavit of support. By completing and submitting the affidavit of support, the sponsor and joint sponsor both pledge financial support for the intending immigrant in the event the immigrant applies for or receives a means-tested public benefits.

Strategically, the reason for requiring an intending immigrant to obtain a sponsor is to

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make certain that the immigrant do not become a public charge and a financial burden to the United States government. Ultimately, unless a sponsor legallly withdraws the affidavit of support before the issuance of a visa or a permanent resident card, the sponsor is then bound by the legal agreement of financial responsibility for the immigrant in question. This agreement is enforceable by law until the immigrant becomes a citizen of America, if he or she dies or loses permanent resident status, if the immigrant adjusts to a permanent resident because of other means due to a prior removal or deportation or such immigrant has worked in the United States and was able to accumulate 40 qualifying quarters of Social Security earnings.

According to the American government, one of the current issues at hand is the high reliance on public benefits by immigrants. Currently, there exist extreme limitations for many non-citizens from acquiring public aid. This is mainly to ensure that the immigrant families are self-supporting; therefore, persons willing to immigrate to the United States of America must be able to financially support themselves and not become a public burden.

There is the other argument that though immigrants may seem to be a public burden on the United States government, in the longer term, immigrants contribute much more to the government’s bank account than that of social spending.

Consequently, these shortterm programs are not just welfare or a handout; instead, they should be seen as an investment, thereby helping to ensure that families are well educated, of good and sound health, and able to work and support themselves during their lifetime in the United States. p

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August 8-22, 2019

17

Old & New Immigrants: Their Rights

AG James Joins Coalition to Challenge Trump’s Attack on Asylum Seekers

N

EW YORK: Attorney General Letitia James joined a group of 21 State Attorneys General to challenge the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to asylum standards. If implemented, these changes would allow the President to arbitrarily deny asylum claims to immigrants seeking haven from domestic or gang violence. In an amicus brief filed in Grace v.

Barr before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Attorneys General argue that these stringent revisions — which would effectively bar asylum claims based on domestic or gang-related violence — go against longstanding federal law and judicial precedent, undermining the rule of law itself.

“It is unconscionable that our federal government would deny refuge to those desperately seeking safety here,” said Attorney General James. “These asylum seekers are fleeing dangerous environments in their

countries of origin and their ability to gain entry into the United States is truly a question of life or death. Not only does this violate federal law, but it is patently antithetical to our basic values as Americans, and we will fight back.”

The District of Columbia and partner states filed this amicus brief in Grace v. Barr, in support of the plaintiffs’ challenge to the Trump Administration’s heightened asylum standards.

The lawsuit was first filed by

the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, the ACLU of Texas, and the ACLU of D.C. in response to a policy former Attorney General Jeff Sessions implemented in June 2018.

Sessions articulated this policy change in Matter of A-B-, while intervening in the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)’s decision to grant a Salvadoran woman asylum based on her claim of spousal abuse. In his ruling, Sessions broke sharply from existing precedent to argue that the BIA should reject asylum claims regarding domestic or gang violence. Shortly after, the United States Customs and Immigration Service issued guidelines for implementing this policy, emphasizing denial of such claims.

In December 2018, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia struck down the change, ruling it incompatible with existing law. The Department of Justice is now

appealing the ruling in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

In this amicus brief, the states collectively argue that the District Court’s decision to reject the Administration’s heightened standards should be upheld, on the basis that: The standards violate established federal law: A near categorical bar to asylum claims based on domestic or gang violence, as Matter of A-B- recommends, would illegally prevent victims of such violence from attaining asylum protection.

The asylum process is rooted in the Immigration and Nationality Act. Among other things, that legislation makes it legal for anyone who arrives at the U.S. border to apply for asylum over a “well-founded fear of persecution” in one’s home country. Subsequent court cases have validated the legitimacy of claims made based on gang or domestic violence.

The standards are inconsistent with state, federal, and interna-

tional policies protecting victims of violence: All 50 states have enacted provisions in their criminal and civil codes to protect victims of domestic violence, and the federal government has acknowledged the need to assist immigrant women who have been victimized by domestic violence. Both have dedicated programs and resources to gang violence prevention. Furthermore, in signing the 1967 United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the United States vowed to protect individuals escaping persecution. The Trump Administration’s policy clashes with these commitments.

The standards restrict states’ abilities to grow their economies: Immigrants make significant contributions to the economy, and American society more broadly. This is borne out in study after study, and through recent experience nationwide. p

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

18

Sports & Conversations

Coco Gauff Meets Michelle Obama, Swaps Autographs

Where Are Our Queens?continued from page 1

BY JORDAAN SANFORD, TENNIS.COM

C

ori "Coco" Gauff enjoyed a special day away from the courts meeting former First Lady Michelle Obama. Gauff and Obama exchanged autographed pieces of memorabilia, before posing for a photo. The 15-year-old showcased a personalized a copy of Obama's 2018 memoir, Becoming, and Obama held up an autographed racquet.

Gauff captivated the world with her inspiring fourth-round run last month at Wimbledon, defeating one of her idols, Venus Williams, along the way.

Michelle Obama was one of the many who became a Coco fan that week.

Gauff has previously stated that Obama is one of her role models. In Gauff's copy of Becoming, Obama wrote, "I wish you courage, strength, joy and love on your journey to become more."

The teenage prodigy won two qualifying matches to reach the main draw at this week's Citi Open, but lost her first-round main draw match to Zarina Diyas. The Delray Beach, Florida resident has a chance to capture her first WTA title in doubles with

Missing also: Aneesa Reed, Keisha Hayws Prater, Ashantay Jones, and Tawny Reed

partner Caty McNally; the teenage tandem are into the D.C. semifinals.

Afterwards, Obama tweeted: "Thrilled to visit with @CocoGauff today — a wonderful young woman who's showing us that we don't have to wait to see what the next generation can do."

Gauff responded in kind, posting: "Today I got to meet my idol @MichelleObama.

Her words and wisdom on my journey will stay with me on the court over the course of my career. She is a true inspiration. I have never arrived, I am always becoming! Thank you for your time."

The Gauffs and Obama discussed relationships with grandparents and sacrificing for family concepts both families have much experience in.

Obama reminded Coco’s mother, Candi Gauff, to continue being herself.

After getting 400,000 followers on Instagram, the 15-yearold still has social-media dreams to satisfy — namely a follow from a certain fashionable singer. Dream follow? Rihanna would be pretty cool,” she said. “p

Additional information was added to the original article.

precious gems miraculously disappear from society…leaving an empty space in the hearts of many. Where have they gone? Who is responsible and will it ever end? These are some of the questions that are asked by the mourning parents and concerned family and friends.

According to the FBI, a total of 230,302 minorities were reported missing in the United States out of 612,846 for all races. Despite this alarming reality, the majority…people of color receive little to no media attention and public support.

Why is this? Why does something so current and heartbreaking continue to go unnoticed by the powers that be?

Most recent victims are 15year-old Victoria Shaw, a Black girl from West Hartford, Connecticut, 15-year-old Teandah Slater, also Black from Noble Square in Chicago and Areall Murchinson, a 16 year old Black girl from Chicago. These girls have all vanished without a single trace. You would think that these incidents would be all over the news, in an effort to have these precious girls found.

Sadly, this is not the case. For them and many others, their stories stop with family, friends and the neighborhood in which they hail from. It seems as if the media is anti-black coverage… especially when the caption is “Black and missing.”

Where have our black girls and women gone?

In 2010, a study on the media coverage with regards to missing children in the United States revealed that just 20 percent of reported stories focused on missing black children compared to 33 percent of the overall missing children cases.

Sadly, this concluded that missing blacks… especially black girls are seldom reported in the news.

Are these women and children abducted and sent to the sex industries for economic gains? Are they locked up in

someone’s house cleaning and cooking or is this some kind of sick depopulation mechanism to decrease the black race here in America? There must be an explanation for this predicament. We need to take a more proactive step in ensuring that these stories are in the faces of many. Could you imagine a 14 or 16 year old girl being the victim of a sex industry? It ignites something in me…what does it do for you? Imagine if she is your daughter or sister, maybe that would resonate more.

Who is responsible?

We as a people need to take responsibility for our own. We are sometimes too lackadaisical in our approach, especially about things that should matter to us. We give up too easily at times. On that note, our black brothers need to rise up and do more in trying to protect and locate our Queens. Don’t leave it all to the women. We need to come together as one to try and figure out what’s causing this and what can be done to stop it.

Will it ever end?

Despite not getting the publicity that missing black women and girls should get, there are still some that are playing their parts in public awareness.

Members of the black community are doing their parts with the resources they have such as social media.

Black and Missing But Not Forgotten is an active nonprofit organization that is trying to bridge the gap by finding missing Black American women and girls. Workers’ World Today publication is also doing its part in informing the public about these and many other related stories. If we continue on this part maybe enough awareness will be made and the epidemic if not stopped, will come to a minimum. p

For information on anyone missing, call 1-800-THE-LOST, or visit www.missingkids.com.

August 8-22, 2019

www.workersworldtoday.com

19

Love, Health & Travel

Newly Single? How to Survive a Breakup

BY JENNINE ESTES, MFT

and you will make it through.

H

Breakup Survival Tool: Redefine Your Future and YOU Now is the time for you. Bask in the new life you will begin to enter. While scary at first, revel in the idea of what your future may hold. Make new connections and laugh often.

Try something new, or start a new hobby. And remember that in life, everything happens for a reason.

ave you recently entered the world of single-hood? This could be a scary, yet liberating, time of your life. Whether you are coming off of a long-term relationship, or merely a few months relationship, a breakup is never easy. People tend to put their minds and hearts into a relationship and try everything they can to keep the relationship intact. When things get difficult the emotional pain and energy can be stressful and overwhelming.

And even when you try to find some semblance of peace for you and your partner, unfortunately, not all relationships make it through and recover from the hard times.

For some, the breakup may have been something that was coming for a while, and now that it’s happened, it’s not that much of a surprise. For others, they are left blindsided and bewildered, wondering, what do they do now? I’ll be honest, there is no simple solution to stop the hurting, but there are ways to help you get through the recovery process.

Here are a few tools to survive a breakup: Breakup Survival Tool: Get Closure Closure is a must: ending one chapter and starting a new chapter, especially if your partner vanished without explanation.

You may never understand what caused the breakup, similar to never understanding why a good person dies from cancer. It is what it is. Take time aside to say good bye, grieve the relationship: write a goodbye letter, donate relationship items to charity, or replace relationship

photos with friends and family photos. When making the changes, say goodbye and make your own closure.

Breakup Survival Tool: Get Support and Avoid Hibernating Avoid hibernating during the painful time. Going through the breakup can often bring up feelings of rejection, abandonment, and isolation. Isolation can also be a dangerous place for your mind to wander down the dark path of negativity and depression. Get support from family and friends. Find solace in their comfort. Remember, isolation will only magnify the feelings of loneliness and increase the frequency of mind racing negativity.

Breakup Survival Tool: Time Heals All…Stay Strong Remind yourself that you will get through it. Give it time and don’t expect yourself to be over the relationship in a week. Allow yourself time to heal. This will help in the regrowth process of your new chapter. Remember, time heals. Remind yourself that the pain won’t be here forever

Breakup Survival Tool: If You Are Gonna Do It….

Rebound Strategically Rebounds are where others quickly dive into intimate relationships with others to help “get over” the breakup. Rebounds ease the pain, distract from feeling the loss, and/or help avoid feeling lonely. As a therapist, I don’t recommend “using” other people to simply feel better; they have feelings as well. But if you are going to go the rebound route… please do it strategically.

Don’t simply sleep with or start a new relationship with the first person showing you attention. Keep your standards and self-value high.

Avoid creating more wounds for yourself by being self-

destructive, drinking your heart away, and making unhealthy choices. p

Jennine is a Marriage and Family Therapist in San Diego, CA., certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples. She writes relationship and self-growth advice for her column, Relationships in the Raw. She is the

continued from page 15 vow to eradicate by Aug. 1 pest infestation in apartments that have received more than one complaint. The authority’s 108 exterminators are overwhelmed dealing with 71,000 backlogged requests to exterminate a variety of vermin, including rats, Schwartz asserted.

A Lead Paint Mess Schwartz focused much of his attention on the hot-button issue of lead paint.

NYCHA for years lied about its failure to properly inspect for and clean up lead paint — an admission that ultimately led to Schwarz’s appointment and promises of an aggressive clean-up.

More than 1,100 children living in NYCHA have registered elevated blood-lead levels since 2012.

Yet the city blew its May 1 deadline to declare some 3,000 apartments with young children “clear” of lead. As of May 31, NYCHA conceded it was still awaiting lab results in 905 of these “immediate action” apartments, and had yet to perform “clearance” tests for 618 more units.

The Monitor called this a “frank admission of an unacceptable level of deficiencies.”

Schwartz added: “The backlog of pending clearances can fairly be considered an emergency, as children under six could be ingesting lead particulate if these units were not adequately cleaned after the interim controls were applied.”

He noted NYCHA’s lead hazard unit has no director, several vacancies and is “struggling to achieve its intended purpose…and urgently needs support.”

Tangled in Red Tape The Monitor’s report described a bureaucratic culture

where no one takes responsibility, blame is shifted from one division to another and there’s little incentive to take charge.

One disturbing bottleneck came to light after Schwartz’ inspectors encountered a pipe discharging a “putrid liquid” from the ceiling into a laundry room at the Polo Grounds Houses in Upper Manhattan.

A NYCHA worker trying to clean up the mess with a mop said the disgusting leak had been a problem for two months.

Confronted by the monitor, a NYCHA superintendent claimed the pipe couldn’t be repaired without the erection of scaffolding first, and said he’d ordered lumber. He said once the lumber arrived, he’d call a carpenter to build the scaffold, then he’d call a plumber to fix the pipe.

Schwartz noted that after his inspectors intervened, a plumber arrived with a ladder and fixed the pipe in three hours.

“The main problem here is NYCHA’s failure to take action to solve a problem that needed immediate attention,” he wrote. “NYCHA must learn how to identify and fix these problems expeditiously without getting bogged down in layers of bureaucracy or a ‘check the box’ mentality.”

The costs of Schwartz’s salary and team — which have yet to be disclosed — are being born

by City Hall. On Monday Freddi Goldstein, press secretary for Mayor Bill de Blasio, insisted City Hall has made “fixing NYCHA an all-handson-deck priority.”

“If the Monitor has more concrete solutions, we’re all ears,” she said. “It’s going to take continued partnership from everyone to right this ship and improve the quality of life for all of our residents.”p This story was originally published on [July 22, 2019] by THE CITY.

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August 8-22, 2019

20

Love, Health & Travel

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

BY VICTORIA FALK

A

ccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States unemployment rate dropped to 3.7 percent in September of 2018 – the lowest it’s been since 1969.

However, the same studies also show that fewer new jobs have been created. At a time when you have more highly skilled, well-educated people competing for a limited number of jobs, those people with limited education and limited resources, who may be re-entering society from incarceration, barely stand a chance at getting called for a job interview. Employers looking to fill skilled and semi-skilled jobs, pass over resumes that show a person’s limited education.

Greater educational requirements are needed to perform the more difficult tasks associated with skilled and semiskilled jobs.

In addition, many employers

choose not to hire people with criminal records for fear they will be dishonest, commit a crime on the job, act out violently in the workplace, damage the company’s reputation, and cause them to lose business. Therefore, it’s hard for a person with limited resources, limited education, and/or a criminal record to get a job.

Many eventually settle for low paying, menial labor jobs for the sake of being able to say they are gainfully employed.

While others, angered and

frustrated by limited job opportunities, return to a life of crime and get arrested again.

Studies show that formerly incarcerated people who get a job paying higher than minimum wage, within two months of being released from jail, have a greater chance of avoiding a return to incarceration. But due to the aforementioned challenges to finding meaningful work, it often takes a long time for these people to get hired.

Entrepreneurship gives an

extra opportunity to those people who would normally be at a disadvantage due to their personal history. It is indeed possible for someone who may not have been able to land a job, for whatever reason, to learn a business system and achieve great success. An online travel business is a great option for someone who’s been counted out by society because it not only offers opportunities for increased income, but the travel perks and benefits help to improve overall lifestyle. Unlike many people, an online travel business does not discriminate.

Small businesses are helping to boost the economy, with many people taking themselves out of the job market and choosing to become entrepreneurs. No longer do people who’ve been counted out by society have to beg for a job or lose their dignity by accepting jobs that are beneath their potential. It’s time to press the

restart button and get a second chance at having a good life through entrepreneurship.

Whether you choose to be a full-time entrepreneur, or plan to work part-time in a business while working a full-time job, entrepreneurship is the answer for more and more people today.

For more information on becoming a Certified Travel Agent and Destination Specialist and starting your travel business own business, visit www.nacc.nyc/travelagent.

The Chamber also offers a Small Business Boot Camp.

Details can be found at www.nacc.nycp

Victoria Falk is the award-winning CEO of Passionate Travel Inc. Take the stress out of vacation planning and save your energy to do the things you love doing. Contact Victoria to make your travel dreams a reality at 800-890-7492.

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August 8-22, 2019

www.workersworldtoday.com

21

Reflections

The Life of Hector Figueroa

BY VICTORIA FALK

O

n July 24, 2019, I attended a memorial for nuestro hermano Hector J. Figueroa. It was held at Riverside Church, the renowned citadel of faith and justice. Thousands filled every level of this spacious church trying to understand how someone so vibrant, just, and visionary could have slipped out too soon from the hard confines of earthly struggle and progress. The many janitors, fast food workers, security guards, taxi drivers, lawyers, union officials, nonprofit leaders, and doormen came to hear so many wonderful stories about Hector. They came to get their thoughts and feelings about Hector reinforced. Hector was a very humble, soft-spoken, kind, passionate, visionary, fun loving, and family-focused man.

He listened to everyone. He made everyone feel welcomed and heard. He was a wonderful father, husband, friend, boss, and leader. But they came also to see if he left us any clues about how we can move for-

ward without him. Here are a few possibilities: The New York Times attended the memorial. It was not only because Mayor deBlasio attended and spoke about Hector. It was because the Times recognized how important Hector was for so many forgotten workers toiling at the bottom of the economy. Hector's work organizing these workers was special and successful.

During his time as President of SEIU local 32 BJ, 50,000 new workers were added to the union. Hector's work proved that unions were not dead and that they could once again provide a proven pathway to a more secure life for those toiling at poorly paid jobs. Hector changed New York City and he changed the U.S. This is what the Times wrote: "Mr. Figueroa left a city transformed by his work. Across the country, the labor movement has struggled to stand its ground, its hard-fought wins chipped away by the harsh realities of a new economy, and undercut by conservative politicians flush with corporate donations. But over the past

decade, New York's labor movement has been reborn."

From where I sat in the second floor balcony of Riverside Church, the testimonies made by the Times and the many astute speakers drummed into me how special Hector was as a union leader, community activist, political thinker, and especially as a father and husband. One speaker stood out to me, however. Ana Maria Archila, the Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy, gave an inspiring speech. She highlighted, as so many did, the wonderful qualities that Hector brought to every encounter and activity.

But she told one little story that really captured Hector's wisdom and insight. She mentioned that she had a meeting with Hector when he came back from helping his family in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. He told her that he was greatly impressed by how Puerto Ricans responded to the tragedy and losses brought by the hurricane and call used government officials. He noticed that the people of Puerto Rico were putting

Photo: shutterstock.com

little cups of sugar water on their window sills. They had, in many cases, lost water, electricity, roofs, roads, and family to the hurricane. But they put those cups of sugar water out for the bees. They did not want the bees to suffer because they no longer had the trees, flowers, and other vegetation they depended on for survival. Hector told Ana Maria, "Do you see what this means?" "The people of Puerto Rico understand, as we all should, that we are never alone. We, humans, animals, trees, flowers, and insects all belong to one another.

We need each other to survive and prosper." And this is why Hector believed that we cannot leave anyone behind. It does not matter their race, gender, ethnicity, citizen status, or

whatever species they might be. We need each other to move forward. And this is how Hector ran his union and how he contributed to our work on National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP). This was Hector's promise and lesson to us.

There are probably more lessons that Hector Figueroa left us. I think he had confidence that we could discover those lessons ourselves. He knew we all had power in us, a power that often goes untapped, undeveloped, and unrealized. Pa' lante Siempre!!p Jose Ramon Sanchez is the Chair, Board of Directors of National Institute for Latino Policy

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

22

In Memoriam

Saying Goodbye to a Legend: Toni Morrison

BY JAMELIAH FRANCIS

T

he world mourns the death of well-known novelist, essayist, editor, teacher and professor Toni Morrison, who passed away on Monday, August 5, 2019 at the Montefiore Medical Center Moses Division, New York.

She was the author of seminal works of literature on the black experience such as Beloved, Song of Solomon and Sula and the first African-American woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. She was the second of four children born to George and Ella Ramah Wofford. Given the extreme economic hardship in the 1930s, which marked the Great Depression, Morrison’s dad managed to support his family by maintaining three jobs for seventeen years.

Growing up, Morrison was surrounded by African Amer-

ican folklore, rituals, music and myths. According to Morrison, her family was "intimate with the supernatural" and as such, used signs and visions to foretell the future. This paved the way toward a path to storytelling, which became a very important part of Morrison’s life. She connects her storytelling abilities to that of storytelling in the past…thereby reminding people of their rightful place in society and their heritage. Much of Morri-

son’s real-life occurrences are seen in her novels.

Reading became a life-long hobby for Morrison in which she spent most of her time doing. During her years in high school, Morrison became very fond of renowned writers such as Jane Austen (1775– 1817), Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910), and the nineteenth-century French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880). Morrison was immensely impressed with these writers and as such

used them as some of her motivations when doing her own writings.

Morrison secured a B.A. from Howard University after majoring in English and minoring in the classics; after which, she went on to receive a M.A. in English from Cornell university. Following that Morrison taught at Texas Southern University and Howard University before taking her place as an Editor at Random House.

She also taught at Yale, Bard College, Rutgers University and the State University of New York at Albany. She was later awarded the Robert F. Goheen Professorship in the Humanities at Princeton University.

Morrison got married to and quickly divorced Harold Morrison. During the marriage, she gave birth to two sons, Ford and Slade Kevin.

The tributes poured in: “Toni Morrison was a national treasure. Her writing was not

A Special Invitation to all faith-based, community and union leaders to empower their congregation and membership from the IJLEF, Inc.,

organization offering FREE IMMIGRATION SEMINARS/ PRESENTATIONS & CONSULTATION CARDS ($100 VALUE) ON THE DAY OF THE PRESENTATION Call 718-243-9431 to schedule a presentation or to register for a meeting.

Meetings are held the last Thursday & first Saturday of every month.

Toni Morrison will be remembered by her many inspiring and phenomenal quotes, one of which is, “We die.

That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” just beautiful but meaningful, a challenge to our conscience and a call to greater empathy.

She was as good a storyteller, as captivating, in person as she was on the page. And so even as Michelle and I mourn her loss and send our warmest sympathies to her family and friends, we know that her stories, that our stories, will always be with us, and with those who come after, and on and on, for all time.” — former President Barack Obama, via Twitter.

“In the beginning was the Word. Toni Morrison took the word and turned it into a Song of Solomon, Sula, Beloved, Mercy, Paradise Love, and more. She was our conscience. Our seer.

Our truth-teller. She was a magician with language, who understood the Power of words.

She used them to roil us, to wake us, to educate us and help us grapple with our deepest wounds and try to comprehend them. It is exhilarating and life-enhancing every time I read and share her work.”— Oprah Winfrey, concluding on Instagram with: “She was Empress-Supreme among writers.

Long may her WORDS reign!”

“I’ve been privileged to know Toni Morrison for nearly 40 years. During that time, she won many awards and accolades — the Nobel, a Pulitzer, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. But for me, Toni has been a treasured collaborator, a monumental inspiration and, most importantly, a cherished friend. We will all miss her, but the gifts she left us — her written works that have transformed so many lives around the world — live on...to educate, empower and nourish us.

For this and all she shared with us, I say thank you Toni. My deepest sympathies go out to her family and friends.” — Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, director of this year’s documentary, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am.p

www.workersworldtoday.com

August 8-22, 2019

23

Moving Forward CWA Mourns the Passing of President Emeritus Morty Bahr

Anger on the 1% continued from page 1 of now," to "stand with me to make the changes we need to strengthen our union, stand with me to take back the Congress, stand with me to take back 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, stand with me to take back America from the racists and the billionaires, and stand with me to build a country that gives every working person a shot at the dignity and decency they deserve."

Shelton also rebuked President Trump for trying to turn working people against each other with his racist taunts of Democratic Congresswomen of color and made it clear that CWA will take a strong stand against racism and hatred.

"When we allow ourselves to be divided, we become weaker just when we most need our united power to protect the working class," said Shelton.

"Who is to blame then, for our stagnant wages, our vanishing jobs, and our crumbling communities? It's not other working people, no matter where they come from or how they got here. It's the billionaires, the banks, and the corpora-

CWA Convention Delegates showed their support for overcoming the divisions which split the unity of the working class during President Shelton's convention speech. Photo courtesy: CWA

In his keynote address, President Shelton outlined the three challenges facing CWA today: overcoming the divisions which split the unity of the working class, building workplace power and strengthening the union, and electing a pro-worker government in November 2020. tions, and their policies that crush the hopes of those struggling to realize the American dream. Our job is to focus our anger on the 1% and fight for our fair share of the wealth — not be diverted into fighting for crumbs amongst the 99%."

After Shelton's speech, many CWA delegates stood up and showed their support in front of the stage, carrying signs that said, "CWA STRONG Against Racism," and "CWA STRONG for Justice." p Read the full speech and video at www.workersworldtoday.com

M

orton Bahr, who led CWA during the most turbulent years of the communications industry and made the union a powerful force for working people, died earlier this week at age 93.

Bahr was elected CWA president in 1985, serving in that position for 20 years. He successfully led CWA through the

turbulent technological and structural revolution that transformed telecommunications. His vision ensured that the union would continue as an effective advocate for working men and women long into the future, across communications, information technology, and other sectors.

At the recent CWA Convention, CWA President Chris Shelton paid tribute to Bahr.

"Not only CWA members, but the entire labor movement, lost a giant last night. Morty was comfortable whether he was in the company of Presidents of the United States, in the halls of Congress, or on a picket line," Shelton said. "He was not only a great president but he was a member's president. Morty loved fighting alongside members in organizing drives and on the picket line almost more than anything that he did as president of this union. He will be sorely missed." p

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