Workers' World Today - Issue 47

BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO AND SUHAIL BHAT, THE CITY

When the temperature hits 85 degrees, workers in New York City are 7% more likely to be injured on the job. At 95 degrees, the likelihood of an accident goes up by one more point, to 8%.

That’s according to an analysis by THE CITY of hundreds of thousands of workers compensation claims filed with the

state Workers’ Compensation Board between May and September from 2002 to 2022.

Heat stresses the body, can exacerbate heart and lung conditions and cause sickness and even death. While five states have laws on the books — and two more have regulations in the works — to protect workers in extreme heat, New York does not.

In Workers’ Compensation Board data, 420 injuries in

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BY LINDA NWOKE, SPECIAL TO WWT

Across the nation and in the heart of New York City and Los Angeles, striking workers are raising their struggle to the forefront. Hollywood actors' and screenwriters' unions are taking a decisive step by going on strike to demand fair pay and protections against the encroachment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their industry.

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Fortune 500 Companies with Immigrant Roots Generated More Money Than the GDP of Most Western Nations

BY STEVEN HUBBARD

When Fortune released this year’s Fortune 500 list—the magazine’s iconic ranking of the year’s topgrossing American companies—one fact re-

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Photo courtesy: NYIC

Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller joined picket line of strike workers of WGA and SAG-AFTRA in front of NBCUniversal headquarters in New York on August 2, 2023. Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

NYC Food Delivery Workers’ Rights

Your Rights

Free insulated food delivery bag after 6 deliveries Apps must give you a bag. You can decide whether to use it.

More control over your deliveries

• You can limit how far you will go from restaurants and pick which bridges or tunnels you will use.

• Apps cannot offer you trips outside the limits you set, and you have the right to change your limits.

Advance notice of delivery details Apps must tell you the pickup address, estimated time and distance for trip, tip, and pay before you accept a trip.

Better access to restaurant bathrooms when you pick up orders Exceptions apply. Contact DCWP.

More information about your pay Apps that take customer orders directly must tell you how much the customer tips for each delivery and your total pay and tips for the previous day. Exceptions apply. Contact DCWP.

Payment at least once a week Apps cannot charge a fee to process your payment.

Minimum pay rate (Effective 1/1/2023) New York City will set a minimum pay rate and may update it from time to time.

No Retaliation

It is illegal to punish or deactivate workers for exercising their rights. Workers should immediately contact DCWP about retaliation.

File a Complaint

The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) enforces the law. For more information or to file a complaint:

• Visit nyc.gov/DeliveryApps

• Email OLPS@dcwp.nyc.gov

• Call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) and ask for “Delivery Worker”

DCWP will not share your identity without your prior consent.

You can also file a case in court. However, you cannot have a complaint with DCWP and a claim in court at the same time.

If you do restaurant deliveries for an app, you have rights regardless of your immigration status.

Supports Workers’ World Today

Recently, 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

Labor Day: A Celebration of Working People and the Unions That Support Them

BY HON ERIC ADAMS MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY

Here in New York City, the three-day Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of a new year in many ways. Many of us are enjoying the last days of summer, traveling or spending time with friends and family, and our children are getting ready to return to school.

This chance to relax and recharge is possible thanks to the American labor movement, whose members fought for so many workplace benefits that we now take for granted — from basic safety protections to the 40-hour workweek. Labor Day celebrates those landmark achievements and the people who continue to fight for workers and their rights.

As New York City’s blue-collar mayor, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with working people all my life. As a former union member and the son of a union member, I’ve experienced firsthand the transformative power of labor organizing. Being part of a union was what allowed my mother — a single mom raising her six children in a modest home — to provide for our family and keep a roof over our heads.

Now that I am in City Hall, our administration is working hard to create jobs, support labor unions, and ensure that working people get the wages, rights, and benefits they deserve. We have actively worked to promote a Working People’s Agenda that calls for investments in housing, job

training, and education — as well as support for those who serve our city every day.

I am proud our administration has actively worked to support our municipal unions, reaching landmark contract agreements with the Uniformed Officers Coalition, a group that includes the NYPD, FDNY, DSNY, and the Department of Corrections. We also reached new and improved labor contracts with the United Federation of Teachers, PBA, and DC 37, New York City’s largest public sector union. All of these labor agreements support the thousands of New York City workers who support us — and keep us the greatest city in the world.

Our economy continues to show record growth and recovery. In fact, we have recovered 99% of the private-sector jobs lost during the pandemic. And we are focused on creating more jobs than ever before — jobs you can build your life around, and you can build our city and our economy around.

We’re bringing jobs directly to the people by creating the Office of Community Hiring.

Community hiring will use the city’s immense purchasing power to create a more equitable economy by ensuring that contractors who benefit from the city’s spending to hire from often-overlooked communities. Once fully implemented, community hiring has the potential to create 186,000 jobs for economically disadvantaged workers and residents over the next five years.

We have also launched a number of new job training programs, including New York City PINCC, or Pathways to Industrial and Construction Careers. This program would train and place over 2,000 New Yorkers into high-wage, career-track jobs in the construction, transportation, and utility sectors over the next three years.

Workers are the bedrock of our city’s prosperity, and as more asylum seekers continue to arrive, we want to make sure they are getting an opportunity to support themselves and integrate into our society. That is why we continue to call for work authorization for asylum seekers, who have so

Editor-in-Chief

Pearl Phillip

Contributing Writers

Linda Nwoke

Victoria Falk

Travis Morales

Mary Campbell

Janet Howard

Chris Tobias

Erin Telesford

Legal Advisor

Brian Figeroux, Esq.

much to contribute to our economy, and who can help fill the jobs New Yorkers do not want.

We have thousands of unfilled jobs right here in New York City, including openings in manufacturing, food service, home care, and transportation. And, just as so many previous immigrants did, we must help new arrivals get a job and do their part of pursuing the American Dream.

New York City is America’s largest union town, and union solidarity is what makes so many American Dreams possible. As a proud supporter of workers from all walks of life, I’ll continue to fight for the same things unions do: fairer wages, better benefits, and a higher quality of life. Happy Labor Day!p

Eric Adams is the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. He served in the New York State Senate from 2006 to 2013, representing the 20th Senate district in Brooklyn. In November 2013, Adams was elected Brooklyn Borough President, the first African-American to hold the position, and reelected in November 2017.

Mayor Eric Adams speaks at rally in support of the Child Tax Credit and the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit at 32BJ Headquarters in New York on March 24, 2023 Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Workers’ Matters

New York City were explicitly attributed to heat since 2002. But THE CITY’s analysis suggests that the official count of incidents of injury associated with heat may be an undercount of the true toll: An additional 3,681 injuries happened on 85-degree-plus days between May and September, since 2015, in comparison to the rate of injuries on days below 85 degrees.

Both indoor and outdoor workers are affected by high temperatures. Construction workers see the most dramatic increases in injuries as the temperature climbs, with the likelihood of injuries for them up by more than 20% during 85degree-plus days.

Workers in warehousing, waste management, manufacturing and food services also see increases in risk of an accident by 13% to 18%.

Andy, an assistant construction superintendent at a site of a future residential development in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, who declined to give his last name, said working in hot weather is difficult.

“It’s horrible, the heat you gotta deal with, constantly drinking water and constantly going to the bathroom because of all the water we drink,” he said. “If I see one of the guys starting to slow down, I tell him to go take a break. We’re trying to avoid the accidents.”

Besides experiencing heat strokes, workers in hotter temperatures were more likely to faint or pass out, suffer electric shock or get lacerations. About 20% of claims citing electric shock, fainting or passing out as the primary reason for injury have occurred on days that were 85 degrees or hotter.

No Heat Standards Yet New York lacks any heat safety standards for workers, though seven states — California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — already have them in place or in development.

A bill introduced this year in Albany proposes mandatory protections for people who work in construction, agriculture, landscaping, shipping, warehousing and food service.

State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), a sponsor of the bill dubbed the TEMP Act, said in a statement that the measures required would help “avoid financial and physical strain on workers and employers alike.”

“These numbers present a bleak outlook for workers on the front line of the climate crisis,” Ramos said, referring to THE CITY’s analysis. “Passing TEMP has to be a priority for the legislature next session.”

Under the TEMP Act, which stands for Temperature Extreme Mitigation Program, worker protections would kick in when the temperature hits 80 degrees, and would escalate at 95 degrees. Employers would have to provide water, breaks, protective gear, and shade. They would have to allow new workers to acclimate, and would have to conduct training sessions and develop plans for addressing heat stress.

Andy, the construction superintendent, said he supports the aim of the law: “I don’t want to see anybody getting hurt.”

Even without any legal protections in place, Charlene Obernauer, executive director of the New York Committee for Occu-

pational Safety and Health, suggested local municipalities conduct campaigns to educate employers on how injuries are more likely at higher temperatures.

“Employers could also proactively adopt policies that we’re recommending under TEMP, such as shade, rest, etcetera, and even could stop work if the weather is just too hot,” Obernauer said.

Earlier this summer, UPS and the Teamsters reached a tentative contract agreement that included a provision for the shipping company to install air conditions in trucks nationwide.

Some say that a unionized workforce is helpful to avoiding injuries.

“It is much safer to be working on a union construction job where you have shop stewards and union protection to ensure that you’re properly hydrated and you can get water breaks as needed,” said Chaz Rynkiewicz, vice president of Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local 79.p

This story was published on August 31, 2023 by THE CITY.

Construction workers take a break in the shade outside the Oculus at temperatures soar into the upper 90s, July 27, 2023. Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Striking Workers and Labor

Experts Unite

continued from page 1

Several workers are affected, including those in related fields like makeup artistry and costume design, and the stakes remain high for one of New York's fastest-growing sectors. As the standoff continues, it reverberates nationwide, drawing support from other labor groups advocating for higher wages and improved benefits. Amid the economic uncertainty, the battle for a just and equitable future of work intensifies, leaving workers, businesses, and the industry itself bracing for what lies ahead. A group of experts and stakeholders within the sectors gathered to discuss the issues.

One of the speakers, California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, a labor leader in Los Angeles before becoming a Senator, spoke about the importance of collective bargaining and the historical significance of the labor movement in addressing poverty and inequality.

Using her experience as a working-class person with firsthand experience from working as a migrant farm worker earlier in life, she recalled the dire conditions

workers face based on her past, including homelessness, lack of access to healthcare, and poor wages despite the industry's wealth. "It wasn't that the industry couldn't afford it or that there was some economic downturn. It was simply that the workers didn't have the power of collective bargaining," she explained.

In her view, the labor movement's resurgence in the 1990s, led by Latinos and immigrant workers, played a crucial role in shaping progressive policies in places like California. She acknowledged the power of strikes and activism to create social change. She urged a deeper understanding of its long-term impact on the working class.

"It took many years to get there. So, the most powerful part of our labor movement will not be in the summer of 2023. It's going to be what happens as a result of the summer of 2023 and what it does for those individual unions and the working-class people," said Senator Maria Elena Durazo

Highlighting the influence of housing costs on recent strikes and labor militancy, the Senator reiterated the importance of policymakers addressing housing policies. She ex-

plained that the gig economy hurts workers' well-being, and there is a need for legislative efforts, including investing in a green economy and preparing for green manufacturing jobs that offer more than the minimum wage.

Reasons for the Strike

While there are several reasons for the strike, a Labor historian and Professor, Nelson Lichtenstein, highlighted the main reasons for the recent strikes. The Professor noted that strikes, although commonplace, have resurged in a tight labor market and justified grievances arising from the pandemic's failure to protect workers.

Curiously, he highlighted a cultural shift where influential figures, including Hollywood stars and athletes, lend their voices to support unions. However, despite the raised sentiment, and the presence of youth in unions, he pointed out that long-established non-

union companies, such as Starbucks and Amazon, continue to resist unionization, posing a challenge to the labor movement even with a favorable political climate and low unemployment.

Assessment of Union Membership

Despite ongoing labor activism, the Professor observed that the proportion of Americans in unions remains considerably low. He noted that while there have been some organizing victories, union-density states like California have decreased overall, particularly in the private sector, where only 6% of workers are unionized.

He emphasized the importance of unionizing central capitalist locations, such as Silicon Valley companies, to significantly impact society. "You know, we've had some notable organizing victories, mainly in the public sector, like the hospitality sector, where we do have some strong unions. Nevertheless, union density has decreased just because more workers are employed in nonunion positions," he explained.

Ms. Ada Briceno, the CoPresident of a union, UniteHere Local 11, explained that

the restaurant and hotel workers are joining the actors and writers to take a stand because they want better wages, pensions, healthcare, and workload considerations. According to her, the group is confronting corporate greed within a thriving hotel industry. In fact, many workers struggle with housing costs and financial struggles, living one paycheck away from homelessness.

Ms. Briceno, highlighted the courage displayed by the striking workers and the massive support they have received from various organizations and celebrities. In her view, "Our demands are straightforward. We want to keep hotel workers under a roof. Our top key issues are wages, pensions, health care, and workload. We ask everyone to join us in honoring the picket lines, not to cross them, to donate towards our strike fund, and to hear the voices of our hotel workers."

Profile of the Striking Workers

Most of the hotel workers in the ongoing strike are mainly women of color, especially Latinas, and they play a crucial role in making the industry profitable. They argue that the workers' expertise creates a sucontinued on page 6

Workers’ Rights

Striking Workers and Labor Experts Unite

continued from page 5

perior guest experience. Yet, they must be adequately compensated, leading to better wages and housing security demands.

"Many are women of color, Latinas, making the hotel industry profitable. Our workers can create the experience, yet hotels charge hundreds of dollars without giving the service that the guests deserve. That's why we have to be compensated for that work. We've got to be able to put a roof over our heads," says Ms. Briceno.

Hotel Work and Strikes

One of the panelists, Lucero Ramirez, a hotel worker also participating in the strike, revealed that Lucero's testimony sheds light on the pressing issues hotel workers face and their determination to secure fair treatment and better living conditions.

She explained that despite making $1,500 every two weeks, the income remains insufficient because of the high cost of living. Many of her coworkers commute for hours to work due to unaffordable rent.

"We are asking for a salary increase. The salary we have

now is not enough. We also want a pension, health insurance, and the pre-pandemic staffing levels because, after the pandemic, we had to do the work of two or three people," says Lucero Ramirez (translated).

The Tech Economy and Workers in the Entertainment Industry

There is a general perception that the entertainment industry is filled with many millionaires and affluent personalities. However, Jorge Rivera, vice chair of the Latinx Writers Committee, says many workers have been affected. In particular, writers and actors in the entertainment industry have been dealing with disruption from the tech economy. He explains that the shift to streaming platforms has significantly reduced residual checks, making it difficult for workers to sustain a career and afford health insurance. "The new business model has decimated the ability to have a sustainable career. Short orders and reduced budgets have made it a gig economy, disrupting the financial ecosystem for writers and actors," says Jorge Rivera, Vice Chair of the Latinx Writers Committee

Furthermore, shrinking budgets have resulted in shorter work orders and reduced opportunities for sustainable careers, and it is mainly the blue-collar industry that has many workers earning modest incomes.

He said, "We are fighting for fair wages to restore a sustainable career. The tech economy's disruption has made it difficult for writers and actors to afford health insurance and support their families."

He added, "The studios have made $200 billion in profits, yet meeting our reasonable demands, which amount to 2% of those profits, seems unfathomable to them."

Effect of Artificial Intelligence on the Entertainment Industry

It is generally agreed that AI technology has disrupted the world, and more so among workers in the entertainment industry. Jorge Rivera highlighted the potential threats of AI replacing creatives like directors, actors, and writers.

In his view, while the technology may not be capable enough to achieve that objective, it has made remarkable inroads, such as being used to recreate deceased movie ac-

tors. He emphasizes the need for regulations to protect actors' rights and ensure fair compensation for using their likenesses.

"AI is an existential fight that affects us and many other labor sectors. We must put safeguards in place to protect actors' rights and ensure fair compensation for using their likeness," he says.

He further revealed that some productions have been shortchanging their contractors. "Netflix is sneaking language into background actors' contracts, allowing them to scan their likeness and use it later without consent; it is preposterous and a serious threat to actors' rights," says Jorge Rivera.

Are you working for peanuts?r

Changes over Time for Working Citizens

There is a general agreement that remarkable changes have occurred in the last few decades, affecting working citizens. Professor Emeritus Harley Shaiken of the Berkeley School of Education states that unions are essential for a healthy economy and democracy. Unfortunately, only 6% of the private sector is represented by unions. There is an urgent need to expand labor's role.

Across the board, there is a consensus that it is essential that stories of working people and their struggles be reported, and every decent society needs strong unions.p

Planning Guide

Getting Your Financial House in Order: The Three Essential Elements of an Estate Plan

BY PEARL PHILLIP

If there is one gift you can give to those you love, it is getting your financial house in order. A comprehensive estate plan is vitally important, yet many put it off until it is too late.

You may not realize you already have an estate plan, but it differs from what you intended. If you fail to create a comprehensive plan for your estate and assets, the state will do it for you - and the people you love may not be happy with the results.

Why not make this the year you finally create that estate plan? It may not be a pleasant subject, but life and death are unpredictable. Knowing that you have a written plan for your estate will give you and the people you love the peace of mind, and here are the essential elements that the plan should include.

A Written Will

A written will is the cornerstone of any comprehensive estate plan and is generally the best place to start. If you do not yet have a will in place, contact an attorney and get one put together.

You will want to prepare for the meeting with the attorney, bringing as much documentation as possible about your assets and their desired disposition. If you are working with an estate planning law firm, you can complete the other elements of your plan when drawing up your will,

simplifying the process and reducing the time the whole thing takes.

A Durable Power of Attorney

The next essential element of your estate plan is the durable power of attorney. You may not want to think about it, but deciding who can make decisions for you if you become disabled is very important, both for your well-being and that of your overburdened family members.

Once the durable power of attorney is in place, the person you name will be empowered to make critical decisions if you become disabled or cannot communicate. Hopefully, this part of your estate plan will never kick into place, but having it established will help you breathe easier.

A Living Will

The third and final part of your comprehensive estate plan is a living will, which

is vitally important. Medical advances have allowed patients to live longer, but not always better, lives, and it is crucial to think about what you want the medical authorities to do - and not do.

Would you want to be kept alive on a ventilator? Do you prefer robust life support or a more natural approach to death? Again these are not pleasant subjects, but they are important. The purpose of the living will is to lay out your wishes, removing any ambiguity and making it easier for your loved ones to make critical decisions on your behalf.

A comprehensive written estate plan is essential in preparing for your future. You might not want to think about it, but the estate plan you create will need to go into effect someday, and the sooner you lay it all out, the sooner you can get on with living your life to the fullest. p

Study Finds 1 in 4 Americans Recognize a Greater Need For Estate Planning Due to Inflation

Caring.com, a leading senior living referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews, published its annual Wills & Estate Planning Study that explores the prevalence of estate planning in the U.S. and the reasons Americans do or do not engage in this end-of-life planning process. In the 2023 survey, responses from over 2,400 American adults indicated that only 34% have a will – albeit an increase of 3% since 2022 and 6% since 2020.

The study, which highlights the differences in attitudes towards estate planning among various age, socioeconomic and racial groups, found that inflation has had a disproportionately larger impact on younger Americans’ views of estate planning. While 54% of young Americans (ages 18 to 34) say inflation changed their views on estate planning, only 32% of Americans ages 55 and older say their views changed.

Likewise, 35% of Black Americans say inflation changed their views on estate planning, compared to only 27% of Hispanic Americans and 25% of White Americans. Overall, 26% of all American adults now see a greater need to establish an estate plan due to inflation.

While many see a greater need for endof-life planning, certain demographics are less likely to have an estate plan than in

continued on page 4

Health Care Directives: What You Need to Know

When you become too frail or sick to make your own decisions on end-of-life health care, the emotional strain is passed on to your family or loved ones. Not only can this cause incredible stress, but the avenue they take may not be the route you had in mind. Be open and honest about your final wishes.

Don’t procrastinate when creating an advance care plan. Age isn’t the only factor that should be considered. A medical crisis that leaves you too ill to make your own decisions could strike at any time.

Emergency Treatment

Without a solid health care directive in place, family members may be tasked with making difficult decisions for your treatment. Here are a few common instances you must have clear and legal instructions regarding, as suggested by the National Institute on Aging:

• CPR: If your heart begins beating with an abnormal rhythm, it can be life- threatening. Discuss with your family your opinions about resuscitation so they can determine if CPR should be administered.

• Ventilator: When you are unable to breathe on your own, a ventilator can be used to keep you alive. It usually includes a tube which is connected to your trachea to ensure you’re receiving enough oxygen.

• Comfort Care: Deciding how to keep you comfortable while suffering is another factor you should have clear instructions for. Consider instances like limiting medical testing, spiritual and emotional counseling, and pain medication.

Choosing an Estate Attorney

Organizing your estate can be overwhelming without the help of an expert. With the assistance of an estate planning attorney, you can discuss your vision for your assets before death. Don’t risk creating a plan that doesn’t specify your decisions to the exact details.

If your loved one was neglected or abused in a Nursing Home or assisted living facility, financial compensation may be available.

855-768-8845

One in six residents in nursing homes and community facilties were neglected last year resulting in thousands of families experiencing trauma, mental illness, medical emergencies, and even death. Nursing home abuse and neglect is real.

Has your loved one experienced any of these or other types of abuse?

•Bedsores

•Choking/Death

•Falls

•Fractured Bones

•Infections

•Improper Treatment/Medication

•Malnutrition/Dehydration

•Respiratory Illness

•Sexual Abuse

•Sexual Assault

Experience matters. The lawyer you hire does make a difference. Schedule a consultation now.

Types of Facilities

Visit different facilities to make the decision on where you will stay if you become disabled to the point you can’t take care of yourself. It’s important to have a plan for different stages of life. Here are a few to consider:

If you require minimal assistance to live your day-to-day life, an assisted living community is a great option. You have the freedom to reside in your own space yet receive help in areas like laundry services, prepared meals and personal care.

A nursing home is a better option when you need constant assistance from medical professionals. Here, you can receive 24hour supervision and help with daily necessities like bathing, grooming and medical management.

In-home care is a great option for someone who wants to stay at home while receiving the same benefits as an assisted-living facility. While it can be expensive to call on medical professionals to come to your home, it is a very comfortable option for those needing help.

What Happens If You Do Not Have An Advance Directive?

If you do not have an advance directive and you are unable to make decisions on your own, the state laws where you live will determine who may make medical decisions on your behalf. This is typically your spouse, your parents if they are available, or your children if they are adults. If you are unmarried and have not named your partner as your proxy, it’s possible they could be excluded from decisionmaking. If you have no family members, some states allow a close friend who is familiar with your values to help. Or they may assign a physician to represent your best interests.

Legal Help

Think of your advance directives as living documents that you review at least once each year and update if a major life event occurs.

If you have questions regarding health care directives, call the experienced professionals at the Law Office of Figeroux & Associates. To schedule an appointment, call 855-768-8845 or visit www.askthelawyer.us p

When searching for a specialized attorney, it’s important to chat with a few different experts in your area. Make sure you feel comfortable in their office as the discussions of finances and final wishes can be intimate. Once you find several attorneys to interview for the role, here are some questions you should ask before deciding:

How Long Have They Been Practicing Estate Planning Law?

Many general attorneys will advertise that estate planning is a part of their practice. They can be a great help when creating legal documents like a will, health care directives and power of attorney. However, if your financial situation is more complicated, an experienced estate planning lawyer will have better knowledge of the ever-changing laws and knows how to protect your legacy.

You should also know how long they have been in practice. Someone who has extensive experience in the industry has likely discovered flaws in previous cases and has learned how to correct them. Ensuring your final wishes are in good hands is great peace of mind for both you and your loved ones.

Do They Regularly Update Plans?

To stay on top of your estate, find an attorney who offers an updating and maintenance program. The service may cost more, but they will contact you throughout the year and discuss new techniques, life-changing events which may impact your plans and alterations to laws. Working with a lawyer who stays in contact with you about your estate plan ensures your documents will be up-to-date when they’re needed.

How Do They Charge?

Estate planning is necessary to prepare your family before your death. Ask about the fees the attorney charges. During the interview, find out if the fee is a fixed rate or hourly. You don’t want to be surprised with unexpected fees.

Ready to start your estate planning? call the experienced professionals at the Law Office of Figeroux & Associates. To schedule an appointment, call 855-7688845 or visit www.askthelawyer.us p

Planning Succession for Your Business

Succession planning involves creating a plan for someone to either own or run your business after you retire, become disabled, or die. In simple terms, succession planning is the process of passing control of the business to others. Here are some steps to take for succession planning:

Find Successor

If you are passing the business to a family member, you may consider transferring ownership through your estate planning process. Often, however, new management comes from your pool of existing employees. If you have a larger business (such as an LLC or a corporation), succession planning involves preparing people for management and leadership roles in order to replace you or other managers when the time arises.

Finding your replacement is difficult so plan ahead, it is best to start early. Leaders are not always easy to find and it takes time to mentor someone into a management role. You will need to identify potential successors in your family or among employees. You can hire from outside the company, but it’s helpful to groom someone already in your business, over a period of time, so the transition to

new leadership will be smooth.

Train Successor

Once you have successors identified, deliberately create a training plan to ensure that everyone involved has time to learn the skills, gather the information, and practice the leadership roles critical to the future success of the business.

Whether you are transferring a business to a family member or you are promoting

employees into leadership roles, you need to plan ahead.

A succession plan takes into consideration the development of future leaders’ skills and abilities. The plan should deliver a return on your business’s training investment by providing for your successors’ advancement while simultaneously ensuring your successors don’t leave your business. Even if someone leaves, a cur-

rent employee should be ready to step into the vacated role. As the need arises, with good succession planning, employees or family members are ready for new leadership roles.

Ease Tax Exposure

Tax exposure arises when one generation gives way to the next generation in a closely-held family business. In this case, succession planning and estate planning become intertwined by the family. Multiple types of taxes must be considered when planning this type of succession, including:

•Income tax

•Gift tax

•Generation-skipping tax

•Estate tax

Start family succession planning sooner, rather than later, because starting sooner will give you more flexibility with your planning. Consult an attorney and an accountant about putting the proper estate documents in place, especially for succession planning in a family business.p

Source: sba.gov

Planning for a Disabled Child

Estate pre-planning should be an important part of everyone’s financial regimen, but this process becomes even more important when you have a child with disabilities.

A lot of factors go into creating a uniquely designed plan, depending on their unique personal challenges and whether they are a minor or adult. The goal is to help your special-needs child continue to lead an enriching, happy life even in your absence.

A Lifetime of Care

The larger goal of special-needs planning is to preserve public aid while also supplementing your child’s care. There are additional benefits to taking care of this right away: If plans are put in place while you’re still alive, the estate avoids probate. Others interested parties, like their grandparents, can contribute to a trust. Named co-trustees can also get hands-on experience in helping with childcare and administering the guardianship. Depending on the child’s capability, this moneymanagement program may be critically important since it will be the only future path to protecting eligibility for benefits. It will provide additional funds for a broader scope of care and create a financial resource should benefits become re-

stricted or end all together.

Special-Needs Trust

Children are at particular risk if they are unable to live independently after the death of a parent of guardian. A specialneeds trust can ensure that they are provided with needed resources and care over the course of their lifetime. Parents or guardians should name the trust as a beneficiary in their will, according to the American Bar Association, instead of the

child. Many public-aid options are designed to be resource dependent, meaning recipients aren’t eligible if they have access to a certain amount of money. These trusts allow for an inheritance without endangering aid provided by Medicaid, SSI or other government programs because assets held in trust are not directly available to the child. Funds from life-insurance policies, IRAs and retirement plans can also be directed to the trust, and the child still has access to other programs.

Designating a Caretaker

Beyond the obvious financial considerations, parents and guardians must select a designated caretaker to look after their special-needs child — or to manage their care, if the child is in an assisted-living environment. Work with an attorney who specializes in estate planning in order to create both a trust and this succession plan, since states have differing regulations and laws regarding who may serve as a legal guardian p

are less likely to have an estate plan than in years past. Hispanic Americans are the least likely racial demographic to have a will, with only 23% saying they have an estate plan in 2023 – this is a decrease of 17% since 2022 and 39% since 2021. Additionally, findings show that young adults are nearly as likely as middle-aged adults to have a will—26% of Americans ages 18 to 34 said they have a will, compared to 27% of Americans ages 35 to 54.

“Inflation is causing the public to think more about their financial futures, and for many people, this means that they are thinking about end-of-life planning,” says Jim Rosenthal, CEO of Caring.com. “Yet we haven’t seen a significant uptick in estate planning, with too many people simply putting off this crucial piece of financial planning. More education is needed to help Americans understand the importance of estate planning — and the consequences for their loved ones if they fail to do so.”

The survey asked respondents without wills what would motivate them to create one – 41% said they are waiting until they have a health crisis, and 1 in 4 said nothing would motivate them to plan their estate. When those who do have a will were asked what prompted them to create one, 28% say retirement, 26% say death of a loved one, and 22% say family expansion.

*Your

*Social

*List

Investing in a New Home? 3 Reasons You Can't Skip the Pest Inspection

BY EQUITY SMART REALTY INC

There are so many small details involved in the final sale of a home that it can be easy to forget about all the things that need to be done. While you won't be able to forget about a home inspection, a pest inspection can be every bit as important before you sign on the dotted line. If you're wondering why you shouldn't forego this important step, consider the following information.

The Final Offer

For many people, a pest inspection can reveal problems with a home that they may not be willing to deal with. However, if you want to move forward with the deal, it's important to have this information so you can adjust your offering price and negotiate a new deal. Whether you want the homeowner to fix the pest problem or you want the home at a reduced price, it's necessary to have the information at hand so you don't discover an unpleasant surprise early on.

Insurance May Not Help

Homeowners insurance may provide coverage for a variety of problematic situations from flooding to fire, but damage due to pests often occurs over time so it may not be included in the standard insurance package. While insurance usually covers sudden events like natural disasters, it is often expected that incurred long-term damage will be known before it can cause unavoidable problems. Luckily, inspecting for pests ahead of time can save you the grievance of needing the costs covered.

Feeling Home At Home

Much like experiencing a burglary, discovering a pest problem in your home can be an unsettling experience. Unfortunately, if you've just moved into your new home, it can be even more difficult to get comfortable in your new place. Instead of risking the good vibes of your new home, it's important to schedule a pest inspection so you can be sure there are no impediments to enjoying your new home. There may be a few costs involved before the deal is sealed, but the cost will be well worth your comfort.

Guidance

It can be tempting to skip out on the pest inspection given the costs involved in buying a home, but it will be worth your comfort and the money you may save to get it checked out. If you're currently getting ready to invest in a new home, you may want to contact one of our real estate professionals for the inside scoop. Call 888670-6791.p

Rights

Biden’s Family Reunification Parole Programs Offer Hope—But With a Blind Spot

BY DARA LIND

When the Biden administration launched new Family Reunification Parole programs earlier this year, it pointed to existing programs for Cuban and Haitian families as the model. The new programs would allow some people from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras stuck in the immigrant visa backlog to join their family members in the United while waiting for their visas to become available.

But the spotty and limited implementation of the original 2007 Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) and 2014 Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) programs— which no new families had been invited to apply for since 2016—raised concerns about the potential efficacy of these programs.

Now, though, the Department of Homeland Security

(DHS) has announced that it’s revamping the CFRP and HFRP to be more in line with the new programs. The new process will take place almost entirely online and eliminate a requirement for an additional in-person interview at a U.S. consulate in Havana or Portau-Prince. The changes point to a renewed commitment to the programs—and raise hopes that the administration is putting real resources behind family reunification parole.

The family reunification parole programs are limited to people who have already been approved to settle in the United States, as relatives of U.S. citizens or green card holders. While waiting for immigrant visas to become available—a process that can take years due to limited quantities—individuals may now be allowed to live and work legally in the U.S. on a temporary, discretionary grant of parole. However, the federal

government must invite a family to apply for a parole grant—meaning that the number of people who can benefit is dependent on the resources the government chooses to put into issuing invitations and processing applications.

As DHS points out in Federal Register notices about each program, the U.S. government’s capacity to conduct in-

terviews in Cuba and Haiti has been severely limited. The embassy in Port-au-Prince has been closed since 2019. The Havana embassy, which restarted consular services in January of this year after being closed in 2018, is still getting back up to speed. At the same time, conditions in both countries are extremely bad, making it more difficult for people

to get to the embassy in Havana for interviews. This in turn makes it all the more urgent for would-be beneficiaries in both countries to get their family members to safety in the United States.

By eliminating the in-person interview requirements, the Biden administration has removed the biggest obstacle to reinvigorating the Cuban and Haitian programs. And by ensuring that all six family reunification parole programs operate in the same way, it’s making it easier to scale up all of them at once.

Indeed, reports from lawyers indicate that people from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are already receiving invitations to apply for the new parole programs.

But those reports also indicate there’s a problem with the way the government is issuing invitations—raising an obvious blind spot for the programs as a whole.p

Old & New Immigrants: Their Rights

mained unchanged from previous years: the profound role that immigrants and their children have played in establishing many of this country’s most successful and influential companies.

Research by the American Immigration Council finds that nearly half of today’s Fortune 500 companies were founded by either immigrants or the children of immigrants, including four of the top 12: Apple; founded by the son of a Syrian immigrant; Google (now Alphabet), cofounded by a Russian immigrant; Amazon, founded by the son of a Cuban immigrant; and Costco, founded by the son of Canadian immigrants whose family had emigrated from Romania. These four companies alone posted a combined revenue of $1.4 trillion in fiscal year 2023, more than the gross domestic product of most western nations. Together they employed nearly 2.2 million people.

In all, 224 companies on the 2023 Fortune 500 list, or 44.8%, were founded by “New Americans,” which we define as im-

migrants or the children of immigrants. Of these, 103 companies were founded or cofounded by immigrants, those who were born in another country and emigrated to the United States; 121 companies were founded by the children of immigrants.

These 224 New American businesses posted a combined revenue of $8.1 trillion, an amount that exceeds the gross domestic product of every nation except the United States and China. Their total global workforce consisted of 14.8 million people.

These New American businesses extend well beyond the technology sphere. They also include retail (Kohl’s); telecommunications (Verizon, AT&T); finance (JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup); pharmaceuticals (Pfizer, Moderna); media (NewsCorp, Fox); transporta-

tion (Boeing, JetBlue, Tesla); insurance (State Farm, Loews); petroleum (Phillips 66, Occidental Petroleum); construction (Fluor); food and drink (U.S. Foods, McDonald’s, Molson Coors); and more. These are but a few examples of both industries and companies within those industries founded by New Americans.

When the Council first began compiling an annual list of New American Fortune 500 firms in 2011, more than 40% of Fortune 500 firms were founded by immigrants or their children.

Recent additions to the list include:

•Coupang, a Delaware-incorporated e-commerce company founded in 2010 by Bom Kim, a South Korean immigrant who emigrated to the United States as a teenager.

•Moderna, a Massachusetts-

based biotechnology firm whose cofounders include the son of a Chinese immigrant and immigrants from Canada and Lebanon.

•Commercial Metals, a Dallasbased steel corporation founded in 1915 as a recycling yard by Russian immigrant Moses Feldman.

The Fortune 500 list also includes legacy corporations that have helped shape American life.

Kohl’s department store, recently the largest department store retailer in the United States, was founded in Wisconsin in 1962 by an immigrant from Poland. Maxwell Kohl had worked in factories in the Milwaukee area before opening a small grocery store and, reportedly after a bad experience trying to buy a shirt, opened a department store.

Estée Lauder, who launched her makeup and skincare corporation with her husband Joseph in 1946, was born in New York to Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Born in 1908, she worked in her family’s hardware store as a child and began helping her uncle, a

chemist from Hungary, develop and sell beauty lotions and creams.

American progress thrives on these stories of immigrant success, reminding us of the diverse origins of many American corporations.

The New American Fortune 500 is only one example of how immigrants and their children create American jobs and drive our economy. The backbone of our economy is also formed by medium and small businesses. These establishments, from local eateries and neighborhood shops to professional services, employ millions across the country. Immigrants stand out in this landscape, with about 3.2 million (21.7% of all U.S. entrepreneurs) of them steering their own enterprises. Immigrants consistently demonstrate a higher entrepreneurial inclination compared to their nativeborn peers. This inherent drive to establish new ventures is invaluable for the U.S. economy, especially considering that the majority of net job growth in the nation stems from fresh startups and nascent firms. p

Fortune 500 Companies continued from page 1

New York Drunk Shakespeare Joins Three Other Cities to Unionize With Actors’ Equity Association

New York: The actors, stage managers, bartenders and servers of Drunk Shakespeare in New York City, the longest-running of the productions nationwide, are now the fourth company of the theatrical franchise to unionize as Drunk Shakespeare United. Alongside their fellow workers in Chicago, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., they have designated Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional performers and stage managers in live theatre, as their bargaining representative.

While they would welcome the voluntary recognition their employers offered to their colleagues in the three other cities, the workers in New York are confident their signed

union commitment cards will lead to certification by the NLRB, if necessary.

In all four cities, workers unanimously chose to unionize in order to implement systems that will preserve the high quality of the show and establish a clear line of communication with management to raise concerns as they arise.

“I love this show. The whole company loves this show and we deeply believe this is a special show,” said Danielle Cohn, who has been performing in Drunk Shakespeare since 2018, totaling nearly 900 performances. “We’re organizing because we want the show to be healthy and run well. It’s time to standardize protections for everybody and provide a framework for conversations with our employer. We can do this best with a union.”

“This show has a lot of moving pieces, and we need assurance that we can deal with issues as soon as they come up,” Lawrence Karl, a server with Drunk Shakespeare. “Above all, we want assurance that all of us receive fair and equitable treatment. I am already an Equity member from a union family. Our employer should welcome Equity’s role here, and support the workers who have made it clear this is what we want.”

“With the addition of New York, we now have nearly one hundred workers organized with Drunk Shakespeare United,” said Director of Organizing and Mobilization Stefanie Frey. “They have repeatedly told us how valuable it’s been to connect for the first time with their colleagues in other cities, to realize that they are not alone in navigating many of their workplace issues. This is a perfect example of workers having more power together, and we're excited to come to the bargaining table and find a deal that makes Drunk Shakespeare a better, safer, fairer workplace across the country. This is going to mean a theatre experience that runs more smoothly, and for longer.”

Drunk Shakespeare, which first opened in New York almost nine years ago, currently has five productions of the show running around the country: the four newly unionized productions as well as a recently opened company in Houston. Equity encourages all workers in live performance who feel they would benefit from a union contract to contact the union’s organizing department at actorsequity.org/organize. p

ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org

#EquityWorks

Read more stories at www.workersworldtoday.com

Immigration Advocates, Unions, Civic Groups Call on Biden Admin to Re-Designate TPS, Accelerate Work Authorization of Asylum Seekers

New York, NY: On Thursday, August 24, a unique group of organizations representing various sectors of New York City rallied in Battery Park to demand the federal government to expand Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in order to grant immediate access to work authorizations for recently arrived asylum seekers. With the Statue of Liberty — a symbol of hope to generations of immigrants — in the background, the leaders from various organizations called for the Biden administration to re-designate and expedite TPS applications for newly arrived asylum seekers and individuals struggling to find long-term housing and work opportunities. Members of Make the Road New York, SEIU 1199, 32BJ SEIU, the NYC Employment & Training Coalition, Mixteca, 86 the Barrier, La Colmena and Part of the Solution were among those advocating for speedier work authoriza-

tions for the arriving migrant community.

“The Biden administration has an obligation to redesignate and expedite TPS applications. Federal policy requires asylum seekers to wait months, sometimes years to receive work authorization, forcing too many of them into an underground economy of unreliable jobs that are exploitative if not dangerous,” said Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of New York Immigration Coalition. “Thousands of asylum seekers want to work so they can work towards cementing themselves into their new communities.”

“The contributions of immigrants with Temporary Protected Status has been crucial to sustaining many sectors of our economy, including areas where thousands of our members with TPS provide essential services, from cleaning government offices to servicing planes at major airports,” said Shirley Aldebol, Executive

Vice President of 32BJ SEIU. “Their contributions make clear how we would all benefit if President Biden acted quickly to provide work authorization to recently arrived migrants by re-designating TPS for those from countries where conditions clearly remain dangerous, such as El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, and offering it anew to others from countries where they are equally perilous, such as Guatemala. In today’s economy, where work shortages are rampant, such authoriza-

tion would allow migrants to provide for their families with good-paying jobs.”

“As a home care worker, I see how so much of our healthcare system depends on immigrants to care for our state’s most vulnerable people,” said Ana Medina, an 1199SEIU homecare worker who immigrated to the US from Mexico as a child and gained her citizenship earlier this year. “Like so many immigrants, I came to this country to seek a better life, support my family, and be a caregiver to my community.

Providing immigrants like me with opportunities for meaningful employment and the ability to contribute to our society is so important to New York’s future.”

“New York's building industry has always been supported by the waves of immigration that carried families, like mine, across our five boroughs as they pursued the American dream,” said Carlo A. Scissura, Esq., President & CEO of the NY Building Congress. “Work authorization for asylum seekers is a common sense solution that will ease the stress on our public sector while allowing new arrivals to be independent, help fuel local economies, and give back to their new communities. We call on President Biden and the administration to work with Mayor Adams, Gov. Hochul and local partners to expedite TPS so that we can fully live up to New York City’s legacy as a place where anybody with that same dream can call home.”p

Photo courtesy: NYIC

Love, Health & Travel

Retirees Crash Adams Event to Blast Medicare Advantage Plan

BYCLAUDIA IRIZARRY APONTE THE CITY

Nearly two dozen municipal retirees crashed a planned press conference by Mayor Eric Adams Monday afternoon to protest his administration’s continued push for a privatized health care plan for retirees known as Medicare Advantage.

While the mayor and labor leaders spoke inside a municipal career fair at Sunset Park High School, retirees outside held signs that read “unions don’t privatize Medicare” and “retirees fight!”

Earlier this month, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge blocked the Adams administration’s planned rollout of the controversial Medicare Advantage plan that was slated to go into effect on Sept. 1. The Adams administration vowed to appeal the decision and

continue pursuing the plan.

Adams dropped by the career fair to promote “good paying civil service jobs” alongside Lee Saunders, president of the national American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Henry Garrido, executive director of NYC’s District Council 37. Their two organizations co-hosted the event with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

DC 37, the city’s largest municipal workers union and a member of AFSCME, has an outsize influence on matters that go before the Municipal Labor Committee, the consortium of 102 public-sector labor unions that brokered the Medicare Advantage deal with the Adams administration.

Due to the committee’s weighted voting system where unions get one vote per

250 members, DC 37 and the United Federation of Teachers alone have the clout to sway elections.

Asked about the retirees protesting outside, the mayor noted that he himself is a city retiree (from the NYPD) and that “that is my plan.”

“I think people gave the impression that this is going to take away from their benefits, which is not actually true, and we’re going to show them how this is a great plan,”

Adams told THE CITY in response to questions about the protesters. “The unions who represent them are in support of dealing with the real economic challenges we’re having around health care, and we’re going to make sure we get a good plan for everyone.” The shift could save the city as much as $600 million a year, helping to pay for current employee’s salaries and benefits.

The handful of retirees who remained by the end of the event two hours later booed the mayor as he

and the Municipal Labor Committee, they noted, have the statutory duty to negotiate health benefits and other subjects of collective bargaining on behalf of their members.

exited the school.

“After us working for so long, having been promised — yes, let’s make sure that word is clear — promised a certain level of care, we no longer can have security in our retirement because now we have to deal with how our healthcare may change,” said Michelle Keller, who retired in 2018 after 43 years in civil service. “This is not a way a country — a city — treats its most vulnerable populations.”

DC 37 v. City Council Bill

The plan to switch to Medicare Advantage dates back to a pact with unions made under former Mayor Bill de Blasio and has been backed by the Adams administration and the Municipal Labor Committee.

But on three separate occasions, courts have ruled against it, with the city vowing to appeal the latest decision.

Meanwhile, DC 37 has stepped up efforts to mobilize its members against proposed legislation that would require the city to offer retirees a premium-free Medicare plan, preserving the current structure by which retired city workers receive their health care. The bill was introduced by Councilmember Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) and is co-sponsored by more than a dozen Council members.

On Thursday, Municipal Labor Council leaders including Garrido sent a letter to city Council Speaker Adrienne Adams urging the Council to oppose the bill, known as Intro 1099, which they slammed as “illegal” and “ill-advised.” Only unions

“The proposed bill would not only reach into and rewrite those established collective bargaining agreements, but it would illegally curtail the ability of City Unions to exercise their statelaw right to fully negotiate retiree health benefits for in-service and retired employees going forward,” read the letter, co-signed by more than a dozen labor leaders in the public and private sector.

The retirees initially had planned to confront Saunders, the AFSCME president, at the hiring hall on Monday. A flier by the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees circulated on social media last week used all capital letters to urge members to “ask him to intervene to protect the vested health benefits of retirees and preserve traditional Medicare.”

But the retirees’ focus shifted to the mayor, as news of his visit to the hiring hall spread Monday morning.

Outside the school ahead of the mayor’s arrival, retirees gathered across from people waiting in line vying for jobs to call on the mayor “to stop his unlawful and cruel attack on retirees,” said retired city worker Marcia Biederman, 74.

“The way that they’re treating retirees, putting us against the membership – it’s not right,” DC 37 retiree council vice president Aurea Mangual told THE CITY.

The retirees’ protest was the latest in a series of high-profile confrontations against Adams. On Sunday, an antimigrant protest outside Gracie Mansion turned violent as the picketers and counter-protesters came to blows. Police arrested about half a dozen people, including Guardian Angels co-founder and former Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa.p

Adams speaks at a city employee hiring hall, with Henry Garrido of DC37, right, and Lee Saunders of AFSCME, left, Aug. 28, 2023. Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Five Tips to Strengthen Your Marriage Today

BY ESTES THERAPY

Marriage is a beautiful and fulfilling experience, but it has challenges. At times, even the happiest of marriages can experience turbulence. However, the good news is that with the right tools and strategies, couples can work through their difficulties and emerge stronger and more resilient.

This article will discuss five ways to strengthen your marriage today. These tips are based on years of research and experience working with couples. We encourage you to try these strategies in your marriage and see their positive impact.

Communicate Effectively

Effective communication is one of the most important as-

pects of a healthy marriage. However, it is also one of the most challenging. Communication involves not just talking but also listening and understanding. Often, couples may feel like they are talking to a wall, or that their partner is not listening. This can lead to frustration, resentment, and misunderstandings.

To communicate effectively,

it is important to practice active listening. This means giving your partner your full attention, putting aside distractions, and listening without interrupting. It also involves using “I” statements instead of “you” statements, which can come across as accusatory. For example, instead of saying, “You never listen to me,” try saying, “I feel like I’m

not being heard.” This approach focuses on your feelings rather than blaming your partner.

Show Appreciation

It is easy to take our partners for granted, especially when we’ve been together for a long time. However, expressing gratitude and appreciation can go a long way in strengthening your marriage. It shows your partner that you see and value their efforts, and that you don’t take them for granted.

Try making a habit of expressing appreciation on a daily basis. This can be as simple as saying “thank you” when your partner does something for you or writing a note expressing your gratitude. You can also make a list of things you appreciate about your partner and share it with

them. These small gestures can make a big difference in how connected and appreciated your partner feels.

Practice Forgiveness

In any marriage, there will be times when one or both partners make mistakes. These can range from minor misunderstandings to major breaches of trust. It can be tempting to hold onto anger and resentment when this happens, but this can be toxic to a relationship.

Practicing forgiveness is key to moving past difficult times and strengthening your marriage. This involves letting go of grudges and focusing on the present and future rather than dwelling on the past. It also involves acknowledging your own mistakes and taking responsibility for them.

continued on page 20

Love, Health & Travel

Five Tips to Strengthen Your Marriage Today

continued from page 19

Forgiveness is not always easy, and it can take time. It may involve seeking the help of a therapist or counselor to work through difficult emotions. However, the benefits of forgiveness are well worth the effort, as it can lead to greater intimacy, trust, and connection.

Make Time for Each Other

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, it can be easy to neglect your relationship. However, it is important to make time for each other regularly. This can involve scheduling date nights, taking walks together, or simply spending time talking and connecting. Making time for each other sends the message that your relationship is a priority. It also provides an opportunity to deepen your connection and intimacy. Even if your schedules are busy, try to

carve out some dedicated time each week to focus on your relationship.

Seek Professional Help

Finally, if you are struggling with your marriage, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Marriage counseling can provide a safe and supportive environment to work through difficulties and strengthen your relationship.

A therapist or counselor can help you identify and address underlying issues, improve communication, develop healthier patterns of interaction, and build stronger emo-

tional connections. They can also teach you valuable skills and tools for managing conflict, improving intimacy, and enhancing your overall relationship satisfaction.

Marriage counseling is not a sign of weakness but rather a proactive step towards building a stronger, healthier, and happier marriage. It can be especially helpful for couples who are experiencing significant challenges, such as infidelity, communication breakdowns, or unresolved conflicts.

At Estes Therapy, we specialize in helping couples build

strong and lasting marriages. Our experienced therapists can provide the guidance and support you need to overcome challenges and create a happier and more fulfilling relationship. We offer a range of counseling services, including couples therapy, individual therapy, pre-marital counseling, and counseling for mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. We also specialize in LGBTQIA marriage and relationship counseling.

Our priority is to help you have a long, happy, and healthy relationship!

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many ways to strengthen your marriage today. Effective communication, showing appreciation, practicing forgiveness, making time for each other, and seeking professional help are all important strategies for building a healthy and happy relationship. Remember, a strong and fulfilling marriage requires ongoing effort and commitment from both partners. With the right tools and strategies, you can overcome challenges and create a relationship that lasts a lifetime. p

Here at Estes Therapy we like to put our minds together and collaborate on pieces in order to get the best content for our readers. So when you see a post by “Estes Therapy” it means we all worked together to provide even more well rounded information on these topics from the differing experiences and viewpoints of the team!

Reprinted with permission.

Forgiveness is not always easy, and it can take time. However, the benefits of forgiveness are well worth the effort, as it can lead to greater intimacy, trust, and connection.

College-Educated and Young Workers Lead Union Surge While Public Sector Plummets

BY CLAUDIA IRIZARRY APONTE THE CITY

Young people and college-educated workers are leading the national surge in union organizing and strikes, with academic workers and medical trainees leading the way in New York.

This year’s annual State of the Unions report from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies spotlights the organizing efforts and strikes by highly educated workers, from Mount Sinai Hospital to The New York Times and The New School.

This year, medical interns and residents at H+H/Elmhurst Hospital walked off the job for three days, the first strike in a generation by physicians in New York City. High-profile strikes by graduate students at Columbia University and parttime faculty at the New School last winter yielded hefty raises and other long-sought-after benefits.

Young people, buoyed by the pandemic and long-standing economic inequality, say they are turning to unionizing to advocate for better pay and working conditions. In an AFL-CIO poll, 88% of voters under age 30 said they approve of labor unions,

It’s having a ripple effect. For example: Undergraduate students at the New School and Parsons School of Design recently announced their intent to unionize, partly inspired by their professors’ strike last winter. Students work as resident advisors, orientation leaders, social media assistants and in clerical roles — often for minimum wage or no compensation at all beyond meal and housing assistance.

“We run the school, essentially – all of the workers in the labs are students, all of the TAs and research assistants are students, workers in the Welcome Center and in the admin offices are students,” said Aarya Kini, a fourth-year journalism major at The New

School who works at the Parsons dean’s office. Why now? “I think it’s just a rising consciousness – that we are worthwhile, our work should be valued, we work hard and we should be treated as such,” she said. But even as polls show public support for unions at a generational high, the surge in labor activity has not been enough to reverse the twodecade downward trend in union membership in New York and across the nation,

said Ruth Milkman, a lead author of the report and chair of CUNY’s graduate labor studies department.

The share of employees living in the five boroughs who are union members declined slightly to 17.7%, leaving the city with 604,000 unionized residents.

Public sector union membership has taken a notable hit among New York City residents, declining from 70% of government workers in 2020 to just 56% in 2022-’23, even as

it stayed stable in the rest of New York State. The Supreme Court’s 2018 Janus decision gives public sector employees the option not to pay union dues or fees at all.

The NYC Central Labor Council, the city federation of unions, disagrees with the report’s methodology and conclusions, claiming that it does not account for workers employed in the city who live in its suburbs.

Nevertheless, the rise in union activity and favorability of recent years “is part of something bigger,” said Milkman. “It’s not enough to move the needle – but it’s not trivial.”

Seizing the Moment

Several factors have contributed to a newfound militancy among young workers, including the Great Recession, the lingering effects of the pandemic, the student loan debt crisis and social movements like Occupy Wall Street and Sen. Bernie Sanders presiden-

continued on page 22

New School adjunct professors during a multi-week strike last year, Dec. 1, 2022. Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITY

Conversations

School Therapists/ continued from page 21

tial campaigns.

Those forces have prompted action in the form of high-profile union campaigns at iconic brands like Starbucks, Amazon and Trader Joe’s, spearheaded by young millennials and Gen Z-ers, many of them college-educated.

But workers at those national companies don’t have collective bargaining agreements in place, with management holding the line against unions and sometimes engaging in what federal regulators have deemed illegal anti-union behavior.

For most of the 21st century, people with advanced degrees have entered the labor market with high expectations of having a good job but instead find themselves in dead-end retail positions or toiling away in part-time and adjunct teaching jobs, said Milkman.

In higher education, the long-simmering frustrations have led to what the report describes as an “explosive” and “unprecedented” level of strike activity across the country. In 2022 and so far in 2023, unions won 30 new studentworker collective bargaining units, representing a total of 35,655 workers, according to

the report.

And as strikes in this sector have increased, so have gains for many of these workers –and New York City is no exception.

Last year, graduate students at Columbia University won hourly raises to $21 up from $15, among other gains, after a 10-week strike. A 25-day strike by New School part-time faculty yielded raises of as much as 36% over the five-year life of the contract.

Few workers were as radicalized by the pandemic as much as medical interns and residents. Doctors have also not been immune to the growing influence in their field of private equity firms, which prioritize profit and efficiency.

“The same issues that are impacting graduate students are happening to interns and residents,” said William Herbert, a labor researcher and distinguished lecturer at Hunter College. “There is a similarity with regard to the level of work that they are required to do as opposed to the level of compensation and benefits that they receive.”

Around the same time doctors at Elmhurst Hospital went on strike this spring, about 800 physicians across four other hospitals threatened to walk

off the job before securing eleventh-hour deals with their employers.

Months earlier, 1,200 physicians at Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx joined the Committee of Interns and Residents–SEIU, essentially reinstating a union that had been removed more than 40 years ago, according to the union. For Dr. Rex Tai, a third-year internal medicine resident at Montefiore who sits on the union’s bargaining committee, his social and political activism began with pro-universal health care organizing in medical school. But he cited the pandemic and an overall “fundamental shift in the nature of physician employment” and patient care as galvanizing him and his fellow doctors to seek collective action.

“With every new hospital, every new bargaining unit that comes on, it just strengthens what we can do and creates a much stronger community and culture of care around medical training,” Dr. Tai, 30, said. “The former very hierarchical system is untenable for us, and unionization is the first real opportunity to try and transform this culture of medical training and, frankly, I think is the only possible way for us to do it.”

Student Union

While undergraduate student workers were long frustrated by late payments and unpredictable schedules, the weekslong faculty strike last winter ignited their desire to unionize, said Kini, the student organizer.

On Aug. 7, they launched their campaign as the New Student Workers Union, affiliated with United Auto Workers Local 7902. The university has submitted objections to the union with the federal National Labor Relations Board arguing that the undergraduate workers are not university employees. In the case of work study students, the university argues that their compensation is a form of financial aid.

The student workers, many of whom are still teenagers, want to bargain kitchen-table issues such as establishing clear guidelines for compensation, with wages currently ranging from $15 to $19 an hour, and to codify scheduling rules.

But younger generations are driven by idealism and desire to “create institutions that people want to work in,” said Kini, and her fellow workers are no exception: “We’re trying to change the way that people think about work, and about employment – that it doesn’t have to be this thing that just constantly drives you down and is a source of worry, because your colleagues and your peers have your back.”p

This story was published on August 31, 2023 by THE CITY.

New School undergrad Emily Li is part of an effort to organize her fellow students, Aug. 31, 2023. Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY