As we enter 2012, it’s hard to believe it’s time for another presidential election. It seems like only yesterday that President Obama gave his victory speech in Chicago, bringing tears of joy to millions of people around the United States and the world.

Working people have had a long, tough road in this country. This is especially true for women, people of color and people belonging to religious minorities. We have come far, but we have farther to go, and it is important to remember how we got here.

As public sector workers, our pensions are our most important asset. They are more than just money and investments. They’re our shared life savings. They are not generous gifts from our employers, but deferred compensation that we have bargained for over decades. They signify dignity and freedom in retirement.

Organized labor has spent years trying to hold Wall Street accountable for the harm it did to this country. It wasn’t until a month ago, however, that the seeds we planted grew into a grassroots uprising against economic injustice.

For months, many labor leaders, including myself, have supported workers’ actions in Wisconsin and Ohio, and, more recently, the CWA strike here in New York. We contemplated what the future may hold for America’s workers. As last week’s walkout by Longshoremen in Washington demonstrates, worker dissatisfaction — both here and abroad — is reaching a crisis.

Organized labor has many enemies in this country. Unfortunately, we also need to start worrying about our friends.

Hopes for a robust economic recovery were set back with a rise in the jobless rate last month, a plunging stock market, and continued debate in Congress over deficit reduction versus job creation as the nation’s number one priority.

In politics, simultaneous with the war on public workers, there is a war of words being waged around the country and here at home. Like many battles, both sides profess to be on the right side, which in this case is about protecting America’s future. In such a war, it is important to understand what to believe and what to doubt.

Madison, Wisconsin. Columbus, Ohio. Indianapolis, Indiana. These cities are the front lines of the current assault against the rights of working people and the middle class. With state and local government deficits ballooning around the country, however, the fight is expanding every day.

Make no mistake. This push against unions is not simply about getting fair wage and benefit concessions during tough economic times. It is about the rich and powerful breaking the backs of labor — especially public sector unions — once and for all.

But can it happen in New York City?

There’s a reason why they call us public service employees. We work hard to serve the public. It sounds simple, but today it seems that people forget what we really do. Our towns, cities and states simply would not work if the roads were not cleaned and the streets were not policed.

Many public service jobs are not glamorous. No one takes them to get filthy rich. People do them because they want to do honest work, make a decent living, contribute to society and have some financial security in retirement.

The labor movement is no stranger to conflict. By definition, it involves organizing workers to fight aggressively against a larger, more powerful foe. Periods of conflict have ebbed and flowed over the course of labor's history, some moments uneventful, others full of marches, speeches and strikes. The last decade has certainly had its share of confrontations. Unions have always had to fight for just treatment and fair wages. Constant vigilance keeps our organizations strong and unified.

We can be proud of another year well spent! I am always amazed, excited and a little relieved when December arrives. It’s a time to look back on all that we have accomplished and look forward to new opportunities and alliances in the face of future challenges. The Holidays are also a time for celebration and coming together with friends and family, as well as a time of change and rebirth.

Call it a tidal wave, call it a revolution, but there's no doubt the Republicans stormed back into power in Congress and the national stage on Nov. 2. U.S. Voters, upset about the economy and the bickering in Washington, took their anxiety and frustration out on incumbents by handing the House to Republicans, as well as several seats in the Senate.

Anger is everywhere. So many people are angry about so many things that you can almost smell it in the air. New Yorkers and Americans across the country have been angry for a long time, and it is coming to a head. Public anger can cause great change, but it can also do tremendous damage. Lately, too much anger has undeservedly fallen upon the labor movement, and we need to fight back hard.

It seems today you cannot turn on the news without hearing a politician talking about “reform,” or “change.” Most of their ideas are welcome. Albany is certainly in need of serious reform. Barack Obama famously cam- paigned on the slogan of change, which he has brought about in a more positive way than critics give him credit for.

Diversity is a word used a lot these days, usually in reference to racial or religious diversity, but it can mean so much more. Teamsters Local 237 is truly diverse in a number of ways. Not only do our members come from every possible background, but they also perform many different and valuable services all over New York City and Long Island. Each of our titles brings a special and valuable point of view that makes our union strong.

We have been especially busy here at Local 237 lately. The executive board and I have been working on several fronts. I’d like to take the time in this column to talk about important initiatives we are undertaking.

In good times, it is easy to take our government for granted. When our bank accounts are full and our jobs secure, democracy seems to be working. Politicians appear in the press more like heroes than villains.

These are tough times for unions. Critics have taken the recent problems in New York as an opportunity to attack and insult the labor movement. They say we prospered too much during the good years. They say we are not helping enough with the financial collapse of our government. They say many things, but they forget the role that makes unions not only important, but necessary.

Like many of you, I feel very frustrated these days. Wall Street is back earning record profits, and yet millions of Americans struggle to find work. Young and old alike cannot afford health insurance, and yet the health-care reform bill is at a standstill in Washington. New York is burdened with increasing debt, and Albany has been generating more scandal and confusion than leadership.

It was a year ago that we celebrated the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I am honored to be sworn in as president of Local 237 so near that historic date. I want to thank all those who helped me reach this point, and I want to welcome our new trustee, Curtis Scott, and new business agents Charlie Cotto and Carol Harry. Though my inauguration is not as momentous an occasion, I wish it to inspire a similar sense of hopefulness about the future among our members.

Holidays are about giving thanks with your family. I consider all the members of Local 237 to be a family, and I hope you do too. We understand each other. We fight for each other. When push comes to shove, we are there for each other. As a family, we have much to be thankful for this holiday season. Although it was a difficult year for much of the nation, Local 237 managed to prosper in these difficult times.

On behalf of the entire Local 237 Executive Board, thank you for the honor of representing you. We are humbled that our members have given us the opportunity to lead this great union into the future.

This month marks just over a year since the bottom officially dropped out of the economy. One year ago, the nation’s top banks collapsed and nearly dragged the rest of the country down with them.

Often I write to you about how Local 237 fights for every one of our members. This month I can tell you that, thanks to your support, our union has scored a big victory.

After months of standing firm, we have reached a contract agreement with the city for our 9,000 NYCHA employees. I’m proud that we held our ground and received a fair deal, 8.16 percent over two years. We refused to take less than we deserve. We refused to settle for less than other unions. We refused to buckle under to pressure to place the financial burden of the city on the backs of our members.

As budgets continue to shrink and the state emerges from chaos, we need a strong and cohesive union to stand together and to fight for working men and women.

Leadership works like a compass in the woods. During good weather, most people glance at it occasionally as they wander among the trees. But in a storm, it becomes very important, the only thing that can get you out safely as the wind and rain pound down and hide the path.

After a difficult winter, in which the country faced blizzards of both snow and bad economic news, the seasons are beginning to change. As the weather warms and the leaves return to the trees, we are also seeing signs that our harsh economic conditions may be starting to thaw: the nation’s financial institutions are again reporting profits and home sales are rising. For the first time in months, there is reason to be hopeful.

We are beginning the great budget battle of 2009. Every year, it is a struggle to ensure that the city and state treat working people with fairness and respect. But this year, resources are thinner than they have been in decades, and every dollar will be hard won.

There has been plenty of bad news lately. Newspapers read like lists of layoffs from private companies and municipal agencies. Fear and apprehension have gripped the nation’s work force, both white collar and blue collar. No one knows when things will get better, or how much worse they will become. 

As Americans try to keep their New Year’s resolutions, the country is united in a resolve to make a bold change. At press time, millions of us were gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. I felt unprecedented enthusiasm as I walked across the doorstep of my home to start that trip, knowing that at the same time I have crossed a threshold to a new, hope-filled era of American and world history.

Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, many of you might find it difficult to get into the holiday spirit this year. However, Local 237 Teamsters has continued to strengthen its efforts to protect the quality of life for all of its members, redoubling our commitment to meeting your needs during these tough financial times.

Just before midnight on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, history was made.

Unaccept-
able! Just over one month ago a five-year
-old child fell to his death at the New York City Housing Authority’s Taylor Wythe apartment complex in Brooklyn.

As the summer draws to a close, I hope you enjoyed the warm days in the company of friends and loved ones. In the previous edition of Newsline, I discussed new ideas Local 237 was developing to improve the quality of life for our members. I would like to update you on our success and our plans for the coming months.

While many things around the city slow down in the summer, Teamsters Local 237 is just beginning to heat up with new ideas and services to improve the quality of life for our union brothers and sisters.

Welcome to the official website for Teamsters Local 237, a union of 24,000 New York City employees who work in government agencies and several municipalities on Long Island.