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Features: April 2008
April Is . . .
Workers Memorial Day Month
Poetry Month
Alcohol Awareness Month
Put Safety Awareness on Your Agenda
Last month’s tragic crane accident in Manhattan, where five construction workers died along with two other victims, was followed by a similar accident days later in Miami, emphasizing the need to maintain vigorous enforcement of safety measures at worksites.
Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28, is a day to remember those who died or were injured at work and also to raise awareness among employees that a safe workplace is a right, not a privilege. A union workplace is a safe workplace, which could be safer if we stay alert and rectify dangerous conditions.
Still, accidents can happen anywhere, anytime, signaling the need for reforms. Last November, several Local 237 Housing Division members were overcome by fumes while treating raw sewage at Richmond Terrace Houses on Staten Island. Fortunately, they survived the ordeal and returned to their families and jobs.
Less fortunate was the late School Safety Agent Vivian Samuels, who suffered a fatal heart attack in December 2005 while escorting an unruly student out of a dance at Brooklyn’s I.S. 390.
Remembering WTC
This month we also remember victims with occupational illnesses, including World Trade Center recovery workers and volunteers who are beginning to experience symptoms that may be linked to their exposure to toxic substances and psychological stress.
If you were among those who aided in rescue, recovery and cleanup efforts at WTC in the Manhattan area below Canal Street, between the East River and Hudson River, you are likely eligible to file a claim for Workers’ Compensation in the event you develop a 9/11-related disease now or in the future.
In order to file a claim, you must first register with the Workers’ Compensation Registration Program. The deadline to register is Aug. 13, only four months away. If you have not yet registered, don’t delay. Call Neil Abramson at 212-964-3300 to request the forms.
Healing Is Just a Phone Call Away
Help is available for union members and their loved ones who think they have a problem with alcohol. Too often it takes tragic events, like getting injured on the job or in a car accident, or facing a divorce, for a suffering alcoholic to admit he or she needs help in conquering the deadly disease.
As a union worker, you and your family are entitled to get confidential help for alcohol, or any other substance abuse, from your agency’s employee assistance program or from other sources listed below. You can also ask your shop steward or business agent for guidance.
Alcoholism services include screening for detoxification and rehabilitation clinics, outpatient treatment,
counseling, and 12-step recovery programs.
Countless alcoholics enjoy lives in recovery thanks to programs such as the ones listed below. Find help
for yourself or a loved one today. Get more information and confidential help from the following
sources:
311 – New York City’s free service line
Alcoholics Anonymous Intergroup 212-647-1680
Central Labor Rehabilitation Council 212-414-4124 Ext. 224
Alcoholism Council of New York 212-252-7001
800-56-SOBER or 800-567-6237
The following employer-sponsored Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) provide free confidential assessment and referrals for their employees:
Bellevue Hospital Center (EAP) 212-562-4010
Elmhurst Hospital Center (EAP) 718-334-2216
Queens Hospital (EAP) 718-883-4214
Jacobi Medical Center (EAP) 718-918-7101
New York City (EAP) (Housing Authority) 212-306-7660
Hunter College (EAP) 212-772-4051
Police Department (EAP) 718-834-8433
Long Island Town of Islip (EAP) 631-851-1295
Long Island Town of Babylon (EAP) 631-789-3700
 Every year since 1996, a month-long celebration of poetry takes place across the country in April to acknowledge the contributions of poets to our artistic and cultural heritage. What finer example than the work below by a living African-American poet, a woman who overcame adversity to become an internationally renowned artist.
Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou |
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me. |
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
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