On May Day, the chanting of 10,000 protesters led by Local 237 shook the rafters at City Hall and tied up traffic on Broadway. Demanding that the federal government “Put the Money Back” into New York City Housing Authority’s budget, a diverse crowd of NYCHA employees and tenants, labor leaders, legislators, community groups and clergy showed their solidarity and — most importantly in a presidential election year — voting power!

“New York has the largest public housing system in the country. If we fail here, we fail everywhere,” said President Gregory Floyd to the crowd, which extended north on Broadway as far as the eye could see.

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As the largest union representing NYCHA workers, Floyd said, “We have to lead the fight. Are you with me?” The crowd responded instantly with a roar of support, waving banners and arms up high. “We are serious; nearly half a million strong,” said Floyd, noting that the NYCHA universe of tenants and workers is larger than most cities in the nation. “We count. We vote!”

Legislators line up behind President Gregory Floyd speaking at the podium. From left are: Councilwomen Letitia James and Rosie Mendez; Comptroller William C. Thompson; Councilman Adriano Espaillat; Councilwoman Gail Brewer; State Sen. Diane Savino and Councilmembers Bill de Blasio and Annabel Palma.

Local 237 also set up voter-registration tables near City Hall where 22 buses, scheduled by the union, delivered NYCHA tenants and community groups to the rally and back home. Everyone from children and mothers to senior citizens in wheelchairs mobilized for the big day, when we pushed public housing to the top of the city’s agenda.

Major news media covered the rally, including TV crews from WABC, CBS, Cable News 12, and Univision, the Spanish language network. Radio stations KISS FM and WBAI broadcast interviews with Floyd before and during the rally, while the Chief Leader and El Diario-La Prensa ran reports with photos.



In an interview with WABC-TV reporter Carolina Leid, Housing Division Supervisor of Caretakers Russel Hartfeld, a 17-year veteran who works at Throgs Neck Housing, explained that his duties are overwhelming due to understaffing. He also noted, “We work for the residents. I have family there.”

Moderating the rally, Local 237 consultant Felipe Luciano emphasized the federal government’s relentless attacks on public housing in New Orleans, Pennsylvania and Chicago. “Here they want to dismantle it piece by piece,” said Luciano.

Last June Local 237 also led a rally calling for funding amid NYCHA’s proposed 500 layoffs. That activism prompted the state to pass the Maximum Shelter Allowance bill, providing some aid to the cash-strapped agency. This year, again, NYCHA faces a staggering $270 million deficit as federal, state and city governments slash budgets to stay afloat in a sinking economy.



“Without a renewed financial commitment to NYCHA, union jobs will be lost, rent hikes for low-income tenants will skyrocket, and the dismal state of public housing will be dealt a critical blow,” said Floyd, blaming Bush administration cuts for “pushing NYCHA to the breaking point.”

“The Bush administration continues to fund a misguided war abroad and ignores the needs of people in this country,” said Councilwoman Rosie Mendez, who was among the many legislators who packed the stage for a turn at the podium. “Homeland security means securing people in their homes,” Mendez said, adding, “NYCHA has raised rents, instituted service-fee increases and recently laid-off 400 employees. This president cannot continue to put the burden on the backs of the poor.

Many prominent officials spoke at the rally, including Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez’s representative and New York State Senator Sheldon Silver’s representative; State Senators Martin Connor and Velmanette Montgomery; Borough Presidents Scott Stringer, Manhattan; Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn; and Adolfo Carrion, Bronx, who was quoted in The Chief as saying that Floyd is “the new labor leadership in New York.”

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson called for the Bush administration to restore funding for NYCHA so that Local 237 members “can continue to make important contributions to our city.” He added, “If we don’t stand together, they will pick us off one by one.”

Labor leaders Denis Hughes, president, New York State AFL-CIO; Ed Ott, executive director, New York City Central Labor Council; and John Murphy, International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ eastern regional vice president, also stood onstage alongside many City Council members while a fantastic band backed up the rousing speakers for more than four hours.

Activists’ organizations joined in, too, including Jesse Epps of the National Union for American Families; members of Community Voices Heard, Mothers on the Move, Community Service Society, and the clergy.

May Day 2008 was especially busy in New York City, where another rally, mostly dealing with immigration rights, took place at Union Square, and Mayor Bloomberg announced a new budget. But it was Local 237 that made labor history, bringing together an unprecedented broad-based coalition to fight for what is right for this great city’s workers: decent jobs and affordable public housing.