President Gregory Floyd and School Safety Agent Kangela Moore look on from the second row center, as, from left, Public Advocate Letitia James and former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn join the group.

Local 237 gained recognition for its leadership role as advocate for the recent historic settlement with the city that ended the pay discrimination suffered by 5,000 school safety agents over the years, 70 percent of whom are women. The effort was monumental and it involved a broad community of helpers from the members who joined the lawsuit to the elected officials and organizations who supported our case, the largest pay-equity suit in the nation.

The suit has been settled, but as long as there are injustices left to correct, our union is a good place to start. So, on October 1, Local 237’s union hall was once again the place to make the case — at a press conference to urge passage of the Women’s Equality Act, a 10-point bill introduced by Gov. Cuomo to end discrimination and inequality based on gender, and to restore New York as a leader in women’s rights. The first point in the bill is to establish pay equity for women.

“It’s appropriate that our pay equity settlement has become a mantra in the state and the nation,” said President Gregory Floyd, adding, “The governor reached out to me personally to host this press conference.”

Floyd standing at the same podium in the same room where he announced the lawsuit in 2010, said that New York State needs to pass the Women’s Equality Act. “Fortunately, this problem has been rectified for us, but not others.” Also in attendance were Letitia James, public advocate, and Christine Quinn, former City Council speaker, who thanked Floyd “for being a leading feminist in the Labor Movement. She also noted that New York was the site of the firstWomen’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls where the women’s suffrage movement began. “We can’t be a place where pay-equity dies in Albany.”

“Women raise the economic strength of the entire community and family,” said Letitia James. “Income inequality is one of the greatest threats to our economy.” Reciting a litany of reforms that have been made and are still to come — paid sick leave, paid family leave, livingwage bill, and raising hourly wages — James said, “It’s an honor and a privilege to stand with Local 237.”

Cheated No More

School Safety Agent Kangela Moore, one of the 5,000 members who joined the class-action suit in 2010, and serves as a spokeswoman for the cause, was on hand to address the press.With more than 22 years of experience in New York City public schools, Moore was earning $7,000 less than her counterparts, peace officers who are mostly male and work for other city agencies. “It really hurts knowing I was cheated because I’m a woman,” she said. “The sacrifices we made were tremendous.”