"I feel that law enforcement people have some of the most difficult jobs in the City of New York, and was very upset when I learned that Senator Duane not only opposed legislation that would affect our union members involved in law enforcement, but also denigrated their services."

The speaker was Pete Gutierrez, assistant director of Local 237's Citywide Division, who is opposing State Senator Thomas Duane in the Democratic Primary Sept. 10.

Gutierrez threw his hat into the political ring in May shortly after Duane sent union leaders copies of a letter he had sent all legislators citing his opposition to a bill that could help some law enforcement members of Local 237. The bill would provide the same disability benefits to Local 237 members who contract hepatitis, tuberculosis or AIDS in the course of their jobs as those given police officers and other uniformed city employees.

Gutierrez contacted Local 237 President Carl Haynes at that time requesting the support of the union for his plan to campaign to unseat the incumbent Senator.

Haynes, who had written to all his colleagues in the Central Labor Council to denounce Duane's opposition to the bill, agreed to support the union member's candidacy -- and urged his fellow union members to do the same.

An Air Force veteran who has lived in Lower Manhattan all his life, Gutierrez charged that Duane, in the almost four years he has been in the Senate, "has been totally ineffective as a legislator. He has had almost zero success in Albany, getting his first bill passed only in June..."

Gutierrez, who was a Hospital Police Sergeant for years prior to becoming a Business Agent for Local 237, insisted that Duane's opposition to the labor-sponsored disability bill indicated he did not truly understand the nature of the duties some members must perform.

Among those who could benefit from the legislation are members of the Hospital Police, Taxi and Limousine Inspectors, School Safety Agents, Parking Control Officers and Special Peace Officers in many of the city departments and agencies.

Duane scoffed at the possibility of Local 237 law enforcement personnel contracting such a disease as AIDS in the normal course of their work.

Haynes pointed out that union members such as Taxi and Limousine Inspectors are required routinely to stop vehicles for inspection and that "Car stops are extremely dangerous because you don't know what you are going to encounter."

He said that many of his members have been assaulted with box cutters, switchblades, tire irons and other weapons when making such stops. "When subduing belligerent people, both people can be bloodied in the process, and there is no doubt that HIV can be transmitted through open wounds and bites," he asserted.

"Besides belittling a class of working people, over and over again, as well as insulting their union in the floor debate, the Senator also demonstrated a lack of knowledge concerning the duties of these workers," Haynes insisted.

Gutierrez has long been active in Democratic politics. He even went to Florida on his own time during the last Presidential election to take part in the vote count controversy.

His interests go beyond the union and its members: he is deeeply concerned with such crucial issues as hospital and quality home care. He has always been concerned with these issues, but they were brought home recently when his mother was hospitalized with cancer and he had great difficulty in obtaining proper care for her.

Gutierrez, an apartment dweller all his life, has also fought for affordable housing, tenants' rights and quality education for all children.