Rising quickly through the ranks is nothing new to Gregory Floyd, who was elected Local 237’s fifth president on March 30, by the Union’s Executive Board. The Local’s former Secretary-Treasurer made his mark early in his career as the youngest hospital police officer in the history of the Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) to attain the rank of sergeant at age 24 and captain at age 27.

“The decision was a slam-dunk for the executive board and the vote was unanimous,” said Local 237 Vice President Richard Hendershot. “Gregory is a leader and has demonstrated his mettle over many years in the many different positions he has held. He has all the qualities this union needs in a president. Not only is he talented and smart, he knows this union from the inside out; he is loyal and dedicated to Local 237 and well respected by the members.”

A member of Local 237 for 20 years, Floyd is often described as “energetic” and “dynamic.” The newly-minted president is already hard at work on several new initiatives he hopes will keep the union moving forward and in the forefront of the labor movement.


Praise for Haynes

“This union is blessed to have had a president like Carl Haynes leading us to where we are today,” Floyd said. “We’re definitely in a good position. We have new contracts in place for the Citywide Division that we expect will be ratified shortly and we hope to have one for housing soon, so we don’t have to worry about that distraction for the meantime. My goal is to keep us moving forward with new programs that will improve the quality of life for city workers in general and our members in particular.”

Pointing to the high cost of living in New York City — the 10th most expensive city in the world to live in, and the number one most expensive in the nation, according to a 2006 survey that measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each city, Floyd said he is particularly troubled by the fact that many Local 237 members are struggling daily to keep a roof over their heads because of a lack of affordable housing and skyrocketing rent. “The salaries of city workers in general have not kept pace with the increases in the cost of living,” he said, adding that he hopes to help improve the quality of life for city workers through several initiatives he is developing, including one to build affordable housing that targets municipal workers.

“We’re currently in discussion with the New York City Comptroller’s Office about investing city pension funds to develop an affordable housing complex targeted for workers,” Floyd said. “New York City should not be affordable only to the wealthy. We believe having a building or several buildings that are affordable to city employees would be beneficial, particularly to the members of Local 237.”

As for the location of this complex, Floyd said it could be in any of the five boroughs where land is available. “It certainly requires a great deal of creativity to make it happen, but we have no shortage of that on our team,” he added. The new president, who joined the union staff as deputy director for the Local’s peace officers’ titles in 1994 and became Citywide director in 1999, is also engaged in plans to broaden his members’ access to the “Bridge Fund of New York,” which is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to provide grants and interest-free loans to eligible New Yorkers who are facing eviction or foreclosure from their home.


Important Affiliation

Mary Sheridan, Local 237’s legal services director, said, “The Bridge Fund is associated with the Emergency Rent Coalition, which is made up of about 40 agencies and non-profit organizations and includes Local 237 and DC 37. Homelessness is a tragedy by itself, but it becomes a greater tragedy when working people are forced into homelessness because they cannot keep up with their rent or mortgage payments.”

Floyd noted that “sometimes it’s a matter of not being able to make this month’s rent payment that creates a problem for members. You miss one month’s payment and the following month you have two payments due, and so on. Then, before you know it, you are fighting an eviction notice in housing court. The Bridge Fund can help those who qualify with a grant or loan so they do not fall into arrears on their rent payment.”

The Local 237 President asserted that in addition to protecting jobs, he believes unions have a responsibility to help members meet the challenges of their day-to-day living. “Unions helped to create the middle class in this country,” he said. “Now the middle class is falling further and further behind. A trip to housing court means a day lost from work. Missing a few days from work could cost some members their job.”


In His Father’s Footsteps

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Gregory Floyd followed in his late father’s footsteps to become a hospital police officer with the Health and Hospitals Corporation in 1984. Within three years of working at Queens Hospital Center he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He then spent three years working the beat at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, but didn’t stay there for long. In October 1990, Floyd was promoted to the rank of captain, and was reassigned back to the Queens Hospital Center.

In 1994, Floyd was appointed Local 237’s deputy director for peace officer titles by President Carl Haynes. He was appointed secretary to the New York State AFL-CIO’s Committee of Peace and Law Enforcement Officers later that year. In 1999 he became director of Local 237’s Citywide Division, and was a key player in the battle to save the title of hospital police special officer from elimination by privatization. In January 2003 he was elected to serve as trustee on Local 237’s executive board. A year later he won election as the union’s secretary-treasurer; he was also appointed chief negotiator at that time. On March 30, 2007, Floyd was elected to serve as the union’s 5th President in its 55-year history, replacing Carl Haynes who retired.

Floyd currently serves as a commissioner on the board of the IBT Human Rights Commission, a post to which he was appointed by IBT General President James P. Hoffa. He also serves on the HMO board of Group Health Insurance (GHI). Additionally, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Council for Unity, a New York City-based youth leadership organization that promotes intergroup relations with the goal of reducing violence, particularly gang violence in schools and communities.