Long Island Division
Cashier
Suffolk OTB

Watch Catherine accept her award.

Catherine Lamorte Byrnes began working for Suffolk OTB as a cashier in 2001 and became a shop steward in 2002. Union activism is in her roots. Her grandfather was a political activist on the Lower East Side, and her brother, Nick LaMorte, is president of CSEA Local 1000. Catherine has been a member of the union’s Labor/Management-, Negotiating- and Safety Committees and was recently a delegate to the Teamster Convention.

Citywide Division
Department of Transportation Cement Mason
Bureau of Bridges
Greenpoint Avenue Yard

Watch John accept his award.

John Padovano began his career as a mason helper for Human Resources Administration in 1989 and moved to the Department of Transportation in 1991. He has been a shop steward since 1995, and says “union” means “strength behind me.”  Padavano is an instructor in the Education Department preparing members for the cement mason test.

Citywide Division
Food Service Manager
District 26/Queens
Office of School Services

Watch Vincenza accept her award.

Starting as a cook for New York City in 1986, Vincenza Curatolo became a food service manager in 1995 and a year later a shop steward, a role she has kept since her former Local 832 became part of Local 237.  Curatolo says she  enjoys being a steward, attending meetings and helping other members have a “voice” in the workplace.

Housing Division
Superintendent
West Brighton Houses
Staten Island

Watch Frank accept his award.

Frank Chiaramonte began his career in 1990 as a maintenance worker. He rose through the ranks to the position of superintendent in 1996 and most recently to superintendent administrator, and will leave the Teamster fold with 21 years of solid union service.

Citywide Division
Lincoln Hospital

Watch Reinaldo accept his award.

Reinaldo Diaz Jr. has 36 years of service starting at the old Lincoln Hospital as a special officer. Promoted to sergeant, Diaz worked at Woodhull Hospital, but switched careers to become a maintenance worker. He has been a shop steward for 20 years and a grievance representative for five years.

Long Island Division
Custodian
Plainview/Old Bethpage School District

Watch José accept his award.

José Figueroa has 30 years of service as union member. He says “The union is always there for us.” Figueroa enjoys people and tries to make a positive difference in their lives. He also enjoys auto racing, and raced them years ago.

Housing Division
Supervisor of Groundskeepers
Red Hook West Houses

Watch Eduardo accept his award.

Eduardo Santiago began his career as a hospital police officer in 1982 working at Woodhull Hospital under then Sgt. Gregory Floyd. After a stint in the private sector, he joined New York City Housing Authority as a caretaker, became a shop steward, and was promoted to supervisor of groundskeepers.

Pioneer Award
Second Female Superintendent
New York City Housing Division

Watch Doris accept her award.

Doris Welch started at NYCHA in 1992 as a typist and transferred to the Public Information Department where she met and was inspired by Ann Sabatino Giudice, to pursue a “non-traditional” job.  Welch became a heating plant technician in 1983; rose to assistant superintendent, and in 1990 became NYCHA’s second  female superintendent.

Pioneer Award
First Female Superintendent
New York City Housing Division

Watch Ann accept her award.

Ann Sabatino Giudice, who retired in 1990, started her NYCHA career as a receptionist and clerk-typist in 1970.  She rose through the ranks, by passing several civil service exams, and in 1982 made history at NYCHA with her appointment as acting superintendent.  She has three sons and one daughter.

President’s Award
Housing Division
Manager Leased Housing
Fordham Road, Bronx
New York City Housing Authority

Watch Eula accept her award.

Eula Powell started her career at NYCHA as a typist in 1972 and by 1992 had become a Housing Assistant.  In 2002, Powell became a manager. She also served as a shop steward and has been a member of the Women’s Committee for 11 years.  Powell has a son, William

Trailblazer Award
Long Island Division
Security Guard
Lawrence Public Schools

Watch Danette accept her award.

Danette Jemal has 23 years of service to the Lawrence School District. Starting as a teacher’s aide, one of five part time jobs she held early on, she later became the first female security aide in the district. Jemal was shop steward for 10 years, a member of the negotiating committee, and is vice chair of the district.  She also is the mother of adult twins.

Trailblazer Award
Citywide Division
Cement Mason
New York City Fire Department

Watch Andrea accept her award.

Andrea Harris began working as a cement mason for the Department of Homeless Services in 2005 and transferred to the Fire Department in 2010. Harris follows in her mother’s footsteps as a female in a non-traditional field. She also donated a kidney to her mother, a construction worker.

Trailblazer Award
Housing Division
Heating Plant Technician
New York City Housing Authority

Watch Marisol accept her award.

Marisol Ayala began her career with NYCHA as a Caretaker J at Lillian Wald Houses in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 2000. By 2008, Ayala became a heating plant technician. A political activist since her youth in Puerto Rico, Ayala also founded the HPT Committee to advocate for the title’s interests.

Citywide Division
Horseshoer
Troop D ─ NYPD
Pelham Bay Park, Bronx

Watch Jim accept his award.

One of only three horseshoers employed by the city, Jim Murtagh has been on the job for five years.  He says the union is a "big family," in addition to his wife of 10 years, Heather, and two children.

Citywide Division
Associate Food Service Manager
Bronx, New York ─ District 9

Watch Carole accept her award.

In her 25 year-career with food services, Carole Burns has worked in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.  What she likes most about her job, says Burns, is "seeing the children happy eating."  Married to Patrick Monaghan for 39 years, Burns has three adult children and three grandchildren.

Long Island Division
Driver
Town of Babylon

Watch Frank accept his award.

With 19 years of service, Frank Feehan has been vice chapter chair for the Town of Babylon for the past year.  Feehan is also a volunteer firefighter with the East Farmingdale Fire Department for the past 24 years. In his spare time he likes to go camping.

Housing Division
Public Safety Officer
Javits Center, Manhattan

Watch Isaiah accept his award.

Isaiah Solomon began working at the Javits Center as a public safety officer in 1986.  He became a Local 237 member in 1988 and has been a shop steward for about four years.  He says he is “a people person” who enjoys winning cases “like a lawyer does.”  Solomon and his wife Lorraine have been married 39 years and have a son Isaiah Solomon III. 

Citywide Division
Supervisor of Bridges
Hamilton Avenue Bridge, Brooklyn
Department of Transportation

Watch Reinaldo accept his award.

In April Arturo Fisher marks his 25th anniversary as a Local 237 member. He started in 1986 as an assistant Bridge Operator and was a shop steward for 3 ½ years.  He says “The union has been good to me and to my family.” Off duty, Fisher enjoys cooking, reading and the gym.

Citywide, Law Enforcement Division
District Guard
Middle School 340
Park Slope, Brooklyn

Watch Sylvia accept her award.

Sylvia Hyman has spent her 23-year career at MS 340, where prior to being hired as a district guard she volunteered at the school, and still does.  She  teaches students cheerleading, double-dutch, step dancing, and last month she launched a track team.  Hyman also volunteers at Odyssey House, where she is on the board of directors for their recreation program, and teaches tennis at the Youth & Tennis” program in Jamaica, Queens. In 2010, Hyman completed the New York City Marathon in 5 hours, 1 minute and 29 seconds.

Long Island Division
Clerk Typist
Engineering Department
Town of Islip

Watch Arthur accept his award.

A member for 13 years, Arthur Mosely has also been the recording secretary for the Islip White Collar Section for the past 6 years. A visual artist, Mosely paints and sculpts and has had several exhibitions, including one at the Central Islip Library for Black History Month. He also collects vintage jazz music.

Housing Division
Superintendent
Janitorial & Grounds Training Center
Ingersoll Houses, Brooklyn
New York City Housing Authority

Watch Stanley accept his award.

For the past six years, Stanley Davis has been chair of the Housing Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent’s Chapter. He has worked for NYCHA for 22 years during which he rose through the ranks from caretaker J to resident building superintendent in 2001. In addition, Davis has taught a course for Local 237’s Education Department to prepare members for civil service tests.

Citywide Division
School Safety Agent Level III
Staten Island Command

Cheryl Mauro has worked for the School Safety Division since 1981 and has been a shop steward since 1989.  She has been a grievance rep for five years and works at the Michael J. Petrides Complex in Staten Island.

Long Island Division
Custodial Worker I
North Babylon High School

Anthony Saturno has been a member since 1999 and was a shop steward at Robert Moses before being transferred to North Babylon High School.

Housing Division
Supervisor of Plasterers
Manhattan Management
New York City Housing Authority

Frank Spallino has been a supervisor of plasterers for 10 years, a member for 18 years, on the negotiating committee for the title for 15 years, and a shop steward for 12.  He was the first chapter chair of the Plasterers Chapter for 3 years.

Citywide Division
School Food Service Manager
District 25 Queens

Salvatore Lombardo works in four schools in Queens District 25 for the past four years.  Prior to working for the Department of Education, he owned four pizzerias on Long Island.

Citywide Division
Hospital Police Officer
Bellevue Hospital

Captain George Ortega rose through the ranks since 1998 when he started his career at Lincoln Hospital. He was promoted to detective, sergeant, and became a captain at Bellevue Hospital in April 2010. 

Housing Division
Caretaker J
O'Dwyer Gardens, Brooklyn

Carmen Burgos started as a seasonal worker in 1999 and became permanent in 2000.  She was shop steward at Marcy Houses in Brooklyn for two years.

Housing Division
Plasterer
Manhattan

Agnes Cruz started as a Caretaker P through a youth training program in 1994. She passed the Civil Service Test in 1999 and became a plasterer at King Towers.

Long Island Division
Maintenance Mechanic II
Brentwood School District

Marcos Martinez Jr. has been maintaining the district's sports fields and playgrounds for 24 years. He also helps out with the youth soccer league.

Citywide Division
School Safety Agent, Level I
Gompers High School

Terry Cooper has been a member of Local 237 for 13 years. For the past 26 years, he has run the King Dome Classic Basketball Tournament in East Harlem. He is devoted to the team, which boasts 300 participants who went on to college, and welcomes new sponsors. Prior to joining Local 237, Cooper worked for the Board of Education and was a member of DC 37

Long Island Division
Drug Abuse Educator & Prevention Specialist
Town of Islip Access Program

Kenneth W. Quarles has been a member of Teamsters Local 237 for 19 years. The Drug Abuse Educator & Prevention Specialist says "I am very passionate about reaching young people before they end up in serious trouble." His previous job was working with youths in a federal correction facility and teaching art in the Smithtown Central School District.

Housing Division
Supervisor of Grounds
Sack Wern Houses

Carl Giles has been a member of Teamsters Local 237 since 1992. He is Supervisor of Grounds at Sack Wern Houses and chapter chair of the Grounds Association for the past 4 years. Giles also is a mentor in the Youth Corps Program and has supervised 20 workers who came from the program who are now full time caretakers at the Housing Authority.

Citywide Division
School Food Service Manager
District 23, Brooklyn

Cherise Neal has been a school food service manager for more than seven years. She has also been a shop steward for one year with Local 237 and 5 years with Local 832 until the merger last year. Her mother, Karen Neal, is a cook in District 4.

Citywide Division
Captain, Hospital Police
Queens Hospital Center

Captain Joseph R. Perry has served for a quarter century as a hospital police officer. He has been a captain at Queens Hospital Center for 15 years and a shop steward for 10.

Citywide Division
Food Services Supervisor
District 7
South Bronx

Anne O'Donnell has been a supervisor for the Department of Education's School Food Division District 7 for the past four years. She served on the negotiating committee for Local 237's first contract for Food Services members. O'Donnell's career is a family tradition. Her grandmother worked as a cook in District 10. O'Donnell has a Bachelor of Science in Hotel/Restaurant Management from SUNY Plattsburg and a Master of Science in Career Development from the College of New Rochelle.

Citywide Division
Maintenance Worker
Baruch College

Henry O'Sullivan has been a member since 1994 and a shop steward for the past 10 years. O'Sullivan, a native of County Kerry in Ireland, served on the negotiating committee three years ago.

Housing Division
Plasterer

Gerard (Gerry) Carr has 18 years of service with the Local 237. Originally from Northern Ireland, Carr comes from a union family.  His uncle is a labor leader in the south of Ireland.

Housing Division
Plasterer

Martin Geraghty, who began his plastering career in Ireland, started working for the New York City Housing Authority in 1997. He left for a three-year stint at the Board of Education, where he served on the plasterers negotiating committee, and returned to NYCHA in 2003.

Housing Division
Maintenance Worker
Wise Towers

Kevin Keenan has been a member for more than 23 years, 10 of them as a shop steward.

Long Island Division
Senior Library Clerk
Syosset Library

Rosemary Moran has been a member for more than 20 years and a longtime shop steward. Moran participated in every contract negotiating committee since becoming a member.