All Categories

NYC PLAN People's Assembly 10/4

9/30/2025

The next NYC Public Library People's Assembly is THIS SATURDAY, October 4th!

Join NYC Public LIbrary Action Network (PLAN) at the Society for Ethical Culture on the Upper West Side from 12:30 - 4:30pm to discuss how every single New Yorker can take action to support NYC’s public libraries and how we can make them even better!

Don’t miss your chance to join discussions between library workers and our patrons, and to put pressure on OUR elected officials.

It’s free (including the food!) and we’d love to see you there!

RSVP NOW (space is limited): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-public-library-peoples-assembly-tickets-1640801835459

Labor Day Parade 9/6

8/30/2025

Show New York City our Union Power! March with your fellow union members and their families to show solidarity in the annual Central Labor Council Labor Day Parade. The first 500 attendees will receive an exclusive DC37 t-shirt!

When: Saturday, September 6 | 9 a.m.
Where: DC 37’s assembly point at West 44th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway
Register: www.mobilize.us/afscmedc37/event/822738

Local 1482 Annual Picnic, June 22nd in Prospect Park

6/4/2025

Click on image to be directed to a printable PDF of the flyer

It's picnic time! Local 1482's annual picnic will happen on Sunday, June 22nd from 11 am to 4 pm. It is located at the Picnic House at Prospect Park. All Local 1482 members, their families, and part-time staff are invited. Come and spend an afternoon of fun and solidarity!

If you plan to come to the picnic, please RSVP by visiting bit.ly/1482picnic2025. Print out the flyer and post it in your work locations.

The Picnic Committee is looking for volunteers! Volunteers are sought to seek donations for raffle prizes, to help shop for supplies, and to assist on the day of the picnic. Members with cars or who have a Costco membership are particularly needed.

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form at bit.ly/1482picnic2025.

Pay Us What We Are Owed Buttons & Talking Points

5/26/2025

The library continues to drag its feet on bringing the payroll errors grievance- where 200 Local 1482 members have not been paid correctly for years- to a resolution. The time for stalling and excuses has passed.

To show solidarity with affected members, and to demonstrate our power, we invite Local 1482 members to wear Pay Us What We Are Owed buttons. Please contact President Olken or members of the Executive Board to have buttons sent to you to distribute at your work locations.

We have prepared talking points that outline the pay errors grievance and why it matters. These will assist you in having informed conversations with your coworkers, answering patron questions, and more. The talking points are listed below, but you can also find a printable PDF and an image file of the button on this page.

Why We’re Wearing “Pay Us What We’re Owed” Buttons

What’s Happening
● Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) pays nearly 200 clerical workers and custodians below contractual minimums.
● These union workers have faced years of payroll errors amounting to more than $250,000 in annual underpayment.
● Many workers are still receiving inaccurate paychecks every pay period—two years after filing our first grievance and despite repeated meetings with BPL administration.
● This affects multiple job titles and has led to serious financial and emotional hardship for workers.

Why WE Matter
● BPL staff are essential community workers—helping Brooklynites access job resources, providing exceptional programming, helping patrons navigate our technology and digital resources—the list goes on.
● Library staff continue to serve with dedication—despite being denied fair compensation.
● These workers show up every day—but are not being paid correctly for their work.
● When payroll issues go unresolved, the stability of library services—and our communities—is at risk!

How You Can Help
● Speak up: Let BPL administration and Elected Leaders know that the public cares—library workers deserve fair pay.
● Show support: A simple “I support you” goes a long way.

Brooklyn Museum Workers Solidarity Rally 3/6

3/4/2025

Click on the flyer image to be directed to a PDF to print out.

Mayoral Forum 2/26 & DC 37 Lobby Day 3/4

2/19/2025

Click on the image to be directed to a full-page PDF of this flyer

Please join DC 37 union members at two upcoming events to hold our elected officials accountable.

MAYORAL FORUM

Our next mayor will be instrumental in deciding future city budgets and in negotiating our next pay raises. DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido will moderate a panel of mayoral candidates on Wednesday, February 26th, 6-8 PM. Hear the candidates answer questions about how they will fight for union workers.

Register now to attend in-person: https://mobilize.us/s/c0vZVa

LOBBY DAY IN ALBANY

This year, the NYC library locals are also a pursuing legislative agenda in Albany to prevent violence at libraries and to fight censorship and book bans. Our elected officials need to hear from you. Join DC 37 members and the library local presidents at Lobby Day in Albany on Tuesday, March 4th.

Register now: https://forms.gle/JB2FPzHrs8ey4a3o6

Following Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President Donald Trump’s Inauguration

1/22/2025

One of the definitions of the word “union” in Merriam Webster’s online dictionary is “a combining or coalition of parts or members … a confederation of independent individuals for a common purpose.” Local 1482 is such a coalition. Brooklyn Public Library workers coming together to uphold our employee rights. After taking time off to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we should continue to remember that there is more which unites us as union members than what separates us. The Executive Board will continue to do our best to unify union workers across the library system and to protect the rights of workers from abuse.

Worker solidarity can also go beyond that of Brooklyn Public Library or DC 37. Besides supporting each other, the Executive Board would like to encourage our union siblings to participate in labor actions across the New York-area. You can check out Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations’s LABOR ACTION TRACKER to find local strikes and labor protests. Encouragement and support comes in all forms.

When we stand together, we stand strong.

In solidarity,

Local 1482 Executive Board

"NYC Labor for Harris Rally - Weds Oct 23"

10/21/2024

DC 37 Battleground Bus Trips - Oct 5 and 19

10/3/2024

AFSCME Convention Resolutions Report

9/17/2024

Local 1482 Delegates to the 2024 AFSCME Convention in August. From left: Ann Joseph, Melissa Morrone, Antonia Bramble, George Olken. Kneeling: Dee Bowers

Last month our delegates attended the AFSCME Convention in Los Angeles. We will have a full report at our Local General Membership Meeting on Monday October 7th at 7pm on Zoom (postcard in the mail).

One function of the Convention is to vote on resolutions. These are policy and value statements created by members that will shape the International Union's priorities over the next two years. This year, many resolutions focused on the upcoming Presidential Election: Democratic VP Candidate Tim Walz spoke in-person at the Convention and Kamala Harris sent a video message. Here are a complete list of the resolutions that the delegate body voted to pass:

AFSCME Convention Resolutions 2024

Two of the resolutions that did not pass addressed Israel-Palestine and Union Democracy, respectively. The first failed resolution called for the union to take a more forceful stand regarding Israel, including asking AFSCME to join other unions to pressure the Biden Administration to end U.S. Military Aid to Israel. The second failed resolution called for a one-member-one-vote system for choosing our top union leadership. Currently, delegates vote as representatives of the rank-and-file and they re-elected AFSCME President Lee Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride, who both ran unopposed. You can read more about these efforts in The Chief:

AFSCME activists' reform push falls short

<<Previous