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After nearly two months, talks between the staff at Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), an organization that provides free housing legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers, and its management have made little to no progress.
A small crowd of workers showed up at 100 William Street on Friday, April 12 to picket in front of MFJ’s Manhattan offices. MFJ’s legal service workers––its attorneys, paralegals, support staff, receptionists, and front desk workers––have been striking since February 23. All are members of the MFJ Union, which is under the Legal Services Staff Association (LSA Local 2320) and part of the local United Automobile Workers (UAW) union.
Staff members carried picket signs and marched in front of a 10-foot-tall inflatable union rat. They came to show their determination to stay out on strike until they get a new contract.
MFJ Union members circled the front of the entrance to their work building and chanted in call-and-response tempo: “What’s injustice? Union busting! What’s injustice? Union busting!”
“Do what’s fair, do what’s right: MFJ can stop the strike.”
“They say cutbacks, we say fight back! They say cutbacks, we say fight back!”
“We’re on strike! Shut it down: New York is a union town!”
Workers had announced their walkout against MFJ management after being in negotiations for a new contract since mid-December of 2023. 93% of the MFJ Union’s 110 members voted to reject management’s last contract offer and declared an indefinite strike.
MFJ Union members have spent the last few weeks picketing at a different location every day: at the steps of the Bronx and Manhattan Housing Courts, in front of MFJ’s Manhattan and Bronx offices, and at City Hall. They are resolute in being seen by management and by the clients they normally work with. They’ve even taken on other actions, like handing out fliers in front of the homes of MFJ board members and rallying neighbors to email and ask board members to fight for workers to have a fair contract.
Weekly bargaining sessions
“We’ve been on strike for almost eight weeks now and they’re not bargaining in good faith,” said Wendy Grullon who has worked as a paralegal in MFJ’s Bronx office since 2019. “They haven’t really made any movement at the table, so we’re escalating [our picketing] at this point.” Grullon claims that MFJ’s Bronx office has at least 20 vacant positions that it has not been able to fill. That means the staff who do work there often take on extra tasks, even while they’re not receiving a salary they feel they can live on.
“I’m a paralegal and right now the salary I make is not a living wage for the current economic situation in New York City,” Grullon said. “So, I feel like I’m helping people with their housing situations while I’m having my own housing situation.”
For at least the past month, union and management representatives have been meeting in weekly bargaining sessions, but those sessions haven’t been productive.
“They’re just not moving,” said Nikita Salehi-Azhan, an MFJ tenant advocate and housing attorney. “Like they meet with our bargaining team, but they don’t bargain in good faith. In terms of a salary increase, they don’t move. It’s been a 2% raise for the last seven weeks, and they know we’re not okay with that [and] they know we won’t vote to ratify that, but that has still been their offer. To me that’s not bargaining in good faith [and] that’s not listening to your employees. And that’s why we’re still out here and we’re not going to stop until we get some sort of relief.”
Calls to the MFJ office for comment about the strike and contract negotiations went to a pre-recorded message.
Meanwhile, a member of the MFJ Union Communications department told the AmNews that the union has also had problems maintaining contact with management representatives.
Management has upheld its offer of 2% raises in the first year, second year, and third year for the vast majority of MFJ workers––which the union says is a pay cut and is unacceptable. They do appear somewhat interested in the idea of having equitable remote work flexibility, so that support staff, like other MFJ workers, can also do some of their work remotely on a rotating basis. But on crucial issues like healthcare and time off, both sides remain at odds.
One MFJ Union bargaining team member wrote in a report that, “despite our efforts management has shown minimal movement since the strike began particularly regarding overall salary increases and protecting our vulnerable workers. This week we agreed to mediation in hopes for real progress. However, without a substantial shift in management’s approach at the table, we’re unsure if this will help or if it’s just a delay tactic.”
LOS ANGELES—There is nothing like the spotlight of New York, especially when you’re a showman like Marcus Stroman.
The Stro Show is off to a sizzling launch in 2024. He’s started three games, including the Yankees home opener, and has a 2.12 ERA. His first two starts were simply dominant: He gave up zero earned runs and seven hits on 12 combined innings, with 10 total strikeouts.
“He’s been terrific, I mean, he’s right in line with how he’s been [building up] the last couple of months, execution’s been excellent,” manager Aaron Boone said about Stroman’s buildup from spring training to his first two starts. “Command, excellent—where he wants to be, the misses he wants. Staying off the barrel, big pitches in some spots where he’s had to make one, but really sharp.”
Stroman’s third start on April 10 was not as terrific: He gave up four earned runs in the top of the third inning, after allowing a one-out single to score one, and a three-run homerun to cap off the inning. He went five innings that day, and even with that tough third inning, he only gave up one combined hit through the other four innings.
“I thought the stuff was good. He had good swing and miss going, but just not as sharp, especially with how sharp he was in the first two,” said Boone after Stroman picked up his first loss of the season.
Stroman signed a two-year contract worth $37 million in the offseason with the Yankees. He earned his payday with the Yanks after having arguably his best season in 2023 with the Cubs, which included his second career All-Star appearance, a 3.58 ERA, and the best day on the mound he’s ever had: a one-hit shutout against the Rays on May 29, which included one walk and eight strikeouts.
The Yankees were 12-5, the best record in Major League Baseball, when they took on the Toronto Blue Jays on the road on Tuesday night. Stroman was scheduled to start yesterday afternoon in the final game of the Yankees three-game set against the Blue Jays. They’re doing this without Gerrit Cole, who’s expected to be out until late May to early June with a right elbow injury. With their star pitcher out at least the first third of the season, someone had to step up and fill that hole. So far, Stroman has been that guy.
He went into yesterday with the second-most strikeouts of anyone on the team with 17, and is tied with the lowest WHIP of the starting rotation at 1.06.
Even with Stroman being the Yankees best pitcher, the team was 1-2 before yesterday’s game when he’s been on the bump. The offense had only scored one run in the 17 innings that Stroman pitched.
The season is still very young, so the Yankees’ offense is bound to pick up when Stroman gets the nod. Yankees fans and management shouldn’t have to worry about their pitcher too much when he’s on the mound, because he’s set a standard for himself these past few seasons where excellence is expected.
This Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, WBC super lightweight world champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) will defend his title against Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs). The fight will be broadcast and streamed live on DAZN PPV. The two fighters have a lot of history, as they matched up six times as amateurs, with each winning three of the bouts before starting their respective professional careers.
“I’m feeling good. I’m on track to make weight,” said the 25-year-old Garcia last week after his media workout. Garcia lost his first professional fight a year ago to Gervonta Davis and blamed the loss on the rehydration clause that prevented him from adding significant weight after the weigh-in.
“I was at around 146 yesterday and we’re continuing to train hard like we always do,” he said, “I know I am training hard. I am feeling great, looking good in the gym.”
Garcia exuded confidence ahead of the match but could be playing a psychological game with Haney, which will have little effect once the bell rings for Round 1 to begin.
“It’s going to be light work for me,” he declared. “I am going to cook Devin Haney. Just another day in the office. Devin is not on my level and he will never be on my level.” Haney, like Garcia is 25 and taking a business as usual approach to the impending clash.
“Camp has been amazing,” Haney said earlier this month. “I’m in the zone, always. I’m obviously getting more adjusted to this new weight class.”Haney, who defeated Regis Prograis in his first fight at super lightweight in December, maintained he is getting stronger and in the best physical shape of his career.
“Not having to go down the extra five pounds has been a tremendous help for me,” he said. “I had been at 135 for a long time. At 140, it just feels so different. My performance against Regis Prograis showed that.”
He also addressed the numerous comments about him by Garcia posted on social media and other platforms.
“At the end of the day, Ryan Garcia is going to say what he is going to say,” Haney said. “No matter what, I am going to do my job to be the very best Devin Haney I can be. Whichever version of Ryan shows up on April 20, I will be ready for him. Ryan Garcia is just another opponent to me. I am in competition with greatness. That is why I train so hard, that is why I stay so disciplined.”
This past Saturday, undefeated heavyweight Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) defeated Ryad Merhy in Corpus Christi, Texas, by a 100-90, 99-91, 100-90 unanimous decision.
“I stayed sharp for 10 rounds, that’s the biggest takeaway,” Anderson said after his win. “I made some mistakes. I got hit with a few punches. I shouldn’t have gotten hit at all because he didn’t even come here to fight.”
Candice Hill knew she would be attending the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Next Generation Institute, a program for assistant coaches aspiring to become head coaches, held in conjunction with the Final Four. Just prior to departing, Hill got some excellent news—she was selected as the new head coach at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). While her position was squared away, Hill still listened intently to all the information during the program.
“I took away some great nuggets about…accepting that everybody goes through ups and downs. It’s really about the resilience you and your program have,” said Hill. The WBCA has been a big part of her journey. As a college student, she participated in the So You Want to Be a Coach program and was later named to the WBCA’s Thirty Under 30.
She joins UMBC after three seasons with St. John’s University women’s basketball, serving as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator this past season. She served a crucial role in helping the Red Storm return to the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and is deeply appreciative for the knowledge Coach Joe Tartamella imbued. Hill was pivotal in upping the skills of star guard Unique Drake, who was MVP of the Seniors All Stars Game played during the Final Four.
“Coach Joe Tartamella brought me in as a piece to the rebuild of his program, and I believe that’s what I’m going to do here [at UMBC],” Hill said. “Another thing I will be able to take away from not only St. John’s but every stop I’ve been at is the effort to build relationships within the university’s community and outside of the community.
“Joe Tartamella taught me how to win, how to be strategic and honestly allowed me to be me,” she added. “I’m going to do the same thing with myself and with my staff. I’m going to have people on my staff that are proven winners, that have experience and bought into what I’m trying to do at UMBC.”
She is thrilled to not only take this next step in her career, but to do it in her hometown of Baltimore. There are some highly competitive Division I and II programs and Maryland, and Hill is looking forward to being part of the community.
“Growing up here makes UMBC so attractive to me, but it’s also based in a city where I know I can recruit to,” said Hill, who played her college basketball in Baltimore at Loyola University.
Through a season ending shoulder injury to their two-time All-NBA power forward Julius Randle, which occurred on January 27, not only did they persevere, the Knicks excelled. Their regular season schedule culminated on Sunday at Madison Square Garden fittingly with a dramatic and hard-fought 120-119 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls to secure an unlikely No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. It also produced the 50-32 Knicks’ first 50-plus win season since they went 54-28 in the 2012-13 campaign.
“It’s a goal to be the best team we can be by the end of the year, and for us now it’s just move on from that,” said the Knicks’ uncontainable point guard Jalen Brunson, whose 40-point, 7-assists, 8-rebound display of indomitable will was a microcosm of the 27-year-point guard’s astonishing season.
“It’s something to be crossed off and have to get better from here.” Brunson’s 11 th 40-point game this season tied Patrick Ewing for the second most in a single season in franchise history. Bernard King reached or exceeded the 40-point mark 13 times in the 1984-85 slate. Brunson, in only his second season with the Knicks, also reached 36 games scoring 30 or more, tying Richie Guerin (1961-62) and Ewing (1989-90) for the franchise record. His 28.7 points per game average was fourth overall in the league.
“I got teammates and coaches in this locker room who trust me and I trust them and we all try to go out there and make the right play every single time,” expressed Brunson. “No matter what’s going on out there, no one really cares about the credit or anything. We’re just trying to win and so we do whatever it takes, and I have their back out there.”
Now Tom Thibodeau will lead his team into the playoffs for the third time in four seasons since becoming the Knicks’ head coach in July of 2020. Their first round opponent, either the Philadelphia 76ers or Miami Heat, was determined last night when they faced each other last night in Philadelphia in an NBA Play-In Tournament matchup. The Knicks were 2-1 against Miami this season and 3-1 versus the 76ers.
They open the playoffs at the Garden for Game 1 this Saturday at 6 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. start on Monday at MSG for Game 2.
“I think when you have competitors, it doesn’t matter. Competitors compete,” Thibodeau said of which team the Knicks will meet.
Brunson emphasized the Knicks’ approach will be consistent with how they have carried out their business thus far. “Making sure our mentality is the same, if not, better,” he pointed out. “Making sure we’re getting right and making sure we’re watching and preparing, getting our minds right. And that’s what is most important.”
Members of the group Cross-union Retirees Organizing Committee (CROC) showed up at Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza on April 12 to deliver a letter addressed to President Joe Biden to bring attention to the concerning direction they see Medicare going in.
CROC members are mostly New York City municipal retirees who said they wanted to deliver a letter to Medicare and Medicaid Services representatives about something they call a “(Dis)Advantage” plan, a play on Medcare’s Advantage plan terminology.
“We are mostly New York City retirees, and the city has been trying for three years to take away our wonderful Medicare,” said Julie Schwartzberg, a CROC founder who also once served as vice president of AFSCME District Council 37’s Local 768. “We found out that all over the country, the same thing is happening. In states all over the place, in cities, they’re taking away retirees’ Medicare and putting people on Medicare Advantage.”
“Medicare Advantage is profit-making. We don’t want it,” she added.
Security guards at the federal building refused entry to CROC representatives after the rally. The group was asked to mail in their letter and stand by for a response from Biden regarding their concerns.
CROC members have reacted to the changes in Medicare by helping to form the National Alliance for Retiree Health Care. They say they’ve been joined in this new national effort by retirees in Vermont, Delaware, California, Minnesota, Washington, and Tennessee who stand ready to unite nationally to fight against any tweaks to access to Medicare.
In their letter to the Center for Medicare Services and Biden, the national movement asks that instead of having Medicare privatized, there be more of an effort to expand it.
“We are an alliance of retiree organizations fighting for the expansion of our public Medicare benefits and against the ongoing privatization of traditional Medicare,” one portion of the letter reads. “We retirees served our communities for years, paid into Medicare every paycheck, and were promised strong public Medicare when we grew older.
“Now retirees all over the country are being forced into for-profit Medicare Advantage plans, without their consent. Many other seniors have chosen Medicare Advantage because they cannot afford expensive private Medigap plans or are deceived by false advertising.
“These plans are literally killing us. The National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that 10,000 Medicare Advantage patient lives could be saved every year if insurance companies did not delay and deny the care their doctor ordered as a method of increasing their profits.”
“Medicare (Dis)Advantage screws everyone”
“Through the years we always thought that the enemy was the Republicans who were against Social Security and––like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan––against Medicare,” Stuart Eber, Council of Municipal Retiree Organizations (COMRO) president, remarked during the stand-in. “Then we woke up in the 21st century and we have Democrats and Republicans who are foisting Medicare Advantage on us.”
Eileen Moran, a member of the Professional Staff Congress’ (PSC) retiree executive committee said that because it’s propelled by the need to make a profit, she believes “Medicare (Dis)Advantage screws everyone.”
“The PSC Social Safety Net early on was skeptical of the agreement that the [Municipal Labor Committee] made with the city both in 2014 and then again in 2018, because there was no way that you could save $600 million a year every year without denying care. But that’s the route that the MLC and the city took. And that’s why we’re here because we’re urging Biden to make sure that regular Medicare is protected––real Medicare, not Medicare (Dis)advantage. And if we begin to claw back that $140 billion that’s being wasted going into corporate executive salaries and advertising to lie to people, then we could actually go without a Medigap policy, and we could expand Medicare to cover dental, eyeglasses, hearing aids, etc––all of which is not covered now. But instead, we’re flushing money down the toilet to make people in the 1% richer and richer and richer.”
Schwartzberg said CROC believes Medicare could be financially buttressed with the funds the federal government has won in lawsuits against the largest insurance companies who, according to Physicians for a National Health Program, overbill Medicare Advantage. Many of these companies have had to pay million-dollar fines for fraudulent and inflated bills, according to a 2022 congressional report. “We are saying, take that money that the insurance companies are robbing––and there’s an estimate that it is up to $140 billion a year––and put it into Medicare. Why does Medicare make us pay 20%? Why don’t they have dental? Why don’t they have optical? Why can’t we take the money from the fraud and …make Medicare whole? That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re going up and delivering a letter to President Biden saying, this is what you can do.”
Arts education and creative programs are struggling to stay afloat amid major citywide budget cuts. ArtsConnection, an organization dedicated to bringing the arts to NYC youth through in-school, after-school, and community programming, faces its third round of cuts in the last three years.
“Our budgets are shrinking,” said Dionne Thornton, director of teen programs and community engagement for ArtsConnection. “You add increasing student numbers with shrinking budgets, and then the increase in the cost of everything from food to tickets. We are put between a rock and a very hard place in terms of servicing our students to the best of our ability.”
For Thornton, serving students means providing experiences that only become possible through ArtsConnection programming. The organization prides itself on showcasing the variety of art available across the boroughs, especially art that reflects the diversity of its students.
“They need to know that their identity is being expressed creatively around the city and in various ways,” said Thornton. “Providing that opportunity for them to say ‘Okay, I see myself here’ speaks as well to bringing equity inclusion into the conversation, into our curricula, our structure, and whom we hire.”
But decreased funding hinders these efforts and leads to staffing shortages.
“This year, we actually did have to downsize—downsize in the amount of work and also downsize in staff to be able to continue to run, so that has had a significant impact,” said Rachel Watts, executive director of ArtsConnection.
Watts explained that ArtsConnection relies heavily on funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA). During her tenure, however, they have experienced significant budget cuts from the DCA.
Until recently, they also regularly received federal funding, but Watts said they have been unable to secure such funding lately.
“In terms of the government support, there was a significant shift in supporting me as a leader and the organization as a whole,” said Watts.
The lack of government support is forcing ArtsConnection to seek funding elsewhere. Thornton said the organization has been combining budgets across departments and asking for favors from community partners.
“For example, we do community activities with cultural partners like The Shed, where we’re not paying base rental fees that we would otherwise have to pay. That frees up some amount of money,” said Thornton. “There’s a lot of sacrifice across organizations to try to continue to do this work.”
For teaching artists who provide lessons and residencies, funding is crucial for their survival.
“That’s how I make my money,” said Kim Grier-Martinez. “I went from having a roster of schools and teaching to almost not having a roster because of budget cuts.”
While cuts threaten the volume of ArtsConnection’s programming, Watts said the quality remains consistent. She said art offers young people a range of skills that benefit their day-to-day existence, which illustrates the importance of arts education.
“When you practice the arts, you’re learning to problem-solve,” she said. “You’re dealing with ambiguity. You’re learning to work with other people as an ensemble; you’re learning to think and know when to step up and when to step back, and those are valuable skills of being a fully formed human.”
Thornton echoed similar sentiments, looking toward the future of arts education at ArtsConnection and throughout the city in the face of budget cuts. “There isn’t humanity without the arts,” she said. “We are creating space for young people to explore, engage, and connect with the arts. Come hell or high water, we’re going to figure out how to do that.”
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