Voting is taking place right now for the election of the next president of Teamsters Local 237. With the counting of votes set to take place Oct. 8, Local 237’s President Gregory Floyd spoke with the AmNews about some of the initiatives he’s worked on over the years to keep the nation’s largest local Teamsters union relevant.

Floyd has served as president of Local 237 since 2007. He says that over the years he has worked with various governing boards to increase union members’ salaries, implement programs like longevity pay, and maintain the member’s vaunted $5 co-pays for medical visits.

“We’ve managed over the last 30 years, including during my 17 years, to keep our prescription co-pays to our members at a minimum. While prescriptions have gone up, we’ve managed to maintain that cost. We’ve also managed to negotiate increased annuities for our members, which remains in a separate account for them, and they get interest on it so that when they leave work, they’re leaving with, I would say, tens of thousands of dollars each.”

Floyd touts his ability to negotiate with the various entities that play a role in the functioning of his union members’ jobs. He says it has given Local 237 the ability to forge contracts that keep members safe and able to work. Local 237 has more than 24,000 members. They work as public hospital police, elevator mechanics, school safety agents, custodians, cooks, NYCHA caretakers, water use inspectors, civil service attorneys, and cement masons/mason helpers. When union members have job issues, dealing with them often means negotiating with several different entities.

Contract negotiations can be challenging. “I wouldn’t say it’s combative,” Floyd said. “But in the public sector, there are factors that are involved. What are the factors? We have to look at what is the pattern and how do we get close to the pattern. How do we structure a contract that is, I would say, conducive to the needs of our members? Those are the factors.

“When you negotiate a CUNY contract for example –– a City University of New York contract –– you’re negotiating with three entities. It’s CUNY; it’s the city of New York, because two-year colleges are funded by New York City; and you’re negotiating with the state because the four-year colleges are funded by the state. All three entities have to agree. That’s why CUNY is the most difficult contract to negotiate and the state pattern tends to be less than the city pattern, yet the city pattern has to be taken into account and so does the state’s. So that’s why it ends up as a blended rate, CUNY got less, a little less than the city employees, because of the state contract.”

Floyd is this year on the ballot against Mohamed Alshami, a City University of New York (CUNY) peace officer. As Local 237’s president, Floyd says he can do more for his membership. “When we go into negotiations [for healthcare prescription co-pays], we offset a lot of the costs by negotiating with the city to get additional money for our benefits. The second thing is we invest the money we get and through investments, we’re able to extend the cost. We also look for subsidized discounts in our prescription plan that allow us to get rebates. So with all that combined, it allows us to keep the cost down for our members, and keeps it at the same price that we have had now for 30 years.”

Floyd’s challenger’s claims that he would come into office and try to change the way Local 237 functions is not realistic, he said.

“If he happened to win, he doesn’t have control of the executive board. So how would he accomplish any of the things that he says he wants to accomplish? The bylaws state, you can make recommendations, but you have to get the approval of the executive board, which he does not have.”

President Floyd says he is expecting more progress with the upcoming contracts he and the board are currently working on for union members. The challenge from Alshami, who he still says he has never physically met, has come out of nowhere.

The post Gregory Floyd, president of Teamsters Local 237, on what the future holds appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Congress got the ball rolling on H.R.6852 — a bill to designate Harlem’s Holcombe Rucker Park as a national commemorative site — as the legislation passed through the House this past Tuesday, September 24. If made into law, the bill would federally enshrine what is arguably the world’s most famous public basketball court.

“That legislation is more than just a symbolic gesture,” said sponsoring Rep. Adriano Espaillat over the phone. “It’s really a commitment to recognizing the historical and cultural significance of one of Harlem’s most cherished landmarks, Rucker Park. Back in the 50s, Holcombe Rucker, a World War II veteran, had a vision for Harlem’s youth.

“And he sought to create this space for young people as a refuge from the streets, and for them to push not only their basketball skills, but to push people towards higher education.”

Rucker organized street basketball tournaments around Upper Manhattan throughout the mid-1900s, ultimately drawing some of basketball’s biggest stars like Wilt Chamberlain and Harlemite Lew Alcindor, best known today as NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Through hoops, more than 700 athletic scholarships sprung from his events by the ‘50s.

While performances on the park’s hardtop court, now named after another prominent tournament organizer Greg Marius, do not count on an NBA statline, they remain pivotal to basketball lore. Kobe Bryant lives on through oral accounts of his 2002 appearance, down to the sunglasses and chain he wore.

From contemporary international superstars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant to New York-bred talent like Jamaica Queens’ Rafer Alston and Coney Island’s Stephon Marbury, Rucker Park allowed legends to grow even taller.

But while Rucker Park served as a staging ground for NBA players, it was a proving ground for streetball legends. Notably, Harlem’s Joe “The Destroyer” Hammond is said to have put up 50 points against Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving during a tournament.

A national commemorative site designation recognizes a place’s contributions to American history on a federal level. It also allows the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to partner with local organizations to drive educational initiatives for the park. Partnerships could range from schools to nonprofit organizations to the NYC Parks Department, according to Espaillat.

The congressman adds that he hopes such a designation will provide more opportunities for the surrounding community, particularly the NYCHA developments which often have some of the best seats in the house for tournaments.

“First, there will be a federal plaque recognizing the park installed in the park,” he said. “Second, it leaves the book open to educational activities [that] could be developed around the park, between the Department of Interior and [potentially] the New York City Department of Education or Parks Department, or even places like the Polo Grounds and the Rangel houses, which are right across the park.”

While the DOI’s National Park Service has previously designated national commemorative sites, Rucker Park would not be placed under the agency through Espaillat’s bill.

The bill now hits the Senate floor. If passed, it goes to the White House for the president to sign into law.

Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.

The post Congress bill historically enshrining Rucker Park passes the House appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Election Day is less than two months away, and the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem is taking it upon themselves to make sure the youth meet the moment by hosting an on-campus voter registration drive on Thursday, September 26.

This Central Harlem school is encouraging its senior students — many of whom are 18 years old, or will be by Nov. 5 — to vote in this election. Another mission of this drive will be to encourage local Harlem residents to register to vote on Nov. 5. This push to the polls has been driven by Athletic Director and physical education teacher Jermel Collins-Day.

The 48-year-old Brooklyn native believes there is a major benefit to having young men in the K-12 space exposed to this initiative. “I think it’s imperative for them to have their right to vote… having the opportunity to be an asset to society is crucial,” he said.

This is the first time the school has had any event of this kind. Collins-Day added that many of the students were unfamiliar with a voter-registration event, much less the voting process.

“They said they didn’t know anything about how to vote or to go about voting. So this is a perfect segway for them to become productive members of society,” he said.

Collins-Day, who is also a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, has been coaching and teaching at Eagle Academy for nine years, and says he is encouraged by the questions his students have asked about the factors of this election. “The interests stem from: what are some of the politics, to policies on how to become a president.”

Seeing a Black woman with an opportunity to become the next president of the United States has been incredibly motivational for the kids, he added.

The students are well aware of the potential history that could be made if Vice President Kamala Harris — potentially the first woman, and only the second Black person — is elected, which Collins-Day says has been “huge” for the kids.

“If we can support her, it gives us hope for our future,” the coach said of the main response from the kids.

There will be a tent at the event on Thursday, which was planned to coincide with the annual parent engagement day, where students will be able speak to Harlem residents who come by. In the event of rain, Collins-Day said students will likely be moved to phone banking as a contingency plan for them to still reach the parents that aren’t able to attend.

The post Harlem school’s registration drive targets would-be teen voters appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

New York City Department of Education (DOE) Schools Chancellor David Banks announced his intended “retirement” from office by the end of the year. This comes after a flurry of resignations from Mayor Eric Adam’s administration and amid federal investigations into city agencies.

“After nearly 40 years of dedicated service to New York City’s public schools, I have made the decision to retire at the end of this year,” said Banks in a statement. “I want to thank Mayor Adams for giving me the opportunity to serve as chancellor, and I am immensely proud of the progress we’ve made together — ensuring every child can read, expanding special education and gifted and talented programs, and creating innovative pathways for our students to secure rewarding careers and long-term success.”

Banks and his brothers — Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and political consultant Terence Banks — were thrust into the hot seat in the last two weeks. The ongoing, almost yearlong FBI probe into City Hall and city agencies led to several raids on their homes and seizure of their devices.

None of the Banks’ nor Adams were charged with any wrongdoing as of Tuesday, Sept. 24. However, former NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and the mayor’s legal counsel Lisa Zornberg opted to resign shortly after the raids. Banks’ retirement is yet another resignation ripple on the surface of supposed calm in the Adams administration.

“Additionally, I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of families who entrust us with their children and the 140,000 employees who show up every day for our students — you make our public schools possible,” said Banks. “I grew up in our public schools and spent most of my adult life serving the students and families of our city, and I have every confidence that the work we’ve started will continue to thrive and benefit generations to come.”

Prior to being appointed the Chancellor, Banks was a nationally recognized education leader as the president and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation and the principal of the all-boys public school Eagle Academy for Young Men. Banks and the 100 Black Men organization established the first Eagle Academy back in 2004 in the Bronx, which achieved monumental success.

Banks was ushered into the Adams administration in 2021 as one of his first appointees. Adams said at the initial press conference that it took him eight years to interview a suitable candidate for his appointment of chancellor — conceivably because he had planned on being mayor while Bill de Blasio was in office. After that lengthy process, Adams settled on Banks.
“I am immensely grateful and proud of the work accomplished in New York City Public Schools under Chancellor David Banks,” said Adams in a statement. “In less than three years, our city’s public schools have transformed — from ensuring schools were safe and open coming out of the pandemic to a space that has increased our students’ reading scores, math scores, and graduation rates. We’ve implemented critical initiatives like ‘NYC Reads,’ ‘NYC Solves,’ and universal dyslexia screenings, while also ensuring a seamless and timely coordination with partners to welcome, enroll, and support thousands of newly-arriving students and their families on a citywide scale. We’ve done all this and more on behalf of nearly 1 million public school students, and Chancellor Banks was crucial to getting that done everyday. On behalf of all New Yorkers, we thank Chancellor Banks for his service, and wish him well in his retirement at the end of the calendar year.”

The city’s top education leaders thanked Banks for his service.

“Now more than ever, we need to focus on doing the work that our students, educators, and public schools need,” said United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew. “Chancellor David Banks is an educator who sought to improve public education for all students. We thank him for his partnership, passion, and collaboration and wish him well.”

Councilmember Rita Joseph, who chairs the education committee, posted on social media that she was eternally grateful for Banks’ service as an educator. “Our shared vision for a brighter, more equitable future for New York City’s students is something I carry with me in every endeavor,” said Joseph. “As we continue this work, Chancellor Banks’ leadership will forever hold a special place in my heart and in the ongoing mission to deliver the best for our youngest New Yorkers.”

Meanwhile, Adams’ competition in next year’s mayoral race took the opportunity to take jabs at his unstable leadership.

“It’s beginning to feel like Groundhog Day,” said Senator Zellnor Myrie, who’s running for mayor. “The NYPD, Department of Health, and NYC Public Schools are three of the city’s most critical agencies, responsible for ensuring the safety, health, and future of our children — and in less than a month, our city is facing openings for all three commissioners.”

Senator Jessica Ramos said in a statement, “New Yorkers see City Hall as a cesspool of incompetence, corruption, and failure. That should embarrass us all. As the best city in the world, we should be elevating talented leaders, not managing a mass exodus from an administration marred by scandal. The DOE Chancellor announced his resignation cloaked as retirement on the foot of a federal investigation and just 20 days into our kids’ school year.”

The post “Retirement” — NYC Schools Chancellor Banks to step down in December appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

Now that students at four colleges in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are back on campus this fall, they will have access to a new resource for learning how to dismantle false beliefs about racial hierarchies.

Seven years after launching its Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation program in colleges, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) has expanded the program, opening centers at Antioch University, Bard College, Cuyahoga Community College, and Elizabethtown College.

The new centers give professors, administrators, faculty members, and students a dedicated space to learn and guide discussions around race, gender, age, class, and spiritual beliefs as part of a concerted effort to bring healing dialogues throughout the United States in higher education institutions.

“We don’t dictate to any institution how they are implementing, how they will implement and realize the goals of TRHT, or how they would implement the TRHT areas within their institutional context,” said Tia McNair, a senior consultant with AACU. “They look at their strategic priorities, their student population, their community relationships, and partnerships to develop what we call an action plan, so each institution does it differently.”

The campus centers began in 2017 as a concept that was part strategic, part organic. The 10 initial host institutions — a mix of public and private schools — introduced various approaches for dismantling racial bias on campus, including racial healing circles and special dinners intended to create safe spaces for sensitive dialogue.

Since then, schools have continued to embrace virtual and in-person conversations that provide gentle reassurance — and sometimes uncomfortable exposure — to past and present-day events that have shaped views of race in society.

The host institutions range from liberal arts colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to faith-based institutions and community colleges. The selection process for colleges includes training about how to speak the language of racial healing based on the Institute on Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation’s framework.

McNair, the former executive director of the TRHT Campus Centers, said the TRHT program is essential now more than ever.

“There are attacks happening on the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and our institutions within our communities, within our states, across the board,” said McNair. “I think that knowing that the growing majority of undergraduate students in this country are from racially minoritized groups … is critical for us to maintain and expand resources to help the success of all students.”

In tracking of 196 campuses in 29 states, the Chronicle of Higher Education found that colleges throughout the United States have eliminated their DEI programs due to political pressure, establishing an “inconsistent and confusing landscape.”

The effects of these changes are unclear, which is why McNair, who is also a partner at SOVA, a higher education consulting firm in Washington, D.C., would like campus centers to create opportunities for personal and professional development for marginalized students.

“Whether you are the student who is coming into the environment (and) may not be fully prepared — not at a fault of your own, but just because of circumstances – and may not be fully prepared to succeed in the same way as others, then how do we help you? How do we make sure that we actually live our commitment? That we fulfill our commitment to you as being part of this educational journey so that everyone has the opportunity to thrive?”

When education reform takes place at the federal, state, or local level, it can have predictable consequences, undoing decades of important work. This is why McNair hopes that the campus centers will serve as a springboard for repairing old wounds and sustaining supportive principles for community-building beyond campus.

The vision is to encourage ways of thinking that transcend the present political uncertainty, inviting ongoing dialogue and action.

“I think we as educators within higher education play a critical role in preparing the next generation of leaders to build more just and equitable communities,” said McNair. “This work is not about trying to get anyone to think in the same way we think, but to actually value each and every person’s human dignity, their contributions, their lived experiences in a way where we can transcend what has been causing division and conflict within our communities.”

For more information about the TRHT campus centers and their activities, click here.

The post Deconstruction zones: Campus racial healing program expands appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here