Our Perspective
Housing Works
Employees Demand
Their Rights
By Stuart Appelbaum, President
Retail, Wholesale and Department
Store Union, UFCW
Twitter: @sappelbaum
Caribbean L 12 ife, November 8-14, 2019 BQ
Sen. Zellnor Myrie after voting early. Offi ce of Sen. Zellnor Y. Myrie
Myrie applauds
‘successful rollout’
of early voting
By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Sen. Zellnor Y. Myrie has
applauded what he describes as the
“successful rollout” of early voting in
New York.
On Jan. 14, Myrie, who represents
the 20th Senatorial District in Brooklyn,
introduced, and the legislature
passed, the first bill of the 2019 legislative
session: Early Voting.
On Nov. 3, New York put that legislation
put into action, as it successfully
implemented the first ever period
of early voting in the state.
“We were pleased to see that the
rollout of early voting was a resounding
success,” said Elections Chair
Myrie. “More than 256,000 people
voted across the state, and reports of
the experience were overwhelmingly
positive.
“It’s clear that we are making our
democracy more accessible than ever,”
he added. “Voting is the right that protects
all other rights, and early voting
helps ensure that everyone, regardless
of their schedule constraints, has the
opportunity to make their voice heard
at the ballot box.”
Myrie said he voted at his poll site,
Clara Barton High School in Crown
Heights, as soon as the polls opened
on Saturday, Oct. 26.
On Nov. 20, Myrie said he will chair
a Senate Hearing on the implementation
of Early Voting, which will offer
the opportunity to discuss potential
improvements to the process.
The Early Voting Period started Oct.
26 and ran through Nov. 3.
During the first weekend, Myrie said
unofficial results show over 50,000
people voted.
He said a daily average of slightly
more than 26,500 people voted early
during the early voting period.
New York City averaged about 6,700
voters per day and unofficial turnout
was just over 1 percent, Myrie said.
Outside of New York City, he said
unofficial turnout was about 2.4 percent.
Myrie said the final Sunday was “a
big day for turnout”.
He said Albany (795), Dutchess
(1,215), Monroe (2,033), Nassau
(5,426), Onondaga (1,586), Orange
(984), Rockland (1,394) Suffolk (3,079),
Ulster (1,146) and Westchester (4,158)
counties, and New York City (12,103)
– “all saw their highest totals of the
nine days.”
Myrie said the 5 County Boards of
Elections opened a total of 248 early
voting sites.
In 2020, he said there will be 27
days of early voting overall – nine each
for the Presidential Primary, April 28;
the State and Federal Primary, Jun.
23; and the General Election, Nov. 3.
When workers at Housing Works first
approached our union, I was surprised to
hear about the issues they face every day.
Housing Works was founded in 1990 by several
members of ACT UP in order to provide housing, healthcare, job training,
legal assistance, and other supportive services for people living with
HIV/AIDS. Their 800 employees work at housing units, thrift stores,
healthcare, and other locations throughout New York City.
We presumed that a non-profit like Housing Works with a progressive
vision would respect the right of their workers to join a union. We
approached Housing Works management about a neutrality agreement to
expedite the process for workers to make changes in their workplace, as
we have done at many other places before.
A signed neutrality agreement ensures that workers can choose to
support a union free of any intimidation or retaliation by the employer.
Additionally, neutrality agreements can prescribe the process of how
workers join a union. This is something that all major Democratic
presidential candidates support. Other components of a neutrality
agreement can include accessibility to workers and management
remaining truly neutral.
In our discussions with Housing Works, we’ve learned that their
progressive messaging does not apply to their own workforce. Housing
Works management is behaving just as anti-union as much of corporate
America. In fact, H&M, ZARA and countless others have signed neutrality
agreements. Housing Works’ refusal to sign a neutrality agreement and
their hiring of a “union avoidance” attorney demonstrates their true intent.
This is especially surprising at an organization that so many New
Yorkers, myself included, so firmly believe in. What is clear is that
Housing Works has strayed very far away from its progressive values in
dealing with its workforce, and it’s deeply troubling.
On October 29, over 100 employees at Housing Works’ New York
City locations walked off the job to speak out about the working
conditions that they face throughout their organization. Workers also
delivered to their employer Unfair Labor Practice charges (ULPs) that
they filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The fact that they had
to walk off their jobs to have their voices heard was a stunning
development considering that their employer has long been a
progressive leader for social justice.
For months, workers at Housing Works have raised serious concerns
to management about their workplace environment. With conditions only
worsening, workers believe that union representation is the best way for
them to address their concerns. Housing Works’ refusal to sign a
neutrality agreement is hindering that process.
Housing Works employees strive every day to improve
the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS, and their work
makes a real difference. It’s not too much for them
to expect that their employer lives up to the same
progressive principles toward their workers.
Housing Works needs to sign a neutrality
agreement.
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