Looking at the two major parties, I wonder if the Republicans’ function is to be so horrible that they make awful Democrats look good. This serves the purpose of America's multi-billionaire class, …
A year ago, Louis Molina came to the New York City Department of Correction as the commissioner and friend of the correction unions. In published letters to The Chief, I celebrated Molina’s …
Remember that historic photo, one of the most popular postcard keepsakes for tourists, of the laborers snacking on a narrow girder suspended high in the air, seemingly above the clouds, during the …
Try as you might, it is nearly impossible to hear a politician of either major party talk about the working class. They all seem to prefer the term “middle class.” While Democrats are especially …
After 15 ballots and near fisticuffs on the floor of the House, Deli Man Kevin McCarthy won the Speakership. His “win,” such as it was, didn’t come without cost or consequence for his party or …
About midway through Monday’s City Council hearing on Mayor Eric Adams’s demand that a Medicare Advantage plan become the only no-premium healthcare option for municipal retirees, Council Member …
Dear Council Speaker Adrienne Adams,In recent emails with your office I was told that you were looking forward to listening to the debate about whether or not to amend Administrative Code 12-126, …
Which is easier to figure out: the reason that pigeons are incapable of walking without bobbing their heads, or ingenious and devious ways that employers will devise to circumvent and weasel out of …
The New York State legislature, in order to demonstrate to the commonplace citizenry that despite being special, they too are ordinary people equipped with the routine human vices of greed, envy and …
One of the nice things about being born on January 8th, besides sharing the day with David Bowie and Elvis, is that I get to celebrate several holidays at this time of year.
Although my union proudly calls itself a “member led union,” it is extremely undemocratic in several ways.We do not have “one member, one vote” for the leadership. This means a new caucus …
Almost twice on average each month this year, a Rikers Island detainee has died by suicide or under mysterious circumstances that are sometimes suggestive of official neglect, avoidable accident or …
During the six years I lived in the Netherlands I learned that every worker, whether working in a service or professional job, had four weeks of paid vacation and a 36-hour workweek. If they worked …
The MTA will dig deep into the pockets of its customers in order to excavate and rifle the vestiges of the tax base's bank accounts. They will divert and seize our collective non-discretionary …
A recent Chief article, “CUNY professors’ PSC claim dismissed; First Amendment suit followed union’s ‘Palestine’ resolution” (Dec. 9) reports on the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by six …
The right to die by hypothermia is constitutionally guaranteed and may not be abridged, questioned or sabotaged by intervention, regardless of motive.It is an alienable assertion of personal dignity, …
The most important thing workers have is power. That power doesn’t come from having a collective bargaining agreement but from being so well organized they can disrupt business as usual to get what …
At last week’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Meeting, it was announced that the agency could face a growing financial deficit. It may reach $3 billion in 2023 and grow even more in …
First things first.Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo must be condemned for his revolting and inflammatory slander of AFT President Randi Weingarten, whom he called "the most dangerous person in …
Now that Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror of this year's holiday cycle, and its message of eternal gratitude is stricken as a timely agenda item for the kitchen table and pulpit, our …
Last month, the remaining four of the largest railroad unions voted to reject a federally mediated tentative agreement. If the strike begins as early as Dec. 9, it could disrupt about 28 percent of …
There is an extraordinarily idyllic and gated residential community and country club within the city limits that has its own golf course and every imaginable amenity for its nearly 2,000 …
I just returned from a weeklong book tour in the U.K. and The Netherlands where worker militancy and organizing was in the air. One of my talks was canceled due to the London subway strike that …
While frontline workers have always performed critical work functions in their communities, their selfless service has particularly resonated over the past three years. RMA of New York recognizes the …
The Organization of New York State Management Confidential Employees (OMCE) is the sole representative of state employees who are designated “management/confidential” and thus ineligible to join …