Dear Sisters and Brothers,

MAYORAL ELECTION ---Local 375 and DC 37 have endorsed Bill De Blasio for NYC Mayor in the general election. We need to elect Bill De Blasio as our next Mayor. He understands the struggle of working people and is prepared to sit down with the Unions and negotiate a decent contract. Bill has spoken strongly against privatization of City jobs especially when the tasks can be performed by City workers.  While he is being outspent by his Republican opponent by 5 to 1, New York City has six Democrats for every Republican. The $20 bills cannot go to the voting booth. People vote. We need members who can volunteer a day or even a few hours to mobilize voters and campaign for Bill during the last stretch of his election run. Let us know when you will take a vacation day or half a day to give as contribution to the campaign. Also, for those of you who live within the 5 boroughs, on Tuesday, November 5th, take your family members with you to the voting booth, urge your friends to do the same and vote to elect Bill De Blasio as our next Mayor. It doesn't matter if he is ahead in the polls. In order for him to win, we need to go out and vote.

The Local 375 Membership meeting for the year 2013 will be held on October 29 starting at 6:00 pm at 125 Barclay Street. All members are invited. Refreshments will be served.

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 9, 2013  -- While recent news reports have Brought attention to thousands of needed repairs that have gone unaddressed for years in New York  City's public housing authority (NYCHA), the true scandal is  the tens of millions of dollars that are being doled out to politically connected private construction management firms within NYCHA’s Capital Projects Division. At each of the 14 companies  which have been  "pre-qualified" to do major physical upgrade work for NYCHA, employees earn as much or more than workers employed by the  City of New York who do the same jobs.  But then these companies apply a "multiplier" to each salary  -- doubling or more than doubling their take. Just as serious, an audit by the City Comptroller  released just last year found that the bulk of these projects are inadequately supervised, allowing consultants with an incentive to hike their salaries to go over budget and gain even more profits at the expense of  taxpayers.

This outsourcing hurts NYCHA residents by taking money away from desperately needed repairs or from hiring more workers who could expedite repairs. It has affected all aspects of work at NYCHA -- including staffing at community centers and regular maintenance. NYCHA staffing has been cut by more than 25% over the last ten years. At the same time, cuts in federal funding by HUD have been going on for 30 years and are now more dire than ever because of sequestration. NYCHA is the last stock of affordable housing in New  York City.

The Civil Service Technical Guild,  founded in 1934 to combat Corruption and preferential hiring on city technical and engineering jobs, is also known as Local 375 of District Council  37. The CSTG represents the City's architects, engineers,  scientists, and

NYCHA is NOT WORKING for middle and low-income New Yorkers. Why? Because NYCHA keeps on throwing millions of dollars at politically-connected consultants, who are doing the same job that City workers are doing – but for two, three, and four times the cost! Millions of dollars down the drain -- money that could be used for needed repairs and upgrades for our precious affordable public housing.

The Civil Service Technical Guild, Local 375 of District Council 37, is airing powerful spots on 1010 WINS that tell the public: Stop the wasteful consulting contracts at NYCHA! Public Housing is NOT for Sale!

Listen to the spots here.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On Wednesday, August 21, 2013, The City and the MLC signed an agreement on the Health Insurance Dependent Verification Audit. PLEASE CLICK HERE for the details of the settlement.
In solidarity!

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The City has sent out letters to employees and retirees advising that the deadline date for the required submission of documents for the Dependent Eligibility Verification Audit of Dependents on Members’ Health Insurance must be submitted by October 4 to avoid termination of dependent’s heath care benefits coverage. PLEASE CLICK HERE the response from the Municipal Labor Committee who are dealing with the City on behalf of all the unions.
In solidarity!

PERC is pleased to announce Review Courses for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam on October 26, 2013 and Professional Engineering (PE) Exam on October 25, 2013. (PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS)

Sisters and Brothers,
     I hope you are enjoying the summer. Within the next few weeks, the Local will be moving back into its office at 125 Barclay Street.  The building has reopened and various locals and other DC 37 services are moving back in. The moves are being done in stages to minimize confusion.  Local 375’s office space is currently being cleaned and upgraded. I anticipate that we will be moving into our space sometime in early September.

NYS Supreme Court Orders the City to Stop the Audit of Dependents on Members’ Health Insurance Until the Legal Issues Surrounding the Audit can be Fully Examined: 

On July 18, New York County Supreme Court Justice Hagler issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the City and the Dependent Audit.  The TRO stops the City from proceeding or taking any action on the audit until the court can fully consider the legal arguments in the case.  Members are advised to continue to hold  off on responding to the audit until more information from DC 37’s legal department becomes available.

To briefly recap the case: in June the City took the first step in conducting its Health Insurance Dependent Audit. A private consultant firm, Aon-Hewitt, was hired to conduct the audit.  Aon-Hewitt sent out a letter to all city employees and retirees seeking specific information on their dependents.