Bed-Stuy Brownstoners Celebrate 33 Years: Remembering the Past,

We often hear about the American Dream of homeownership being lost to many of us; or that it’s a thing of the past. There is a segment of Brooklyn, however, that would seriously beg to differ with those negative statements, because they’ve been keeping the dream and pride of homeownership alive for over 30 years now: The Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant, founded in the late 70′s by five Brooklynites, has the distinction of taking home-ownership to a whole ‘nuther level. Literally!
Bed-Stuy has long recognized the beauty and uniqueness of their historical brownstones. To say that members who formed the Bed-Stuy Brownstoners are very passionate about their homes is an understatement. These stately turn-of-the-century homes, many of which were built in the mid- to late 1800′s, and over 100 years old, have stood the test of time. There is nothing currently being constructed on any scale that even comes close to these wonderful homes.
While many of their neighbors were abandoning Bed-Stuy for “greener” pastures, the Brownstoners dug in their heels and began to demonstrate how truly wonderful their community, with lovely, stately classic examples of the finest in architectural design, really was.
The “Tour” was originally designed to familiarize, or reacquaint, residents with the wonderful treasures right in their own backyards instead of seeking them in other neighborhoods. What ensued is a love fest that has grown bigger and more popular each and every year.
This year’s Brownstone Tour can be considered a decided success. Not only because of the turnout, but because this year’s participants featured green conservation, as well as preservation techniques that focused more on recycling than destruction. Unlike the carnage of gut renovation that has become the method of most investors only interested in turning a fast buck, while putting glitzy (read cheap, substandard) fixtures in the buildings to entice the less well-educated buyer, these Bed-Stuy brownstones are exemplary in form and function, choosing quality over quantity.
As usual, ten beautiful homes were selected for this year’s tour. They ranged from single-family usage to a multifamily rental/residential property that had the tenant’s apartment every bit as fabulous as that of the owner.
With so much emphasis on green sustainability and recycling, the properties were selected as much for their exemplary incorporation of the latest principles in those areas as they were for their outstanding architectural integrity.
Many of these homes have been rescued from not-so-benign neglect and horrific deferred maintenance, and lovingly restored, or transformed into masterpieces of beauty, comfort and elegance. 276 Halsey Street’s unique reconfiguration of the basement by the removal of non-load bearing walls, from a bunch of dysfunctional boxy cinder-blocked rooms into an open, spacious, loft-like abode – complete with wide open walls, a working fireplace, bamboo flooring, a walk-in bath tub (to accommodate the wheel chair-bound co-owner), and a huge bedroom to die for! To top it all off, Chana, a design/build specialist, opened the back wall of the basement and installed a picture window in order to give a full view and access to a landscaped backyard!! No longer the dungeon-like atmosphere, the former basement, which ran the entire length of the house, gave everything a sense of expansiveness.
However, it was not the only eye-opener. The parlor floor combined the traditional with the new – blending bamboo flooring with the original classic parquet. Opening the area between the kitchen and the living room gave it more of an expansive feel. The restoration of the wood to its original glory via various stripping methods, revealing the craftsmanship that made this home a treasure back in the day and a masterpiece today. By the way, did I mention that they have a royal blue bathroom, a laundry center with matching royal blue washer and dryer; that the original cupboard that was built into the wall in the basement remains intact? Or that the original beveled glass, a sign of true original craftsmanship, is still part of the cupboard? Did I also mention that the original radiators – both decorative and efficient for delivering heat – were intact? As opposed to cheap baseboard heat, modernized radiators deliver steam heat, still the best and most cost-effective method of home heating.
Putnam Ave. likewise, blended the traditional with the modern, as the Pratt family, its owner, loves to point out. Somehow or other, they were able to move the original mantle piece from the kitchen to the living room; no small feat when you realize that it’s marble and cast iron! Now, that alone took some real imagination and creativity. That done, they opened up the space between the parlor and the kitchen, giving space to include a marble island kitchen. Hidden behind the original cabinetry woodwork is a powder room on one side, a pantry on the other side, and a decorative display cabinet in the center. By the way, the original floor-to-ceiling wooden cabinet was hidden under four coats of ugly paint, which the owners painstakingly and meticulously stripped away using heat guns, citrus strippers and other eco-friendly materials. The latest in appliances are also incorporated in the kitchen, which is designed for entertaining as well as cooking.
The lower level (formerly the basement) has been transformed into a master suite and a room for their young sons – a very precocious three-year-old who couldn’t wait to take everyone to show them his room, and to introduce them to his rocking horse “Clarence.”
The hallway leading past his bedroom to the backyard takes you into a combination entertainment area and play yard for the boys. It was designed for the family by Open House NYC, and consists of a patio made of bluestone, wisteria and pear trees, and lighting that comes on at night to illuminate the area.
Decatur St., which likewise, made very creative use of the basement, had the closet of a lifetime with shoe racks on one wall, compartmentalized spaces for suits, and other items. Owner Christopher Montgomery, the genius behind the concept and a migrant from DC, fell in love with the property and made it into a masterpiece after having gotten rid of the walls that had the basement level divided up to small, useless pocket rooms. The aforementioned closet, itself the size of a small bedroom, actually leads from his master bedroom into a massive bathroom with a 100-jet shower. Talk about sumptuous! But follow the hall past his suite to the zen garden in his backyard and you see why everything is so peaceful, tranquil and gracious.
Make no mistake, transforming these beautiful homes from eyesores into treasures can be quite costly. And, indeed, some of the owners have dug deep into the family coffers to come up with the finances to make it happen. However, most of the owners offset the costs by utilizing sweat equity and the principles of recycling to bring their homes from ancient history into the modern world. Rather than just allowing outside architects or designers to do their homes, they were hands-on, utilizing their own ingenuity. That’s not to say that some didn’t get burned by “jacklegs” who made matters a lot worse before they got better, or that, in one instance, the work was done by contractors; but for most of these properties, the work was done by the owners and their families themselves. Nor were they penny-wise and pound-foolish, either. Where expertise or technology was required, they sought the appropriate licensed technicians to do the work properly -i.e., plumbing, wiring, roofing – avoiding serious problems down the road while at the same time reserving the decorative work for themselves.
In many instances, this meant coming home from work and putting on (or stripping off) that extra coat of paint themselves; it meant stripping the paint and finishing floors instead of sitting in front of the TV. It meant using the money to get the correct appliances rather than cheap appliances from department stores, taking a trip or buying a car. Each and every homeowner would say that it was definitely worth it, and they would definitely do it again.

Troy Davis Executed. Supreme Court Denies Last Appeal, Death came at 11:08pm

On the streets, in churches and in homes, vigils were held waiting on the slow-motion lynching that was the killing of Troy Anthony Davis by the state of Georgia. After the execution hour had passed we learned of a last appeal to the Supreme Court. Three hours later we were told that the Justices had denied Davis’ appeal, the death warrant was enforced and Troy Davis was executed September 21, 2011 at 11:08pm.

Witnesses said Mr. Davis did not take a sedative and made a final statement while strapped to the gurney. Looking directly at the family of officer MacPhail, the policeman he is accused of killing in 1989, the witness reported that Davis said, “Despite the situation that we’re in, I was not the one who did it.” “He said that he was not personally responsible for what happened that night. That he did not have a gun. He said to the family that he was sorry for their loss. But he also said he ‘did not take their son, father, brother’. He said to them to dig deeper into this case to find out the truth.

He asked his family and friends to keep praying, keep working and keep the faith.” And then speaking to the jailers, the witnesses reported Davis saying, “To the people who are about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls. And God bless your souls.” “Then he put his head back down, the procedure began, and fifteen minutes later it was over.”

This is more than class-warfare we’re seeing in America. It is the conflict between civilization and barbarism. At the recent CNN/Tea Party debate of Republican presidential candidates, the Tea Party true-believers gave a standing ovation to Texas Governor Rick Perry’s record of 254 executions, and shouted a resounding “Yes!” to the question of whether a 30-year-old, having refused to buy health coverage, should be left to die if he became ill. Do not be shocked by these responses.

After all, these are the descendents of those “good Christians” who used to gather around lynchings as a spectator sport, full of laughter at the torture and suffering they were part of. This mentality did not pass away with those generations. It was passed down and we see it in both the Troy Davis case of coerced testimony, as well as in the Tea Party mantra to cut every social program they can.

What to do now? Robert Rooks, director of the NAACP Criminal Justice Department reported on Democracy Now! That he and his team visited Troy Davis the day before the execution. He said Davis told them that whatever happens, “You have a choice. Either fold up your bags and go home or continue the fight.”

The Tea Partiers, the executioners, the bankers and corporate avarice will not stop, they must face constant opposition or they will win. We have to take Troy’s words to heart and do as we have always done, continue the fight.

Community Urged to Vote for Jesus Gonzalez– A Man of the People

-For Brooklyn’s  54th State Assembly District in Special Election Tuesday, September 13

It is easy to see why Jesus Gonzalez, 26, has so many endorsements in his campaign for the Brooklyn’s NYS 54th Assembly District special election.
As a son of Bushwick and the candidate of the Working Families Party, his history in the community is a breath of fresh air.
The Special Election to fill Darryl Towns’ seat will be held on Tuesday, September 13.
Not connected to any power broker or political family, he rose from the streets of Bushwick where he lived with his hard-working family to become a compassionate,  self-motivated community organizer — which is what is needed for a new beginning in the 54th Assembly District, which covers areas of Bushwick, Brownsville, East New York and parts of northeast Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Neither of his opponents in the Democratic primary, Deidra Towns or Raphael Espinal, appear to have the independence and strong record of community-centered activism which is the core of Gonzalez’s campaign, and a quality much-needed in these shaky economic times.
Our Time Press supports Gonzalez’s run, joining a growing list of endorsers who are urging voters to remember that a single vote can make a difference, particularly in these special elections in a district with a history of low turnouts.

ENDORSED BY:
POLITICAL LEADERS:
US Rep. Nydia Velazquez  • Assemblywoman Inez Barron  • Council Member Charles Barron  •  Council Member Letitia James • Council Member Brad Lander • Council Member Diana Reyna • Lincoln Restler, District Leader and Democratic State Committee Member of the 50th Assembly District  •  Hon. Chris Owens, District Leader/Democratic State Committee Member, 52nd Assembly District.
COMMUNITY:
100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care  •  Luis Garden Acosta  •  Democracy for NYC  • Equal Justice Political Action Committee • Mark Winston Griffith  •  Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn  •  New Kings Democrats  •  New York Communities for  Change  •  Monsignor John Powis  •  Tenants Political Action Committee  •  Working Families Party • Freedom Party
CULTURE:
Willie Perdomo  •  Lemon Anderson  •  Tony Touch
LABOR:
Service Employees International Union, Local 1199 • Communications Workers of America, District 1  •  Communications Workers of America, Local 1180  • Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board, Workers United  •  New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council  •  New York-New Jersey Regional Joint Board, Workers United  •  Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union  •  Transport Workers Union, Local 100  •  United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1500

Community Denounces ‘Doctored’ Espinal Campaign Pic

Raphael Espinal’s campaign for the open 54th AD seat has caused a firestorm of controversy with campaign literature featuring a ‘doctored’ photo of a May 1 protest rally against the proposed 202 bed men’s shelter.

Original pictures of the rally featured community residents and children holding signs with slogans such as ’14 Shelters and Counting,’ ‘I’m Scared for my Safety,’ ‘Stop the Oversaturation,’ and What About the Children.’ Espinal’s ‘doctored’ photograph has signs saying ‘Bloomberg Don’t Cut My Job,’ ‘More jobs for my Parents,’ and ‘Bloomberg Don’t Cut Summer Jobs.’ Community residents are outraged.
Bernadette Mitchell, Vice President of the 1400 Herkimer Street Block Association, said, “Our signs said, ‘Not in our Backyard,’ ‘Save the Children,’ ‘We are Afraid for our Safety,’ ‘What about the Seniors,’ ‘What about the Children.’ Our focus was on the community and the safety issue.”
Anthony Newerls, President of Brooklyn Blizzards Youth Organization, said he attended the rally because “I support the community against the shelters. Being an advocate of the young people, we want to make sure the community isn’t inundated with shelters which would affect the kids coming home from school.”

In regards to the photo, Newerls said, “I am outraged that someone running for office would ‘doctor’ a picture in support of young people and change it to something in support of their campaign. I put on record that I do not support this candidate. I am outraged that they would even do something like this with my picture standing for young people. That picture makes it look like we were rallying to fight for jobs and we were not. We went there fighting against shelters coming into Brownsville six blocks from another shelter.”

When asked if he ever held a poster that said “Bloomberg don’t cut my job”, Newerls said, “Never, ever. I have the originals. We would like to ask Espinal ‘When did that picture take place?’ I never met this man ever in my life.”
Community activist Tony Herbert had assisted the 1400 Herkimer Street Block Association with planning a series of rallies protesting the men’s shelter. “I’m pissed off, along with other people in the community. To use the likeness of innocent children from the community for the purposes of campaigning creates another impression that people shouldn’t trust politicians anymore because they lie and falsely create situations that never existed. To use those young people in the community who are concerned about their lives and their security for another purpose that has nothing to do with what they were rallying for definitely speaks to the fact that no one should support this guy,” said Herbert. “This tells you what kind of elected official he would be he should be fortunate enough to get elected. The actual issue was a proposed 202-bed men’s shelter that would be placed on their block.
This picture gives the impression that he is somehow connected to the community, and he’s not. He misused the images of those people.”
The Espinal campaign’s ‘doctored’ photo was exposed when one woman who lives around the corner from the 1400 Herkimer Street area came to Bed-Stuy to visit her mother. “I went to check my mother’s mailbox in Bed-Stuy and I found Espinal’s campaign literature,” she said. The woman did not want to give her name, but she said she was familiar with him since he is the Chief of Staff for Councilman Eric Dilan. “When I got home on the Ocean Hill side of town, I looked at the picture. I said to myself, ‘Oh, that’s the shelter picture from our rally in May.’ I saw a couple of my neighbors in the picture. She then looked closely and “saw something about jobs. Our rally wasn’t about jobs. It was a rally against the shelter.”
The woman showed the ‘doctored’ picture to the vice president of the block association. According to the woman, “One of her neighbors got very upset. He said, ‘That’s my daughter. We had no signs like that.’ The gentleman holding the sign that says ‘Bloomberg don’t cut my job,’ he’s a community activist in Brownsville.”
Displeased community residents tried to rectify the situation by directly confronting Raphael Espinal.
One 1400 Herkimer Street neighbor went to Espinal’s office and said “How dare you.” He said Espinal claimed he didn’t know anything about it.
Ms. Mitchell said, “We called him on the picture. They told us ‘No, it was the public relations office. You have to call public relations.’ People in my neighborhood were very upset. My daughter is actually in the picture.”
“I think they use poor judgment to use people and not inform them and to ‘doctor’ the photograph. It was very poor judgment. A lot of people on the block were saying they don’t know if any of us work for Bloomberg and the ‘doctored’ photo has signs saying ‘no Bloomberg,’” said Ms. Mitchell. “He used us.”

 

At Wit’s End: Looking Forward to the Barclays Arena

It may not be politically correct, but one of the best things to happen to Brooklyn in the past ten years is the Atlantic Yards project.
I mention this because last week I was at the Atlantic Terminal Mall, where from a lunch counter stool on the second floor, one looks out of a giant picture window at the ongoing construction of the arena.
Watching the steel structure rise and union workers on the job gave me the feel that this is New York City – the financial capital of the world and the city can still get projects done.
This thought is also the reason why I never bought into the propaganda-like opposition that stalled the project for seven years in court and nearly killed it.
The newly gentrified in the Prospect Heights area was the brunt of this opposition led by Daniel Goldstein, and his makeshift organization Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn.
Goldstein lived in the footprint of the project, having bought his condo in cash in 2003, the same year that developer Bruce Ratner announced the project. Either he or his wife were the only people that drew a salary from the organization, and after the court battles were over, he sold out to Ratner for a nifty $3 million.
Throughout, the ordeal Goldstein also had an old buddy film his fight, and he is now promoting that film, Battle for Brooklyn, in which he is portrayed as a David fighting a Goliath.
While almost all of the press jumped on Goldstein’s side throughout the ordeal and have given generally good reviews to the film, what was missing was the big picture.
In the last twenty years, America’s infrastructure has been crumbling and the most innovative architecture in the world has moved away from the United States and to the places like Dubai, China and the Pacific Rim.
Indeed, when developer Bruce Ratner first proposed the 22-acre project in 2003 or 2004, he had world-class architect Frank Gehry designing it and the proposal included thousands of units of affordable and market rate housing. It also included sorely needed subway and sewer infrastructure improvements.
Ratner’s company, Forest City Ratner also signed a community benefits agreement with eight or nine community based organizations – all led by people of color. While almost all these organizations also received funding from Ratner, it’s a lot more than Mayor Bloomberg has given to African-American non-profits in his tenure as mayor.
But between the opposition fighting the project in court and the downturn of the economy, Ratner had to can Gehry several years ago, and the project is a shadow of its former self.
That said, I’m betting the government will again try to jumpstart the economy, and the Atlantic Yards project is a good investment as building it out in entirety will create thousands of jobs and better living and working conditions for the borough.
In the meantime, the arena is taking shape and it will do much for the economy and spirit of the borough when it is completed and the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets start calling it home in about 15 months.
It will mean jobs and entrepreneur spin off opportunities. It will add excitement and spirit to a basketball-crazy borough. And when the team makes the playoffs, bars and restaurants will do more business.
Let the excitement begin.

Letitia James Responds to Bloomberg’s Efforts To Bridge Disparities Between Black And Latino Young Men of New York City and Their Peers

 

(Brooklyn, NY)   Mayor Bloomberg’s legacy will be defined by his victories and his failures.  One of his major failures can best be illustrated by his lack of investment and focus on issues affecting urban youth.  Black and Latino young men represent the most disaffected and disconnected constituency in the City.

Despite repeated warnings by members of the City Council, leaders and organizations… crying out in the wilderness of central Brooklyn and other urban settings urging investment; who for too long  have been dependent primarily upon religious and civic volunteers and their individual small donations – the Mayor is finally showing up late to the carnage.
The mountain of disparity has consistently been dangerously trending upward.  And unfortunately, the Bloomberg administration’s response has often been short-sighted, and more focused on policing youth.  Bloomberg’s stop and-frisk policy has led to the systematic humiliation and harassment of Black and Latino residents who are innocent of any wrongdoing.  That response was a band aide approach to deep structural inequities.

I applaud the Mayor; I guess this initiative is better late than never.  But, it does appear to look like a major ‘mea culpa’ in the final leg of his term, as he finally turns his attention (and vast wealth) to probably the most marginalized and historically ignored group of individuals, who truly needed it, and could have benefited early on from his philanthropy and administration the most.

Letitia James

Unions Intensify Pressure against Bloomberg Budget Cuts

New York City’s July 1 budget deadline looms.  Mayor Bloomberg has proposed cutting 4,000 teachers, day care closures, and the elimination of 22 fire houses. Week after week, municipal workers have been staging large protests, joined by hundreds of city residents who will be impacted by the cuts. Last week, DC 37 became one of the latest unions to stage a public protest to Bloomberg’s proposals.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts “served notice on the Bloomberg administration and the City Council that they cannot balance the budget on the backs of city workers.” Over the years, members of DC 37 and other unions have
experienced layoffs, attrition, service cuts, and increased workloads while others have profited from the city budget. The city has entered into contracts with private vendors totaling over $10 billion.  DC37’s research has found the administration has not collected business tax revenues in the millions. “Enough is enough,” said Roberts.

LaTonya Johnson from Milwaukee, Wisconsin spoke of her challenges as a child care worker threatened with budget cuts that would no longer allow her to provide services to low income children.  In Wisconsin, unions are being stripped of their collective bargaining rights. Johnson laid blame at the feet of voters who stay home, don’t go to the polls and support the people who “support working class citizens.” She asked workers to remember history: the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in NYC and Martin Luther King’s advocacy for Memphis sanitation workers. “People died for worker rights. Together, we are the protectors of our public sector employees,” Johnson said.

Several City Council members attended the rally in a show of support, including Letitia James, Matthieu Eugene, and Jumaane Williams. Ironically, the crowd didn’t seem to notice that among them were council members who voted for Bloomberg to run for a third term, like Councilman Robert Jackson.

Councilman Charles Barron said, “The city council has to get the courage to protect the people of the city. We have a $3.1 billion surplus; we have nearly $3 billion in a rainy day fund. And they found $500 million in a fund no one knew existed.  So, what are you doing cutting day care slots, laying off ACS workers, laying off teachers, shutting down fire stations? It is unacceptable. The bottom line is the power is in the hands of the city council.

The mayor has no vote one the budget. None. And the (council) speaker has one.

Barron suggests all the council members attending rallies should “Just say no. Even if it means a court battle to make him spent the money, so be it. We have to stop this reverse Robin Hood – robbing from the poor to give to the rich. It is devastating our communities.”

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said, “We knew this was going to happen when we let Mayor Bloomberg come back for a third term. He said he was here to save us from a bad economy. He is delivering to us the greatest cuts to education, child care, libraries that we have seen since the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. We are not going to stand for it. These cuts hurt our children.  Our future is being undermined. This is not how we build a future for NYC.”

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer remembered “when the city was on the brink of bankruptcy, unions like DC 37 and the UFT and the sanitation department all stepped up to help this city. We are going to make sure the spending negotiations are fair and just, and meet the needs of the people of this city. It is time to take politics out of the budget.”

While the rally was taking place, a coalition of New Yorkers set up an encampment across the street from City Hall.

Voicing opposition to the administration’s budget cuts, the encampment called itself “Bloombergville,” harkening back to during the Great Depression when homeless people built shanty towns called Hooverville in ‘honor’ of President

Herbert Hoover who was accused of letting the nation slide into depression. One protester said they intend to campout “until a fair budget deal is reached.”

The next day, a private meeting was held with member unions of the Municipal Labor Committee.  City Council Speaker Christine Quinn tried to get the unions to use their Health Insurance Stabilization Fund to prevent layoffs of 4,100 teachers. The UFT was reportedly in favor of the deal, although the teachers union conspicuously declined from making any endorsement when Bloomberg ran for his third term against Then NYC Comptroller Bill Thompson. 

Many of the 90 unions represented at the meeting were more reticent because the deal came with only a one year no-layoff guarantee. Teamsters Local 237 President Gregory Floyd said the fund was set up for health benefits, not averting layoffs. In addition, during the last round of negotiations several unions did not receive a contract.

Correction Officer’s Benefit Association President Norman Seabrook argued the deal would take $400 million from the union health fund and avert layoffs for one year, but 12 months later, the unions would be in the same position with less leverage. Seabrook would prefer the deal avert layoffs for two and a half years. By that time, there would be a new administration to work with.

Contentious budget talks continue.

Bed-Stuy sanitation put on hold funds pulled to keep garbage transfer stations out of poorer neighborhoods

   Bedford-Stuyvesant residents, which have been asking and pleading for a sanitation garage for 25 years, will have to wait at least another year.
   That, after the city pulled the money for the project out of the fiscal year 2011-12 budget and put it towards two other projects that distribute garbage more equally around the city.
    “Obviously, it’s a total disrespect to our community,” said Community Board 3 Chair Henry Butler. “The Department of Sanitation gave no explanation as to why they took money from our project and gave it to other projects.”
   

  Butler noted the sanitation garage site on city-owned property at 56 Nostrand Avenue in City Councilwoman Letitia James’ district has already been designed and is shovel ready.
     The funds were pulled following a recent meeting between sanitation officials, James, who also chairs the Council Sanitation Committee, and fellow Council member Domenic Recchia.
   Recchia was reportedly more against the pulling of funds than James.
  But James responded that the money was pulled to build two waste transfer stations, one of which is in Recchia’s Gravesend Brooklyn district, which Bloomberg didn’t fund in his budget.

  Currently, the burden of handling the city’s solid waste for transfer to out-of-state dumps is in a handful of low-income communities in Brooklyn and the Bronx. 
  Under the reconfigured Solid Waste Management Plan (SWAMP), local transfer stations would be built in more affluent neighborhoods and these residents could no longer truck their garbage to poorer neighborhoods to await the transfer.
     “He (Butler) is focusing on the sanitation garage and the community clearly needs it, but we can’t take money from the transfer stations,” said James. “The larger issue is environmental justice.”
   When built, the Bed-Stuy sanitation garage will house trucks and other equipment, but not garbage.
    Since the early 1980s, Bed-Stuy residents have been advocating for it so that local garbage would be picked up in a more orderly manner and streets would be plowed on time during snowstorms.
     James said she is hopeful the project will be funded in next year’s budget.

Brookdale Hospital Health Workers Stage Job Action

For more than a week, dozens of health care workers at Brookdale Hospital have been lining the corridor just inside the hospital’s main entrance, professionally dressed and ready to work. The hospital’s health care workers, including dietary, housekeeping, clerical workers, radiology and other medical technicians, pharmacists, some midwives, some physician assistants and every category of registered nurses, found themselves with no health care on May 20, 2011. In response to a series of actions taken by the hospital management, Brookdale’s health care workers staged a job action.

“I am a registered nurse, and I don’t have health coverage,” said one worker who wished to remain anonymous. “That is the insult.” It is also dangerous. Another nurse who works in the infectious disease dept. stated she is fearful of being exposed to an infection. “I have no health care,” she said.

How did this situation come about? According to a statement from 1199 SEIU, as of Thursday, May 19, all 3,400 health care workers at Brookdale Hospital lost their health care. Why? “Brookdale Hospital has failed to make payments to the workers’ health benefit fund and currently owes $23.4 million in arrears. In order to restore benefits at least until June 30th, Brookdale must make a payment of $6.1 million.” Members gathered in the lobby of the hospital in large numbers to protest Brookdale management’s refusal to take corrective action despite their obligation to make payments for health benefits as set forth in the collective bargaining agreement.

A letter with the subject line “Update on 1199 Benefits Coverage” dated May 24 on Brookdale Hospital stationery from VP of Human Resources Max Sclair stated, “Payments to the Child Care Fund, Training Fund, Job Security Fund and Pension Fund are current and benefits from those funds are in effect.” Regarding workers health care benefits, the letter stated, “We are still waiting for a computer generated download from the benefit fund with the names of all
employees and their dependents who are currently covered under the 1199 Benefit Plan. As soon as we receive that information, it will be transposed to the temporary coverage that you will be receiving through Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

As soon as the information is downloaded, within 10 days you will receive a Blue Cross/Blue Shield card which will provide coverage for both you and your dependents. Blue Cross/Blue Shield has been retained as a third party administrator to pay claims.”

Brookdale’s unilateral decision to cut off workers’ health care and replace it with Blue Cross/Blue Shield is unacceptable to the union members. Another registered nurse described the situation. “We have a contract in effect until 2015,” she said. “Over the years, we have always negotiated our benefits as part of our salary. The benefits entail pension, child care, health care (which is a major one), education and other stuff.” According to this nurse, Brookdale repeatedly defaulted on their contribution over a long period of time. “We have gotten countless letters from the trustees of the 1199 benefit fund indicating at such and such a date we will be cut off. They always made the payment at the infinitesimal minute so that it never cut off. This has been going on for more than two years. This time, they didn’t make any payment,” the nurse said. “Because of the continuous repetition of not meeting deadlines, the trustees of the fund cut of Brookdale employees’ health care.”

There are health care workers who believe disrupting health coverage was management’s goal all along. “What management did was come up with some kind of Blue Shield, Blue Cross Medisys —which does not exist — that would cover us,” said a nurse. Management notified the membership if they or any of their family members needed any kind of medical care they should use the emergency room of any Medisys hospital and their pharmacy.

According to a worker, “It has not worked out. Countless members have gone for their medication; they have not been able to get it from the pharmacy because they may not carry it. Since Sunday, May 22, they (the pharmacists) have been questioning why the member may need the medication. We had two cases like that.”

Brookdale’s health care workers are demanding that administration pay the Benefit Fund and re instate workers as agreed upon in the collective bargaining agreement. “They cannot unilaterally decide they are going to cut off health care workers’ health care,” another worker said.

In light of what it calls “the hospital’s record of ineffective management,” 1199 SEIU is calling for the CEO and Board of Brookdale Hospital to resign. The union is requesting that the state Department of Health appoint a temporary receiver to put the hospital’s finances in order.

Under pressure, the administration of Brookdale Hospital agreed to re-instate the 1199 Benefit Fund via incremental payments. During the interim, Brookdale healthcare workers will be covered by Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

Management signed a written agreement which stipulates no worker will be fired or otherwise retaliated against for participation in the job action.

Elected Officals, parents, youth starting to “weigh in” on childhood obesity issues

The kids may have been in the kitchen, but the politicians were the ones doing the cooking.

Their presence, though, was all for a good cause in attending the Junior League of Brooklyn (JLB) Kids in the Kitchen Fair last week in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The annual event, this year held at The Academy of Business & Community Development, I.S. 336, on Macon Street, focuses on raising awareness and reversing the growth of childhood obesity.

It came with the alarming statistic that more than 40 percent of public school children in Brooklyn between the ages of 6-12 are overweight. Dozens of kids and their parents attended the event.

“JLB has participated in this initiative each year since its inception, because we recognize the importance of healthy living and how it impacts communities,” said JLB President Tracie Williams.

The fair, held in the school gym, featured cooking demos, Zumba and Wii sports classes, free health screenings, a nutrition education workshop and a raffle.

Most of the politicians came out, though, in praise and respect of JLB, which is a 101-yea-old non-profit made up of local women volunteers.

“JLB has a history of service in our borough that is unsurpassed,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “As Brooklyn’s ‘get the job done’ organization, I applaud their effort to continue providing valuable services throughout Brooklyn and their commitment to combating the issue of childhood obesity and poor nutrition in our communities.”

Other politicians at the event included Assemblywoman Annette Robinson and state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery.

Arriving separately and at different times were U.S. Rep. Ed Towns and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who may be vying next year for the congressional seat.

A Towns spokesperson confirmed the 29-year incumbent will again seek re-election, and Jeffries has set up an exploratory committee to make a run.

City Councilman Charles Barron, who did not attend the event, is also vying a run for the seat.

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