News From OSA - April, 2012

May Day. Once upon a time in New York, May Day was a day of parades for labor unions. At that time, workers worked weekends, had no pensions or health care and lived in sub-standard housing. So they got together and fought as a group for better wages, a shortened work day, safety on the job and a decent old age.

Today, the Mayor is fighting to lower your salary, diminish your health benefits, and end your job security. The Governor has already diminished the pensions for new employees and has forced no raises plus givebacks on the State employees.

There are now two New Yorks. One is for the very rich and it gets better daily. The other New York is for us.

We have no choice but to fight to keep what we have. The only question is how?

Our union will join with other unions to march down Broadway on May 1st. There will be a gathering, with music, starting at 4:00PM in Union Square. The OSA rally point will be the southeast corner of 14th Street and Broadway. We will bring our flag and banner.

If you work close to Union Square or get off at 4:00PM or earlier, you should join us on that corner before the march. We will have union hats for those who arrive early.

The march is set to kick off at 5:30PM. The route is straight down Broadway, past City Hall and Wall Street, to the bovine sculpture at the foot of Broadway and a short distance beyond to Stone Street.

Many OSA members work in lower Manhattan. It is an easy walk to Broadway from most of our downtown work sites. Members can either get a bite to eat first or go directly to Broadway after work. Then, they will be the audience for the march as it goes by and become participants when the OSA delegation passes.

We are often asked to walk or run or bicycle for a good cause these days. On May 1st you are being asked to march for a very good cause. You and your family are under attack, not from some dreaded disease, but from your Mayor and your Governor. You are marching for yourself and your loved ones.

You can download a flyer about the march by clicking this link.

Fracking. At the suggestion of the OSA Retirees Club (which screened a shortened version for its members), OSA is showing the movie Gasland at the union office on the evening of Thursday, May 17th from 6pm to 8:30pm. The movie deals with the controversial gas-drilling practice known as “fracking” and is both dramatic and informative. Wait for the moment when the homeowner sets a match to the water coming from his tap and the water starts to burn!

You can download a flyer about the film and to remind you of the screening by clicking this link.

News From OSA - April, 2012 May Day. Once upon a time in New York, May Day was a day of parades for labor unions. At that time, workers worked weekends, had no pensions or health care and lived in sub-standard housing. So they got together and fought as a group for better wages, a shortened work day, safety on the job and a decent old age. Today, the Mayor is fighting to lower your salary, diminish your health benefits, and end your job security. The Governor has already diminished the pensions for new employees and has forced no raises plus givebacks on the State employees. There are now two New Yorks. One is for the very rich and it gets better daily. The other New York is for us. We have no choice but to fight to keep what we have. The only question is how? Our union will join with other unions to march down Broadway on May 1st. There will be a gathering, with music, starting at 4:00PM in Union Square. The OSA rally point will be the southeast corner of 14th Street and Broadway. We will bring our flag and banner. If you work close to Union Square or get off at 4:00PM or earlier, you should join us on that corner before the march. We will have union hats for those who arrive early. The march is set to kick off at 5:30PM. The route is straight down Broadway, past City Hall and Wall Street, to the bovine sculpture at the foot of Broadway and a short distance beyond to Stone Street. Many OSA members work in lower Manhattan. It is an easy walk to Broadway from most of our downtown work sites. Members can either get a bite to eat first or go directly to Broadway after work. Then, they will be the audience for the march as it goes by and become participants when the OSA delegation passes. We are often asked to walk or run or bicycle for a good cause these days. On May 1st you are being asked to march for a very good cause. You and your family are under attack, not from some dreaded disease, but from your Mayor and your Governor. You are marching for yourself and your loved ones. You can download a flyer about the march by clicking this link. Fracking. At the suggestion of the OSA Retirees Club (which screened a shortened version for its members), OSA is showing the movie Gasland at the union office on the evening of Thursday, May 17th from 6pm to 8:30pm. The movie deals with the controversial gas-drilling practice known as “fracking” and is both dramatic and informative. Wait for the moment when the homeowner sets a match to the water coming from his tap and the water starts to burn! You can download a flyer about the film and to remind you of the screening by clicking this link.