The big news this week is the Systems Project Leader election at the Health and Hospitals Corporation. The Office of Collective Bargaining sent out mail ballots last week and members of the title series will be voting this week.

Ron Lehman, member of the OSA Executive Board, suffered a heart attack while working for the union two weeks ago. He had a triple bypass operation that evening, but, thank goodness, is recovering nicely. Members wishing to send get-well cards should address them to Ron Lehman, 102-25 68th Avenue, Forest Hills, NY 11375.

Our general membership meeting is this coming Thursday at 6pm sharp at the union office, 220 East 23 Street Suite 707. See you there.

A meeting was held last week by the Municipal Labor Committee. The main topic was a presentation on the Atlantic Yards housing development.

The Atlantic Yards development in downtown Brooklyn may or may not be built, but if it does, thousands of rental apartments will be available, along with thousands of coops as well. The MLC is apparently able to secure a preference of some sort for those of our members who choose to apply for the 1250 apartments promised to be offered at reasonable rents.

Well, actually, the rents are set at about 30% of gross income, so it is not all that reasonable, but the rents are stabilized. So, it is not all bad either.

In any case, the project itself is years away and there will be so many applicants that there will be a lottery. However, we are now assured we will be notified when and if applications become available, so that’s probably a good thing.

If you have any real interest in this subject, more details will be available at the membership meeting later this month.

There was a nice showing of OSA members marching in the Labor Day Parade. As you can see in the photos above by Rob Spencer, about sixty of us marched and we were joined by the Civil Service Merit Council and, at the last minute, by the candidates for statewide office of the Green Party.

Malachy McCourt, candidate for governor for the Green Party, added a touch of color by riding in a pedicab – you know, one of those rickshaw bicycles – behind the Merit Council, followed by his supporters and campaign volunteers. In the photo to the left, he's the gentleman with white hair on the cell phone.

The combined OSA, Merit Council and Green contingent included, according to our sign-in sheets: Annis Ambris, Tom Anderson, Sonie Florentino, John Baldwin, Nanette Beatrice, Earlene Bethel, Juanita Corsiglia, Bob Croghan, Jim Curry and his wife Pat, Michele Danels, Gary Davidson, Bill Delp, Joan Doheny, Alison Duncan, Joe Eaton, Noreen Fabre Stahl and her daughters Stephanie, Christina and Valerie, Marciano Florentino, Lionel Francois, Seth Frankel, Tony Gronowicz, Richard Guarino, John Harper, Marva Hawkins, Richard Hirsh, Jerry Kann, Ron Kuritose, Lidiya Leduyuk, Bobby Lee, Betty Lee, Tony Lee, Vyda Liaugaudis, Eleanore Lotta, Cirino Lotta, Cecelia McCarthy, Malachy McCourt, Jeanne O’ Sullivan, Stephen Parker, Dolores Parson, Charles Parson, Mattie Pettiford, Tyrone Pettiford, Ed Price, Helene Price, W. Richards, Fran Rosenbaum, Michael Spector, Rob Spencer, Joe Sperling, Paulette Stark, Delois Stoute, Sallie Stroman, Janice Sweet and her daughter Jonelle Taylor, Kim Vann, Gail Weiss, Michael Weiss, Julia Willebrand, Harold Williams, and Susan Wong.

That was fun, but on a more serious note, work is proceeding on negotiations for a contract for the next few years and for a certain 1% still owed to us, as we understand the matter.

Pattern bargaining is a tricky thing if the Mayor is being tricky. Either we are due that one percent on the same terms as DC37, that is, no give backs, or else it is not pattern bargaining at all.