This week’s general membership meeting looks to be a full one. There will be reports on the exams and lists, on our success working with the UFT to organize the Education Analysts, on negotiations with the Housing Authority and for a group of our Health+Hospitals members.

If that is not enough, there will also be reports on the four day week, longevity, and our efforts at the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority .

And there will be more.

The food should be set up by 5:30 and the meeting should start at 6:15 sharp.

We are located at 220 East 23rd Street between Second and Third Avenues, Suite 707 and the meeting is this Thursday, September 29th.

Incidentally, October 6th is the union’s civil service seminar. If you have not already signed up for this valuable seminar related to appointments and lists, the one in three rule and a dozen other pieces of information useful for a civil servant, call George at the union office at (212) 686-1229

The only news going on recently, for the most part, is the moving of the lists. Questions are coming in at the union office at a steady pace and that is actually a good thing.

In fact, if you are being appointed, or even called in, please call Sheila or Elba or Mike Schady. There are others at our office, as well, who are expert on civil service lists and procedures and we have a very long history of being available to our members at times like this.

Agency management may sometimes not know the rules applying to appointments, but DCAS does and the union does also.

So, if you are called or appointed, call us.

The Labor Day Parade this year had one problem, but it finally worked out okay. Our union was set to be ten unions before the last one in the parade as of last week. Then, last week all ten others maneuvered to place themselves further up the line of march.

This led to a problem because the OSA contingent was held up an extra hour, standing around in the heat.

However, when we did finally march it turns out that there are advantages to that position. At the close of the march, we were not, unlike earlier years, hurried out of the area by the police to make room for the later contingents.

So, at the luncheon we all shared after the march, we decided that next year we will volunteer for last place knowing, as a result, that our starting time will be accurate and we will get a bit more sleep that morning.

The enthusiasm of the marchers was excellent and our high point came while passing Trump Tower. Our chanting made it clear we were not supporting him at all.

We had about 60 marchers including: Annis Ambris, Iris Bailey, Dora Blount, Richard Caits, Jackie Campbell, Rachel Chaiken, Robert Croghan, Esther Currenton, James Douglas, Meghan Dunn, Jeanette Emmarco, Delois Evans, Serena Freeman, Wayland Fung, Thomas Garvin, Mike Gordon, Sheila Gorsky, Pamela Graham, Brian Graham-Jones, Stan Greenberg, Anna Grigoratos, Abdul Hamada, Hanane Hamada, James Hsi, Lisa James, Glennis James, Betty Joseph, Alex Jourdain, Keith Kelly, Aloysius Kema, Bobby Lee, Kam Leong, Cirino Lotta, Anna Metzger, Julie Mohan, Bernetta Myers, Valerie Nesbitt, Vanessa Nguyen, Marilyn Percy, Larry Raccioppo, Sheldon Ranz, Sam Sills, Evelyn Smith, Zaron Spector, Michael Spector, Robert Spencer, Sheila Tucker, Jacob Varghese, Charlene Walters, Kim Wang, Anisha Warner, Theodore White, and Lakima Whittle. We also had several guests who did not sign in and four folks who signed our sheets but whose names we can't read.

Tomorrow is primary day in New York. Voting is the one good habit you should adopt and practice as often as possible. Vote as you will, but do vote. You can find a list of New York City primary contests at this link. Outside of New York City, contact your local board of elections.

Members should have received their summer mailing by now and a more recent letter was just sent out. The more recent letter details the rules for longevity if you are promoted or hired open competitively into a unionized analyst position.

Other than that, we hope you enjoyed your long weekend and remember why we are doing what we are doing this coming Saturday. OSA , our union, will be proudly marching in the Labor Day Parade. Hats, T-Shirts and goody bags will be available for all marchers.

We are gathering on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, nearer to Sixth. Please get there before 11:45, since we need to sign you up and give you your stuff. After we march, there is a traditional lunch together at a lovely diner.

Come for the stuff or for the lunch or for the togetherness or for the experience. Better yet, come so we can show that labor is alive and well in New York City. But most of all, come.

Call John LaGuardia or Robert Spencer at 212-686-1229 to let us know you are coming and we will see you there.