b'\x02Sylvia BrownsteinNYCHA, Teller, Assistant ManagerMember since 1974 In her own wordsIt was the Depression. I had a couple of small odd jobs for a little income. I sold musical candlesticks (menorahs). I candle eggs in a dark cellar. Now the eggs come candle no blood spots. I sold the World Book Encyclopedia. If I sold12, I would get a copy for myself. I gave back the commission to get my set. Maybe there were a couple of more things I did. Then a friend told me about the civil service tests. I bought the paper. There was an ad for a class on how to preparefor the test. It cost $40. My husband was against it. It was our rent money. I took the test. I passed high and was assignedto the Housing Authority as a cashier. Promotion tests. I retired as an assistant manager. Those were very happy years forme. The best $40 I ever spent. That is my story.Thank you, union.\x02Carlos M. RiosNYPD-Public Safety, School Safety AgentMember since 1972In his own wordsI will never forget the date when I started working for School Safety on December 4, 1972. At the time, there was nounion. It was a dead-end job. I was about to quit. I was a young man, 23 years old. But just as I was getting ready to quit,I heard that there was a union coming in to represent School Safety. It was Local 237. Before the Union took over, we hadno benefits what so ever. We had no medical benefits, dental benefits, vacation time, sick time, pension or no paid national holidays. We were making $2.86 an hour. The year that the union took over in 1973, we got walkie-talkies, sickdays, national holidays, medical benefits, dental benefits. Then they got us pay for the Christmas and Easter Recesses thatwe never got paid for before. What good is getting 10 days off and not getting paid for them? I remember when theunion got us uniforms for free. I remember the union got us an allowance for uniforms once a year. I dont remember exactly how much it was, I think about $600. I remember when the union got us Peace Officer status. I was one of the first100 to get that status. In 1982, the union got us a pension. I remember when the union got us annualized. Before that,we did not work all summer so we did not get paid for the summer like teachers do. That was a great thing the union did.There are also many great union people I remember like Carl Haynes, Mal Paterson, Winston George, Nancy True, ourgreat present President- Gregory Floyd. I will never forget the day I opened the union newspaper and saw that the uniongot us the right to retire regardless of age. I was very happy for that. It was 2002. The following year, I put in my papers toretire in 2003. I am especially grateful to Mal Paterson and Nick Mancuso for getting these great contracts with the City.Local 237 is truly a great union. When people complain, I remind them what it was like before the union without any benefits. Then they are grateful. And, Im enjoying my retirement greatly. Its like I died and went to heaven. Im a quietperson, but I wanted to share my 30-year career and my membership with this great union.204 '