b"When Carl became president, it was a very proud moment in my life. He was a Housing Authority employee, he wasvery active at the beginning with white-collar workers, he became a rep and a very good rep. Sometimes he and I wouldtangle. When it came to union-management, Carl said I gave him a harder time than anybody else.Carls my buddy. I know him a long time. This is a union of people, not a union of officers. We have to serve thesepeoplethat goes way backI think thats what hes doing.\x02Thomas LeathNYCHA CaretakerThis interview was conducted at Local 237's Founders Day in 1998.When I got out of the army after World War II I went to school on the GI Bill andmarried my childhood sweetheart. Then I got news that every man wants to hear: I was going to be a father. So, I had toget steady employment. Everywhere I went, it was, Dont call us, well call you.Then I ran into an old army buddy and he told me the Housing Authority was hiring. I said, What the heck, I havenothing to lose. I expected the same thing. A young lady gave me a lot of papers to fill out, fingerprinted me, and interviewed me. It took a long time. Then she told me to report tomorrow. I said, For what? For work, she said. I wasshocked. I started as a laborer at the Huts, a temporary project in Queens. They were later dismantled. I made civil service in 1951. We had a union, the UPW. It was during the Communist paranoia. The UPW was too pushy for some city fathers, so they said that the union was communist. That was the end of the UPW.Then we got the CIO, but that was a disaster. During negotiations, they didnt get us a raise, but they changed ourtitle from laborers and porters to caretakers without our permission. Then about three months later, when the laborersand porters got a raise, we got nothing because we were no longer laborers.One day during lunch a guy named Sammy Jackson came by. It was around 1952 or 53 and I was at Melrose Housesthen. He said, I represent Local 237 and were going to be having an election. He said, if you vote for us for collective bargaining, well fight to get you time and a half for overtime, health insurance, and other benefits. The health benefitswere most important to me, because by that time I had four children. And he said 237 would fight for Social Security. That was very important, because at that time, if you worked for the Housing Authority or were civil service, there was no Social Securitypension only.We voted for 237; we took a chance. Sammy was transferred to Melrose as a resident maintenance man, and becameour shop steward. I can honestly say that any time we had a gripe, Sammy looked into it. He was always on the job.Everything Sammy promised us, 237 delivered. 237 is the best union on the planet Earthnot just in the country,but on the planet. When I tell my friends what we get, they cant believe it.35 "