b'CITY EMPLOYEES UNION LOCAL 237AFFILIATED WITH THEINTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS216 West 14th Street New York, NY 10011-7296I am a third generation Teamster. My grandfather came to New York City from Puerto Rico during Operation Bootstrap in the 1950s. He and my father worked for public housing, as did I, starting in low-level positions, working our way up the system to improve the lives of our family. Collectively, we have experienced many struggles and successes as NYCHA workers. Throughout them all, Local 237 was key to making our work lives workable.I am very proud of my Puerto Rican heritage. My mother, Carmen Cruz, came fromCabo Rojo. She helps to keep the richness of our culture alive and meaningful for me and my daughters. As Secretary-Treasurer of the IBTs National Hispanic Caucus and Vice President of the New York Chapter of the Teamsters Hispanic Caucus, I know, first-hand, of the strong ties between Teamsters and Puerto Rico.That is why I am so grateful to Nancy B. True, the Director of the Retiree Division, for having the vision, 25 years ago, to create the Teamsters Local 237 Oral History Project. Labor leader A. Philip Randolph said it best when describing the social uplift ofunions: The labor movement traditionally has been the heaven for the neglected, the despised, the downtrodden, the poor Let the nation and the world know the meaning of our numbers. In many ways, the oral history project and book epitomize this view ofunions.Its personal, unfiltered recollections and mementos bring to life our history ina collection of great interestand valueto current and future members. Thank you to all of the participants and Nancy True for helping to educate, inspire and instill a sense of pride in our rich past.In solidarity,Ruben Torres,Vice President of Teamsters Local 237 and Secretary-Treasurer of the IBTs National HispanicCaucus and Vice President of the New York Chapter of the Teamsters Hispanic Caucus4 '