Public Employee Press

Union Scrapbook
DC 37 leaders finish Cornell program

The union’s latest graduates from the New York State AFL-CIO/Cornell Union Leadership Institute are DC 37 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa, White Collar Division Director Mike Riggio and Council Rep Phyllis McLean, who was a Local 957 officer and grievance rep when she started in the program.

“The goal of the institute was to help us develop from local leaders into labor movement leaders,” said Riggio. One of the courses focused on the problems facing the labor movement.

The intensive one-year course included classes at Cornell University in Ithaca in the summers of 2007 and 2008 and seminars in New York City and Albany during the year. To graduate, each of the 29 students had to plan and execute a closing field project.
At their graduation in July, the students surprised their instructors and showed their labor solidarity and their unity as a class by contributing $3,000 to the United Farm Workers Union. The fundraising effort was coordinated by Maxine Roach of Musicians Local 802, Ruben Torres of Teamsters Local 237, Molly Reilly of New York State United Teachers Local 09-020 and Riggio.