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Eddie Rodriguez named Trail Blazer

Proud of his Trail Blazer Award from the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators is Eddie Rodriguez, the president of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549.

The award honors men and women who have worked to give minorities and middle-class, poor and working people a real voice in the political process.

Rodriguez, an Executive Board member of District Council 37, has also served since 2003 as an international vice president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, DC 37’s parent union.

Local 1549’s Carmen Flores and 2nd Vice President Ralph Palladino accepted the award Feb. 17 for Rodriguez, who could not attend the association’s annual conference in Albany. “I’m accepting this prestigious award on behalf of all of the members of Local 1549,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez set out on the union service road in 1976 as an Eligibility Specialist for the Human Resources Administration. When the Dyckman Center needed a shop steward, he took on the challenge. He organized busloads of members to attend union meetings and fought to win out-of-title and safety and health grievances and protect members’ jobs. In 1995, Rodriguez was elected as head of the Social Services Chapter and in 2001 as local president.