The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

DC-37 Lobby Day

ESP, The Convention Center, Albany, NY
Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Veronica Montgomery Costa. Cliff Koppelman. Maf Misbah Uddin. Lenny Allen. Leaders and Members of DC-37.

It's great to have the everyday heroes of DC-37 here in Albany.

These annual lobby days are your chance to bring your concerns to your state government leaders, and that is always a good thing.

I know I say this every year. I'm going to say it again.

The Assembly District where I live, the district that I am proud to represent here in Albany - the 64th in Lower Manhattan - is also home to your union headquarters. That makes DC-37 my hometown union, and I know from experience, that there is none that is better.

May I say that it has always been an honor to work with your leader, the great Lillian Roberts.

There is no truer, more passionate, more steadfast, more determined advocate for working families in New York than Lillian Roberts.

And when it comes to your state government, I am proud to say that DC-37 could not have two smarter, more dedicated leaders in its corner than:

• Assembly Member Peter Abbate, the Chair of our Committee on Governmental Employees;

• And, Assembly Member Susan John, the Chair of our Committee on Labor.

Joining them here are two colleagues who are long time supporters of DC 37, Assembly Member Michelle Titus of Queens, and Assembly Member Mike Benedetto of the Bronx.

Look at your 2007 legislative agenda and what do you see?

Assemblyman Abbate's sponsorship on almost every bill.

That is the kind of leadership that Peter Abbate provides.

That is yet another example of the Assembly Majority's appreciation of, and commitment to, our hardworking public employees.

Rest assured that we are working with you to raise the quality of life for your brothers and sisters, and for all working families across the City and the State of New York.

The Members of DC-37, myself, all of my colleagues in the Legislature, the Governor, the Mayor, and the Members of the City Council - all of us together - are public employees.

Each and every one of us has the same boss.

Go out and ask any New Yorker what he or she would rather have:

• Another executive or a few more good health care workers in their local nursing home?

• Another executive or a few more dedicated child-care workers to whom we can entrust our precious children?

• Another executive or a few more emergency medical technicians at the ready?

I think we all know what the answer will be.

Yes, we elected leaders receive most of the media attention, because we are the "face" of government.

The members of DC-37 and the public employees in all of your brother and sister unions, you are the heart and the soul, the muscle, the sweat, and the blood that makes government work for the People.

Without you, without your commitment to public service, our education and health-care systems would collapse. Our roads and bridges, our public buildings, would fall into disrepair. Our neighborhoods would become more dangerous.

How long do you think any elected officeholder could keep their job under those circumstances?

Call it leadership. Call it enlightened self-interest.

We are going to do everything we can to ensure that DC 37 and all of our public workers have healthy and safe working conditions, access to job training, fair compensation, and security in your golden years.

Working with Governor Spitzer, we have already taken dramatic steps in addressing the CFE case.

In the budget, your public schools are finally receiving the funding they deserve.

We reduced Medicaid costs while delivering vital health-care services to the people who need them the most.

We are fighting hard to protect and preserve affordable housing in the City of New York.

It is only the beginning. There is so much more to do.

Let us continue to work together as partners. Help us to improve government at every level.

Help us to deliver a better quality of life for DC 37 and for all of our working families, because you are the backbone of this State.

Help us to provide a better, fairer, safer, smarter and healthier New York for our children and for our children's children.

As Lillian Roberts can tell you, my door - and the doors of the Assembly Majority - are always open to DC-37.

We want to hear from you. We want to work with you.

Thank you again for coming. Now go out there today and make your voices heard!