WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: College-Educated and Young Workers Lead Union Surge While Public Sector Plummets

 

View this email in your browser If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Young people and highly educated workers are leading a national surge in union campaigns, according to this year’s annual State of the Unions report from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. In New York, the report spotlights organizing efforts and strikes by workers from Mount Sinai Hospital to The New York Times and The New School. In the past year, medical interns and residents at H+H/Elmhurst Hospital walked off the job for three days — the first strike in a generation by physicians in New York City. Meanwhile, high-profile strikes by graduate students at Columbia University and part-time faculty at the New School resulted in hefty raises and other long-sought-after benefits. Young people, pushed by the pandemic and long-standing economic inequality, say they are turning to unionizing to advocate for better pay and working conditions. In an AFL-CIO poll, 88% of voters under age 30 said they approve of labor unions. But the surge in labor activity has still not been enough to reverse the downward trend of union membership in New York City. The share of employees living in the five boroughs who are union members has declined slightly to 17.7%, leaving the city with just 604,000 unionized residents.  And public sector union membership has taken a notable hit among New York City residents, declining from 70% of government workers in 2020 to just 56% in 2022-2023, even as it stayed stable in the rest of New York State. Read more here. Some other items of note: Prosecutors are reviewing dozens of NYPD case files after the department told them that — eight years ago — three detectives were involved in a fingerprint misidentification at a Brooklyn crime scene. The 2015 incident did not lead to any arrests or prosecutions, police said. But it triggered the removal of Detective Joe Martinez from the Latent Print Section, which analyzes finger and palm print matches, the retraining of two detectives who validated his findings, and changes in department fingerprint comparison practices.  Back-to-school anxieties are mounting at P.S. 398 in Jackson Heights, Queens in an ongoing standoff between its faculty and principal. The school’s United Federation of Teachers chapter filed a grievance complaint in January alleging anti-union actions by the principal — and teachers have complained about what they call a “hostile” and unhealthy environment they say affects students. Five of the school’s 32 faculty members have left since the end of last school year. When school begins on Sept. 7, it will be without the librarian, interim acting assistant principal, or teachers for art, music and physical education students were familiar with from last year. With a new poll showing most New Yorkers think the city has already done enough for migrants — and the federal government ripping City Hall’s efforts to help them — the latest episode of the FAQ NYC podcast delves into what the crisis means for a place where a lot of people are “progressive in theory.” Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday's Weather Rating: 9/10. Is that a hint of fall in the air this morning?! High temps in the mid-70s, sunshine, low dew points and a great breeze. Some wildfire smoke passing several thousand feet overhead makes things slightly hazy, but the vibes are still pretty great! Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Friday, Sept. 1: The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “The Tempest,” through Sunday, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets are available. Saturday, Sept. 2: The famed West Indian American Day Carnival weekend kicks off, with several events beginning in the morning and lasting through Monday. Sunday, Sept. 3: Birdwatching: First Sunday Outings, an easy introduction to birding with the Brooklyn Bird Club and the Prospect Park Alliance. Audubon Center in Prospect Park, 8-10 a.m. Free. THE KICKER: Tatyana Koltunyuk — the 65-year-old victim of the first confirmed shark attack in New York City waters since the 1950s — still loves animals, according to her family, who spoke to Good Morning America in their first public appearance since the Aug. 7 attack at Rockaway Beach. Her daughter said that Koltunyuk, a nature lover, would want the public to “not hate on sharks, but to do everything we can to swim safely.” Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday. Love, THE CITY P.S. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here. THE CITY's work is made possible, in part, through the support of our sponsors. Interested in becoming a sponsor of THE CITY? Contact us here.  Copyright © 2023 THE CITY, All rights reserved.