For Immediate Release
Monday, September 24, 2001
AFSCME to Move Conference to New York to Show Solidarity with City and its Victims
Meeting Dedicated to Firefighter Chaplain Mychal Judge & Other Members Lost
Washington, DC —Responding to encouragement by Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to return economic vitality to New York City, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, announced today that it will move a major conference originally planned for Boston to New York in a gesture of solidarity with the city.
AFSCME's biennial Women's Conference, expected to draw some 1,500 union members from the eastern region of the country, will be dedicated to the memory of AFSCME members who have lost their lives in the tragic events of September 11. This includes Father Mychal F. Judge, Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department and an AFSCME member of Local 299, District Council 37, who died while assisting a firefighter. Another seven AFSCME members are not yet accounted for, including five state employees represented by the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)/Local 1000 and two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) from Local 2507, District Council 37.
"This is one small action we can take to support the city, our New York members, the victims and their families and the rescue workers," explained AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. The union has also established a fund for union members and their families who have suffered as a result of the tragedy and is assisting with other citywide relief efforts.
The conference will be held November 16-18 at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers. Members will honor our public sector heroes, discuss the importance of public service, and address other issues of importance to union members, such as worker and workplace safety.
The decision to relocate the conference was made as major media headlines are reporting the widespread cancellation of conferences and meetings in New York and other cities.
AFSCME is the largest public service union in the nation and represents 1.3 million members nationwide. CSEA represents over 220,000 workers in New York State, including more than 300 state employees in the World Trade Center. District Council 37, located only two blocks from ground zero, represents over 120,000 New York City workers, including more than 3,000 EMTs.
