October 4, 2011: Wear GREEN to show your support to all the DC37 workers – Rally at City Hall, 4-6PM

Stop Bloomberg from Laying Offover 700 School Workers!

DC 37 employees play a critical role in our school community as parent coordinators, tech support, and school aides who help our schools run like clockwork. They are invaluable members of our community that our schools cannot function without. In a time when schools are already suffering tremendously under the weight of budget cuts, our ability to “do more with less” will be even more impossible than it already is. These layoffs not only hurt the learning of all children, but they also disproportionally impact low-income communities of color, such as Harlem,Washington Heights, and Brooklyn. Many of these areas are slated to lose up to 25% of their DC 37 staff members! Additionally, these cuts are not necessary when the city is in a time of surplus. We have little time to act! Let’s stop the mayor’s unnecessary layoffs and support schools, save jobs, and defend the right for every child to have the equal opportunity to learn!

· Use the articles linked below to inform your coworker about the layoffs.
Gotham Schools: http://gothamschools.org/2011/08/29/dc-37-official-cutting-school-aides-wont-save-city-much-money/
Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/08/26/2011-08-26_doe_layoffs_hit_poor_areas_hardest.html
NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2011/09/20/school-aides-rally-for-their-jobs/?scp=21&sq=nyc%20department%20of%20education&st=cse

· Survey the DC37 workers about how much they know about the layoffs

· Wear GREEN to show your support to all the DC37 workers throughout the city.

· Join DC37 workers at City Hall to protest the layoffs of over 700 school staff from 4pm to 6pm.

· Call 311 and tell the Mayor to Stop the Layoffs of all 700 DC37 workers. Our students need these workers and there is a surplus in the budget.

· Have your co-workers sign the petition (hard copy attached to this e-mail, link: http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-michael-r-bloomberg-stop-the-layoff-of-essential-dc37-school-staff-on-oct-7th to stop the layoffs.)
Let’s keep showing the city that we have teachers and a union that cares about our schools and kids!

Brought to you by the Fight Back Friday Committee
Please E-Mail fbfcommittee@gmail.com to let us know you are participating.