Greetings, my readers. I was among many who attended DC 37 Lobby Day on Wednesday, March 4th, 2026. District Council 37 is New York City’s largest union, and several 100 members went up to Albany for the purpose of advocating for several issues that concern working class New Yorkers.
As many of us all realize in our day to day lives, working people struggle to survive economically. Higher rents, higher utility bills, and higher grocery bills squeeze us all in one way or another. Not content with observing this as a fact of life, DC 37 made its voice heard with elected officials upstate. Given that unions are a large part of any elected official’s constituency, it is appropriate to raise demands on them.
There were a number of issues addressed during this meeting session. Among them were the calls to Fix Tier 6, Increase state tax revenue by raising taxes on millionaires, and pushing for increasing workers safety.
A quick explanation of the matter of Tier 6. City employees who have a retirement plan through NYCERS and joined service after March 16, 2012 were automatically slotted into Tier 6. Anyone in Tier 6 pays more into their pension as their pay increases, and they pay longer, only to receive a smaller pension than previous Tiers. DC 37 is advocating that the contribution rate is capped at 3 percent for public employees. This would provide economic relief for so many affected city workers.
Also a key plank in the advocacy points from Wednesday was the call for the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence. Quiet as kept, another front on the battle against AI has opened up. This time from the perspective of the working person. DC 37 is advocating for the regulation of AI, as employers are now utilizing it to automate decision making, and manage via algorithm. The point of raising the issue, is so that AI will not be weaponized to replace human labor. DC 37 is calling on law makers to support the Boundaries on Technology Act, in addition to the NY Artificial Intelligence Act, and Protecting Merit and Fitness.
It is encouraging to see that DC 37 is taking initiative in protecting its members from the potential abuses of AI implementation. I recommend readers take a look at the cover article in the March 2026 issue of Public Employee Press. The piece is titled: Making AI work for Labor by Acacia Rodriguez
The lobby group that I was part of met with State Senator John C. Liu. After the meeting sessions, the day culminated with a rally to Fix Tier 6 at the Million Dollar Staircase. In a spirited rally, joined by CSEA– another union affected by Tier 6, workers called on elected officials to reform the pension system to the benefit of its members.
Lobby Day 2026 was a necessary show of solidarity for the unions in New York.