TESTIMONY
Raúl Rivera, Founder of NYC Drivers Unite, on Safety Concerns and Labor Issues in Security and Fire Safety Departments
2:57:07
·
147 sec
Raúl Rivera discusses safety and labor concerns, focusing on security officers' conditions at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and broader issues affecting these workers.
- Rivera highlights a past suicide at FIT and ongoing security issues, leading to multiple strikes demanding change.
- He criticizes the lack of support from the vice president of 32BJ's security division and announces a major upcoming strike.
- Rivera details underpayment of security officers, who are paid $16.70 per hour despite being licensed, vetted, and responsible for fire safety.
- The testimony calls for the removal of two public safety directors and underscores the fight for dignity and respect for security workers.
Raúl Rivera
2:57:07
Good afternoon, Jeremy.
2:57:09
Good afternoon.
2:57:10
My name is Raul Rivera.
2:57:11
I'm a TLC driver, and a TLC driver advocate.
2:57:14
I'm a proud taxi driver in the city with over 23,000 trips.
2:57:17
I'm the founder of NYC Drivers unite.
2:57:20
We have a petition to reform the TLC and someone will go to court to sue them.
2:57:26
I wanna share a quote before I forget it.
2:57:29
Our lives begin to end.
2:57:32
Today, we become silent about things that matter.
2:57:36
Martin Luther King, I wanna share another quote.
2:57:39
Humans first technology second today, tomorrow forever.
2:57:43
I wanna I wanna mention security, I wanna talk about IIM dual security.
2:57:49
There's a lot of issues in in in the security division when it comes to 32bj.
2:57:54
There was a I was working at FIT, the school on 277.
2:57:59
There was a suicide that that happened there because of poor security.
2:58:02
We've been striking since last year.
2:58:05
We had 3 strikes.
2:58:06
We tried to reach out to president Brown of the school.
2:58:10
We try to reach out to the deputy directors that that basically had me removed from the site.
2:58:16
There's a lot of issues happening around safety.
2:58:19
FIT, and we're striking against FIT to have these 2 public safety directors removed.
2:58:27
Mario Cabrera, and Ishmael Quandunu.
2:58:30
And we tried to speak with Israel Melendez.
2:58:33
He's the vice president to 32bj security division, and he he refused to listen to us.
2:58:40
He doesn't stand with his 32 bj security members.
2:58:44
So on March 3rd March 13, we're gonna have a big, big strike for the first time ever in front of 32 BJ safety is important for us.
2:58:54
We're we're underpaid.
2:58:55
We are licensed.
2:58:56
We are vetted.
2:58:57
And this has to do this has to do with fire safety.
2:59:00
We a lot of us are fire officers that we watched staircases.
2:59:04
We were put in places where a building was already burned down, and we have to be there present.
2:59:10
You need a fire watch guard there.
2:59:12
247 when there's a fire.
2:59:14
These fires that happened throughout the city.
2:59:16
And so we're striking for the drive excuse me, for the security officers.
2:59:21
They're getting paid $16.70 an hour, and we're licensed.
2:59:26
We're vetted.
2:59:27
We were fighting for dignity and respect.
2:59:29
We ask for the removal of these 2 public safety directors, and we thank you for the time.