New York City school crossing guards won a well-deserved and much needed raise, thanks to an agreement they reached with city officials through their union.
The agreement boosts the wages of up to 4,500 members of AFSCME District Council 37, including the 350 school crossing guards, to $11.50 an hour from $9.88. The increase went into effect April 1.
“Our members are on the front lines of public service, yet too many have been trapped by low pay in the city they work hard for,” said DC 37 Exec. Dir. Henry Garrido. “These long overdue, well-deserved increases will help ease that burden. This agreement is part of DC 37’s commitment to achieving a living wage for all city employees. We will not rest until that goal is met.”
Shaun D. Francois I, president of the Board of Education Employees, AFSCME Local 372, which represents school crossing guards, praised Garrido for “his sharp focus on this, working with us and other locals on this issue.”
“This is only the beginning of the fight for a living wage for all,” Francois said.
New York City school crossing guards save lives, keeping thousands of students safe on the streets every day of the school year. But their jobs are not risk-free.
On March 19, Marie Cox, a 75-year-old crossing guard, was hit by a car at an intersection in the New York City neighborhood of Queens while directing traffic. Witnesses say she hit the ground hard and was bleeding from the head before she was taken for emergency care in critical condition. She has since recovered.