Who turned the Knicks championship into a celebration? AFSCME members, that’s who
When the New York Knicks captured their first NBA championship in 53 years, countless fans celebrated. But before the confetti rained down on Broadway, AFSCME members were already working hard making sure New York City was ready.
Members of AFSCME Local 1455 (District Council 37), who keep the city’s Department of Transportation running, spent days preparing the parade route, moving street signs and installing the special “Champions Way” signs that transformed Broadway into the center of the celebration.
“As people would notice us, it was photos, people cheering, chanting, ‘Let’s go Knicks! We’re the champions!’” said Traffic Device Maintainer Woolford Goveia. “Those couple of days, you felt like you were part of the actual celebration.”
For Goveia, the assignment carried special meaning. A lifelong Knicks fan, he had dreamed of this moment since he was a child.
“It was an honor for me,” he said. “I’ve been a fan since I came to this country at age 3.”
His co-worker, fellow Traffic Device Maintainer Ali Murphy, felt the same pride.
“Growing up in New York, this really made me feel like I was part of the team,” Murphy said. “I’ve been a lifelong Knicks fan, so helping prepare the city for a championship after all these years was something I’ll never forget. As AFSCME members, we were behind the scenes making the celebration happen, and seeing friends and family recognize our work all over the media made me incredibly proud. It really felt like we were part of bringing this moment to New York.”
Traffic Device Maintainer Jonathan Gonzalez shared that sense of pride.
“I thought it was so cool to be a part in such a huge historical event,” Gonzalez said. “It being 53 years since the last Knicks championship, it was special to be one of the guys putting up the ‘Champions Way’ signs.”
While fans packed the streets to celebrate the historic win, AFSCME members were behind the scenes ensuring the route was ready for players, families and hundreds of thousands of supporters.
Usually, Goveia said, his crew is “seen but not seen” as they install and repair the traffic signs that keep New Yorkers safe every day.
“But those couple of days,” he said, “people were cheering as we were putting up a sign. That’s what we do every day … but it felt like you were part of something bigger.”
From preparing Broadway to welcoming champions home, AFSCME members proved once again that public service workers help make New York City’s biggest moments happen.
