LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION celebrating the career and legacy of "Labor's
Leading Lady" Lillian Roberts

WHEREAS, A great state is only as great as those individuals and organ-
izations who perform exemplary service to their community, whether
through unique achievement in a profession, service to the community or
other endeavors, or simply through a lifetime of good citizenship; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor the career and
legacy of "Labor's Leading Lady" Lillian Roberts; to celebrate this
auspicious occasion, District Council 37 (DC 37) will host a Legacy
Celebration in her honor on Friday, May 8, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Lillian Roberts began her distinguished career in the labor
movement working as a nurse's aide at the University of Chicago Hospital
in 1959, when she was invited by Victor Gotbaum to join his staff at
AFSCME; and
WHEREAS, With that start, Lillian Roberts would establish herself as
the preeminent voice of America's union worker; in 1965, she would come
to New York City to work as DC 37's Director of Hospital Field Oper-
ations, solidifying her position as a leader within the labor movement;
and
WHEREAS, Lillian Roberts' dedication to organized labor and the rights
of workers ran so deep that in 1969, rather than relinquish any ground
in the fight for respect and economic justice, and to win the right to
represent thousands of hospital employees, she was jailed for a month in
a futile attempt to thwart her organizing efforts, for allegedly violat-
ing an anti-strike law; and
WHEREAS, With Lillian Roberts as Associate Director from 1967 to 1981,
DC 37 built the nation's largest union education program and its member-
ship skyrocketed from 30,000 to 120,000; and
WHEREAS, From 1981 to 1987, she served the working people of the
Empire State as Labor Commissioner, becoming the first African-American
woman in this position; from 1987 to 1992, she was Senior Vice President
of Total Health Systems, an HMO, and in 2002, she returned to DC 37 and
was unanimously elected as the union's first female Executive Director
where she served with distinction until her retirement at the end of her
term in 2014; and
WHEREAS, For more than a decade, under her leadership, DC 37 thrived
and grew, becoming New York City's largest public employee union,
representing 125,000 public workers in New York City and State, 50,000
retirees, 1,000 job titles and 55 locals; and
WHEREAS, Lillian Roberts also served as a Vice President of the New
York State AFL-CIO, a Vice President of the NYC Central Labor Council,
and Co-Chair of the Municipal Labor Committee; she also holds a Doctor
of Humane Letters from the College of New Rochelle; and
WHEREAS, Lillian Roberts has received the NAACP Roy Wilkins Award, and
the Freedom Fighter Award from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists,
among numerous other awards; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the career and legacy of Lillian Roberts, and to wish her well
in all her future endeavors; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Lillian Roberts.