WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 16, 2021 13
Electing Moya as City Council speaker would uplift Latino, Hispanic communities
BY DAVID CARABALLOSO
New York City is a place where individuals
from every corner of the Earth
come to live out their dreams and build
better lives. That diversity is our city’s
greatest strength. It is critical that our
leaders in city government reflect
what is best about New York City, not
just because it’s the right thing to do,
but because it is essential to ensuring
the fears, hopes, dreams and problems
of all New Yorkers are heard and understood
by those with power.
Born into a Cuban and Puerto-Rican
family and elected as the fi rst Latino
vice president of the 20,000-member
strong New York City Carpenters
Union, I believe it is vital we fi ll the
vacuum of high-ranking Latino leaders
in city government by choosing Councilman
Francisco Moya as the next
speaker of the New York City Council.
As a Latino leader of a union, I know
how important it is to elevate all voices
to leadership roles.
I started my career in the NYC Carpenters
Union as a member of Local 157,
the largest local union in the country,
which covers parts of the Bronx and
Manhattan. One of my major priorities
was, and still is, protecting hundreds
of non-union workers who are from
Latino and Hispanic communities by
organizing them into the union where
they can begin building safe and stable
careers for themselves. That includes
good jobs with great pay and benefi ts.
The brothers and sisters I organized
were able to do a 180-turn in life and
live the American Dream that people
from around the world come to NYC
for. Rather than continuing to work
on dangerous non-union construction
sites where their diversity wasn’t
valued and they were paid subpar
wages with no benefi ts, they sought
out a more rewarding path.
I speak from experience. Before I
joined the union, I had a long career
as a nonunion construction employee.
I didn’t understand how transformative
a union job could be for me. I also
didn’t see someone who looked like me
rising up in the ranks either. I couldn’t
have been more wrong. Aft er 15 years
as a rank-and-fi le member building up
our iconic skyline, I played an integral
role in the creation of a new local for
the next generation of concrete workers
— Local 212. Before long, I was
elected president and I have continued
to excel.
With close to 20 years of experience
in this industry, I have seen
fi rsthand the struggles of minorities
in nonunion construction. It is more
important than ever to ensure that
we create more opportunities for our
Latino brothers and sisters. That is my
primary focus now that I am serving
OP-ED
as vice president of the NYC District
Council of Carpenters. It’s with this experience
that I will help to uplift Latino
and Hispanic workers and leaders, just
as I have been uplift ed myself.
For years, Francisco Moya has
served in the City Council representing
the 21st District in Queens, which
comprises Corona, Jackson Heights
and East Elmhurst and is one of the
most diverse parts of our city. He has
shown experience and grit, standing
up to special interests in his time in the
City Council, as well as his time in the
New York State Assembly. As a native
New Yorker, he understands what our
communities need.
With Moya as speaker, Latino New
Yorkers will know that Mayor Eric
Adams has a strong partner protecting
them and their children, while
creating a more just and equitable
New York City.
Moya is the perfect person at the
perfect time for the job. He represents
what is best about New York City and
the values that we uphold in the union,
not just for our Latino and Hispanic
members, but for everyone.
I am proud that my union endorsed
him for New York City Council Speaker,
and I look forward to working with
him to ensure that we continue to
foster viable pathways for Latino and
Hispanic brothers and sisters to climb,
lead and prosper.
That is the New York dream, and the
American dream.
David Caraballoso is vice president
of the New York City District Council of
Carpenters.
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