DC 37 · Local 1070
Court, County, and Department of Probation Employees
Real advocacy.
A union that answers to ALL ITS MEMBERS first.
Image honoring Jerry Wurf, AFSCME President 1964-1981
"If we want to have a real union, we have to unite. Members from every chapter in support of a slate to make Local 1070 answer to the people who do the work."
—Leonard Morin
Leonard has spent decades doing the work members need a union president to do —fighting for better pay, defending constituents, building professional standards, speaking before city agencies, writing, researching, all without selling his values. The members are entitled to universal, honest, and trustworthy representation regardless of any divergence of opinion.
Staff Spanish interpreter at Manhattan Criminal Court since 2015. Federally certified interpreter since 2022. Graduate of the California School of Court Interpretation and the Court Interpreter Training Institute. Interpreting professionally since 2005.
Successive terms as delegate and Interpreter Chapter chair of Local 1070; president, secretary, and chair of the nominating committee of the New York Circle of Translators (NYCT). Co-author of The Evolution of a Profession: On the Reclassification of New York State Court Interpreters (NAJIT, 2019) — the foundational document for the interpreter reclassification fight that eventually led to a two-judicial-grade raise.
Regular reports to members on the status of contract negotiations. Financial reports to members as required by our constitutions, plus quarterly open books as our own commitment. Easy access to the Local 1070 Constitution. Negotiated contract made available expeditiously to members in print and online after execution as mandated in its Article 14.
Read the full plank →Fight for a better contract, using all the means the union has at its disposal: negotiate with management, lobby, appeal to public opinion, community, and political leaders. Draw on members as a resource in the work of the union.
Read the full plank →A leadership that shows up — at the workplace, online, in writing. Active engagement with both the city and the state court member titles that make up this local. More shop stewards empowered to fight for our members.
Read the full plank →Members were bound by a contract that was hard to obtain. The Local 1070 collective bargaining agreement for state employees covering 2021–2026 was not posted on the local's website until 2025, nor distributed to members in print until after it expired on April 1, 2026 — both developments coming only after Leonard had begun circulating a petition among members demanding publication of the contract under Article 14.
The people most publicly associated with the interpreter reclassification fight, which eventually gave rise to a two judicial grade reallocation, no longer hold positions. Why?
Public writings, public statements, or public advocacy by the current Local 1070 president in favor of our members. Members deserve a leader with a record.
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