Social Service Employees Union. Local 371

Social Service Employees Union Local 371 is part of District Council 37 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFL-CIO). The union primarily represents New York City workers in the social service professions. Although the origins of the union can be traced back to the 1930s, their modern story begins in the bitter cold of January 1965 when more than 8,000 welfare workers spent 28 days on union picket lines and leaders from what were then two separate entities, the Social Service Employees Union and Local 371, went to jail. Besides winning salary increases and improvements in conditions for their clients, the strike resulted in a number of firsts including the first 100 percent city-paid health insurance, an effective grievance procedure, and the establishment of a panel made up of representatives of labor, the city, and the public that led to what is today known as the New York City's Office of Collective Bargaining. Two more strikes, both unsuccessful, took place in 1967; finally, in 1969, the two unions merged. Under the leadership of presidents Martin Morgenstern, Stanley Hill, Joe Sperling and Charles Ensley, among others, the union has grown in diversity over the years. Although caseworkers still make up the single largest segment of the SSEU's membership, the union now represents over 150 title categories including counselors, social workers, investigators, and residence staff.