MAYOR GIULIANI AWARDS FORMER WEP WORKERS FOR EXCELLENT JOB PERFORMANCE
The Mayor Commends DC 37 Local 372 for Support of Workfare Initiative
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today honored 35 participants of the Work Experience Program (WEP) during an awards ceremony held at District Council 37 headquarters in Lower Manhattan. The former WEP participants, who are now employed full-time with the Office of School, Food and Nutrition Services at the Board of Education received certificates of recognition for their excellent job performance.
Joining the Mayor at today's ceremony were Stanley Hill, District Council 37 Executive Director; Charles Hughes, President of DC 37 Local 372; members of Local 372 and guests.
"This ceremony is evidence of what people can achieve when they get encouragement and support to turn their lives around," Mayor Giuliani. "When I came into office four years ago, the public assistance rolls were rising dramatically. With over 1 million people on welfare and that number projected to grow to 1.2 million, the City was in the midst of its longest sustained period of welfare growth of the last 25 years.
"Welfare was destroying the lives of men, women and children by robbing them of their self-esteem, freedom and independence," the Mayor continued. "When we began our welfare program close to three years ago, many cynics argued that the City lacked compassion and that we were degrading people by sending them to work. I believe that it is far crueler to trap people in a state of dependency and deny them the opportunity to seize control over their lives."
"I would like to thank Stanley Hill and Charlie Hughes for their cooperation and support in making the workfare program such a great success. But most of all I would like to congratulate all of the hard working New Yorkers here today who have taken control of their lives. You are an inspiration and you are leading others by your example. Congratulations and happy holidays," the Mayor concluded.
Since the City's Welfare reform efforts began in March 1995, there are 338,476 fewer people on welfare, a 29 percent reduction.
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