Number 102

October, 2007

Organize! -- Building the labor movement is everyone's job.

With only 14% of the American workforce in unions, everyone agrees that organizing is an imperative. John Dillon, President of Local 440, City of Joliet, and Tod Williams, President of Local 801, the Kewanee Youth Center, have taken that message to heart.

In recent weeks, John has added 30 part-time workers to his bargaining unit and Tod has brought a unit of 16 drug treatment personnel employed by ABTC, a drug treatment vendor in his facility, into the union. Congratulations to John and Tod!

Organizing is everyone's job, not just the national union, or the Council, but every local has a stake and a role to play. Look around your workplace to make sure that everyone who could possibly be in the union is where they need to be.

VMO Training -- About 15 AFSCME members from throughout the state congregated in Hillside over the last weekend in September to participate in AFSCME's Volunteer Member Organizer (VMO) training.

The program is designed to equip AFSCME members with the skills needed to assist in union organizing campaigns. The program has been successful in preparing hundreds of AFSCME members throughout the country to contribute to organizing victories, by either helping out after work and on weekends, or in some cases while on leave from their regular employment.

If you think you might be interested in volunteering to help build the union or know someone who'd like to try doing the hard work of organizing, contact the Council 31 Organizing Director, Tracey Abman at traceya@afscmeillinois.org.

Lots of Heart in the Heartland -- For three months the brave, determined employees of Heartland Human Services, a non-profit provider of mental health services in Effingham, have been on strike against their employer. In fighting for their first contract against a mean-spirited employer, the members of Local 3494 have not backed down nor backed up.

They have been joined both on the picket line and in reaching out for community support by AFSCME locals from throughout the region. And locals from all across the state have been generous in making contributions to the Council 31 Solidarity Fund, which pays strike benefits.

Three months is a long time to spend on a picket line, but our brothers and sisters in Effingham are determined to stay out as long as it takes to win the respect they deserve.

I hope that any local that hasn't yet made a contribution to help these brave members will make a generous contribution to the Solidarity Fund. And if your local has already made one, make another if your treasury permits. Checks should be made payable to the Solidarity Fund and mailed to the Springfield Council office.

What a Difference -- A little less than two years ago, members of Local 3433 in Fulton County, led by their President Trudy Williams, struck their employer over the issue of health insurance premiums. After spending ten days on the picket line, the local won its strike.

Many of the County Board members felt that the Board Chairwoman caused the strike, and after the 2006 election, the Board elected a new chairperson who was determined not to have a repeat of the 2005 strike. First, the Board Chair announced that the County would no longer use the outside anti-union attorney it had previously employed as its spokesman in contract negotiations. Then, when the County Administrator position became open, the Board Chair appointed a six-person committee to screen the candidates, including none other than Local 3433's Trudy Williams.

It's much more comfortable on the inside than it is outside on a cold picket line, but sometimes you've got to kick down the door to get there. That's exactly what Trudy and her members did.

Trudy, enjoy your seat at the table. You and your local earned it.

Think Again -- Any public employee who thinks his or her job is one that couldn't be privatized should take pause at the revelations concerning Blackwater USA, a private security firm operating in Iraq. The company, which is paid as much as $1200 per employee by the State Department, is charged with providing security to U.S. State Department officials.

According to a recently released Congressional report, Blackwater employees were involved in over 200 shootings in the past two years.

If the job of protecting U.S. diplomats in a war zone can be privatized, which jobs can't?

Of course, you'd think the revelations about Blackwater would give pause to privatization cheerleaders. The company's antics resulted in the Iraqi government's demand that Blackwater be barred from the country.

Of the approximately 800 Blackwater employees in Iraq, over the past three years 122 have been dismissed for misuse of weapons, drug or alcohol abuse, lewd conduct, or violent behavior.

Imagine the outcry if a governmental agency had a record like that. But if there's one thing we can be sure of, the privateers will be undeterred by the investigation's findings. After all, Blackwater turns a tidy profit, and -- after all -- that's the bottom line for conservative critics of government.

Thirty Years -- On Friday, October 12, local union delegates will assemble for the union's biennial convention. This year marks Council 31's 30th anniversary.

Over the last three decades, AFSCME members have made giant strides in improving both the compensation and job rights of public service workers. But much work remains to be done. Those victories have made us a target for the enemies of public workers and public services.

Our founders laid the foundation for building this union with few resources beyond their will and determination. As we enter our fourth decade, we do have more resources and experience, but public services are under increasing assault. However, if convention delegates display the same determination and unity, I'm confident we'll continue the progress we have made since that founding convention in 1977.

In solidarity,