Afscme Works Fall 2011

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Fll 2011

6Cover story

14Economic Recovery

Relies on Jobs

16Wall Street Targetsthe Middle Class

FSCME members nationwideare coming together to ght forjobs and justice in the workpace.RE ESE CvSS SRES PE 6.


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n the Cover Photo:KINETIK

6A Personal Battleon Main treetAFSCME members nationwide are

resisting eorts to strip away collective

bargaining and other basic worker

rights. See how they are fghting priva-

tization, supporting essential public

services and pushing back against

other corporate-backed assaults on

working amilies and their unions.

Cover

story

DiDD unin ug by her detractors,

67-year-old nacy gray refses to be tmdated.

i dot care what they call me, she says. Bt f t

meas look after my people so they dot lose

ther jobs, yes, i ca be rm ad festy!

gray recetly retred bt ot before

complet a battle she had vowed to w. Whe

the smoke cleared, gov. Ja Brewer () had

vetoed a measre that wold have prvatzed

vtal cty servces.

eletless ht what she calls the

at-o ams here Phoex ad across

the uted tates, gray stroly beleves that

a jry to oe s a jry to all. hats why ill

ever ve p the ht.Photo: Sheri Vanhorsen

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VisitWORKSonline at ascme.org

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PRoduCEd by ThE AFSCMECoMMuniCATionS dEPARTMEnT

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Cytha McCabeSSS ERS

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KiniK ic., Washto, DCwww.ketkcom.com

202.429.1145 eephone202.659.0446202.429.1120 Fa

Facebook facebook.com/afscmewitter twtter.com/afscmeE-mai [email protected] www.afscme.or

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Periodica postage paid atWashington, C, and additionamaiing ofces.

PoSTMASTER, SEnd AddRESSChAngES To:

FSCME WRKS1625 l Street, WWashington, C 20036

Fll 2011 vluME 5, uMER 3

inTERnATionAl PRESidEnTgerald W. Mctee

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12yesterda, odaand omorrowAFSCMEs 75th anniversary,

observed this year, is cause

or more than celebration. Its

also a time to reect on the key

accomplishments o the Green

Machines 1.6 million members.

16Crossroads PutsAmerican Dreamin CrosshairsSuper-rich Wall Street and ig

usiness tycoons are bankrolling

right-wing attacks on the middle

class. o advance their agenda,

they contribute lavishly to groups

created by ormer Pres. George W.

ushs craty political advisor, arl

ove. Find out what the Middle

Class is up against.

DLing Wi Dngu CiMinL s

someth Cadace ccord s sed to, bt ot

speak before state leslators. i March, she

fod herself do jst that, demad that

coservatve lawmakers back off plas to take

away workers rhts.

im a lot more passoate abot poltcs

ow, abot decsos affect famly, freds,

co-workers ad especally retrees, ccord

admts. i feel reat ea more people

abot or overors polces ad how they

mpact or lves here mercas heartlad.

Photo: Charlie Wishman

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28Next WaversMeet to DiscussChallengeshree groups o AFSCME members

young activists, nurses and public

saety ofcers met in separate

conerences recently to learn about

the challenges acing the union and

to gain the skills to conront them.

Des Moines, Iowa

Heart and esolvein the Heartland


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ncouraging a Movement Pres.

Gerald W. McEntee addressed attendees

during the opening day of the 2011 ext

Wave Conference. Photo: Alex Jones

AFSCME MEMbErS ArE CoMMittEd to public

service. All of us share a core value, one that was held by the

men and women who created our union during the mostchallenging days of the Great Depression. Its an understand-

ing that each of us has to take personal responsibility formaking life better for those with whom we share our commu-

nities and country. Whether you work in a hospital or courthouse, whether you work on the road or in a prison, the work

you do is special. It requires women and men with special

talents to do it. And it shows in the willingness you demon-strate to get involved, to be active and to make a difference

in big ways and small.

Get America Working

Across the country this year, our members are leading the ght

against the unprecedented attacks that anti-worker legislators

and governors have directed toward public employees. Inmore than a dozen states, our right to collective bargaining

came under assault, as if public employees were responsiblefor the economic crisis created by Wall Street greed and hands-

off regulators in Washington, DC. Scapegoating will not turn

the nations economy around. Jobs will do that. That is whywe urge Congress to swiftly pass President Obamas American

Jobs Act (see Page 14), to get America working again.

Main Street Movement

In state after state, AFSCME members have pulled

together to nd real solutions to our problems. You canread about several of them in this issue cover story

(see Pages 6 through 10). Our members are leading a new

Main Street Movement that is standing up to the WallStreet nanciers and the billionaires who think the e conomy

should only work for them. Were ghting for an economythat works for everyone.

Thats why in Wisconsin this August, Next Wavers

were out with retirees mobilizing the votes to remove twoanti-worker state senators. They also successfully protected

three pro-worker senators who were targeted by the WallStreet forces for standing up for collective bargaining. Now,

in Ohio, our members are engaged in the historic ght to

overturn Senate Bill 5 on the ballot. The legislation they arevoting on is part of a national effort to destroy the middle

class by eliminating the right of workers to bargain for fairpay, benets and working conditions. Thats why AFSCME

members are mobilizing to get record numbers to the pollson Nov. 8. We need ever yone in Ohio who cares about pro-

tecting the middle class to vote NO on Issue 2.

Telling Our Side

AFSCME members are on the frontlines in every cornerof the country, telling our side of the story to the media,

canvassing neighbors, organizing rallies, speaking up in thecommunity, and signing up co-workers for PEOPLE. You are

lobbying, writing letters, tweeting and posting stories of our

commitment on Facebook. You are doing what you havealways done, standing up, proud and powerful, and making

our union stronger in the struggle.Fifty years ago, Pres. John F. Kennedy inspired

Americans in all walks of life to become more active in publiclife. He created programs like the Peace Corps and VISTA to

provide new avenues where Americans could serve. President

Kennedy noted that one person can make a difference andevery person should try. Just as it was true a half century ago,

it remains true today. Every AFSCME member has the abilityto make a difference during these challenging times. And its

up to each of us to try.

EIF AMAI SEE MVEME

EVE AFSCME MEME AS E

AII MAkE A IFFEECE IGESE CAEGIG IMES. A ISP EAC F S .

gERald W. MCEntEEinternationaL PresiDent

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EEGIzEF EFIG

eady for Action Sec.-reas.

ee A. Saunders addresses attendees

of AFSCMEs Public Safety Congress

in ouston, exas. Photo: Luis Gomz

SinCE thE AttACkS on AFSCME members began, Ive

traveled coast to coast to stand with the social workers, correc-

tions ofcers, nurses and school bus drivers of our union. Iveseen us respond with energy, determination and, above all, the

optimism that comes from believing that together, we can win.We understand how difcult these battles are. Yet

even in the face of the short-term defeats that have come ourway, we have been resilient. Our sisters and brothers strength

has inspired not just members of our union, and not just other

labor movement activists, but also workers throughout ournation who, until now, have felt ignored and demoralized.

Concern About the Future

Everywhere Ive gone, Ive seen members of our AFSCMEfamily get angry but anger has stoked activism and made us

want to ght back. It also inspired members to get their

friends and neighbors involved and to bring other activistsand organizations onto the frontlines. Weve built strong

coalitions in every place were under attack, because peoplenow understand that its not just union members or workers in

state and local governments whose security is threatened; the

American dream itself is at risk.I was in New York City this past spring to protest the

mayors drastic proposal for child care cuts. During the rally, aDistrict Council 1707 member said to me, This is not about

our jobs. This is about what happens to these children. If wedont take care of our kids, what does that say about us? It

was a simple statement but it spoke volumes about this sis-

ters concern for the future.

Outpouring of Support

When I was in Madison, Wis., I was astounded by the out-

pouring of support for our members, who are the backboneof every community. Union members, of course, came out in

droves including police ofcers and reghters who were

exempted from the worst parts of the governors anti-unionlaw, but stood with us nonetheless. Even more remarkable,

however, were the students, retirees, farmers and environ-mentalists who joined us.

In this tough year, AFSCME has actually grown

stronger. These ghts focused us on what we do well, andwhat we can do better. For instance, we have partnered with

afliates, not only sending nancial help, but developingplans of action and committing other resources to help exe-

cute those plans.

Here are a few other examples:

Weve also created new tools, such as legislative

hotlines through which AFSCME members placednearly 100,000 calls.

We invested in an aggressive Facebook campaign todefeat a paycheck deception bill. More than 850,000

people saw the campaign, and whether they were

Democrats, Republicans or Independents, manyof them liked what we had to say.

Through the new Faces and Voices program, rank-and-le members are trained as spokespersons,

using their personal stories and facts from their

home states to speak up for public services andworkers rights. Paul Brewer, a Council 79 member,

said the training helped him get a letter-to-the-editor published and deliver a clear, succinct

message in a television interview.

Pull Together

Theres no doubt these are challenging times. And it looksas though things will not get easier anytime soon. But in

these kinds of times, you face a choice: Hope that the sameold tactics will result in victory, or pull together and ght

back with new energy and new strategies. Our union has

made the right decision.

EVE I E FACE F E S-EM

EFEAS A AVE CME WA, AFSCMESISES A ES AVE EE ESIIE.

lEE a. SaundERSinternationaL seCretarY-treasurer

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aura Peterson slept overnight on a cold stone oor in theWisconsin Capitol to ensure she would be heard in the morningby lawmakers. enny Allen became the voice o hundredso ew orkers losing their jobs and their benefts, even ascancer sapped his strength. Elena lackman and racy Wiggins

overcame shyness, picking up microphones to speak out at ralliesor their ellow public employees and public services.

Across the country, AFSCME members outraged by right-wing attacks on collective bargaining and the American middle class,and tired o seeing jobs lost in their communities are shoulderingunprecedented roles as activists. heyre tired o watchingpoliticians placate the same corporations that ship American jobsoverseas and dodge taxes on their multi-billion-dollar profts.

Aided and sustained by AFSCMEs resources, their

eorts and personal sacrifces orm the backbone o what wecall the Main Street Movement.

ut the Main Street Movement cannot rely solely on thecontributions o a dedicated ew. ou can play a vital role, byvolunteering, attending rallies and staying inormed. ead on orthe stories o your ellow AFSCME members doing just that.GE ISPIE. GE IVVE.

Jo the Ma treet Movemet. go to AFSCME.org/jobsto s or petto ad et volved.

by Jon MElEgRito

A PESAAEMAI SEEMadison, Wis.

Feedingthe ForcesMike Quieto

LY n in Mi PuBLiC P of gov.cott Walkers () ef fort to crsh pblc os thspast wter, Mke Qeto headed to a room theCaptol be sed as a commad ceter for actvsts.upo arrval, he dscovered that the 50 or so volteersthere were ssta themselves maly wth pzza

ad dohts ot the stff of stama. Dae Coty admstratve spport clerk ad

member of Local 60 (Cocl 40), Qeto, 34, wet toacto as a cook, ad the ext day, the vt smells ofbeef stew ad veetable sop wafted from a cople ofslow cookers o top of a mprompt food stad.

For early two weeks, Qeto spet sx horseach ht chopp meat ad veetables ad cooksops ad stews, crres ad casseroles. ach mor,he loaded p the meals ad wheeled them ve blocks tothe Captol. For aother hor every eve, he vsted

rocery co-ops ad restarat owers who were happyto doate fresh spples for hs temporary ktche.

Cook s a part of Qetos famly leacy. ehals from three eeratos of farmers who caedeveryth they rased tomatoes, ree beas, cor ad he rew p watch hs mother labor the k tche.

i saw my role as fel the protest wthhealthy food, says Qeto, who also volteers as acommty sop ktche orazer. Yo ca lve olyso lo o starch ad sar.

the last day, he posted ths s by hs

stad: ve wth the Crock-Pots oe, the occpatowll lve o!

Mike Quieto ocal 60, Wisconsin

Council 40. Photo: Greg Dixon

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Richwood, Ohio

Armed with Clipboard,He Joins the BattleJames Adkins

F Diing M n 3,000 MiL ad collect- early 2,000 satres o the petto aastB 5, James dks feels empowered. Maybe thatsbecase he oly set ot to collect half that may.

member of C Chapter 4710, the50-year-old correctos ofcer from chwood

tally plaed to collect 1,000 satres. Bti was ecoraed to et more whe jst as mayepblcas as Democrats were tell me that B 5wet too far.

the last day of the petto drve, dksleared that C eeded 50 more satres to ptthem over the top. here were thderstorms, herecalls. Bt they ddt stop me ad my wfe fromo ot to s p folks. We were at t from daw todsk, wth clpboards oe had ad mbrellas theother. d we made t happe.

What ddt happe was the vacato dkshad bee look forward to last May. i was otrkey ht Delaware, he says. Bt that was asmall sacrce for a mch ber prze ett B 5spporters to chae ther mds.

d to make sre hoas vote november,dks swore off deer ht ctober. he trkeysad the deer wll always be there, he says. Bt oro may ot be f we dot do someth ths year.

San Jose, Calif.

In the renchesfor the First imelena Blackman

Ln BLCKMn CnFin. ive everbee ay kd of actvst my lfe, she says. Btwhe the cty tred to take away or bara rhts,i kew i had to stad p ad ht.

workers-compesato adjster for 23 years,Blackma ddt eed ay prompt to step ot of her

comfort zoe ad speak p for the rst tme whe sheleared a ballot measre posed by the cty wold t ctyworkers pesos ad otsorce crcal pblc servces.

Los or rhts wold be devastat to myfamly, my co-workers ad to everyth i haveworked hard for all my lfe, she says.

Blackma leared what t meat to bemstreated whe her mother, a mmrat fromncaraa, edred racal slrs whle work as aseamstress. he foht back, Blackma says. hetaht me to hold my head hh ad be prod of who

i am. its that memory that woke me p. i feel lkeive bee asleep for 20 years.

o the 56-year-old radmother whod everheld a mcrophoe ad cosdered herself extremelyshy took to a stae a Jose ad bea exhortayoe who wold lste to ht cty hall. acrcprecos famly tme o eves ad weekeds, shewet ot wth Local 101 (Cocl 57) co-workers,kock o doors ad collect satres aastthe devastat ballot measre. o stave off the ot-sorc of her departmets work, she eve

addressed the cty cocl at a meet.We saved or jobs, she says prodly. i kow

what t meas to be mstreated. hs s a wake-p call.ive oly jst be to ht.

Madison, Wis.

leeplessin MadisonLaura Peterson

WiL Qui W CKing, Lara Peterso was aother area of the Captol, do her part to keepthe occpato tdy. Wear a marshals vest, theuversty of Wscos rodskeeper helped ora-ze a clea-p crew to eate the protest ste daly.

member of Local 171 (Cocl 24), Peterso

had tally oe to the Captol to testfy at the eatehears o Walkers so-called bdet-repar bll. hewated 11 hors for her tr to testfy, ly o a coldmarble oor wth oly her coat for cover. he htbefore, she had otte oly two hors of sleep afterpost yers all over the cty, sed ews releasesto ad rado statos ad remd co-workersabot the rally. he week before, Peterso pt 42hors three days plow sow.

lthoh weary, she maaed to testfy effec-tvely at 6 :30 a.m. the follow mor. os

applase from protest spporters ot her adrealow for days. ive ever bee ths volved before,Peterso admts. Bt whe i leared that the bll wasabot bst os, i felt i had to speak p.

fter her testmoy, she volteered to edther os weekly ewsletter, to keep members fllyformed ad spr them to acto.

goveror Walkers oeros bll passed, btthe otpor of spport from all over the cotry forWscos workers left her wth a stro sese ofoptmsm. What happeed here ted people across

os ad across commtes, says Peterso.

Laura Peterson ocal 171, Wisconsin

Council 24. Photo: Greg Dixon

James Adkins hio Civil

Service Employees Association

ocal 11 (CSEA Chapter 4710).

Photo: OCSEA

lena Blackman ocal 101,

Caliornia Council 57. Photo: David Bacon

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Lansing, Mich.

eady to unfor fceick Price

iCK PiC, 61, i FD uP wth rht-w polt-cas war o the mddle class that he s posed to rfor elected ofce hmself.

elevator spector for the statesDepartmet of Cosmer ad idstry ervces ad amember of the Mcha tate mployees ssocato(M), Prce wats to stop gov. ck yder () ad

hs arch-coservatve alles.hey are tak everyth away from the

work mddle class ad mak ths a socety of rchad poor, he says. now they wat to ct or waes.hat st rht.

Prce wrtes to elected ofcals, pettos forthe recall of the overor ad atteds protest ralles,cld oe call for the repeal of the so-calledlocal dctator law, whch stalls emerecy maaerswho ca dsbad elected boards ad revoke collectvebara areemets.

ive bee lv a ormal, commo lfe lke they that i am, says Prce. its bee oly recetly thative felt the eed to stad p ad speak ot.

e has hs shts set o a seat the tatessembly. Whe that happes, Prce declares,

ill be ot there stad p for the commo y.

Boston, Mass.

urning a Pagein Local Labor Historyracy Wiggins

Y D Dn i. fter a heated battle, ews came thssmmer that for Bosto pblc lbrares tareted forclos wold at least temporarly rema ope thaks tothe actvsm of racy Ws ad her colleaes.

Ws was more tha jst releved. hsmeas that my co-workers stll have jobs, says the43-year-old lbrary assstat. it meas these facltes

wll rema ope to or commty. member of Local 1526 (Cocl 93),

Ws became a lead spokesperso aast acty cocl pla to sht dow the braches ad lay off75 employees. if we ddt cry ot, we cold havelost, she says.

hy ad reserved, Ws moved by theplht of her co-workers ad the potetal loss to thecommty smmoed the corae to speak pblc for the rst tme at a hear before the lbraresboard of trstees. no oe else cold do t o that day,

so i was chose, she recalls. i was really petredad i developed laryts. Bt i kept thk of mycoworkers who were o to lose the r jobs.

Fortately, she recovered her voce shortlybefore the hear ad became the voce of thosewhose jobs were o the le.

av worked lbrares for 22 years,Ws kows may of the elderly ad the chldrefrom low-come ehborhoods who come toher brach relarly. Becase of them, she vows,

im ready to jmp aytme to ht the ht.

New York City

he UltimateFighting ChampionLenny Allen

LL nC, LnnY LLn fod hmself ht forhs job, hs o brothers ad ssters, ad hs lfe.

Whe the new York Cty f f-rack Bet tCorporato sht dow last December, lle adearly 1,000 members of Local 2021 (DC 37) lost therjobs. other 800 of the aecys retrees lost therhealth srace ad spplemetal beets.

traed by the closre, DC 37 membersmarched o the tate Captol lbay demadthat leslators save the jobs ad beets of ff-rackBett employees. lle marched wth them, evethoh he was dero chemotherapy that sappedhs eery. Follow the rally, he made several trpsto lbay ad, alo wth other labor leaders adrak-ad-le members, lobbed Democratc adepblca leaders to reverse ther decso.

lles voce ad presece were lod advsble at press cofereces ad pblc evets.

he blls that wold reestablsh ff-rack Bettwere sccessfl.

i am determed to ha there ad httl or members et ther jobs back ad or ret reesare made whole aa, says the 31-year FCMvetera. im ot oe who ves p.

Lenny Allen ocal 2021,

ew ork istrict Council 37

(C 37). Photo: DC 37racy Wiggins ocal 1526,

Massachusetts Council 93.

Photo: Linda Corcoran

ick Price Michigan State

Employees Association (MSEA).

Photo: Karen Murphy

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Memphis, Tenn.

Keeping a Legacyof Justice AliveCynthia Hart

CYni W nLY 10 Y LD whe theMemphs satato workers of Local 1733 marchedwth Dr. Mart Lther K, Jr., dr the 1968 ar-bae workers strke. Forty-three years later, art sow a satato worker ad member of that samelocal, ht a smlar battle.

im prod of ther leacy, says art of her

predecessors 1733. Bt years later, were stllht t. Why? Becase the people chare dotcare abot Ks leacy ad the strle or mem-bers wet throh to a dty ad respect. Wehave to keep ther sprt alve.

Despte a rel schedle at the arbaedmps, art helped oraze her coworkers arally aast a cty cocl pla to prvatze sold-wastecollecto. lthoh the workers prevaled, the prvat-zato proposal cold come forward aa. if t does,

Well be ready wth or placards ad bllhors.

arts dream s to bld commty ardesad trasform blhted ehborhoods, oe block at atme. ee ths row ca lf t p the sprt of thshrt cty, she says. id rather be tll sol thahav to wave protest ss.

Bartow, Fla.

witching Parties,topping cottony Blair

LiFLng PuBLiCn, nY BLi had hadeoh wth poltcas attack retrees ad work,mddle-class famles. o he swtched partes.

e voted aast epblca gov. ck cott 2010 ad lately has bee cofrot coservatve-led, at-o actos hs state.

s presdet of Local 2227 (Cocl 79),

the 57-year-old cabet maker s also moblz the400 members of hs o mostly rral whte- adble-collar employees of the Polk Coty schoolboard to be more poltcally volved.

i March, he reted a bs ad took 55 of hsmembers to allahassee to lobby ther represetatves.it was rst-tme actvsm for most of them. hey werepset wth the overor for taret ther pesosad health srace sbsdes.

We beat back that cott attack, Blar says.Bt the wars ot over.

Prepar for the ext battle a et-ot-the-vote campa to replace two school board members

Blar has deroe a kee-replacemet srery,whch he had delayed twce. im wor ot for worktoo hard ad r arod too mch, he says.

Bt my members come rst. We wll ot be sed bypoltcas who w or votes, the tr a deaf ear.

Gracedale, Pa.

aking a wingat the PrivateersJim Irwin

uniL L ugu, JiM iWin CMMiMn toplay softball most hts meat he had o tme forjst abot ay other actvty that ddt volve a bat,ball ad love. now, for the ceter elder who s pres-det of Local 1435 (Pesylvaa Dstrct Cocl 88),the feel of the love s all bt a dst at memory.

irw has temporarly abadoed hs lesre-

hors love to help stop the prvatzato of gracedale,a rs home wth approxmately 700 low-comepatets. Whe northampto Coty proposed prva-tz the faclty, irw, a hosekeeper there, realzedhe coldt st o the bech. oether wth hs wfe, arse at gracedale, he joed hs os ht to savet. Work wth a coalto of famles of lzhemerspatets, they lached a ballot tatve to postpoethe prvatzato pla.

irw phoe-baked ad wet to resdecesad rocery stores, ask voters to s pettos.

he measre ot o the ballot despte two cort chal-lees. irw campaed early every day cldweekeds, start at 6 a.m. hroh the efforts ofLocal 1435 ad ts coalto parters, voters rejectedthe cotys scheme by a 3-to-1 mar.

he otelder s phlosophcal abot hslost softball ames. hs was a lot more mportat,he says. ometmes, yove ot to make somesacrces to acheve what yo wat to acheve.

Cynthia Hart Memphis, enn.,

ocal 1733. Photo: Andrea Earle

Jim Irwin ocal 1435,

Pennsylvania Council 88.

Photo: Marc Asher

ony Blair ocal 2227, Florida

Council 79. Photo: Nancy Blair

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Clyde Weiss contributed to this story.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Police fcer WinsBipartisan Agreementric Jewkes

F nLY Fu Y Wiu CnC, a evromet of stro at-collectve barasetmet, members of the Pblc afety mployeesssocato (P) /FCM Local 803 cltvated arelatoshp wth a coservatve coclwoma order to et a areemet passed.

s presdet of hs local chapter, polce ofcer

rc Jewkes, 40, played a actve role ths effort tobrde a dvde the local poltcal commty, test-fy before cty cocl members ad elst thespport of Farbaks resdets.

We all realzed that we eed to work toetherto d the rht soltos to or problems, saysJewkes. e descrbes hmself as pretty coservatveo ths lke crme, the death pealty ad welfare,bt adds, i also beleve hav a level play eld terms of employmet.

ofcer for more tha 16 years, Jewkes s

also actve the commty. e coaches yoth base-ball ad partcpates a aal 550-mle advetrerelay of r, bk ad raf t to rase fds for acharty that fllls wshes for chldre wth lfe-threat-e llesses.

Atlanta, Ga.

A ookie ActivistFinds eteran uccessKaren hropshire

n ug Kn Pi, 54, had bee aFCM member for oly 10 moths, she shed a ew-comers atral relctace to jmp to actvsm.

hropshre joed a effort to boost the raksof Local 3. er cotrbto pad of f st fash-o: membershp rose more tha ve tmes. prrthe drve was a hstorc ordace Flto Coty, ga.,

commssoers passed last year to ve 4,000 cotyemployees represetato rhts.

Bt t took dvdal commtmet ad ta-tve to acheve that reslt. leal specalst thepblc defeders ofce, hropshre orazed meet-ad-reet sessos, s the sse of salarycreases as a topc of coversato. he also mappedot a petto drve aast a bdet pla that deedrases to coty workers ear less tha $40,000 ayear. estfy before the board of commssoers,she ared how pblc servce workers are vtal to the

commty. Members faed ot ad kocked odoors for weeks, collect 1,500 satres. hereslt: lower-pad workers ot ther rases.

lthoh t was a close vote, we made orpot, hropshre says. Were all here to serve admake ths coty a better place to lve, so we sholdall be treated farly.

Washington, DC

Fighting for Jobs, Justicealph andall

LP nDLL W n of 4,000 Federal vatodmstrato employees who were frlohed fortwo weeks whe Coress faled to approve a stopapfd measre ths year. e decded to speak ot for the rst tme ever aast elected ofcals.

hey are look ot oly for the sper-rch,stead of yo ad me, sad adall, a member of

Local 1653 (Cocl 26), at a Captol ll rally thssmmer. adcal poltcas are wa a war owork famles ad pblc servces. We wll ot letthese poltcas destroy the merca dream.

proram ad maaemet aalyst for30 years, adall called o poltcas to stopplay ames whle mllos stll sffer wthot jobs.

ric Jewkes Public Saety

Employees Association ocal

803 (PSEA). Photo: PSEA

Karen hropshire ocal 3,

Georgia. Photo: Local 3

alph andall ocal

1653, Washington, C,

Council 26. Photo: Jon Melegrito

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AMEICAJS ACAFSCME is fghting or passage

o the American Jobs Act with a

campaign that includes televisionads and mobilization events

around the country. o learn

more and take action, head to

ascme.org/jobs. While youre

there, check out AFSCMEs

television ad campaign calling on

Congress to pass the Jobs Act.

AE [email protected]!

Like AFSCME On Facebook

We have the larest ad fastest-row commtyof ay o o Facebook! o coect wthFCM there s a reat way to stay volved ad help

ht or battles. We post ews as t breaks, alowth lks to vdeos, evets ad more. Be amo therst to lear abot the os ew campas. Yoca also coect wth other FCM members yorstate, ad all across the cotry, whe yo jo orFacebook commty. Whats more, by jo s oFacebook, yoll help bld or Ma treet Movemetto stad p aast the oo attacks o pblc ser-vces ad the mddle class.

Jo by vst facebook.com/FCMad clck

the lke btto; or d the lk at the top of theFCM.or homepae. if yore already coectedto FCM ths maer, please share the lk to orFacebook pae wth yor freds ad co-workers.

Yo ca also jo FCM o yor favortesocal etworks:twtter.com/FCMyotbe.com/FCMckr.com/FCM

Make Your Voice Heardpeak p! ell yor state or local represetatves thatctt pblc servces s the wro solto to abdet crss that ras revee to fd them sthe rht way. emd the poltcas that yo pay taxesad cotrbte to yor commtes may ways. Letthem kow that collectve bara ad other workersrhts mst ot be take away or compromsed.

Give to AFSCME PEOPLE

i so do, yo make a mportat cotrbto toyor o. Well se yor eeros spport to electleaders who share or vales, ad wll stad p for

hard-work FCM members as well as for vtalpblc servces ad mddle-class work famles. osee the postve mpact we ca have whe we plltoether, jst look at Wscos, where st weseated two of gov. cott Walkers at-worker alles the state eate. now we mst repeal hos at-o bll, B 5, the november electo. Yor spportof FCM PPL wll help esre we do jst that!

Jst o to FCM.or/w to make a safe ad secreole doato, or sed a check, payable to FCM

PPL, toFCM PPL at 1625 L treet,Washto DC 20036.

Cotrbtos or fts to FCM PPL are ot dedctble for federal come tax pr-

poses. ll cotrbtos to FCM PPL are voltary ad wll be sed for poltcal

prposes. Cotrbtos are ot a codto of membershp or employmet ad refsal to

cotrbte s free of reprsal. i accordace wth federal law, FCM PPL accepts

cotrbtos oly from FCM members, exectve ad admstratve persoel, ad

ther famles. Cotrbtos from other persos wll be retred.

Check Out MyAFSCME

i a effort to strethe commcato wth ormembers, FCM has created a ew servce,

MyFCM. hs ew tool wll allow yo to drectlypdate yor cotact formato ole. Wat to recevemals electrocally? Wat to kow how yo ca jothe ht for mercas work mddle class? Checkt ot! Lo oto FCM.or ad vst or memberssecto. tay coected wth MyFCM!

earn more at ascme.org/jobsWE

Find inormation about programs andproducts, scholarships and social networks,courses and conerences.


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ESEA, AA MW

AFSCMEFrom ctober 2011 to ctober 2012, AFSCME will celebrateits 75th anniversary. AFSCME WORKSwill pay tribute tothe unions history with special eatures about the peoplewho are key to AFSCMEs past, present and uture.

AFSCME International was born in 1936 in

Madison, Wis., at a time when the country was

struggling to emerge rom the Great epression

and unions held a vital key to rebuilding the mid-

dle class. y the end o that year, AFSCME had

just 10,000 members. ut public service workers

then as they do now understood the power

o collective bargaining. So AFSCME steadily

grew reaching 73,000 in 10 years. As it grew

stronger, so did the middle class.he Green Machine is now the largest

union in the AF-CI. o express our pride in our

accomplishments through the years, AFSCME will

spend the next year recognizing past, present and

uture contributions that our members have made

and will make to America. Well honor the activ-

ists who are on the rontlines o our Main Street

Movement to respond to attacks against public

service workers, their rights and their unions.

In addition to publishing photos o

AFSCMEs history, AFSCME WORKSwill engage

in a number o other activities to celebrate our

legacy. Although some o those events have not

yet been announced, they will include a traveling

exhibit to commemorate the unions critical role

in key historic moments, such as the 1968

Memphis sanitation strike, and its contribution

to victories on the issues o pay equity and

national health reorm.Members who have made contribu-

tions to their communities will be honored.

We will mount a social-networking campaign,

and well post historic content on our website,

www.AFSCME.org.

hat is just a preview o whats to

come. Meanwhile, take a look at these images

reecting our past accomplishments, and join

with us as we create new ones.

1936ur Beginning In September 1936,

delegates (shown here) met at etroits ook-

Cadillac otel or AFSCMEs frst biennial

convention. At the time, the nation was in the

midst o the Great epression. n ct. 16 o

that year, the American Federation o abor

(AF) chartered a new international union, the

American Federation o State, County and

Municipal Employees, AF. ut AFSCME was

actually born our years earlier, in 1932, in

Wisconsin. ut o concern that the states civil

service system might be weakened ollowing

elections that year, Wisconsin personnel direc-

tor Col. A. E. Garey suggested to Gov. Phillip

aFollette (who led the Progressive Party) that

a state employee union should be created. With

aFollettes blessing, Garey began recruiting

members. is frst recruit was state personnel

examiner Arnold S. ander, who was later

elected fnancial secretary o the edgling

Wisconsin Administrative, Clerical, Fiscal and

echnical Employees Association. he AF

chartered the new union in May 1932 as Fed-

eral abor nion 18213. AFSCME International

was then ormed in 1936, with ander elected

as its president. he Wisconsin union was then

renamed the Wisconsin State Employees

Association, AFSCME ocal 1. Photo: AFSCME

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1968espect Demanded And Won In 1968, 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers went on a successul

strike or union recognition, better wages and benefts and something more undamental respect in the

workplace. he Arican-American workers members o AFSCME ocal 1733 became enraged ater two

sanitation workers were killed in an accident involving a city trash truck. hey went on strike 11 days later,

holding their iconic signs, I Am A Man, or the entire nation to see. It sent a message that more was at

stake than a raise. We elt we should be treated like human beings, obert easley, the locals frst record-

ing secretary, recalled in a 1998 interview withAFSCME WORKS. We had the right to be recognized by the

city o Memphis. So we decided we would go on strike, change some o that. In April 1968, r. Martin uther

ing Jr. (meeting at let with then-AFSCME Pres. Jerome Jerry Wur), traveled to Memphis to support sani-

tation workers. n the evening o April 3, he delivered his amous Ive een to the Mountaintop speech to a

packed room o supporters. he next day, he was killed by an assassin while standing on the balcony o his

motel room. r. ing had been planning to lead a protest march or the strikers. r. ing didnt die in vain,

says Alvin urner, one o the striking sanitation workers who participated this year in a .S. epartment o

abor ceremony where all 1,300 strikers were inducted into the abor all o Fame. I it hadnt been or

r. ing coming to Memphis, he explained, we wouldnt have won the strike.Photo: Richard Copley

Making History ne o the most signifcant strikes in AFSCME

history, involving members o Philadelphias Amalgamated ocal 222,

lasted just our days. ut it ranks among the frst strikes in a major

American city. It began in 1938 ater management laid o 264 work-

ers, and proposed cutting the wages o remaining employees by 30

percent. Some 3,000 workers took their fght or justice to the streets.

While all o the strikers were out there in ront, the strikebreakers

were escorted out in the streets by cops, recalled the late William J.

McEntee, ocal 222s frst business agent (and AFSCME Pres. Gerald

W. McEntees ather) in an oral history. he strikebreakers eorts

proved utile. City ofcials quickly abandoned their proposed pay cut,

the laid-o workers were rehired and just eight days ater the strike

began, the two groups crated the frst collective bargaining agree-

ment between AFSCME and a major city. istrict Council 33 grew out

o that dispute and, in 1943, William McEntee became its frst president.

he council hired Gerald W. McEntee as an organizer and negotiator.

he young McEntee went on to lead a historic drive that brought union

rights to 75,000 state workers in Pennsylvania Council 13, and he was

elected executive director at Council 13s ounding convention in 1973.

A year later, he became an AFSCME International vice president and,

in 1981, was elected president o the national union a post he has

held ever since. Photo: AFSCME

1938

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thE piCturE iS griM. Nearly one in six

Americans lives in poverty. More than 14 millionAmerican construction workers, engineers, mainte-

nance staff, electrical workers, school employeesand others are out of work. The nations roads,

bridges and schools are crumbling. And our nations

economy is stagnant.There is a way forward: job creation.

President Obamas American Jobs Actwould put people back to work, put more money in

the pockets of working Americans, provide morecustomers for businesses and reduce the decit.

The plan focuses spending on areas of the economy

that will produce jobs immediately and level theplaying eld.

It provides $30 billion to prevent teacherlayoffs and create jobs in early childhood, elemen-

tary and secondary education. It contains $5 billion

for rehiring, hiring or retaining law enforcement

ofcers and reghters. It invests $25 billion tomodernize at least 35,000 public schools. And itholds even more funding for critical renovations.

Lets take a closer look at how the Jobs Act

gets America working: It will put hundreds of thousands of workers

back on the job as they modernize and repair

35,000 crumbling schools, roads, rail roads,airports and waterways.

It will reinstate 280,000 teachers laid off by

state budget cuts, as well as rst responders andveterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

It will expand job opportunities with innovativenew job training programs to connect low-income

workers to jobs quickly, and provides incentive foremployers to hire disadvantaged workers.

It will help out-of-work Americans by extending

unemployment benets. It funds training pro-grams that build real skills and helps the

unemployed nd jobs. It will end tax breaks for those who can most

afford it wealthy Americans and corporations to invest in job creation and economic growth.

Investing in the working middle class is the

surest path to an economic recovery that works foreveryone, not just CEOs and huge corporations.

Before the plan can create its rst job,Congress has to do its job. We need jobs and weneed them now, says AFSCME Pres. Gerald W.

McEntee. The time for petty political posturing isover, and Congress needs to pass this jobs bill and

pass it right away. For far too long we have witnessed

the working middle class suffer and corporate CEOsprot. Closing the Texas-sized tax loopholes tomake Wall Street fat-cats pay their fair share is bet-

ter than laying off nurses, teachers and reghters.

The Presidents plan recognizes that we havea jobs problem and a revenue problem (not surprising

with an unfair tax system that lets major corpora-tions dodge taxes and that nds millionaires paying

lower percentages on their incomes than some oftheir employees.)

Congress has spent the past year arguing over

the budget and the debt ceiling while doing nothing tocreate jobs. In August, the economy created exactly

zero jobs. Without major action, the economy couldbe headed toward a double-dip recession.

AFSCME is waging a ght for the American

Jobs Acts passage, which includes television ads andmobilization events around the country. We will ght

alongside our friends in Congress and with PresidentObama to ensure that Congress focuses on creating

jobs and preserving vital programs, such as SocialSecurity, Medicare and Medicaid, while raising reve-

nues that require the wealthy and corporations to paytheir fair share. We urge you to participate in thisght atafscme.org/jobs.

EIES

bama Plan Calls

for Investment in JobCreation, ationsInfrastructure

o learn more visit afscme.org/jobsWE

ECMICECVEy

While youre there, check out

FCMs television ad

campaign calling on Congressto pass the Jobs ct.

JS

by bECKy lEvin

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WAll StrEEt CEos, tea party ideologues andcorporate-backed lawmakers contend that taxes on

the wealthy should remain at their historic lows inorder to grow the nations feeble economy.

The reality? Just the opposite. Spending cutswont improve the economy, but theywilldiminish

the quality of life in our communities by hurtingthose most economically vulnerable.

All the while, the wealthiest, as well as corpo-

rations, avoid paying their fair share of those servicesthat remain. General Electric, the nations largest

company, is a prime example of this tax inequity. Themulti-national company made $14.2 billion in prots

in 2010, yet paid no U.S. taxes on that amount!Instead, G.E. was able to claim a $3.2 billion credit,

because tax breaks and accounting tricks allowed it

to keep most of its prots offshore.The giants of Wall Street and Big Business

benet from lower federal rates on capital gains, lowerestate-tax rates and other tax breaks beyond the reach

of the middle class. Federal tax revenue is now at its

lowest share of the economy since 1950.

For essentially the same reasons, state andlocal revenues, needed to pay for critical public ser-

vices, are also on the decline. Solving this very

serious situation should be easy, but pro-corporatelawmakers have been willing to shut down theirgovernments, or threaten equally dire measures,

rather than raise $1 more in taxes from their wealth-iest constituents. In July, the shutdown scenario

played out dramatically in Minnesota, where more

than 20,000 state public employees there were laidoff for 20 days during a budget battle. This longest

and largest layoff of public service workers in thestates history could have been avoided if lawmakers

had agreed to create a tax system that deals fairly

with corporationsandthe working middle class.In an attempt to avoid the Minnesota debacle,

Gov. Mark Dayton (D) offered a plan that hiked the taxrate for lers whose net income is more than $1 million

per year just 7,700 Minnesotans in all (0.3 percentof the states population). But Republican lawmakers

rejected it. The deal that ultimately ended the shut-

down failed to solve the states long-term problems.We dont have an expenditure problem we

have arevenue problem, says Mike Lindholt, a statetransportation department maintenance worker

from St. Paul and a member of Local 221 (Council 5).In Lindholts view, tax fairness is a basic principle of

the United States. But the principle has been aban-

by ClydE WEiSS

doned in the interest of protecting the wealthiest.Minnesotas tax system and that of other

states places the greatest burden on the backs ofthose who can least afford to pay. Yet dismaying

numbers of lawmakers support the tea partys small-government philosophy: cut public services rather

than ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fairshare of essential government operating costs, like

trash collection and public safety.

There are more logical, more equitable, all-around-better solutions: increase revenue to expand

the middle class and create jobs; and raise tax rates onthe millionaires and billionaires who have gamed the

system for their own benet. This will not cost jobs our economy was stronger when tax rates were higher.

Even the worlds third-wealthiest person, bil-

lionaire Warren Buffett, has called for making therich pay their fair share. My friends and I have been

coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendlyCongress, he said in a recent column inThe New

York Times. Its time for our government to get

serious about shared sacrice.

Wemustdemand that the wealthiestAmericans pay their fair share. After all, fairness isa cornerstone of democracy.

A tax system skewed towards benefting thewealthy and corporations is robbing the nation orevenue needed to provide vital public services.

IS ASPEIGPEM.

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CAll thEM thE billionAirES ClubS

for Growth. Theirgrowth, not yours. Together,

American Crossroads and Crossroads Grassroots

Policy Strategies (GPS) comprise the most danger-ous money machine in American politics today.

The threat they pose can be seen clearly inthe outright lies and distortions of national televi-

sion ads their money buys. Under a mantra ofreducing runaway government spending and debt,

they propagandize in an unsubtle attempt to under-

mine support for the progressive policies andprograms that built and maintained the middle class:

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, health carefor all, and other social safety net programs.

Moreover, the two organizations seek to cut or elim-inate many public services that AFSCME members

provide in their communities every day.

Especially worrisome is American

Crossroads ability to receive and spend unlimiteddonations from wealthy persons and corporations toinuence local and national elections. American

Crossroads twin sister, Crossroads GPS, was cre-

ated separately as a nonprot so it could raise moneywithout having to disclose the donors names. They

operate out of the same ofce in Washington, DC.Karl Rove, whose job as chief political strategist

to Pres. George W. Bush earned him the nicknameBushs brain, has emerged as one of the two main oper-

atives behind the Crossroads entities. The other is Ed

Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican NationalCommittee (RNC) who served as Counselor to the

President during Bushs administration. The two menare now referred to as Crossroads advisors.

Deep Pockets

Theres not too much money in politics, Mike Duncan,

chairman of American Crossroads and formerchairman of the RNC has been quoted saying. That

assessment appears to be the groups guiding philosophy,and the deep pockets of the right have fully embraced it.

Between the founding of Crossroads in early2010 and the general elections that November, it pulled

he wealthiest extremists rom Wall Street and corporateAmerica are fnancing American Crossroads and itssecretive sister organization, Crossroads GPS. With karloves help, these groups have become the most ormidable

independent political undraisers on the ar right.

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in an astounding $71 million. The bulk of it, $43 million,came from donors who remain anonymous, thanks to

Crossroads GPSs nonprot status. Combined, that

made them the largest independent source of right-wing spending during that election cycle.

Established as an independent, nationalgrassroots political organization, Crossroads is any-

thing butgrassroots. Through June of this year, thetwo Crossroads groups have raised $3.8 million, of

which more than 90 percent came from just three

billionaires! (See the accompanying box.)

Swinging From The Right

With all of that money at its disposal, the Crossroads

duo is poised to carry out its primary goal: installinganti-union politicians into ofce at the national and

state levels, and also defeating Pres. Barack Obamas

bid for re-election next year.

Crossroads also wants to take control of theU.S. Senate from the Democrats and advance a cor-porate agenda that includes repealing the new health

care law, privatizing public services and reducing fed-

eral spending on programs vital to working families.The Crossroads groups spent a total $38 mil-

lion on negative TV ads against lawmakers whosupport working Americans. That makes them,

together, the No. 1 spender on the right, exceedingthe former top spender the U.S. Chamber of

Commerce by nearly $6 million.

Still, that accomplishment amounted only toCrossroads opening act, boasted Steven Law, who

left his previous job as general counsel of theChamber of Commerce to become president of

both groups. Crossroads fundraising goal for the2012 elections is much more ambitious: $240 million.

Theyre well on their way to achieving it.

Unions themselves are squarely in the bulls-eye. Earlier this year, during the battle in Wisconsin

over collective bargaining rights, Crossroads spent$750,000 for a nationwide cable-TV ad campaign

that attacked public service workers and theirunions. During the summer, Crossroads backed U.S.

Rep. John Boehners (R) job-killing debt-limit

proposal, which included cuts to Social Security,

Medicare and Medicaid.

Spreading Lies

Crossroads ads not only distort the truth, they also lie

outright. Take, for example, Julys $7 million ad cam-

paign attacking President Obama, ve Democraticsenators and 10 representatives for their alleged

responsibility for the nations debt. The ad criticizedthose lawmakers for backing billions in new taxes.

Evaluating its truthfulness, FactCheck.org noted thatthe ad did not acknowledge a key point: Those same

members of Congress supported tax cuts worth

nearly $858 billion that were contained in a 2010agreement extending President Bushs tax cuts.

In addition, Crossroads ads refer to a failedstimulus that promised to create more jobs. But

the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Ofce notedthat the unemployment rate would be even higher

today without the stimulus money. The pitches also

suggested that Medicare will be cut. FactCheck.org calls that misleading, noting that the law actu-

ally expands traditional Medicare benets, such asadding more prescription drug coverage.

The ad attacking collective bargaining rightsfor public service workers in Wisconsin claims that

lawmakers want to protect a system that pays union-

ized government workers 42 percent more than

non-union workers The MilwaukeeJournalSentinelrefuted that false assertion, noting that the42 percent gure has not been adjusted for signicant

differences between states. Although a Crossroads

spokesman cited a report by the libertarian CatoInstitute to support its claim, the newspaper says the

study cited contained no such gure.Ironically, American Crossroads declares

in its online values statement that, First of all,we believe that setting a ne w direction for America

starts with you not with clever political ads,

consultants and slick fundraising pitches. But thevalues statement is as misleading as the ads.

Bradley HughesFonder of Pblic torae, hes is Crossroads

rst reported donor, providin at least $3.5 millionin 2010. eportedly worth $1.8 billion, hes islisted by penecrets.or as the second larestdisclosed contribtor to elect ions in 2010.

revor ees-JonesPresident and C of Dallas-based Chief il and gas,ees-Jones in 2010 ave Crossroads at least $2 millionfrom his $3.3 billion fortne.

Jerrold Jerry Perenchio

Former chairman of the panish-lanae televisionnetwork univision, Perenchio ave the larest identieddonation ($2 million) drin the rst six months ofthis year. Perenchio was the ninth-larest disclosedcontribtor to elections in 2010.

Bob Perryhe exas home bilder (Perry omes) donated$7 million to Crossroads in 2010 and $500,000 sofar this year. e is infamos as the top fnder of wiftBoat eterans for rth, which spread lies abot

John Kerrys military service in ietnam drin the2004 Presidential election. Perry was the larestdisclosed contribtor to candidates in 2010.

obert owlinghe Dallas investor ave a total $5 million in 2010and $1 million year this throh his company, oldins, which owns the golds gym tness chain,the lxry mni hotel chain, and the oil and as rmana xploration.

Harold immonswner of Dallas-based Waste Control pecialists,immons contribted $2 million to Crossroads lastyear. e was a major fndraiser for epblican en.John McCains 2008 Presidential campain and anancial backer of sch riht-win enterprises asthe wift Boat cabal.

by ClydE WEiSS

PS AMEICA EAM

I CSSAIS

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Across AmericA

For FCM members have assmedleadershp roles at a tro of atoal orazatos,broade the os otreach to ad volvemet the Lato-merca, sa Pacc merca, adlesba, ay, bsexal ad traseder (LgB)commtes.

he sa Pacc merca Labor llace(PL) has chose as ts atoal presdet Johaaester, drector of oraz ad eld servces foruDW omecare Provders uo (uDW)/FCM

Local 3930. o member for more tha 20 years,ester helped oraze Flpo rses a Jose the 1990s. he s ow champo the home carecase, ad has become oe of the most respectedlabor leaders throhot Calfora.

hs Jly, dr ts atoal coveto aklad, Calf., PL also hoored uDW wth thecet Foo ward, amed after a labor poeer whowo collectve bara rhts for thosads ofMarylad school employees 40 years ao.

Yolada Pmarejo, exectve vce presdet of

new York ocal ervce mployees uo Local 371(Dstrct Cocl 37), has bee appoted to the atoalexectve board of the Labor Cocl for Lat mercadvacemet. he FL-Ci establshed that oraza-to 1973 to promote partcpato of workers of

Lato descet the orazed labor movemet. lotme actvst ad deleate, Pmarejo

co-chars FCMs Lato ertae Commttee as wellas the Commttee of Cocered ocal Workers. hebelos to the natoal ssocato of ocal Workers,Coalto of Labor uo Wome ad Coalto of Blackrade uosts.

Bess Watts, presdet of Moroe Coty,n.Y., Local 828 of Cvl ervce mployees ssocato(C)/FCM Local 1000, was elected ths smmer

to represet small LgB commty chapters throh-ot the cotry o the atoal exectve board ofPrde at Work (PW).

Watts, who works the Moroe CommtyCollee lbrary, led a sccessfl campa to et hero to spport LgB cases, be wth ettdomestc parter beets clded her os co-tract. he was ltmately strmetal arerbroad labor spport ochester for the sccessflnew York Marrae qalty bll.

Jo Watts o the PW atoal exectve

board, as ts ew dversty represetatve, s ctavoelarde of Local 3299 a Deo, Calf. elarde, aself-descrbed ardet belever coect theLgB movemet wth work-class sses, has beevolved the labor movemet sce collee.

LGB Activist ess Watts o ocal828 (ew ork Civil Service Employees

Association (CSEA)/AFSCME ocal

1000). Photo: Watts Family

Asian American Activist Johanna

ester o W omecare Providers nion

(W)/AFSCME ocal 3930. Photo: Michelle Lapitan

LGB Activist ctavio

Velarde o ocal 3299 (Caliornia).

Photo: Blanca Trenado

Latina Activist olanda Pumarejo o

ocal 371 (ew ork istrict Council 37).

Photo: Pat Arnow, Local 371

MEMES CECWI G, AI,ASIA PACIFIC GPS

ational ews


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CNNCICU

New Haven

EAMW SAVESWIG

We were all do or job as a team, says DavdMac, a member of Local 884 (Coectct

Cocl 4). ct cocert wth famly membersad hs co-workers at new aves 911 merecyCommcatos Ceter, he saved the lfe of a4-year-old boy.

e mor Jly, Mac, 43, was workat hs ormal post as a 911 dspatcher whe he receveda call cocer a chld who had falle to a swm-m pool. Famly members plled the boy ot of thewater ad mmedately daled 911. Mac elded thecall ad, over the phoe, drected a 20-year-old famlymember sccessflly perform CP.

he key, the dspatcher pots ot, was work- as a team to keep the chld alve tl emerecycrews ot to the scee. he yo lfesaver he coached

was a pac, so i had to calmly talk hm throh theprocedre, step by step, says Mac. it was mpor-tat to make hm part of the team ad keep hm focsedtl the Ms arrved.

Mac ad hs co-workers at the commca-tos ceter respod to myrad emereces every day. 15-year vetera, he has asssted the delvery of babes,ad oce helped resce a dsabled ma a wheelchar

from a br hose.Lke pblc workers across the cotry, Mac

cosders hs job a vtal servce to the commty. rmembers ejoy what they do ad are prod to serve,says oald obso, presdet of Local 884. heywork toether as a team.

DIIC F CLUMBIA

Washington

AFSCME EPS IC FF AIAME CAE MVEMEMarylad home care provders represeted

by Cocl 67 joed the lach of Carcross geeratos, a atoal campa totrasform home care merca by protect- ad mprov Medcare, Medcad adocal ecrty, ad mak sre that fam-les have the resorces they eed to provdefor ther dsabled ad elderly loved oes.

he campa ofcally took w Jly at the Care Coress, a oe-day towhall meet Washto, DC, that brohttoether more tha 700 carevers ad

recpets of ther servces from across thecotry. FCM helped create the coress partershp wth the natoal DomestcWorkers llace, Jobs wth Jstce, ad otherlabor os ad orazatos.

FCM has played a hstorc role the represetato of home care provders. rCalfora aflate, uDW omecare Provdersuo (uDW/FCM), s the rst kow ofoded exclsvely to represet workerswho provde these servces. Weve blt o

that leacy as weve orazed home careworkers across the ato, ec.-reas. Leeaders sad hs address to the coress.pproxmately 125,000 home care provdersatowde have joed FCM, cld4,600 Cocl 67.

aders poted ot that Maryladprovders recetly wo a rst cotract that

wll help mprove ther work codtos

ad the crtcal servces po whch theclets deped. i addto, the provdersrht to jo a o ad bara collectvelywas recetly coded to law.

eroca Baks of ockvlle, Md.,was oe of several FCM-represetedprovders at the Coress. aders oted hs remarks that she works more tha14 hors a day. What ets her thoh thelo hors s her love for her two elderly,dsabled clets, he sad.

i a tervew later, Baks sad shejoed FCM to help et the messae acrossfor the may who do ot talk for themselvesabot the provders low waes ad lack of be-ets. he job that we do serv elderly peoples very essetal ad shold be ackowleded,she added. We oughtto be heard.

i addto to preserv ad expad- Medcad, Medcare ad ocal ecrty,the oals of the Car cross geeratosmovemet clde the creato of ew fd-

streams to create 2 mllo ew jobs home care to meet the row eed adestablsh far labor stadards. it also seeks tomprove care workers waes; provde accessto health srace ad job tra; esrether rht to oraze; ad provde pathwaysto ctzeshp for tra ad certcatoproram partcpats.

eamwork = A Life aved ew

aven 911 dispatcher avid Mancini, amember o ocal 884 (Connecticut Council

4), helped save a 4-year-old boy who ell

into a pool. Photo: New Haven Independent

Launching A Movement AFSCME

Sec.-reas. ee Saunders and home care

providers represented by AFSCME Council

67 participated in the Care Congress the

start o a national campaign to improve

the lives o home care providers and their

clients. Photo: Luis Gomz


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Across AmericA

ILLINI

IWA

Springfeld

Des Moines

CAII CS I

AACIG PESIS

ME CPAE AGEA!

vast rassroots otpor Je by the coaltoWe re e illos whch FCM helped toform blocked a bll that wold have forced pblcemployees to pay he creases ther pesocotrbtos.

FCM Cocl 31 members, alo wthteachers, polce ofcers ad rehters led thechare aast the bll, whose provsos clded

reqr partcpats the states pblc-pesosystems to pay p to 17 percet of ther salares tothe retremet fds. hose who ddt wat to paymore wold have bee forced to take a ct beetsor move to a 401(k)-style retremet pla.

he o coalto deled leslators wth aprecedeted mber of calls ad e-mals to defedthe modest pesos illos pblc employees ear. iJe, ther hard work pad off. ckowled defeat,ose peaker Mchael Mada (D) ad oseMorty Leader om Cross () plled the bll, decd

stead to delberate frther o how to address thestates derfded peso system.

he coalto coteds that ay fd sol-tos mst be costttoal, mst lead to the lo-termstablty of the retremet systems, ad mst o tothe root of the problem: the falre of poltcas overdecades to make reqred cotrbtos, eve aspblc employees fathflly pad ther share.

Cocl 31 members also beat back a plato mpose affordable ew state health-sracepremms o retred state ad versty employees.

Costs for retrees affected wold have typcally rseby $4,000 a year.

Pt People Frst! hat was the demad made to iowagov. erry Brastad () Jly by approxmately 500actvsts cld members of FCM Cocl 61.s corporate aeda threates to derme prorams

essetal to the well-be of the mddle class.March der a scorch s, the protestors

carred a letter to the overors maso. ed by 400people, the docmet red hm to spport a ecoomythat works for everybody, ad pblc polcy that ptscommtes before corporatos ad people beforeprots, poltcs ad pollters.

Protestors cted Brastads at-worker record,cld hs spport for a bdet bll that woldelmate servces, crease the ae at whch pblcemployees become elble for fll retremet beets,

ad mpose other Dracoa measres, all whletry to ve corporatos hdreds of mllos ofdollars tax breaks.

Deb hepherd, a advsor iowas WorkforceDevelopmet ofce ad secretary-treasrer ofFCM Local 3450 (Cocl 61), was amo thosewho addressed the rally. Cocered that the overorwas try to close 36 Workforce Developmet satellteofces ad replace them wth self-servce comptertermals, she oted that lawmakers from both par tesareed to fd the proram ad keep s do or jobs.

hepherd sad the Brastad admstratohas a o yor ow phlosophy for over that doesot reect or vales. Were all ths toether, ad weca do mch better!

im prod that ths o ca come toether wthso may other people from dfferet walks of lfe, saysDay oma, presdet of Cocl 61. We all mst stadtoether or or commtes fall apart. goveror Brastad,were here to let yo kow that wot happe o or watch!

oma, who s also a FCM iteratoalvce presdet, led st st alo wth for

state leslatve leaders aast the overor. hest clams Brastad volated the state costttowhe he vetoed a measre that wold have blockedclosre of the Workforce Developmet ofces.

Getting he Job Done Sean

Stillwell (at let) works alongside ellow

employees o the Village o ombard, Ill.,

public works department. All are members

o ocal 89 (Council 31). Stillwell was

eatured in a V ad run by the We Are

ne Illinois campaign to protect public

pensions. Photo: Adelstein Liston

Put People First! emonstrators,

including members o AFSCME Council

61, march on the governors mansion

in July to protest Gov. erry ranstadsanti-worker agenda, which avors

corporations and the wealthy over

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NBAKA

MICHIGAN

Lincoln

Detroit

ACIVISS ECAE VICF WIG MIE CASS

WES FIGICAIA AW

he rht to collectve bara for nebraskapblc employees srvved a assalt by therht w. he vctory reslted from a dealbetwee state lawmakers ad o actvstsled by members of nebraska ssocato ofPblc mployees (nP)/FCM Local 61.

nP lad the rodwork cojc-to wth other pblc os nebraska adthe state FL-Ci. We held jot ralles maha ad Lcol throhot the wterad spr soldarty wth or Wscosbrothers ad ssters, ad blt or ow ht,says nP xec. Dr. Jle Dake bel. Weblt allaces wth commty orazatosthat also held ralles spport of pblcemployees ad collectve bara.

he threat came from bsess rops

that wated to chae the system determhow waes are set, whch had bee based ocomparsos wth smlar jobs other comm-tes. he bsess rops threateed tolach a ballot tatve to do away wth collec-tve bara for pblc employees lesslawmakers areed to alter the process of com-pt how total compesato for workers scalclated, smplfy the states dspte resol-to process ad make other chaes.

Determed to preserve ther collec-

tve bara rhts, actvsts called ther

state seators, volteered at phoe baks,set e-mals, lobbed ther lawmakers per-soally ad packed leslatve hear roomstl they overowed.

vetally, a compromse, thestate areed to mata collectve bara.

d the state aecy that resolves dsptesover waes wold be lmted how mchcompesato t cold order, ad wold haveto cosder pesos ad other beetswhe sett waes.

We dot lke t bt we spport t,says bel, sce t preserved collectve bar-a the face of a bsess clmate thatwated t repealed f a compromse cold otbe reached.

Wth os lead the way, she

otes, tradtoally coservatve nebraskahas bee able to accomplsh someth thatother states labor-fredly oes haveot bee able to do.

nebraskas ths avoded thedestrctve ad patetly far corse takeby rht-w overors ho, Wscosad other states where basc worker rhtshave bee revoked or mperled.

We foht them try to take awayor o ad or collectve bara rhts,

says bel. We were ot for the tak.

epeal Local Dictator Law Members o Michigan

Council 25 kick o their reerendum campaign to repeal Public

Act 4, also known as the Emergency Manager aw. ut to op-

ponents, its a dictatorial law that would allow unelected ofcials

to repeal workers rights. Photo: Michigan AFSCME News

FCM ad other proressve actvsts are well o ther

way toward the oal of collect at least 160,000 valdvoter satres ther campa to repeal a law allow- ofcals elected oes, o less the rht tovod collectve bara areemets ad take otheractos desed to weake workers rhts.

he cotested law, passed earler ths year,beqeaths sweep powers o emerecy maaersappoted by gov. ck yder (). For example, thepower to remove elected ofcals from ofce; sspedor dsbad elected bodes sch as school boards or ctycocls; eve vod cotracts cld, as oted,

collectve bara areemets.if the petto drve acheves ts oal, a repeal

measre wll be placed o the november 2012 ballotad the law wll be pt o hold ped the otcome ofthat vote.

it s essetal that we prse ths corse ofacto, says Cocl 25 Pres. (ad iteratoal vcepresdet) lbert garrett. oo may people havefoht ad ded for or rht to vote for s to allow rep-resetatve overmet to fall by the waysde thscavaler maer.

i Je, whle the pettos were be crclated,more tha 2,500 actvsts cld members ofCocl 25 ralled throhot the state to are force-flly that workers rhts are fdametally ad volablyAmerican. hs law takes away my rht to have a say or local overmets ad schools, sad Joatha Drake,a Waye Coty employee of the Departmet of Pblcervces ad a member of Local 101 (Cocl 25). ddedDrake, who joed 300 other actvsts demostrat Detrot, We cat let elected ofcals srp or bascrhts ad take or democracy away.

tad up for Democracy, a coalto ofcommty rops, chrches ad labor orazatosthrohot Mcha, spearheaded the petto drve.

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Across AmericA

A oice n he Job udget cuts

motivated 400 oward County (Maryland)

employees to join Council 67. Pictured with

some o the new members are Council 67

Pres. ale Chase (second row, ar let) and

Exec. ir. Glenn Middleton (third row, ar

let). Photo: Selena Britton

We Wont Be topped! Employer

opposition did not keep approximately

200 employees o Chicagos Smith

etirement Village rom orming a union

with Council 31. Photo: Jeff Dexter

Fighting For he Disabled At a

June rally, AFSCME members protest plans

to close Vineland evelopmental Center in

ew Jersey. Photo: Deirdre Wilson-Redmond

NW Jy

Trenton

PIC SEVICE WES

CMA I-SIGhosads of pblc servce workers adther spporters soded off lod ad clearths smmer at the state Captol. he objectof ther aer: leslato reqr pblcservce workers make scatly hhercotrbtos toward ther peso ad healthbeets; ssped ther ablty to eotateover health care; crb pblc workerbeets; ras the retremet ae; adrestrct bara rhts.

old p ss that read neotate,Dot Dctate, FCM members called theleslato a affrot to ther collectve bara- rhts, pot ot that gov. Chrs Chrste() had already etered cotract eotatoswth o workers.

he measre oetheless aed law-makers approval.

aother frot new Jersey,FCM ec.-reas. Lee aders ad otherFCM ofcals joed cvl rhts leader

ev. l harpto ad merca Federato

of eachers Pres. ad Wearte voc opposto to Chrstes plas toclose the elad Developmetal Ceter.htt the faclty wold dsplace 350wome wth developmetal dsabltes adwold also elmate 1,459 fll- ad part-tme jobs held by members of Local 2215(Cocl 71) ad the CommcatosWorkers of merca.

Were ot here jst to collect a pay-

check, were here becase we care, sadFCM Cocl 1 xec. Dr. herryl . gordo,also a iteratoal vce presdet. hs s alabor of love, from the heart. its tme for newJerseys work famles to stad toether.

he overor sed leslatocreat a task force to exame the eed forclos oe or two developmetal ceters,overtr the bdets call for mmedateclosre of the Ceter. hs measre ves thesrrod commty a ht chace to

keep the faclty ope.

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Caliornia

t a time when budget cuts pose an imminent dan-

ger to home care proiders, approximatey 1,240 of

them in umbodt County oted to join Caifornia

nited omecare Workers (CW) loca 4034, a

joint afiation between FSCME and the Serice

Empoyees nternationa nion. CW represents

more than 15,000 proiders in 25 counties, andnited omestic Workers (FSCME loca 3930)

represents another 60,000 throughout the state.

n Montebeo, 270 registered nurses at

eery ospita oted by a neary three-to-one mar-

gin to join nited urses ssociation of Caifornia/

nion of eath Care Professionas (C/CP), a

19,000-strong FSCME afiate. n addition, after

empoyer opposition caused a engthy administratie

deay, 125 nurses at Chino vaey Medica Center in

the city of Chino gained representation with C/

CP. though they oted yes by a strong major-ity ast year, hospita administrators chaenged the

resuts, deaying certication of the workers ictory

unti an administratie aw judge dismissed the cha-

enge. he empoyer appeaed that decision, but it

was utimatey uphed.

ne hundred thirty-eight medica profession-

as organized with the nion of merican Physicians

and entists, (P)/FSCME loca 206. hey

incuded 78 doctors, dentists and nurse practitioners

at the ortheast vaey Community eath Care

Cinics in los ngees, and 60 doctors working inpubic cinics and hospitas in Kern County.

wo independent associations hae afi-

ated with Counci 36. he 700-member ssociation

of eputy istrict ttorneys in los ngees County

the nations argest prosecutors union oted

oerwhemingy for afiation with FSCME. heir

action came in the wake of a two-year effort by

Counci 36 on behaf of the deput y s, who were

then abe to negotiate a stronger con tract. so

joining Counci 36: the 60-member untington

Park City Empoyees ssociation.

Florida

ne hundred seenty bue-

coar empoyees in the city of

Pensacoa incuding airport

trafc ofcers, buiding mainte-

nance workers, garage mechanicsand groundskeepers joined

Counci 79. his is one of numer-

ous organizing campaigns

FSCME is waging in Forida

despite the current anti-worker

poitica cimate there.

Georgia

n Futon County, whose goern-

ment had neer before recognized

unions, loca 3 has gainedexcusie rights to represent

approximatey 1,300 county

empoyees. though FSCME

loca 1644 is recognized in tanta

(the countys major city), loca 3

was unabe to meet and confer

with Futon ofcias oer issues

of wages, benets and conditions

of empoyment. ut ast year, the

county passed an ordinance giing

FSCME excusie representationrights once it achieed majority

status in each department. ine

departments are now represented:

Enironmenta and Community

eeopment, Emergency

Serices, enera Serices,

eath and Weness, Juenie

Courts, Parks and Recreation, the

Pubic efenders ofce, Pubic

Works and the Sheriffs ofce.

FSCME aso scored a ictory intanta, where 95 empoyees of

the South Side Medica Center

joined loca 1644.

Illinois

ercoming a erce anti-worker

campaign, approximatey 200

empoyees of the Smith Retirement

viage, a priate nursing home in

Chicago, joined Counci 31.

LouisianaRoughy 1,000 empoyees of

the City of Shreeport are now

represented by Counci 17. n

achieing their card-check ic-

tory, workers in the departments

of perationa Serices, Pubic

ssemby and Recreation, and

Property Standards oercame

empoyer opposition, incuding a

hired consuting rm that raised

numerous roadbocks throughoutthe organizing campaign.

Success foowed passage, three

months earier, of a city resou-

tion authorizing card check.

pane of reigious eaders

conducted the ote count.

Maryland

Four hundred oward County

empoyees oted oerwhemingy

to join Counci 67. hey hadattempted to organize for years,

but the wide geographic dispersa

of their workforce made it difcut.

he empoyees, incuding adminis-

tratie assistants, buiding

inspectors, paraegas, crime-ab

cericas and 911 ca-center

administrators, intensied their

efforts after recent cuts hurt both

their famiies and their abiity to

sere the countys neediest citi-zens. key factor in the organizing

campaigns success was the

efforts of four other oward County

units aready represented by

Counci 67 to educate the work-

force about FSCME.

Massachusetts

Racking up a ery heay majority,

400 temporary empoyees at muti-

pe campuses of the niersity ofMassachusetts oted to join

Counci 93.

Minnesota

More and more workers in non-

traditiona jobs, recognizing the

need for representation, are

forming a union with FSCME.hats why the achieement of

147 empoyees of the uardian d

litem oard is notabe. he board

manages court-appointed guard-

ians for troubed youth and ooks

out for the atters best interests

during court proceedings. Court

cerica workers represented

by loca 3688 were instrumenta

in organizing this statewide unit,

which oted by a arge margin tojoin Counci 5. Counci 65 aso

had successes, organizing eight

units totaing approximatey 150

workers in a ariety of ofces in

seera cities.

New York

Westchester County witnessed

a big ictory for seasona workers:

more than 1,000 of them joined Cii

Serice Empoyees ssociation(CSE)/FSCME loca 1000.

Washington

wo hundred forty-six empoyees

of merican ehaiora eath

Systems, which proides substance-

abuse treatment serices in Spokane,

formed a union with Counci 28.

heir ictory is signicant because

the workers were abe to gain card

check and neutraity agreementswith the empoyer, een as corpora-

tions and right-wing ideoogues ght

workers efforts to reform the union

eection process to ensure a ote

free from intimidation.

t Seattes pubicy owned

eectric-power utiity, Seatte City

light, 140 superisors, managers

and strategic adisers aso made

successfu use of ountary card

check to join Counci 2. n addition,37 vancouer recreation department

empoyees formed a union with

that counci.

PWDespite the unprecedented attacks rom

corporate-backed politicians, workers continue

to organize with AFSCME or a stronger voiceon the job. Here are some recent victories:

GANIZING F

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Across AmericA

NW yK

New York City

IS PES MEG GE CS

Led by FCM members of Dstrct Cocls 1707 ad

37, tes of thosads of pblc ad prvate labor actvsts,commty spporters, members of relos rops,chld-protecto workers ad elected ofcals have fohtCty all new York Cty ths year to prevet drastcbdet cts to chld care ad other essetal servces.

Becase of FCMs efforts, Mayor MchaelBloomber (i) was forced to preserve some chld caremoey that was der threat. Bt at least 7,000 chldreof low come work famles cold stll lose ther pb-lcly sbsdzed care ext year. FCM s ht torestore $91 mllo ct from the bdet for these servces.

s oes chld care, so oes the ehborhood,ala geore, exectve drector of DC 1707 ad aFCM iteratoal vce presdet, sad at a rally. heo represets 25,000 commty ad socal aecyemployees, cld those work ead tart ceters,home care, ad socal servce ad drect care orazatos.

FCM actvsts have athered petto sa-tres ad red ctzes to protest the mayors proposalto elmate day care servces for approxmately 17,000chldre. We are here to speak p for the chldre ofnew York, ec.-reas. Lee aders declared at the

rally. We have ot to stad p for them lke everbefore, ad we demad faress.i addto to spport DC 1707s ht for chld

care, DC 37 s lead the battle to prevet Dracoa ctybdet cts that threate pblc schools, parks ad pools,lbrares, pblc health ad other servces.

he mayor ad the overor ct taxes o thewealthy by $5 bllo a year whe they let the mllo-ares tax expre, ad Mayor Bloomber s ot makay effort to collect the hdreds of mllos of dollars bsess taxes owed to the cty, declared xec.

Dr. Llla oberts, who was swor ths Je as aFCM iteratoal vce presdet (see above).

New IP illian oberts, executive director o ew ork

Citys largest public employee union, istrict Council 37, became

an AFSCME International vice president (IVP) in June. In 2002,

oberts was elected the frst emale executive director o C

37. he membership re-elected her to three-year terms in 2004,

2007 and 2010. She took the oath o ofce during a meeting o

AFSCMEs International Executive oard, which determines the

unions policies and procedures. oberts, who began her careerwith AFSCME in Illinois, frst became an IVP in 1964 when she

was elected to the post by that states delegation. She was the

frst Arican-American woman to hold that title. Photo: DC 37

For the Children Members o ew

orks C 1707, which represents 25,000 com-

munity and social agency employees, rallied

earlier this year near ew ork City all to

demand that the mayor and the City Council

restore unding or child care services now

on the chopping block. Photo: Michel Friang

Get ff ur Backs! nion workers

rom ew orks C 37 and community sup-

porters rally outside City all earlier this year

to protest budget cuts and proposed layos.

Photo: Michel Friang

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Blondie P. Jordan

Photo: Jordan Family

HD ILAND

North Providence

MEMES PEPAE

F PESI FIGWth the prospect of ew peso ctbacks loom,Cocl 94 ad other hode islad pblc sector oscreated the hode islad etremet ecrty Coalto toprotect ther members retremet secrty. he coaltowll make ther voces heard throhot the state by lob-by leslators ad atted peso advsory boardmeets ad leslatve sessos.

he states 51,000 pblc workers ad retrees,who already have expereced three rods of peso

cts dr the past sx years, are threateed by rht-wlawmakers who wat to frther slash ther retremet be-ets. he state Leslatre s expected to cosder pesochaes dr a specal sesso ths fall.

Whe t comes to pesos, hode islad s abellwether state. Were the caary the coal me, saysCocl 94 Pres. J. Mchael Dowey, who was appoted Je to be oe of 12 members of a state peso adv-sory rop. Whatever the geeral ssembly does to stateworkers here wll spread across the cotry. hats whywe mst preval ths ht.

he os coted the falre of the state to maketwo reqred paymets to the system dr the 1990s,whch cost more tha $100 mllo, ad chaes actaralassmptos, pt the system o shaky rod. r statead mcpal workers have made ther peso cotrb-tos every sle week, year after year, says Dowey.

Weve already pad for them. Weve always doe what wewere spposed to do ad ow were be pshed.

he treasrer ad overor are com at thsfrom the wro drecto, says Cocl 94 xec. Dr. KeDeLorezo. heyre talk abot ctt or beets

whe they shold be look at creas revees. hetop tax rates are half of what they were 1980. We sholdbe ask the sper-rch to pay ther far share.

Last year, Cocl 94 ad other os represetstate workers ad teachers sed the state, challe thatyears peso chaes that hrt workers promsed retre-met beets. he st also challeed 2008 cts to thepeso system. he state attempted to have the casethrow ot before tral. i eptember, a peror Cort jderled aast the states reqest, reject the states stacethat t cold scatly alter or completely termate a

pblc employees peso beets at ay tme, eve jstoe day, before retremet.

FLIDA

Jacksonville

I MEMIAM: IE P. JA

Blode P. Jorda, 76, presdet of FCMFlorda Cocl 79 from 1983 tl 1996 ad aformer FCM iteratoal vce presdet(iP), passed away o . 29.

Jorda, the dahter of geora share-croppers, credted her strles as a sleparet ras sx chldre for mak a reallabor o perso ot of me it made me

determed to make merca better for theocom eerato. er determato tomprove workers rhts, partclarly payeqty for wome, bea whle work atrlados lad osptal the md-70s.he realzed that wome workers at the state-r faclty for the metally dsabled weretreated less favorably tha ther malecoterparts.

it seemed to me t was far to othave ay say what yo are pad, bt to have

to deped o a arbtrary evalato bysomeoe who jst atomatcally cots yoot, she sad a decade later. o i was readywhe the represetatve from FCM camearod, ad i worked hard recrt every-

oe i cold to the o.Jordas co-workers rewarded her

actvsm by elect her presdet ad stew-ard of ewly formed Local 1967. i ess therst tme i realzed what the o reallycold do, she sad, was whe i took aemployee to maaemet ad ot ther jobback after they had bee red.

t FCMs 25th iteratoalCoveto, 1982, Jorda became the rstfrca-merca iP from a sother state,represet the Carbbea reo. he extyear, she was elected presdet of Cocl 79.i that post, she coted to ht for wom-es rhts, follow assalable loc: ifwe are o to be the workforce, we watto make a dollar. hats the same dollarmade by ther male colleaes.

Commet o her qe rst ame

a 1982 Public Employeetervew, Jordasad, Whe i was bor, i was ve the ameBlode by oe of my ats. ive had a lot ofproblems wth that ame, ad i ever dd dot why i ot t.

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Across AmericA

HI

Privatization Fight

VIC EAE FI PIS WESi a major setback for gov. Joh Kaschs() pla to prvatze state-r operatos,the team evalat bds for the sale of vestate prsos determed that oly oe ofthose facltes wll be sold.

he overors bdet, whch theho Leslatre passed Je, had pro-posed a re sale of sorts for the facltes.Bt the move was wdely crtczed by cor-rectos ofcers, leslators ad cvl rhts

advocates. hey asserted that the state wasambl wth pblc safety as well as thesafety of correctos employees.

ep. Matt Ldy (D), a stro oppo-et of prvatzato, wared that f the saleoes throh, yore sell valable assetsdr a recesso, whch meas yore otett top dollar, ad employees are oly oto et two-thrds of ther crret salares.

fcals of the ho Departmet ofehabltato ad Correcto

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Afscme Works Fall 2011