January-February 2020 on the Move 3
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NO. 192 • JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2020 ILLINOIS COUNCIL 31 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - AFL-CIO MOVE PAID AFSCME U.S. Postage U.S. Non-Profit Org Council 31 Ave. 21st Floor 205 N. Michigan 205 N. Michigan Chicago, IL 60601 Chicago, AFSCME SAFETY FIRST MARCH 17 IS ORGANIZING FOR IN CORRECTIONS ELECTION DAY UNION RIGHTS PAGE 3 PAGE 7 PAGES 8-9 2 On the Move January-February 2020 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S On the MOVE REPORT AFSCME Illinois On the Move is published six times annually by Illinois Public Employees Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. The Union Difference Send correspondence to: [email protected] or: AFSCME, On the Move, 205 N. Michigan Ave., is our nation’s hope 21st Floor, Chicago, IL 60601 Building stronger unions helps lift us all up Roberta Lynch, Executive Director Mike Newman, Deputy Director Nell McNamara, Editor Tom Greensfelder, Designer COUNCIL 31 EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS BY ROBERTA that he would take down public Executive Director LYNCH employee unions—and held up a Roberta Lynch hicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently state budget for two years trying State Sector Executive sponsored a Summit on Poverty aimed at to force that annihilation—Dem- Vice-President ocratic state legislators held firm Ralph Portwood, Local 1866 developing a strategy to lift all of the city’s in defending workers’ rights to Private Sector Executive C collective bargaining. Vice-President WE residents out of poverty. It’s a more than worthy goal and the mayor deserves credit for putting As a last resort, the enemies Yolanda Woods, Local 2481 of labor turned to the courts, CANNOT BE Local Government Executive the issue front and center. where Donald Trump’s recent Vice-President appointments to the US Supreme John Rayburn, Local 1215 COMPLACENT For too long, residents of commu- choices that have eroded union Court cemented a judicial brigade nities across our state have been membership nationwide, mid- all too ready to further weaken Secretary Dave Delrose, Local 1028 struggling to get by, living from dle-class income has stagnated unions in our country. The result paycheck to paycheck or strug- and the gap between the rich was the infamous Janus ruling in Treasurer gling even to find jobs, especially and the rest of us has grown ever 2018 that allowed union-repre- David Morris, Local 805 jobs that pay a living wage. wider. sented employees to refuse to pay In fact, despite the nation’s The decline in union mem- union dues. BOARD MEMBERS steadily declining unemploy- bership is no accident of fate But we regrouped and State Conference Board ment rate, good jobs in our coun- or economic fortunes. It’s a fought even harder. Co-Chairs try are still all too hard to find. purposeful strategy designed Public employees did not Melanie Hoyle, Local 2600 By good job, I mean a fam- to shift more of our country’s drop out of their unions in the Kathy Lane, Local 448 ily-supporting job. One that wealth to the already-wealthy. wake of the Janus ruling—in fact, Tim Worker, Local 993 doesn’t require you to hold a sec- The tactics used to dimin- many former feepayers signed ond job, that provides benefits ish or demolish unions are var- up as full dues-paying members. REGION I VICE-PRESIDENTS like affordable health insurance ied and not always visible. We As workers in all sectors realized Phil Cisneros, Local 3969 and a retirement plan. In other tend to think that union density the forces aligned against them, Safiya Felters, Local 2854 words, for the most part, I mean declined with the decline of the many became even bolder. Teach- Lloyd Marshall, Local 3477 a union job. manufacturing sector in our ers staged statewide walkouts in Stephen Mittons, Local 2081 Fifty years ago, Dr. Mar- country. But those good jobs West Virginia, Arizona and Okla- Kobie Robinson, Local 3835 tin Luther King said the most didn’t just wander off overseas. homa. Thousands of autoworkers Crosby Smith, Local 2645 effective anti-poverty program They were deliberately moved to went out on strike. Workers in in America is a good union. countries that lacked unions and high-tech firms like Amazon and REGION II VICE-PRESIDENTS Especially for women and peo- had an abundance of desperately Google organized pickets and Terry Boone, Local 672 ple of color, that remains truer poor people willing to work for other direct actions. As Republi- Garry Cacciapaglia, Local 1058 than ever today. Last year, union vastly lower wages. cans solidified their all-out war on Tom Opolony, Local 89 members earned 23% more than In the ensuing years, the unions, Democrats became even Yurvette Simmons, Local 3237 nonunion workers. assault on the labor movement stronger advocates for workers’ Among women, the has been waged in the courts, rights. Carlene VanDyke, Local 2615 union difference in wages was media, state and federal legisla- We still have a very long Miguel Vazquez, Local 3297 even greater at 29%. For Afri- tures, and of course in the polit- journey on the road to ending can-Americans, wages were 27% ical arena. poverty and ensuring that all REGION III VICE-PRESIDENTS higher, and for Hispanics, 39%. Few examples have workers have a decent standard Shaun Dawson, Local 2073 So having a strong union been more dramatic than the of living. Those of us who have Steve Howerter, Local 3585 is one of the best predictors of near-obliteration of public sec- made it some part of the way Matt Lukow, Local 1964 whether a job will pay a fami- tor unions in Wisconsin after because we have strong union Jeffrey Reighter, II, Local 2856 ly-sustaining wage. A union con- Republican governor Scott representation cannot be com- Trudy Williams, Local 3433 tract that ensures equal pay for Walker joined with a Repub- placent. If the powers-that-be equal work is the best bulwark lican-controlled legislature to succeed in “defanging” the labor REGION IV VICE-PRESIDENTS against gender inequity and enact laws that made it virtually movement as one right-wing Jerry Grammer, Local 1175 racial bias. And union member- impossible for public employees organization described its goal, Tad Hawk, Local 1805 ship is the most likely indicator in that state to engage in col- then we too will be left disarmed Cary Quick, Local 141 of access to affordable health lective bargaining. Whenever and powerless. care and the promise of dignity Republicans gained control in It’s essential that we recog- TRUSTEES in retirement. other states—Iowa and Mis- nize that in helping other work- Tamara Rietman, Local 3693 But rather than expanding souri, for instance—similar ers to form unions, expanding union membership to help boost union-destruction laws followed our ranks, supporting legislation RETIREE CHAPTER 31 more Americans into the middle there as well. that raises the minimum wage REPRESENTATIVE class, the rich and powerful have But no such laws could be and bringing everyone along Larry Brown embarked on a fierce and unre- enacted in any state that still with us, we are helping ourselves lenting offensive against labor had Democratic leadership in at as well. And in the process, we unions. It is no coincidence that least one branch of the govern- are building the best possible over the same 40-year period ment. In Illinois, where Bruce force for ending poverty in our of political attacks and policy Rauner rode into office boasting time. January-February 2020 On the Move 3 Reducing violence in DOC, DJJ facilities In wake of class action grievance win, AFSCME pushes for big changes n response to the growing incidence of violent assaults against staff in Ithe Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice, AFSCME filed and won a class-action grievance regarding unsafe working conditions in both departments. The arbitration award directed the parties to negotiate a plan of action to improve safety at every facility. Built systematically with doz- union’s liaison to the two ens of grievances at facilities departments. “That’s why across the state involving we brought this class-action issues from staff assaults to grievance, to demonstrate inadequate equipment, train- the breadth and depth of the ing and support, AFSCME problem. made a strong case that the “We have until April employers’ responses to under the arbitrator’s juris- health and safety concerns diction and we’re using that have failed to meet the stan- deadline to get the state to “That’s why we brought this class- action grievance, to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the problem.” dards set by the union con- accelerate the planning pro- tract and state law. cess,” Caumiant said. Over eight days of hear- As directed, the union ings in 2018, AFSCME mem- has developed a platform of bers provided powerful testi- meaningful, tangible remedies mony bolstering the union’s that can be implemented and argument that management enforced around the state. had ignored steadily wors- Each proposal was crystallized ening conditions in facilities from issues identified and across the state. brought forward in testimony On March 25, 2019 arbi- from AFSCME members. trator Terry Bethel issued a The next step is for DOC ruling that essentially affirmed and DJJ to provide feedback AFSCME members in the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice are working to improve facility safety. AFSCME’s claims, granting the and then begin to implement union’s grievance. the plan. The union’s action to stop unsound activities in captures data on a daily, ongo- in-the-moment decisions that Bethel said that both plan includes: the moment and to require ing basis.