Public Employee Press

AFSCME women ready to fight in 2012

DC 37 members, officers, and staff played an important role in the Women's Conference held recently in Milwaukee by DC 37's national union, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

Members of a dozen DC 37 locals were among the 900 AFSCME members who participated in the conference from Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, and Local 957 President Walthene Primus chaired the event.

"I met with my AFSCME sisters from all over the country, and I learned a lot by hearing their stories about who we are and why we are a mighty, mighty union," said Primus, who recently became chair of AFSCME's Women's Advisory Committee.

AFSCME members in Wisconsin have led in the fightback against Gov. Scott Walker's attacks on public employees. Participants kicked off the conference with a rally in solidarity with the workers there who are battling to preserve collective bargaining rights.

The conference celebrated the role of women in the union and focused on fostering political activism to prepare for the 2012 elections. AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee gave the keynote address and praised the women of AFSCME for their fight for workers' rights. Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders announced two major legal victories, a court decision that Milwaukee officials were violating workers' rights and a Florida ruling that a prison privatization scheme is unconstitutional.

Talks by political leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Wisconsin state Senator Jessica King and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis were highlights for Local 1549 Recording Secretary Carmen Flores. "Solis spoke about la luchadora, the female warrior, and said that AFSCME women know their power and how to use it," said Flores.

Panel and workshop discussions included "Strategic Tools for Women Activists," "Women's Voices from the Frontlines" and "Courage, Cash and Coalitions: Three Keys to Political Power."

"We brought the conference to a rousing close," said Primus, "with a pledge to out-organize, out-fundraise and outlast opponents of America's workers and the middle class."