Public Employee Press

Town Hall Meeting
Fighting back in troubled times

By GREGORY N. HEIRES

"We are under attack like never before in the 35 years I have been in the labor movement. They have put a bull's-eye on our back. They want to take away our pensions." - Lee Saunders, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer

Lee Saunders, the national union's new secretary treasurer, met with New York activists to explore strategies for facing labor's challenges.

Eight days before U.S. voters backed a takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives by conservatives and right-wing extremists, the new secretary treasurer of DC 37's national union met with New York area activists to discuss tactics for defending working families.

Lee Saunders, who was elected secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in July, led an Oct. 25 town hall meeting at District Council 37. In the two-hour meeting, he engaged in a lively exchange of ideas with scores of elected leaders and other activists from DC 37 and DC 1707, which represents workers in the non-profit sector.

"This is class war," Saunders said, describing how anti-government interests have maliciously scapegoated public employees during the current tough economic times.

Nationwide, cities and states are struggling with budget crises, Saunders noted. Critics blame the economic difficulties on workers' pay and benefits, but the problems really stem from years of tax cuts and the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, he said.

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts hammered home that point after praising Saunders for helping get DC 37 back on track when he served nearly four years as administrator of the union after a corruption scandal in the late 1990s.

"We have become a target," she said. "They have decimated the private sector unions. Now they are coming after us."

Before opening up the meeting to participants' ideas and questions about the challenges facing the union, Saunders described his duties as secretary treasurer and underscored his commitment to AFSCME's "zero tolerance" policy on financial improprieties.

Noting that the union constitution requires periodic audits of locals, he said AFSCME won't hesitate to intervene if it uncovers financial abuses: "If we find wrong-doing, we are not going to let it happen."

An unprecedented attack

Saunders is traveling the country getting input about bread-and-butter issues from rank-and-filers. He said the process is an effort to strengthen AFSCME and involve more members in the fightback against the worst attack on unions in his nearly four decades in the labor movement.

"Our members are under attack like never before, in New York City and across the country," he said. "We have to stop being on the defensive. We have to educate the public about how you sacrificed for your pension, and I will be damned if we will give it up!"

In the question-and-answer session moderated by DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray, activists highlighted issues they want AFSCME to address and offered suggestions on how the national union could better help working families. Many said the union needs to do a better job of getting its message out.

A more aggressive media message

Cuthbert Dickenson, president of Quasi-Public Employees Local 374, referred to a newspaper article about Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo's plan to take on public employee unions to solve state budget woes. The union should consider taking out ads to respond to such attacks, he said.

Similarly, Peter Stein, president of Lifeguard Supervisors Local 508, said the union must beef up its media work and develop more aggressive outreach to counter the attacks on pensions, pay and benefits.

Sewage Treatment Workers Local 1320 President James Tucciarelli complained about the widespread misinformation about public employee pensions. Tucciarelli, who chairs the DC 37 Pension Committee, appealed for AFSCME's help with research for fighting back. Stuart Leibowitz, head of the DC 37 Retirees Association, underscored AFSCME's leading role in defending Social Security and pensions.

"We need your support to get the message out," said Israel Miranda, vice president of Uniformed EMTs Paramedics and Fire Inspectors Local 2507, who presented Saunders with a $5,000 contribution toward AFSCME's effort to counter the misinformation about public employees.

"We need to lift the boat for everyone," said Juan Fernandez, president of Amalgamated Professional Employees Local 154. To strengthen the labor movement, unions must fulfill their historic role of fighting for the economic advancement of all workers, he said.

Local 375 Secretary Jon Forster urged the national union to throw its political weight behind environmental-friendly building and infrastructure projects.

Mike Kenney, Local 375's 2nd vice president, called on AFSCME to beef up its support for federal legislation to help 9/11 rescue and recovery workers with their health problems. Dishanta Meredith thanked Saunders for AFSCME's help in strengthening College Assistants Local 2054 after a corruption scandal.

Judith Arroyo, president of United Federation of Nurses and Epidemiologists Local 436, spoke of the need for mroe labor-friendly appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in order to ensure greater legal support for organizing in the private sector.

Local 1549 Executive Board member Ayanna Gabriel said she was encouraged by the national union's "Next Wave" program. Reaching out to the younger generation is vital for reviving the labor movement, she said.

"A lot of people are divided here," said Local 420 Shop Steward Hulie White. "If we don't pull together under one banner, the city is going to take us apart. They have to know from Alaska to Washington, D.C., that DC 37 is one of the strongest unions around," White said, eliciting thunderous applause as the meeting ended.