By LILLIAN ROBERTS
Executive Director
District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO

The recession and the right-wing Republicans are threatening our ability to keep the American Dream alive, but DC 37 and public service workers nationwide have charged into 2012 in fine fighting spirit.

Social Security, Medicare and continuing the country's comeback from the depths of the Bush recession will be at stake in the November election. I believe 2012 will also be a turning point in our drive to stop cutbacks and contracting out from destroying our municipal workforce and to win improvements through collective bargaining.

I have been proud to see our members on the march, demonstrating for jobs and justice. It has been thrilling to lead our activists into a growing coalition with civil rights groups protesting right-wing efforts to tilt the election against President Barack Obama. Their so-called voter ID laws would strip away the hard-won voting rights of millions of minority, immigrant, young and senior citizens. And it was great to see Locals 371 and 1549 bussing to Albany to battle Medicaid changes that could destroy jobs and cripple services for the elderly and disabled. While 2011 was the toughest year for public employees in recent memory, we turned the corner into 2012 with some important advances.

• Here in New York, the City Council voted 48-0 December 8th to override the mayor's veto and toughen up Local Law 35 on contracting out. The City Council took seriously their responsibility to the people of New York City and did the right thing, and I salute them for it. We will immediately begin using the improved legislation to protect members' jobs. It is important that the law for the first time now covers the Dept. of Education, which handed out billions to outside contractors last year while it laid off low-paid support workers.
• Activists from AFSCME, our 1.6 million-member national union, played a leading role last month as Wisconsin workers submitted 1 million signatures - double the number required - to recall Gov. Scott Walker and have a new election. Walker started 2011 by ramming through legislation to abolish public employees' right to have a voice in their pay and conditions through collective bargaining. The Wisconsin recall petitions went in soon after Ohio voters' overwhelmingly rejected a law restricting bargaining rights.
• President Obama in January pressed for "insourcing" - what we call contracting in - by U.S. businesses to bring jobs back from overseas and put unemployed Americans back to work. He urged the elimination of tax breaks for companies that outsource and became the first U.S. President to propose tax incentives for businesses that bring jobs home. Mayor Bloomberg, are you listening?
• In the CityTime payroll project - the worst example yet of contracting-out waste, fraud and overcharges - President Obama's Justice Dept. indicted contractors for theft, and millions of dollars will be returned to the city. I am calling on the Bloomberg administration to use these funds to rehire our laid-off brothers and sisters.

The right to vote is the key to power in a democratic society - but only if we use it. If we want to continue making progress and protect our pay, our pensions and our jobs, we have to elect political leaders who care about working people and public services.

I am urging every DC 37 member to make sure you are registered to vote. Think about making a big difference by volunteering for political action with the union by calling 212-815-1550. Then, on Election Day, vote and bring your family members and as many neighbors as you can to the polls. Our jobs, our families and our communities depend on our votes.