PEP, June 2005: Power in the 21st century

By BILL SCHLEICHER

The American labor movement, now down to 13 percent of the workforce, is in the struggle of its life.

Profit-hungry global corporations hack into wages, benefits and pensions while government, in the grip of right-wing ideology, crushes labor’s right to organize, cancels safety and environmental protections, kills funds for education and health care and targets the most successful safety net in history — Social Security — for destruction.

Unions face the challenge of rebuilding the power of working people to fight back and win. As the movement debates how to regain strength on the job and in national politics, District Council 37’s national union has launched a thorough, ongoing self-examination. About 100 DC 37 activists, led by Executive Director Lillian Roberts, were among 500 AFSCME local and regional leaders who came to Washington April 25-27 to participate in that crucial process.

“This conference is about being heard, building strength and fighting for ourselves. This conference is about action,” said Veronica Montgomery-Costa, president of DC 37 and Local 372, as she opened the gathering.

Since Bush won the 2004 election, “Public services, our union and our rights are under attack daily. To win the battles ahead, we must regroup, rethink and rebuild,” said Gerald W. McEntee, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

McEntee introduced AFSCME’s 21st Century Committee, which includes Local 2054 President and AFSCME Vice President Joan Reed. He described the aims of the five subcommittees, which are focusing on growth, politics, dues, increasing the national union’s ability to fight, and helping local councils, such as DC 37, to build their strength. Ms. Roberts, Ms. Reed and Eddie Rodriguez, Local 1549 president and AFSCME vice president, serve on the subcommittees.

“This has to be done carefully to increase our strength in the 21st century while maintaining the independence of our councils,” Ms. Roberts said. Urging the conferees to participate fully, McEntee told them, “No aspect of this union is off-limits to change.”

Participants at the conference responded enthusiastically at discussion groups on the challenges facing the union and fight-back strategies and at a “town hall meeting” with McEntee, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy and the heads of the 21st Century subcommittees.

Some suggestions from DC 37 members included “working with neighbors in our communities,” (Belinda Dixon, Local 1549); “increasing internal education about issues like Wal-Mart,” (Kyle Simmons, Local 924); “mobilizing members around the erosion of benefits and bargaining rights,” (Faye Moore, Local 371) and “reaching the young by putting their parents’ faces on the Social Security issue” (Jean Peterson, Local 1930).

Others were “a national rally day against Bush,” (Walthene Primus, Local 957); “training and mobilizing shop stewards” (Ralph Palladino, Local 1549); “discussing seriously the ideas of dissidents within the labor movement,” (Stuart Leibowitz, Retirees Association); “addressing the issues that concern our younger members (Carmen Charles, Local 420) and “dealing with the churches — if the right wing can organize there, so can we,” (Ms. Montgomery-Costa).

“It was important to hear the variety of points of view on issues critical to our future,” said Peterson of Local 1930.

Conference participants also studied up on the union’s legislative goals and heard words of encouragement from political leaders, including U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, John Kerry, John Edwards, and Jon Corzine and U.S. Reps Nancy Pelosi, Gwen Moore and Barney Frank. The DC 37 delegation discussed political strategy with Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

Switching from talk to action at lunchtime April 26, the conferees donned green AFSCME T-shirts and marched to the U.S. Capitol for a “Save Social Security” rally. Among the thousands of demonstrators were members of many other unions, church, civil rights, women’s and retiree groups, including a busload from the Retirees Association of DC 37, who left New York early that morning.

In a dramatic moment, about 80 members of Congress streamed from the Capitol and onto the rally platform, where they pledged an all-out fight to stop privatization.