Public Employee Press

Local 2627 shop stewards
Facing labor’s challenges, at work and nationwide

Local 2627 strengthened its shop steward and activist network April 30 with an all-day conference. Thirty members attended the session, which focused on grievance and contractual matters in addition to the challenges that face economically-squeezed working families and the country’s embattled labor movement.

“We wanted to underscore how important unions are in protecting our rights and livelihood,” said Edward W. Hysyk, president of Electronic Data Processing Personnel Local 2627. “The conference really seemed to rev people up,” said 2nd Vice President Gary Goff, who planned the training with Hysyk and DC 37 Delegates Robert Ajaye and member Peter Jablin.

Focus on white papers
After welcoming remarks by Hysyk, Goff and Professional Division Director Stephanie Velez, Assistant Associate Director Henry Garrido described the union’s “white paper” campaign against contracting out. Contracting out is a great concern to Local 2627 because of the city’s widespread use of computer consultants. He asked members to gather information on the practice.

When he introduced Garrido, Hysysk said the union’s exposure of wasteful use of consultants had put the brakes on some contracting out and is one of the reasons the city decided to hire many computer workers in recent years. Specifically, Hysyk mentioned the addition of more than 200 computer positions at the Human Resources Administration.

Enforcing the contract
Assistant Director Larry Kelly of the DC 37 Education Dept. discussed the grievance procedure. Florence Smith, a Computer Associate at the Dept. of Corrections, said she was happy to learn about grievances and the other options that union activists have for fighting workplace problems.

Assistant Director Nola R. Brooker of the Research and Negotiations Dept. described the contract as the bible for curbing abuses. “But the contract is no good if it’s not enforced,” she said.

Luncheon speaker José La Luz of the AFL-CIO Organizing Dept. spoke movingly about the challenge the labor movement faces to rebuild itself in the face of a hostile White House and declining membership.

Struggle to organize
In the 1990s, working for DC 37’s national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, La Luz headed a multi-union campaign that organized more than 100,000 public employees in Puerto Rico.

The long-time labor educator and organizer noted that the attempt to win union representation rights for public employees failed at first and only succeeded after years of struggle convinced politicians that the legislation had widespread grassroots support.

In the afternoon, Executive Director Meizhu Lui of the Boston-based United for a Fair Economy discussed how economic inequality has grown tremendously in recent decades, partly because of public policies, such as President Bush’s massive tax cuts, which have overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy.

Computer Aide Patricia Taylor said she was happy to become more familiar with the workplace rights
described in union contracts. Motivated by the conference, she plans to enroll in the union’s shop steward training program in the fall.