Public Employee Press

DC 37/AFSCME STRONG: MOBILIZE, AGITATE AND EDUCATE
Mobilizing members, building a movement

By MIKE LEE

"The union is the members, and we must always remember that our wages and benefits aren't gifts from management."
— Henry Garrido, DC 37 Executive Director

More members are putting their muscle behind DC 37/AFSCME Strong as momentum builds for the recently-launched initiative to increase union activism, membership and power.

Since May, the union has held lunchtime meetings for members, increased training for staff and shop stewards, organized union fairs at city hospitals and formed "Member Action Teams" at work locations at various city agencies to bolster member-to-member communication.

The goal of DC 37/AFSCME Strong is to build grassroots power for public service workers in the workplace and in their communities. It is part of a national effort by unions like DC 37 that belong to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

On an unprecedented scale, right-wing elected officials across the country and the deep-pocketed CEOs who control them have targeted public services, retirement security and collective bargaining rights. New York has not seen the vicious attacks that have occurred in states such as Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana - where elected officials like Gov. Scott Walker have torpedoed collective bargaining rights while slashing and privatizing public services. But economic inequality is as prevalent here as anywhere else in the country. And influential organizations and "think tanks" such as The Manhattan Institute (which first gained prominence during former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration in the 1990s) continue to call for fewer public sector jobs; cuts to public employee pensions and benefits, and privatization of public services - all of which threaten the thousands of working class New Yorkers who are public employees.

"At a time of economic inequality the likes of which we have not seen since the Great Depression, the union is the first and last line of defense for working families," said DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. "The union is the members, and we must always remember that our wages and benefits aren't gifts from management. They are the result of standing together and working together, and when we become complacent or apathetic we lose the strength that builds opportunities for our families and communities."

To date, hundreds of DC 37 members have participated in activist training sessions at union headquarters. These members return to their workplaces equipped to further organize their fellow workers, sharing information and strategies.

"We're getting back to basics," said Organizing Director Barbara Terrelonge. "We're sharing information and engaging members one-on-one. By Spring 2016, we hope to engage 50,000 members in one-on-one conversations about how to make the union stronger."

Currently there is a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could hinder the union's ability to serve its members and weaken its influence in future bargaining and political organizing efforts.

"We've got to talk about the benefits that the union offers, and explain how they are threatened specifically by this case but also by what politicians are doing to hurt public workers," Terrelonge said.

As part of DC 37/AFSCME Strong, the union is using the latest communication technologies to enhance contact with members. Terrelonge urges members to connect with DC 37 on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Members have also been enthusiastically signing up for PEOPLE, the union's voluntary political action fund. More than 1,500 have joined since the launching of DC 37/AFSCME Strong.

"When members understand how critical the situation is, and get a clearer picture of the amount of money that's behind people like Scott Walker, they want to do what they can to even the score," said Terrelonge.

For more information on DC 37/AFSCME Strong, please contact DC 37 Director of Organizing Barbara Terrelonge at 212-815-1221 or email her at DC37Strong@dc37.net.