Three AFSCME members from across the country described what it took to win contract victories for themselves and their union siblings.
In Florida, Joe Simmons, a solid waste worker for Local 871 (AFSCME Florida), described the uphill battle he and fellow union members were facing after attacks by anti-worker Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Governor Ron DeSantis passed an anti-union law requiring we maintain 60% membership, reauthorize every bargaining unit every year, and a host of other arbitrary requirements meant to do one thing: take our union out,” he said.
Simmons and his fellow AFSCME members mobilized. They conducted worksite sign-ups, holding one-on-one conversations to retain current members and bring in new ones. That hard work led to preserving a high membership rate for his unit, yielding gains at the bargaining table like significant raises, promotions for working out of class, higher educational reimbursement and more.
In the Midwest, Megan Durham, a youth services librarian at Daniel Boone Regional Library in Missouri and member of AFSCME Local 3311 (Council 61), described how not having a union made things go from bad to worse.
“Our benefits were under attack, we were underpaid, and no one was listening to our safety concerns. We all know respect is about more than money. It’s about having a voice. So, we organized and demanded one. It wasn’t easy, but after over a year of organizing, action, and hardball negotiations, we won our contract,” Durham said.
But there were bumps along the road.
Library management acted in bad faith throughout the process. Management bungled negotiations and the library board rejected the agreement — “until we showed up at their meeting with our members and community allies, demanding it be honored,” Durham said.
The good news is the library workers got a fair contract in the end. They won their major priority — 12 weeks of paid family leave — secured robust pay raises over the life of the contract, improved their retirement benefits, and made other improvements to their working conditions.
On the West Coast, Rachel Atkins, a member of AFSCME Local 101 (Council 57) and a veterinary technician at the Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose, California, was facing a major staffing shortage — 900 open positions across the city.
“We joined forces with the other union negotiating with the city and formed Staff Up San Jose. Hundreds of us rallied. We covered buses and bus shelters with ads so the community would understand our fight. We delivered a petition with 2,000 signatures — it was 75 feet long — to the city council,” recalled Atkins. “When they still wouldn’t listen, we voted to authorize a strike — more than 99% of us voted yes.”
The city caved and agreed to their terms. They won double-digit raises, increases in paid family leave and improvements for part-time workers.
Her lesson, and the lesson shared by all those who have fought for strong contracts, is that we must stand together to achieve big gains for workers.
Photo: California Council 57’s Rachel Atkins described how her local won a strong contract despite tough odds. Photo by Sed McCray
