Their jobs and locations varied, but all the newly organized workers who spoke during the AFSCME 47th International Convention described feeling empowered, excited and in the driver’s seat about their decision to organize with our union.
For Jordan McGinnis, a social worker and a member of Colorado Organizing Committee 976, the decision to form a union with AFSCME grew out of his crushing caseload and mistreatment by management.
“Because our work is so challenging and at times dangerous, our department had become a revolving door. We were being crushed by the weight of our caseload. And we could not rely on our bosses for help. They could change our roles and responsibilities without any input from us,” McGinnis said Tuesday at the Convention in Chicago.
McGinnis and his co-workers went on to win their union election and sign their first contract.
For Lydia Sowell, a member of Texas Organizing Committee 832, the desire for a union voice grew out of wanting to speak up to make her community safer. As an equipment operator at the Flood Control District in Harris County, Texas, Sowell and her co-workers play a critical role in disaster situations.
“In Texas, it is illegal for public service workers like me to have a union contract. But try as they might, they can never outlaw our collective power or stop us from mobilizing,” Sowell said.
They stood in solidarity and fought to pass a special policy with the county board that gave 6,000 of them a seat at the table.
For Katina Jones, a data program manager at the American Library Association, organizing with AFSCME was a logical choice, because AFSCME is the union for cultural workers.
The AFSCME Cultural Workers United campaign now counts 50,000 proud members at museums, libraries, zoos and other types of cultural institutions.
