AFSCME in Chicago – Democracy in Action

by   |  August 10, 2006

By Willie Wallace, Local 3491, Council 62 My name is Willie Wallace, I’m a city employee from Gary, IN and today, my union is going to attempt something never done before by an organization our size. The thousands of us delegates here in Chicago are going to take part in an interactive town hall meeting where we’ll put the 21st Century Initiative into action. We’re going to do something really cool here in Chicago. As individuals and in small groups we will offer up our opinions and ideas on working in the public sector in this country and on being members of this union. We’ll be divided up into tables of ten with a facilitator and a laptop to record and transmit our responses on several questions and topics. Picture it: 500 tables, 500 facilitators, 500 laptops – one gigantic brainstorming session. It’s sounds pretty interesting and totally unlike anything we’ve ever done before. It’s definitely more high-tech than the old-fashioned flipchart or white-board. Our answers and ideas will be put up on giant screens in the convention hall, and we’ll vote as individuals on which ideas we think are best. In the end we’ll have a single document that truly reflects the will of our union. Our ideas and opinions will then guide our leaders in the days, weeks, months and years to come. It really is democracy in action!