For Immediate Release
Tuesday, August 25, 1998
AFSCME International Secretary-Treasurer Speaks of Union’s Past and Future
Honolulu, Hawaii —Today before some 5,000 delegates and guests of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, 33rd International Convention, Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy reflected on the changes the union has seen since last convening in Hawaii some 24 years ago for the International’s 20th convention.
"Twenty-four years ago when the union convened here in Hawaii, AFSCME was a much smaller union, but its concerns were very much like those we have today -- to protect and promote quality public service delivered by a trained and qualified public workforce which enjoys the right of collective bargaining at every level of government; to organize in the private and non-profit arenas and give those workers the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of trade unionism, and to fight for our collective strength for what is just and fair for all working people in America."
In 1974 the union’s membership stood at about 650,000 with 1,733 delegates attending the Hawaii Convention compared to 1.3 million members today and some 5,000 delegates and guest in attendance. "In 1974, we were tolerated by the American Labor movement. Today we are the heart and soul of that movement, and with that goes the responsibility of having to live up to that role and everything it demands," said Lucy.
Lucy challenged delegates to first work toward securing the well-being of union members and use their collective power to: "build a just and a civil society, a society in which our members can enjoy the fruits of their labor....Twenty-four years ago we fought the contracting out of certain services. Today we fight the privatization of the entire public sector."
In reflecting on the changes of the past 24 years, Secretary-Treasurer Lucy made note of the transformation of America’s economy from domestic to global and the fact that many of the delegates’ jobs are now part of a global marketplace, which may be "picked over and bid for by trading partners like any other commodity."
"Much has changed in these past 24 years and much more will change in the years to come as the global economy sweeps over public services," said Lucy. "In AFSCME we have accepted the challenges and dealt with them. We do so now, not with fear or trepidation, but with resolve and the determination to hold to our vision of a just and fair existence, here in America and everywhere else."
