It Doesn’t Take a Waterfall
When Local 1902 negotiated with Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District, AFSCME’s political clout gave the union’s issues priority status.
LOS ANGELES
They say it never rains in Southern California, but the area’s residents still need water to survive. Workers at the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) provide the water, and Local 1902 watches out for the workers.
The MWD employees affiliated with AFSCME 10 years ago. Since then, they have learned the importance of participating in AFSCME’s political action program and the value of AFSCME’s legislative clout. This year, the local realized how using those resources could help it achieve its goal: an extraordinary contract that puts more dollars into their members’ pockets and provides greater job security in the face of a major reorganization undertaken by MWD’s management.
TEAMWORK. “We were all local group presidents and hadn’t really worked together,” says Gordon Dexter, Local 1902’s executive secretary-treasurer. “We learned a lot about negotiations.”
Management learned some things, too. “They got a better feel for the people out in the field — that we really are educated, know our job, know what it takes to get the job done, and know the contract.”
Management also saw AFSCME’s political savvy when MWD wanted support for their legislative agenda. That cooperative experience created a comfortable working relationship between the union and management. In addition, MWD learned that AFSCME could deliver at the state capitol.
TAPPING THE SOURCE. The union possessed strategic information: MWD was financially solid. It planned a reorganization that would bring changes; Local 1902 needed to be part of the decision-making process.
As a result, says Wayne Lamkin, “We bargained for a severance package that makes it very expensive to lay off current workers.” He is president of a component of Local 1902. They pushed for a five-year agreement with increased benefits and overall major pay increases (4.75 percent the first year, between 3 and 6 percent for the next four). They won an agency shop agreement and also gained an additional holiday, Cesar Chávez’ birthday. But one major bargaining priority had been getting MWD to pay the employees’ pension contribution — 7 percent that would go directly into the workers’ pockets.
Management wouldn’t budge.
GREEN POWER. Back in Sacramento, AFSCME had legislation introduced ordering MWD to pay the pension contribution. It sat there, a place marker, ready to be enacted if needed.
Eventually, management blinked.
“We made a deal,” says Lamkin. “MWD decided to pick up the contribution, and we had the bill withdrawn.”
In the process, he adds, “I learned a lot about how much clout AFSCME really has. That was an eye opener.”
In addition, the bargaining team’s knowledge and internal cooperation will strengthen Local 1902 well into the future.
“We became really tight — good, close friends,” Dexter says. “That will stay with us through the rest of our careers.” So will the importance of AFSCME clout.
