Spotlight on Activists
Joan Gallagher, Katie Nelson and Patricia Boday have all temporarily left their "day" jobs to help organize state workers under Washington's new collective-bargaining law. The situation here differs from that in most other states. The Washington Federation of State Employees/ AFSCME Council 28 has represented state workers for decades but has been unable to negotiate on econo-mic issues. So the council had a wide range of seasoned activists from which to choose its organizers.
The union bug bit Katie Nelson, a member of Local 313 in Vancouver, when she served as a coordinator for Council 28's rolling strike in 2001. The members in this southern region of the state were a strong and visible presence and drew support from other unions in the area.
"Then the council asked me to go to Kentucky for two months to talk to workers," says Nelson, who works in the state's Department of Social and Human Services. She was able to explain the value of a union to Kentucky employees in similar jobs.
A few months later, "We got collective bargaining. I thought, 'Wow! We're next.'" Nelson enjoys the fast pace of the effort, comparing it to a roller coaster — especially the house calls.
During one call, a potential member told her, "I don't like the people the union endorses." Nelson was able to show the man that Council 28 endorsed Republicans as well as Democrats who supported state workers' concerns. It turned him into a union supporter.
Joan Gallagher has found humor useful in handling opposition. "I visited one home where the woman who answered the door said, 'I got your brochure in the mail. It was a waste of our money.'" Gallagher answered, "The eight people in that mailing are our most photogenic members. You can see why we need more." That broke the ice.
Taking on this new role was a big step for the 11-year state employee. A single mother, she is proud of the support she receives from her 14-year-old daughter Molly. "She grew up very self-sufficient, and she's strong."
Gallagher feels as if she's "parenting a whole group" — showing them the resources they can use to empower themselves. "We're asking them to do something that's a combination of social justice and political action." They are understandably hesitant, so Gallagher asks them, rhetorically, "'What is management going to do to you? Reduce you to a state worker? Increase your health care costs? Not give you your COLA [cost-of-living adjustment]?' Once they understand what's at stake, there's no holding them back. We point out that there's nobody else in the state whose job is to advocate for state workers. We have to do it ourselves."
Patricia Boday was raised in an AFSCME family, and the exposure took root. She was a steward in Local 491 when she was tapped for the organizing drive. She doesn't think her new responsibilities have brought much of a change for her three children. "I've always been active in the union. It was an environment they grew up in."
The newest member of the trio, Boday sees her job as "making sure no workers will be left out when collective bargaining becomes effective. I explain the changes that will come with the new law and give them the option to join the union."
