Hire the Boss!

How 150 city employees used local politics to defeat privatization, secure their jobs and get a better deal for the taxpayers of their town.

MOLINE, ILLINOIS

What a difference an election can make.

In 1995, Local 1132 (Council 31) had a contract coming up for renegotiation and a city council with four seats up for election. The members were working under a contract bargained in 1993, in which the municipal union had accepted a three-year wage freeze and a 200 percent increase in health insurance premiums. Steward Mike Tambaro explains that they had signed the contract because, given a weak economy and an "anti-labor" council, they "felt like it was the best [they] could do."

So when Local 1132 Pres. J.D. Schulte and Staff Rep. Dino Leone suggested that political action might offer the union more power at the table this time around, the members of the local were ready to give it a try. "As public employees, we have the power to hire and fire our bosses, and we decided to go ahead and try exercising that," says Schulte.

AFSCME members circulated questionnaires to the candidates, asking about issues important to them. Then, when they had selected their candidates, they went out leafleting, did phone banking, put up lawn signs, and ran an endorsement in the local newspaper. They also began reaching out to other area labor unions, becoming active in their Central Labor Council’s Solidarity Committee.

All four of their endorsed candidates won.

The result: After three years of wage freezes, the local’s first contract after the election included a step increase and a wage increase.

"The first few years I worked for the city, every time our contract came up, the city council would always talk about layoffs and contracting out," says Local 1132 Vice Pres. Tony Loete. Now city workers "don’t have to worry about their jobs every two years," he says.

"We’ve got a place at the table now," says Schulte, whose fellow union members credit him with being a driving force in the local’s political victories. "Council members look to us when they have to make a decision because they respect our time in the city and our thoughts."

This increased union involvement in the affairs of the city is paying off not only for city workers, but also for the citizens of Moline.

THE EXTRA MILE. A city of 45,000 along the Iowa border, Moline has always appreciated its public employees, especially its sanitation workers. "People love their garbage men," says Schulte. "If there’s an abandoned Volvo on the curb, those guys will pack it up and tote it off. People love their city services."

Since their public employees have gotten involved in politics, however, the citizens of Moline have even more to appreciate. Now that council members respect city workers, says Schulte, "they ask us, ‘Do you see things we could do better?’ And, yes, we do."

For example, workers’ recommendation that the city replace its vehicles when they could no longer serve any city function, rather than on a pre-set timeline, will save Moline taxpayers $103,000 this year alone.

The city is getting its money’s worth in other ways, as well. Schulte explains that worker-friendly council members are successfully tackling issues of importance to Moline, including crime prevention, neighborhood beautification and snow removal.

Moreover, Schulte says the new spirit of collaboration is inspiring AFSCME members to go the extra mile on the job: "You work harder for the candidates [who support you]. You know that when these people are going to bat for you, you need to give a little extra effort. You don’t want them getting complaint calls from their constituents because you know they don’t deserve it."

FREE BREAKFAST. Convincing local union members to become involved in the political process wasn’t easy. It took a lot of one-on-one conversations.

Says Tambaro, "I think it goes back to showing people that they do have the power to make changes and they need to exercise it. If they don’t use their voice, somebody else will speak up."

And don’t underestimate the power of fun. The union creates a warm atmosphere on the campaign trail by involving family and friends. The local hosts breakfasts at a local restaurant before leafleting, and invites spouses, significant others and children to get involved.

"The union picks up the tab. It was a risk to take at first, but the benefits paid off tenfold," says Schulte. "You can’t imagine the different friendships that have developed from this. People who work in different city departments get an hour to sit down and visit over breakfast, find out about the other’s kids."

Not everyone who gets involved goes door to door. Some people make phone calls, others make yard signs. The union now boasts some 50 regular activists, folks who turn out about once a month for rallies, leafleting and other union activities.

But all this is threatened by the deceptively named Paycheck Protection Act. Schulte believes the national legislation is a direct attack on working men and women who’ve had successes like theirs.

Loete says, "Members elect their union officers to administer the funds of the union — like electing people to the government. If each person had to okay every federal dollar, can you imagine the chaos?"

A VOICE. For now, however, Local 1132 is free to support candidates who will promote the best interests of working families. In 1997, the local took its political activism one step further: encouraging people who agreed with its views to run for office. Inspired by their success two years before, members turned out in force to select and support pro-Labor candidates. The results have been astounding.

Now, of the eight city council members, two are AFSCME members and three belong to other unions. "All [five] of them are dues-paying members of AFL-CIO unions," brags Schulte.

"If you have a problem, someone will listen to you," says Tambaro. "It’s not a guarantee that things will change, [but] someone will listen to you and take your concerns seriously. You know you have a voice."

In its most recent contract, the union won seniority rights for job bidding, an agreement which helps ensure that experience takes precedence over cronyism. The city council has also offered voluntary recognition of a dozen more city employees as members of the AFSCME bargaining unit.

Says Loete, "The city council values and respects the workers as much as they do management. It’s not business as usual."

In the wake of these successes, members plan to re-create their success in county and state races, working with their brothers and sisters from other area unions through the Solidarity Committee.

"It’s a great time to be a city of Moline employee," exults Schulte.

By Alison S. Lebwohl