6,400 Say 'Yes!'

SAN JUAN

Members of the Alianza Correccional Unida organizing committee and volunteer member organizers from various unions within Servidores Públicos Unidos (SPU)/AFSCME Council 95 celebrate an island-wide election victory. It brought 6,400 corrections officers (COs) and other corrections personnel from 46 facilities into the union — raising the membership to 25,000. The ACU soundly defeated a rival organization that had delayed the election won by ACU/SPU three years ago. A favorable court ruling paved the way for new balloting, which occurred in February. This time, ACU/SPU surpassed its earlier 2-1 margin, with an overwhelming 2,447 votes to 692. "Now we can finally begin to bargain for a contract," says María Mauras Montañez, president of Local 3500. "It's about time our COs get the recognition and respect they deserve."

To bolster the International's support for the campaign, AFSCME Corrections United national chair Glenard Middleton — who is also an International vice president and executive director of Maryland Council 67 — visited correctional facilities on the island last December. COs and staff from New York's DC 37 also participated in workplace outreach and one-on-one house visits leading up to the election.