De-cert De-feat

CALIFORNIA

If you've done a lousy job running a local and the members kick you out, don't try to sneak back in by means of a decertification campaign. That's the message the membership of Local 2620 (Council 57) has sent — in unmistakable terms — to a disruptive collection of bad losers who wanted to decertify the unit from AFSCME.

Last fall, Local 2620, some 4,200 strong, voted out its leadership after more than five years of bad results: no significant raises or job improvements; inadequate staffing; unresolved safety issues. Staffing and safety are especially important to these workers because many of them are employed in state prisons and Department of Mental Health state hospitals. Their local is comprised of social workers, psychologists, pharmacists and professionals in related fields.

The defeated slate of officers refused to go gracefully. Instead, they quickly formed United Professionals and launched a challenge to the new leaders, attacking not only them but also AFSCME with false or exaggerated claims and promises. In addition, the ousted officers glossed over the fact that they were running UP.

Local 2620 fought back aggressively. Led by Pres. Nancy Swindell, its leaders criss-crossed the state, talking to members but listening, too. They asked their colleagues what they wanted from the union, including in upcoming contract negotiations. The leaders also floated their own ideas. Swindell, a licensing program analyst in the Department of Social Services, explained her plans to focus on the unit's sagging finances and improve communications with rank-and-file members.

"We've revamped our newsletter and website — adding an e-mail update system — to make our communications member friendly," Swindell says. "We've also launched a staffing and safety campaign to address the most urgent issues, like not being allowed to practice the professions our people are licensed in. We've hired both a lobbyist and an experienced negotiator. And because we learned so much talking to the members, we're continuing to emphasize member outreach."

All that hard work paid off handsomely. The state's Public Employment Relations Board conducted an election for the local membership and, in mid-April, declared that AFSCME had beaten back the decert by better than a 3-to-2 margin. Next step: contract negotiations beginning in early June.