A Journey into Political Reality
By George Guidish, President, Local 203 (Illinois Council 31)
When an Illinois CO and state Republican Party official found his party ignoring his and other workers' needs, he switched gears in a big way.
Centralia, Illinois
I had been a precinct committeeman for the Republicans for about five years, when I decided to run for president of my local. I did not like the direction the local was going and knew the only way to change that was to become involved.
But after I had won the election, I got a call from a GOP state senator. "What are you doing, George?" he asked. "You are a Republican, you shouldn't be involved in a union."
That's what started my journey to reality — seeing how workers really get treated. Exhibit A was a paralegal with an 11-year-old daughter who had leukemia. The mother had been granted a Make-A-Wish trip, only to have her supervisor deny her request — for unpaid leave of absence. "My operating need is greater than hers," the supervisor said.
The idea of "Shut up and do what I tell you to do" did not sit well with me. Our local worked very hard to defend and uphold our contract — and sometimes our sanity.
What about my pickup?
The last four years of participating in Public Employees Organized to Promote Legislative Equality (PEOPLE, AFSCME's political-action arm) and lobbying our legislators showed me that the Republicans were not supporting my union. Nor were they supporting me, George the Correctional Officer, with my beautiful wife (who chooses not to work outside the home), my three great children, my house and my old pickup.
I finally realized I was a blue-collar, working-class guy. I noticed that whenever I go to union functions, I do not sit around or see any millionaires or the well-to-do.
The final straw came this past year when our Republican governor tried to privatize the dietary and commissary services in the prison where I work and began to consider closing some prisons altogether. All that, even though the Illinois prison system is almost 50 percent over capacity, with an increase this year of 6.5 percent.
I went straight to the Republican caucuses in Marion and Clinton County and stated the corrections employees' case: "You're taking our jobs, and without them our communities will suffer — especially if you expect to put criminals out on the street before they have paid their debt." The result of that was blame being placed on me and our unions. If we would just work with them — the Republicans said — take a furlough day, give up our pay raise, let them raise our health insurance, things would be okay.
Well, I was not going to do that. I told both caucuses that I would not vote for any person who was going to take my job. I decided not to be a precinct committeeman anymore. Why should I? There wasn't a single Republican candidate who I could walk precincts or put up signs for.
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