Fighting the Recall
SAN DIEGO — Mercedes Montes and Ted Balagat have two things in common: They are both AFSCME members, they opposed the recall of California Gov. Gray Davis (D). So they joined thousands of other Green Machine members who campaigned in an uphill battle to defeat the right-wing power play.
During his years in office, Davis has achieved an outstanding pro-worker record. One of his first acts as governor was to reinstate daily overtime (for working more than eight hours in a day), which had been eliminated by his predecessor, Republican Pete Wilson. Davis also led the fight for paid family leave. He strengthened funding for job-safety programs. And he has helped unions like AFSCME win fair contracts, as well as recently signing legislation mandating that large employers provide health care coverage.
Those positions have made Davis very unpopular with Big Business and Republican leaders who decided to use the state's recall provision to overturn the 2002 gubernatorial election. The anti-worker, pro-recall forces began circulating petitions only a couple of months after Davis' re-election.
MEMBER TO MEMBER. Montes belongs to United Domestic Workers of America-NUHHCE, an AFSCME affiliate. Because of Davis, she says, she and other San Diego County home care workers now have a contract and such benefits for caregivers as paid sick leave and vacation and, most important, health insurance. During the campaign, she spent hours on phone banks sponsored by the local central labor council.
Across town at the University of California (UC)/San Diego's Hospital at Hillcrest, Balagat shared information with his co-workers and answered questions. Part of Local 3299's Member Action Team, he distributed flyers outlining the case against recall. He took turns at the union's table in the hospital cafeteria, encouraging members to register to vote and turn in vote-by-mail forms.
"We're all affected by the recall," he points out. "It's costing the state a lot of money" — more than $66 million according to the latest tally. A lead custodian, Balagat has worked at the hospital for 12 years. He appreciates the fact that AFSCME is the strongest it has ever been here, with a visible presence at all the UC campuses and hospitals.
From Sacramento down to San Diego, AFSCME members participated in phone banks and precinct walks to urge a "NO" vote on the recall.
Nonetheless, on Oct. 7, the power play succeeded: Californians voted to recall Davis, then bypassed Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D) to install actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) as their new governor.
