The Union Highway

WHITAKER, MICHIGAN

AFSCME, start your engine.

Thanks to Alan Troy, Local 3451 (Council 25) president, the union has a new method of spreading the message to working families. In May, he and his sidekick, Dale Switzer, a retired AFSCME member, participated in the 7th Annual Hot Rod Magazine’s Power Tour. They drove Troy’s 1963 Chevrolet Impala from Pontiac, Mich., to historic Route 66 in Joliet, Ill., where they joined a fleet of other vintage autos en route to San Bernardino, Calif. The trip covered 2,414 miles in 10 days.

AFSCME sponsored their trek by subsidizing fuel costs. "That helped a lot," says Troy, "because we hit some high gas prices." At each stop along the way, the duo proudly displayed the union banner. The International also supplied the roving "organizers" with AFSCME-branded pens, T-shirts, key chains and pins to hand out to car buffs.

Troy and Switzer talked up their union at every stop. Says Troy: "I’ve been able to make a living and raise a family because of this union. Thanks to AFSCME efforts, I have great benefits and job security."