Doing the Union's Work
By Susan Ellen Holleran
More than 100 amendments and resolutions were brought to the 35th International Convention. Of these, delegates acted on 87 resolutions — amending and combining many. The rest were referred to the International Executive Board (IEB). Three constitutional amendments were adopted.
One adopted amendment enables the International to establish national bargaining committees covering all affiliates that have collective bargaining relationships with an employer operating in more than one state or AFSCME jurisdiction. That could give the committees more clout and automatically throw the union's resources behind them. The other two amendments:
(1) Increase retiree-chapter representation at International Conventions by entitling the chapters to delegates based on membership — according to the formula local unions use.
(2) Change the way property belonging to disaffiliated subordinate bodies is treated. In the past, those assets were frozen for up to two years. Hereafter, the International will be able to use the property — money, equipment, real estate, etc. But if the subordinate body reorganizes within two years, the International must provide it with funds equal to the value of those assets.
Full text of the Amendments and Resolutions can be found on the AFSCME website.
Resolutions passed
The Convention zeroed in on a major life-and-death issue: the health care crisis. InAffordable Health Care For All, delegates charge the union with making "fundamental health care reform a central issue in the 2002 and 2004 elections." The resolution encourages affiliates to leverage their purchasing power and to negotiate preventive care benefits geared toward those with chronic illnesses — a source of long-range savings. It also recommended increased use of the AFSCME Advantage Health Savings program as a supplement to employer-provided coverage.
Prescription-drug coverage, an issue that touched a nerve with many delegates, sparked a number of resolutions. The Crisis in Prescription Drugs — in addition to reaffirming our commitment to the enactment of a Medicare prescription-drug benefit — calls on AFSCME to work for federal price controls on prescription drugs and for the rights of states to negotiate deep discounts on them. The resolution also encourages increased member education on how to use health benefits in more cost-effective ways.
The Convention passed a resolution — AFSCME Structure — Multi-Affiliate States — aimed at facilitating cooperation among affiliates.
Delegates expressed concern about recent decisions by U.S. Attorney Gen. John Ashcroft that erode civil and union rights under the guise of preventing further terrorist attacks. Defending Civil and Union Rights opposes his decision granting the FBI wider powers to infiltrate community and civil rights groups and unions. The resolution urges Congress and the White House to "disavow and reverse any practices or policies which threaten trade union rights or civil liberties."
