AFSCME Turns the Tide, But the Struggle Continues
Pres. Gerald W. McEntee (Photo by Dave Siccardi)
In November of 2010, voters elected governors and legislators who campaigned on the issue of jobs. Yet instead of creating jobs, these newly elected politicians launched an unprecedented assault on the basic rights of working Americans.
They sought to eliminate public sector collective bargaining, disenfranchise voters, privatize vital services and lay off public employees, all while providing unneeded tax cuts to the wealthy. These efforts were designed to reward their Wall Street-backed campaign donors rather than focus on protecting and creating jobs.
Serving the Working Middle Class
Our union took the lead in fighting for our members’ rights, pay, retirement, health benefits and jobs, and fighting for the entire working middle class. We fostered a Main Street movement in states where anti-worker politicians had gained the upper hand, including Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida and Michigan. We mobilized in Illinois, New York and other states where even Democrats have targeted public employee pay and benefits.
But the tide is turning. Amid the cuts and wage freezes and the anti-worker legislation, we have won some crucial battles. In Ohio, voters resoundingly rejected Gov. John Kasich’s attack on collective bargaining. In Wisconsin, we defeated two anti-worker legislators and eliminated Gov. Scott Walker’s working majority in the state Senate. Walker is now in a dogfight to save his own job after more than 500,000 citizens demanded his recall. And, on Capitol Hill, we blocked two assaults against Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. These victories may be little comfort as you struggle to hold on in the face of ever-tightening budgets and politicians who demonize union workers rather than find real solutions. But mark my words: We have begun to turn the tide.
Committed to the Fight
Many beyond our ranks are as committed to the fight as we are. With coalitions such as We Are Wisconsin and We Are Ohio, we harnessed labor and community power for victory. Our opponents have won some short-term battles, particularly in their attacks on pension rights and collective bargaining, but we proved that we can prevail.
The national and state elections this year will profoundly impact our future. In a Presidential election as significant as this year’s is, we will need to be as active as humanly possible. To that end, AFSCME has endorsed Pres. Barack Obama for re-election and we will mobilize our members, to ensure a better future for our country.
This year, we will continue strengthening alliances to fight cutbacks and privatization schemes cascading down to localities from poor budget decisions above. We will fight together and carry the battle into the November elections. This is our message: Jobs must be the priority, not attacks on workers and the programs citizens rely upon in good times and bad.
