DC 37 Split on Hike

AFSCME Approves $3 Dues Increase

By HOWARD MEGDAL and RICHARD STEIER

GERALD W. McENTEE: 'Fighting for workers.'

District Council 37's parent union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Aug. 8 ratified a $3 monthly dues increase for all its members to provide $60 million in funding for political activity starting next year. While DC 37's two largest locals - 372, which represents Department of Education employees, and Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549 - voted for the dues hike, it was opposed by other locals comprising about 40 percent of DC 37's 121,000 members.

Break With Roberts

Among those casting dissenting votes were two local presidents who usually support DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts, who championed the increase: Claude Fort of Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375 and Carmen Charles of Hospital Workers Local 420. They were joined by Emergency Medical Service Local 2507 President Patrick J. Bahnken and several local presidents who have been leading critics of both Ms. Roberts and AFSCME's leadership: Charles Ensley of Social Service Employees Union Local 371, Mark Rosenthal of Motor Vehicle Operators Local 983, and Edward Hysyk of Electronic Data Processing Personnel Local 2627.

Mr. Rosenthal said in an Aug. 10 phone interview that many of the dissenting DC 37 local leaders weren't convinced that AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee "was going to do what he said with the money."

Some officials from other parts of the country, including the entire Detroit chapter of AFSCME, voted against the hike because they believed it was excessive at a time when their members' wages have fallen behind inflation. "They're hurting," Mr. Rosenthal said.

Need Help Locally

MARK ROSENTHAL: Hits McEntee's credibility.

John Riehl, who as president of Water Department Local 207 represents 1,000 of the 4,000 employees in AFSCME's Detroit chapter, said, "Workers just took very heavy concessions in their jobs in Detroit - we took a 25 percent hit on the cost of living in our last contract. Our fightback is mostly at the local level - the statewide union is not much help."

He has even less faith, he added, that the national union will apply the added dues income where it will do the most good.

"They spend too much of the money on these failed campaigns like the Howard Dean campaign, which sucked up about $12 million," he said, referring to Mr. Dean's failed bid for the Democratic nomination for President in 2004. "We have to hold fundraisers just to keep our phones on, and we can't afford a secretary." The measure, called the 21st Century Initiative, received 3,446 votes from an estimated 6,000 delegates at the international union's convention in Chicago. The dues hike will fund a number of political activities, including drives to register 90 percent of the union's members to vote and get 25 percent of the members to give $100 or more to AFSCME's political action committee, a national legislative campaign to secure universal health care, and a Leadership Institute to train members to organize at every level.

Phased-In Increase

AFSCME members will pay an additional $1.75 per month beginning Jan. 1, 2007, an additional 75 cents beginning Jan. 1, 2008, and another 50 cents monthly starting on Jan. 1, 2009.

"Today, AFSCME members took an enormous step in fighting back against the forces aligned against working people," Mr. McEntee said at the convention Aug. 8.

Ms. Roberts, who expressed support for the measure earlier this year, said in an Aug. 9 statement, "This dues increase is very important because it will help us fight the anti-worker, anti-union forces aligned against us all over the country. We all know nothing happens unless there is money to make it happen. I don't want the wolf to come to our door and not be ready."

Mr. McEntee stated, "In the last six years, we have seen a newfound audacity from anti-union business leaders and the politicians they bankroll. They have become shameless in their attacks on working people. As a result, our wages are stagnant. Our jobs are being privatized. Our health costs are ballooning. Our pensions are disappearing. Our contracts are getting tougher to negotiate. Our middle-class is shrinking. Even our basic rights to join a union and bargain collectively are now being taken away."