LOCAL 207 ORGANIZER

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF AFSCME LOCAL 207

313-965-1601 or 796-3376 Issue #49, July 26, 2003 afscme207.com

Picket & Special Membership Meeting to

Stop Council 25’s Attempt To Takeover Local 207

Picket & Special Call Membership Meeting To Prevent a Takeover

When: Monday, July 28, 4:30 PM

Where: Sidewalk in Front of Union Hall, 600 W. Lafayette at Third

AFSCME Council 25 officials, with the help of two Local 207 Executive Board members are trying to takeover Local 207. They are attempting to illegally remove President John Riehl and Secretary-Treasurer Michael Mulholland from the offices that the members elected them to hold. This is a desperate, stupid and corrupt political payback aimed at Local 207 for voting NO on the contract. Let’s throw back this attack on our democratic rights! To hell with Al Garrett’s scheming!

At the Friday July 25 Local 207 Executive Board Meeting Vice-President Colleta Estes made a motion to “suspend” Riehl and Mulholland from office, seconded by Recording Secretary Eleanor Bennett. They had no charges against the officers. In an attempt to pass this absurd, illegal motion, they said that Riehl and Mulholland couldn’t vote on it! That BS is totally contrary to the AFSCME Constitution!

Estes left the room, and quickly came back with Council 25 Staff Rep Jimmy Hearns. Hearns was Al Garrett’s appointed Chief Negotiator on the contract that Local 207 voted against 580 to 80!

Hearns agreed with Estes and Bennett (they’ve been plotting this together for months). The other two members of the Executive Board, General Unit Chair Bruce Conway and Sergeant- at-Arms Bryan Hardy were not present at this so-called meeting.

This is a crude attempt to stop the growth of influence and leadership of Local 207 with the rest of city workers, other unions and the community. Garrett is desperate to maintain control over the other Locals to pass more sellout contracts for the mayor. Under Riehl and Mulholland’s leadership, Local 207 lead a six Local alliance which got the first contract rejected. This was an unprecedented event. Local 207 almost got the second one rejected too (vote details are being kept secret!). Garret is rightly afraid that more Locals will unite against his sellout contracts in the future. He’s losing it.

Local 207’s role in the legal victory for Affirmative Action has made our union a nationally recognized leader for equality and justice. While Al Garrett refused to oppose Minergy, Local 207 continued to fight to save the 200 jobs threatened. And for now at least, Minergy’s incineration deal is dead. We must continue the fight if another threat develops. The City Council listens when Local 207 speaks. On Thursday July 24, they held a hearing with us and other Water Department unions to discuss privatization in our department and its connections to far right-wing racist Republicans. Riehl and Mulholland were at this important hearing, Garrett, Hearns, Estes and Bennett were not.

Al Garrett is using Estes and Bennett to set up our Local for a takeover by AFSCME International, probably to be administered by Council 25! That would eliminate November’s Local elections. Garrett has been unable to throw together or bribe a viable slate to run as a puppet Garret slate. So now he’s trying to void the members’ democratic rights. Only the members have the right to elect or un-elect our officers, and they will do that this November!

After Local 207 elected the slate led by Riehl and Mulholland by a landslide at the end of 2000, we had to picket the union hall before Council 25 officials would let them take office. Let’s remember that they tried twice to deny Local 2920 members the right to elect President Emily Kunze and they failed miserably. It’s time once again to tell Council 25’s to shove their undemocratic, sellout policies. We will convene our Special Call Membership Meeting right there on the street, and vote to condemn this pitifully desperate attempt to takeover our union. This union belongs to the members!