LOCAL 207 ORGANIZER

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF AFSCME LOCAL 207

313-990-0221 Issue # 50, July 28, 2003 afscme207.com

Defeat the Attack on AFSCME Local 207!

Jimmy Hearns and Al Garrett: HANDS OFF OUR UNION!

It’s Time for Garrett to Go!

Jimmy Hearns and Al Garrett are making an attack on Local 207. They are trying to punish Local 207 for the fight we’ve made against concessions and our local’s overwhelming votes against the contracts. We’re proud of the stand we took – for ourselves and for all city workers. Our union is strong because we don’t back down from fights – WE’RE NOT BACKING DOWN FROM THIS FIGHT EITHER.

Council 25 Staff Rep Jimmy Hearns’ was Al Garrett’s appointed Chief Negotiator on the contract that Local 207 members voted against 580 to 80. Hearns and Garrett were trying to sell city workers a much worse contract than the one that was finally ratified, and it was Local 207’s strong lead, which stopped them. Our local’s strong stand has helped secure the small across the board raises for city workers and a bigger raise for more than 80% of Local 207’s members.

Now Hearns and Garrett are trying to destroy the democracy of our organization and trample on Local 207. Wake up call to Jimmy Hearns and Al Garrett! Local 207 members beat back the city’s concessions. We’ve stood at the front in opposition to attacks on city workers – we’re definitely not putting up with this crap!

Hearns and Garrett have cooked up a scheme to attack our Local that is as stupid as it is sure to backfire on everyone associated with it. Shamefully, two of Local 207’s Executive Board members – Colletta Estes and Eleanor Bennett – have played the role as treacherous tools in this attack.

At the Friday July 25 Local 207 Executive Board meeting, Vice-President Colleta Estes attempted to make an illegal motion to “suspend” President John Riehl and Secretary-Treasurer Michael Mulholland. She said she had some charge against Riehl and Mulholland but wouldn’t say what it was – she and Jimmy Hearns haven’t made that part up yet! When her completely out-of-order motion hit a rock, Estes left the room and came back quickly with Jimmy Hearns – he’d clearly been waiting outside the meeting in case his stupid plan fell apart. Hearns then agreed with Estes that Riehl and Mulholland did not have the right to vote against the out-of-order motion. Hearns’ interference in our Local is a violation of our Local democracy and definitely calls for union charges to be brought against him.

Local 207 members are not interested in the anti-democratic, sellout policies that Hearns and Garrett are pushing now with the help of Colletta Estes and Eleanor Bennett. Local 207 will defend itself from any would-be dictators.

This attack is a crude attempt to stop the growth of influence and leadership of Local 207 with the rest of the 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 – members have the right to know!). Garrett is rightly afraid that more Locals will unite against his sellout contracts in the future. He’s losing it. It’s time for Garrett to go!

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.

After Local 207 members 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.

The members of every local have the right to elect the leaders they choose. Garrett and Hearns have proven over and over again that they are incapable of defending the members of the Council 25 unions against management attacks. It seems all they’re good at is attacking members’ rights.

Actions like this latest attack on members’ democratic rights by Hearns and Garrett are destroying Council 25 as a coalition of unions. They are giving ammunition for people who are campaigning for disaffiliation of the local unions from the Council 25 alliance which would mean decertification. If it is not stopped, it will destroy Council 25. If Hearns and Garrett can get away with this, no union member has any rights at all. Every union president and every union local is threatened by this type of dictatorial power-grab. This union belongs to the members!

Sign the petition that is circulating condemning these attacks on our local and supporting President Riehl and Secretary-Treasurer Mulholland.

Come to the picket at 4:30 Monday July 28

At the Union Hall, 600 W. Lafayette at Third