From Jeff, organizer with AFSMCME

 

Walker Methodist Home employees want to have a recognized union.

 

How is a victory defined by your campaign?

 

When the NLRB decides to drop any objections to the election done by Walker employees to have a union.  When that happens, the union can sit down and collectively bargain.

 

 

Where is the campaign happening?

 

At the Walker Home, with their employees. 

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What have been the highlights of your campaign so far?

 

The election to form a union was two years ago.  Since then, the NLRB (National Labor relations Board) has been dragging its feet in moving the process forward.   Walker Home management has been exerting a lot of effort at influencing the NLRB to delay and stop the recognition process.

 

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What is it about the campaign that you (and others ) have been excited and inspired about?

-         Affects their livelihood and morale and sense of ownership

-         Jeff (AFSCME organizer) says that the workers are “scared to death”

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Why are you motivated to work on this?

-         See above, also (Jeff said he would be glad to come and speak with our PWJ group with a union  member.)

-         Jeff is excited about the possibility of our church helping them at this time.

What efforts or projects are happening soon in the campaign?

 

They will be organizing workers on the inside.  Organizing them to put pressure on management.

 

What things are needed to be done?

 

Help is needed to make this situation and this issue public.  They want management to feel public pressure to recognize the union.  For this, people from the outside (that is, non-employees) are needed.

 

Specific things that Jeff said would be good things for allies to do to help win this campaign:

 

-         letter campaign

-         fax campaign

-         petition campaign

-         rallies

-         picketing

-         street theatre

-         music

-         benefits

-         Doorknocking in the area to let neighbors know what the Walker management is doing

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