Page 6 - Work Force September 2018

We give 100 percent at Staying Union, Staying Strong
NEVER
Anti-labor groups are trying to trick our members into giving up their rights, but we are sticking together to keep our union strong.
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Janus v.
AFSCME Council 31 decision in late June, many of our locals and units were already hard at work reaching out to our members to strengthen our union by striving for full membership.
quit
‘We are truly stronger together’
In this edition, we highlight several locals and units that are succeeding in using grassroots efforts to reach our members and make our union stronger than ever.
Town of Webster White-Collar Unit Treasurer Nancy Steele and Town of Webster Blue-Collar Unit President John Leckinger are sticking with our union.
WEBSTER — At a time when union members are being attacked by corporate interests, criticized by media organizations, taken for granted by neighbors or even having their mere existence being challenged, our members at the Town of Webster are committed to staying union and staying strong.
Our members at the town’s Highway and Sewer departments note that challenges
facing our union
won’t keep them
from delivering
on their promise
of serving their
community
with pride and
distinction.
First chartered
more than 40 years
ago, the CSEA Town
of Webster union
employees have a
long and storied
past of providing
excellent service
to the sprawling Ontario lakefront community in northeastern Monroe County.
Our members at the town have been building relationships with each other, management and their community for years, and their success shows.
Since negotiating the first
blue-collar contract in 1978, members have enjoyed a respectful relationship with management and have maintained a well-deserved reputation as being one of the finest workforces anywhere. With more than 60 full-time employees between our white collar and blue-collar bargaining units, our members have also managed to maintain a 100 percent membership rate for more
than two decades. CSEA activist
Sue Trottier, who logged almost 30 years of employment at the Town of Webster before retiring in 2014, said developing personal relationships with co-workers and town leaders were critical to establishing a healthy workplace and a strong union.
“I can’t remember a time when a
highway or sewer employee was not an active card-carrying member,” said Trottier. “We educated new employees about the value of union membership during their first orientation session. We explained that the union [as a whole] was more important than our individual selves; that to have a safe workplace
and negotiate good contracts, we must speak with one voice. Once we explained the key role of our union, it just became a no-brainer for them.”
Nancy Steele, a senior clerk at the Highway Department, said our union has always had a prominent place at work.
“We developed a culture of competence that reinforced the
idea that being an active member
in the union and doing your part
was necessary if we were going
to succeed as a team,” she said.
“We have always had strong CSEA leadership here at the Town of Webster, and I am very grateful for all
the challenging work that took place before I got here 18 years ago.”
Town of Webster Blue-Collar Unit President John Leckinger attributed the units’ full membership status as everyone buying into the notion of a brotherhood and sisterhood.
“Our common thread here at work is we all have each other’s back,” Leckinger said. “Our union is the helping hand you get when things get tough or unbearable. We are here for each other and we are truly stronger together. This is not a secret formula. This is common sense.”
-— Ove Overmyer
“Our union is the helping hand you get when things
get tough or unbearable. We are here for each other and we are truly stronger together. This is not a secret formula. This is common sense.”
6 The Work Force
September 2018
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