By Nancy Swindell, President Local 2620, Council 57

My name is Nancy Swindell and I’m a state employee from Modesto, CA. I’m a proud member of AFSCME, and I am so pleased to be here in Chicago as a delegate to the International Convention.

Yesterday was inspiring — we heard from two U.S. senators, five amazing members and our president. But today, the business of the convention begins. Today, the future of our union is at stake.

The crucial debate and votes on some of the key elements of the 21st Century Initiative are scheduled to take place during today’s session, and I am committed to making AFSCME even stronger. We know we need to organize. We know we need to win political fights. We know we need good contracts. I know that the 21st Century Initiative is the best plan to make this possible.

We’re going to make our union stronger by empowering locals to be more active, by increasing membership 5% a year, by running a year-round political program and by fighting for public policy that improves the quality of life for our members, their families and all working people in this country. We’re going to fight and win, just like we did when we took on my Governor and his propositions last fall.

Our union is over 70 years old and we are the premier union for workers in the public service. With the votes we’ll make today, we’ll decide if we’ll still hold that position in 70 more years.

Led by actor, activist, former union organizer and card-carrying union member Jimmy Smits – AFSCME kicked off its 37th International Convention yesterday. Smits emceed the opening program with great energy, warmth and of course solidarity. The program was punctuated by a powerful speech by hometown Senator Barak Obama, who received a thunderous welcome from the crowd. Check out the AP photo of Senator Obama and Smits greeting each other backstage. AFSCME President McEntee set the tone for the upcoming week with remarks on the crisis confronting working people and called on delegates to fight anti-worker corporations and politicians by approving the 21st Century Initiative – the union’s “bold, new plan” for change.

Today delegates will debate, deliberate and decide on the future of AFSCME when they consider key measures of the 21st Century Initiative. The nearly 6,000 convention attendees will hear from President McEntee, whose keynote address will no doubt fire up the hall with the charge for change. After the 21st Century Initiative is first discussed, we’ll have what we expect will be rousing speeches from special guests Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and leading progressive talk radio personality Ed Schultz. If you haven’t heard Ed, check out his website for a list stations around the country that carry his show or to subscribe to his podcast.

By Laverne Walker — President, AFSCME Local 505 and a member and Region 1 vice-president of AFSCME Council 31

My name is Laverne Walker– I’m a city employee here in Chicago and we’re proud to be hosting AFSCME’s 37th International Convention.

Today was truly amazing. The feeling in the hall when the convention began was electric — thousands of AFSCME members — from nearly every state in the country and Puerto Rico, standing together to take on the challenges that face us and all working people.

Jimmy Smits, the actor from West Wing and NYPD Blue, was the emcee. He introduced five members of the AFSCME family and each spoke about the power of our victories and pain of our challenges. A brother from RI spoke about the fight with their Governor to keep their health coverage and keep down costs. And you could’ve heard a pin drop in the massive hall when Dennis Morgan talked about the needless death of his father, Corrections Officer Cotton Morgan — all because his dad’s request for a bullet proof vest that fit was never heard.

I watched with pride as my council’s executive director, Henry Bayer, addressed the convention and then heard a powerful speech given by my Senator Barak Obama. His speech and the remarks of everyone today made me even more proud of being a public employee.

Tomorrow, we’ll tackle the major business of the convention – the 21st Century Initiative – which President McEntee spoke about today. This week is sure to be fun and also a lot of work. I’m looking forward to it.

By AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee

AFSCME’s 37th International Convention began today in Chicago. We are here in the Windy City to chart a new course and adopt a bold, new program for our union.

At this Convention, we won’t just acknowledge the challenges we face. We will boldly confront them and the 21st Century Initiative is our plan of attack.

I’m proud of this plan. I’m proud that the members of the International Executive Board believe in this plan. And I’m proud that it has been endorsed overwhelmingly by our councils and local unions.

We began on this course in 2004, when delegates to our 36th International Convention in Anaheim, CA, acknowledged the crisis we faced — out-of-control corporate power and influence, privatization of our jobs, soaring health care costs, loss of retirement security and several threats to collective bargaining.

The delegates established the 21st Century Committee, charging it to examine every aspect of our union and recommend strategies that would give us more power and prepare us to fight hard — and win — on multiple fronts and in multiple places.

The 21st Century Committee received input from AFSCME leaders and members across the country through meetings, town halls, national conferences, online surveys and much more.

These recommendations will strengthen our union. They are the key to a bolder union and a brighter future.

I know this week will be a watershed for our union and for our priorities.

Today, Dennis Morgan addressed the AFSCME 37th International Convention. Dennis is not a member of AFSCME, but he will always be a part of the AFSCME family. A year ago (August 9, 2005) his father, corrections officer Wayne “Cotton” Morgan, was gunned down by the wife of an inmate he was transferring from a courthouse in Kingston, TN. Officer Morgan was treasurer of AFSCME Local 2173.

Officer Morgan’s death may have been prevented had he been provided with an appropriate bulletproof vest. Morgan’s repeated requests for a fitted vest were denied. So since his father’s death, Dennis has taken up a campaign with AFSCME to pass federal legislation that mandates providing bulletproof vests for corrections officers. Currently federal law requires state and local governments to pony up “matching funds” to equip officers with critical safety equipment.

Thanks to the hard work of Dennis and AFSCME COs from across the country, Congressmen Ted Strickland (D-OH), Harold Ford (D-TN) and Bart Stupak (D-MI) introduced H.R. 4215, the Wayne “Cotton” Morgan Bulletproof Vest Act.

The Bulletproof Vest Act now has a growing number of Democratic co-sponsors, but no Republicans.

Today marks the opening of AFSCME’s 37th International Convention where members have gathered to do nothing less than decide the direction of our union. On the table is the 21st Century Initiative -– “the most far-reaching change initiative in our union’s history,” — according to AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee on the The Huffington Post today. This top-to-bottom strategic overhaul of AFSCME will be voted on by the more than two thousand AFSCME delegates here in Chicago. There’s been a lot of buzz already about this bold new plan for change, and not just here in the halls of the massive McCormick Convention Center in Chicago. It was reported on Friday in DailyKos (one of the most widely read political blogs in the country) as well as other major media. Check Greenline throughout the week for more updates on the 21st Century Initiative, as well as other highlights and news from the convention, posts from members and more.

Last week the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced that we’re about to make big changes in the way we do business. Faced with a “newfound audacity from anti-union business leaders and the politicians they bankroll,” AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee said that our union is poised to enact the 21st Century Initiative, a top-to-bottom strategic overhaul of AFSCME and a bold, new plan for change.

The 21st Century Initiative will focus on spurring member activism, organizing new members, increasing political power and launching national campaigns on issues like universal health care. And it will change the way we operate in several fundamental ways, including:

• AFSCME has long believed that local union presidents know their city councils and state legislatures best. So we’re going to help state councils and local unions develop the tools they need to win, including establishing a leadership institute to provide on-the-ground training for local leaders and activists.
  
  
• We will commit unprecedented resources to new organizing campaigns and mobilizing existing members. In fact, we’ve set a goal to grow our 1.4 million membership by 5% each year.
  
  
• We will retool our political program to run year-round, rather than just in the months leading up to an election. Rather than defending our values against right wing attacks, we’re going on a fulltime offensive to expose how their morally bankrupt agenda is destroying America as we know it.
  
  
• We will rekindle the fight for universal health care and other agenda items that underscore our progressive values of security, opportunity and fairness for all. After all, electing progressives to office won’t matter much if we don’t build an environment in which they unabashedly can fight for our values – and win real policies that improve people’s lives.

Delegates to AFSCME’s 37th International Convention will vote on the plan as they convene in Chicago next week. And on Thursday, Aug. 10, delegates will participate in a unique, interactive town meeting to develop local implementation strategies for the Initiative when they return home. The process will be managed by AmericaSpeaks, which hosted a similarly large discussion in New York City about reconstruction plans for the World Trade Center.

It will be quite a week!

UPDATE: AFSCME planning new organizing effort