District 2 receives XX

Edward Award

JANUARY 7, 2013 • VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1

MICHAEL BOLTON, Director

is published by the

United Steelworkers District 2

AFL-CIO·CLC

MICHAEL BOLTON, Director 1244A Midway Rd., Menasha, WI 54952

(920) 722-7630

Contributors to this issue include:

Mike Polkki, Kelly Caldera, Jay McMurran

Tammy Duncan, Lori Gutekunst

Articles and photos are welcome

and should be sent to:

Art Kroll, Editor, District 2 News 13233 Hancock Drive, Taylor, MI 48180

d2@usw.org • (734) 374-8200

Jan. 25, 2013, is the deadline for

submissions for the next issue.

USW D2 2013 Financial Officers’ LM, 990

& 990EZ

February 11, 2013

USW LOCAL 2-21 HALL • 1201 Sheridan Road,

Escanaba, MI

February 12, 2013

LABOR TEMPLE • 318 S. 3rd Avenue, Wausau, WI

February 13, 2013

LUCKY DOGZ • 157 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah, WI

● February 14, 2013

MILWAUKEE COUNTY LABOR COUNCIL •

633 S. Hawley Road, Milwaukee, WI

USW District 2 Michigan RTW Training

● March 1—3, 2013

East Lansing Marriott at University Place • 300 M.A.C.

Avenue, East Lansing, MI

USW D2 2013 Financial Officers’ LM, 990

& 990EZ

March 5, 2013

USW LOCAL 12075 HALL • 3510 James Savage Road,

Midland, MI

● March 6, 2013

CIVIC CLUB • 183 Ninth Street, Manistee, MI

March 7, 2013

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 7 HALL • 3330 Miller Road,

Kalamazoo, MI

● March 8, 2013

USW D2 SOUTHERN MI SUB-OFFICE • 13233 Hancock

Drive, Taylor, MI

USW International Women’s Conference

● March 10—13, 2013

Pittsburgh, PA

Rapid Response / Good Jobs Green

Jobs Conference

● April 16—18, 2013

Washington DC

USW District 2 Conference

● April 24—28, 2013

Radisson Hotel, Appleton, WI

USW Press Association Conference

● May 19—22, 2013 (Tentative)

Pittsburgh, PA

UpcomingUpcomingUpcoming

D2 Events D2 Events D2 Events

A Message from Director Michael Bolton

When the day was done, we had RTW and Gov. Rick Snyder thought he beat us and kept the outrage to a week. He thinks we will go away ̶ we will not!

They think the law cannot be challenged. We will! The 2014 Elections started on December 11th. We Will Prevail.

This state cannot afford 6 more years of Rick Snyder's Corporate Welfare and Anti-Worker Anti-Middle Class war. Unions built the Middle Class. I refuse to stand by and watch the destruction of either. I want to thank USW D2 Director Michael Bolton, and USW Local 4974 for enabling me to be

a part of this fight. It's only just begun.

Last month, Republicans, for now, have changed the face of the Michigan labor movement by rushing through anti-worker legislation that will allow workers to opt out of our Union and still receive the same wages, benefits and representation without paying dues. The House and Senate did this without holding a single hearing or without accepting any public input. It was passed despite the fact that the majority of state voters support strong collective bargaining. As a result, as contracts expire after a March 27, 2013, effective date, Michigan begins the process of becoming a Right to Work state.

Maybe I should spend time in this article going over stuff like how the Governor and legislative leadership swore, right up to the day the bill was introduced, that Right to Work was not on their agenda. Or, tell you how legislators included a $1 million appropriation on the bill to ensure that it could not be repealed by a vote of the people. But complaining about Republicans or the rotten underhandedness of these elected officials isn’t going to change anything. Right to Work is now our reality that we must deal with.

To help us better understand the law and its affects on us as a Union and as individuals, I have scheduled Right to Work training for Staff and Michigan Local Union officers. Notices will be sent out this week with the date and training location. All Michigan Local Unions are strongly encouraged to participate.

For our members in Wisconsin, even though the Governor says that Right to Work is not on his agenda (Snyder and Daniels of Indiana said the same thing); I am not convinced that we will not have a RTW fight of our own during this legislative session. Republicans regained the majority in the Senate during the last election and again have control of all three branches of the state government. We can already hear their arguments for passage of such a law. Walker and his deep pocketed allies will say, “Michigan has it. Indiana has it. Iowa has it. If Wisconsin does not pass Right to Work, our neighbors will win all the new jobs.” So, we must be prepared for that fight. The USW has been working closely with the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO to develop a plan to do just that.

Right to Work means changes for all of us as leaders in our District. The most profound will be the emphasis we must now place on maintaining membership. None of us knows what to expect as workplaces lose their “Union Shop” status.

However, we have to expect that some

members will choose not to belong to our Union. Our job is now to keep that number to a minimum. We have to if we are going to continue to build the Union and fight for all workers.

One thing to remember, your employers are going to keep deducting Union dues from workers’ paychecks. They will know the level of support you have within your Local and adjust their labor relations strategies to match that support. That means that Locals with fewer members will have more difficulty resolving grievances and less power at the bargaining table. So, maintaining membership is a must.

I want to make it clear that Right to Work is the not end of the line for unions, but I do not believe that allowing people that work in our shops, the right to all the benefits we bargain for while not paying their share is fair. Prior to accepting my assignment to Wisconsin, I served as a Staff Representative for the Paperworkers in Iowa, a Right to Work state, and we were able to keep membership levels at 93% to 95%. We can do that in District 2. There may be an initial period of pain, but with education of our membership, we will overcome that challenge. If we work together, and don’t get discouraged by what the Republicans have done, but rather continue to be mad for what and how they did it, we will come out of this struggle as a stronger union than we were going into it.

To accomplish that, we are going to have to work together to promote our Union, resolve problems, educate our members, and to find more effective ways to communicate.

Every decision we make should be guided to one question – How do I best serve the USW and our members? Whether it is being on time for an appointment, or taking an extra few minutes to explain a decision to a member, the things we do impact the way our members think about each of us as their representatives.

Riding this bus back to the U.P., just after hearing Rick Snyder signed the law that brought 50 of us from the U.P. to Lansing, I am writing down my thoughts.

This seems like it came out of nowhere, but it's been there. While Scott Walker fired the first shot at us in Wisconsin, Rick Snyder crafted his policy quietly and behind the scenes. He knew all along how to weaken us and avoid weeks of occupation and protest. He picked his moment. He used proposal 2 as a scapegoat. Saying that we asked for it. Just because voters did not want to amend the constitution, does not mean they do not support Collective Bargaining (Millions of dollars from the DeVos Family and Koch Brothers buying deceptive advertising didn't help either).

I have been in Wisconsin, and now have spent my fair share of time in Lansing (twice in 1 week). We showed up, loud and proud and over 10 thousand of us, on the day he signed it, we faced UNIONIZED state Troopers with pepper spray and tear gas.

So, in closing, I would like to repeat, Right to Work will not be the death of the labor movement. But I don’t want to kid anyone. There are going to be some real challenges as the law takes effect. There is going to be some hard work along the way. I know that you are up to the challenge and that you will work with me to keep our Union strong for today and the coming generation of workers.

5 Minutes of my Thoughts. . . by Mike Polkki, USW LU 4974

USW Locals 4950 and 4974 board a bus for a long USW Locals 4950 and 4974 board a bus for a long USW Locals 4950 and 4974 board a bus for a long 121212---hour ride to the State Capitol, in Lansing, hour ride to the State Capitol, in Lansing, hour ride to the State Capitol, in Lansing, Michigan, to attend an antiMichigan, to attend an antiMichigan, to attend an anti---Right to Work Rally.Right to Work Rally.Right to Work Rally.