One of the ways that we as a union can empower ourselves in the workplace is to operate in such a way that our managemet has no choice but to say, " Our best employees are union members." Consider this with me please. If you were the boss, and you had to deal and neogotiate with a union and the members of that union were your worst employees, by that I mean they were always late, calling in every week, doing the bare minimum on their work assignments to just get by, would you really have an interest in a good working relationship with that union? The honest answer is no you wouldn't. You wouldn't because you would feel like this is an organization that is full of people who just want to abuse the system for their own personal gain. They want to forever take and never give.

 I want to challenge you today to look at your own professional life. Do you see yourself, in the scenerio described above? If you do please understand that you are hurting not only yourself but your fellow brothers and sisters, in the union.  Let's reverse this senerio now. If you were the boss and you could look at the union members that worked for you and honestly say, " These are the best employees I have! They come to work, on time, and they do their job above and beyond what is required of them." If this was the case I would bet you would be more than willing, to work with the union, to make sure that these employees are satisfied with their working conditions.

The thought that I want to communicate to you is that the first step to being a good union member that can make the workplace a better place for everyone is to be a great employee who demonstrates real union pride everyday, in the work they do and in the way they carry themselves, on the job.

Be the the best!    

Joshua L. Hall, President AFSCME Local 1180