WHEREAS:

Many AFSCME affiliates have been faced with the challenge of decertification elections; and

WHEREAS:

With the efforts of the affiliates and the assistance of the International, most decertifications have been voted down, and many lessons have been learned, most notably from the victories of the Civil Service Employees Association Local 1000 in decertification challenges for bargaining units with over 20,000 members in 1989; and

WHEREAS:

Notable among the lessons learned is that in all decertifications, whether sponsored by a rival organization, by disaffected union leaders seeking their own fiefdoms, or by the employer, the leading issues resolve around dissatisfaction with servicing performance, and, whether these dissatisfactions are valid or imaginary, they must be effectively responded to during the campaign; and

WHEREAS:

The International Union can mobilize the necessary resources to meet decertification challenges.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That Councils and Locals be encouraged to perform "self-assessments" with regard to delivery of services to:

a) measure member satisfaction
b) determine adequacy of programs
c) identify potential trouble spots
d) develop remedial action, where appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That this 29th Convention adopts the policy that the appropriate Area Office of the International Union must be notified at the earliest opportunity when a decertification challenge becomes known to an affiliate; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That affiliates will seek such guidance as the International Union can provide from decertification experiences elsewhere and that resources of both the International and its affiliates will be combined to defeat these challenges.

SUBMITTED BY:

Joseph E. McDermott, President
Irene Carr, Secretary
CSEA Local 1000/AFSCME
Albany, NY