AFSCME members have proudly kept Tulsa, Oklahoma, running for years. AFSCME Local 1180 represents just about every city employee. That includes water and sewer technicians, mechanics, administrative assistants, health inspectors, 911 dispatchers, IT experts and more.
But the contract hadn’t covered forensic scientists, firearms ballistics techs, water lab analysts and others in the science and technical unit.
Until recently.
On April 25, nearly 94% of workers from the unit who cast a ballot voted to join AFSCME. That added 70 more dedicated city workers to the bargaining unit.
“For years we have been working towards the success of the same city but without the same benefits and protections,” said Tyler Strausbaugh, a senior environmental monitor tech. “We are often doing this work side by side, but nobody could remember exactly why it was we were not in the union.”
Strausbaugh was an AFSCME member in his old job before transferring into his current position. So he knew the difference a union makes.
“There is so much that AFSCME does to help workers out that is sort of just routine until you don’t have it available to you,” said Strausbaugh, who helped to organize his co-workers leading up to the election. “And that is really what people are excited for — the security of a contract and the knowledge that we have a voice on things like longevity pay and our benefits.”
These workers underscore AFSCME’s momentum despite attacks on workers’ rights. Unions have an approval rating of 70%. Over the last year alone, AFSCME has grown by 40,000 members.
Michael Morrison spent 18 years as a foreman for the water department and is now president of Local 1180. He said the local’s growth even in one of the country’s “reddest” states shows that the issues that unite working families are nonpartisan.
“We know our mayor. We know our city councilors. They are our neighbors, their kids are on gymnastics and Little League teams with our kids, we go to the same churches and sit in the same school pick-up lines,” Morrison said. “So, when we sit down to bargain for a paycheck that reflects the value of our work, safety on the job and respect, they understand what we are talking about, and we can make the AFSCME difference real for our members.”