Kevin Randle knew the power of belonging to a union as a child. While both of his parents worked hard to provide a good quality of life for his family, there was always fear that his father’s nonunion job might be outsourced without notice.
However, his mother, a school speech therapist and a member of the Kenosha Education Association in Wisconsin, had a stable union job.
“The union gave job security and peace of mind for our family for many years,” Randle, an Iowa member, wrote in his winning application for the 2024 Gerald W. McEntee scholarship, a one-time $5,000 scholarship awarded annually to an AFSCME member for use towards higher education.
That’s why Randle, now a geographic information systems (GIS) analyst for the City of Davenport’s Department of Public Works, and a member of AFSCME Local 887 (Council 61), didn’t need any convincing to join AFSCME during his new employee orientation nearly four years ago.
He knew that being in a union meant “job security, fair compensation, safe conditions, generous benefits and much more.”
“I immediately jumped at the opportunity [to join AFSCME],” Randle wrote. “It is my goal to help others as much as the union has helped me and my family. The impact that being in a union has had on my life motivated me to become more involved.”
Starting out as a steward, Randle then became treasurer of his local, and was then elected president after two years. From there, he joined Council 61’s executive board, became the chair of his region’s PEOPLE political action committee and also serves as a representative to the Quad City Federation of Labor.
“I realized that it’s the people who are the union,” says Randle. “It’s all of our hard work and dedication and commitment that makes it function. That’s why I give my best effort to make my union as good as possible — to try to do everything I can to improve the working conditions, compensation and benefits [of my co-workers].”
If Randle set an ambitious agenda for his involvement in his union, he’s set an equally ambitious agenda for his career. After earning a bachelor’s degree, he went on to pursue master’s degree at the University of Iowa in urban and regional planning. Now he’s pursuing an MBA at Columbia Southern University with a concentration in public administration.
Randle will use the $5,000 McEntee Scholarship to accelerate his studies and take more courses than he otherwise would have the time or the funds to.
His work — making and maintaining maps for the City of Davenport — mirrors the work of many AFSCME members: essential, but often unseen. But the detailed maps that Randle designs are a crucial tool for the functioning of a city. Without them, an infrastructure project, a new building, or a road detour, would be impossible.
“I think it’s really rewarding to work for the community that you live in, getting to see all your hard work and effort pay off, and also hearing people you know compliment the work you’re doing.”
Randle’s goal is to move up within the city to better serve his community.
“I’m very honored to receive this scholarship,” says Randle. “I hope I’m able to take what I learn in my program and apply it to my union and my professional life.”