Your Union News
	December  2003	AFGE Local 2578 News	Vol. 2, No. 8

AFGE Local 2578 officials and members rally on the steps of the Department of Labor, December 10, 2003

AFGE Fights Back On December 10

AFGE Local 2578 members were among several thousand union members who rallied outside the Labor Department on Wednesday, calling for tougher laws to protect American workers and denouncing the Bush administration for what they said were anti-union policies.  AFGE Local 2578 sponsored a shuttle to carry members from Archives II downtown so they could participate in the National Day of Action, associated with International Human Rights Day. 

Those who “got on the bus” were AFGE Council 260 President Peter Jeffrey, AFGE Local 2578 President Vernon Early, Secretary Ted Hull, Shop Stewards Jim Cassedy, Deborah Edge, Nancy Fortna, Greg

LaMotta, and Michael Rhodes, along with soon-to-be member Debra Williams-Boone.

Labor leaders say they have been unable to stop the steady decline because employers are more aggressive and sophisticated about fighting unions. Penalties are weak for breaking laws that are supposed to protect workers' rights to form unions, they say. 

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA) provided the keynote speech identifying the congressional challenges facing organized labor.   He has fought tirelessly for workers rights, but his voice is increasingly drowned out by those who seek to erode many of the basic rights unions have won over the last 7 decades including overtime pay, the right to organize and bargain collectively, and affordable health care.

The rally was one of more than 90 events in 38 states designed to call attention to hurdles workers face when trying to form unions.

Sen. Kennedy addresses the National Day of Action.

AFGE Council President Peter Jeffrey and Pat Alexander (NA)

Union Officials Tour Archives I Worksite

On November 20, 2003, AFGE Council 260 President Peter Jeffrey and Secretary Ted Hull were given a tour of Archives I.  The tour, provided by Pat Alexander (NA) was meant to give union officials a chance to see the progress being made on the renovations and to ask questions about the renovated space. 

Union members at AI continue to have questions and concerns about the pace and scope of the renovations, along with a variety of health and safety issues.  The next issue of the newsletter will address a number of these concerns. We remind members that cubicle reconfigurations and assignments are negotiable as a change in working conditions.  To voice your concerns at A1, contact A1 Shop Steward Katherine Coram by email or at 202-501-5330x273.

AFGE Local 2578 Member Supported in Tour of Hope:  I recently had the privilege of participating in a 40-mile bike ride around Washington, D.C. to help raise funds to fight cancer. I rode in the Tour of Hope to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This was the finale to a bigger ride across America: a twenty-six member team of cancer survivors, researchers, and health professionals rode bikes from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. to help raise awareness about cancer research and raise funds to fight this terrible disease. Here in Washington, over a thousand of us rode through the city on October 18, the day the cross-country team arrived in D.C.

Thanks to a generous donation from AFGE Local 2578 and to the donations made by my friends and family, I was able to raise nearly $1000.00. All of the funds raised by the riders would go directly to support the fight against cancer.

We finished up our ride at the Ellipse in time to cheer Lance Armstrong and the Tour of Hope Team as they finished up their 3000-mile bike ride. All in all it was a great celebration to raise the profile of cancer research and I feel very lucky to have been a part of it. I am also very proud to be a member of AFGE, an organization that supports its members’ involvement in such worthy causes.

--Anne Witty

Boycott Safeway:  As many of you know, across the country, from Southern California to West Virginia, and Ohio, almost 75,000 supermarket workers are on strike, fighting to save affordable health care for their families and all of America’s workers.  For more information about the strike visit http://www.ufcw.org/hold_the_line/

Performance Appraisals: By now, most members should have received their performance appraisals.  The deadline for most employees was November 30.   If you have not, contact Chief Shop Steward John Powers by email or at 301-837-2070.  We also remind members that a downgrade without having received an interim appraisal is a violation of the contract.  Contact a shop steward if this has happened to you! 

CFC Suggestions: Union members who have not yet filled out their CFC contribution might want to give to AFL-CIO Community Services (5531) or the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (2281).  The CFC campaign ends December 18.

Local Meeting: The December meeting of AFGE Local 2578 is cancelled.  The next meeting is scheduled for Tues. January 27, 2003. 

Welcome New Members: AFGE Local 2578 welcomes the following Brothers and Sisters: Quynston Allen, Sam Anthony, Karen Bell, Norah Burns, Grace Evans, Mary Haynes, Michael Meier, Joseph Scott, Marsha Sharp, Linda F. Smith, Vivian Stokes, Ronald Summers, Kevin Tiernan, and Arden Williams.

AFGE Council 260, AFGE Local 2578

8601 Adelphi Road, rm. 1920; College Park, MD 20740-6001

(301) 837-0901, afgecouncil260@yahoo.com

Local 2578 Executive Board: Vernon Early, President; Peter Jeffrey, Executive Vice President; Nkenge Sims, Treasurer; Ted Hull, Secretary; John Powers, Chief Shop Steward

Newsletter Editor: Katherine Coram

Please feel free to share Your Union News with other Bargaining Unit employees … encourage them to join AFGE! See http://www.afgecouncil260.org/join.html