For AFSCME Local 1328 members, their AFSCME Strong training was put to the test recently when it came to helping a subset of their coworkers to a contract win.
It began six months ago when AFSCME members at UF Health Jacksonville overwhelmingly approved a new three-year contract that kept up benefits while making progress on pay and retirement. Unfortunately, left out of that progress were the 130 environmental services employees of Sodexo who are also in the AFSCME Local 1328 bargaining unit.
“Here at UF Health Jacksonville we are one big AFSCME family,” said AFSCME Local 1328 Pres. Lorenzo Sheppard. “But the reality is we had to be back at the bargaining table to ensure that we are all moving forward, even if some of us technically have a different employer.”
In the months that followed, AFSCME Strong trainings opened the eyes of Local 1328 members to how engaging every coworker will help move the entire unit forward. “No matter if it is a big step or a small step, as long as it is a step in the right direction we all win,” Sheppard said.
This month, leaders across Local 1328, not just ones within the Sodexo unit, worked together to sign up 12 new members in the first real membership drive specifically targeted for those workers. And they helped pass the subunit’s own three-year contract that translated into progress for careers and families, including a 2-percent pay increase.
“This contract will protect jobs, help us grow our union strength and reward our members for the hard work they do,” Sheppard said.