Affiliated with the American Federation of Government Employees

TheSolid Seventh District

THE PUBLICATION OF ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN, AND WISCONSIN FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

E l e c ti o n 2 0 1 4

AFGE locals
and leaders
have been
doing ice bucket
challenges to
fundraise for
ALS research.
Local 778 did
an ice bucket
challenge as
President
Vaughn Glenn
and Bobby
Newsome
raised $300 for
the AFGE PAC.

AFGE members
in IL, WI, and MI
are phone
banking,
canvassing and
fundraising to
flex political
muscle ahead
of November
4th Mid-Term
Elections.
Get Out the Vote

Who supports Unions?

News & Updates

Federal Workers mobilize to

defeat anti-union politicians.

AFGE Endorsements for 7th

District

Happenings across the Solid

Seventh.

PAGE 3

Page 4

Page 6 and 7

Do Not Distribute on Federal Property

Th e Ri g h t to Vote

Dorothy James, National Vice President AFGE District 7

In April, 1 607,
English settlers in
Jamestown held their first
election, however voting
was restricted to white male
land owners. The civil
rights movement has fought

she rode with her father to

the polls in their horse and
buggy to vote, only to find
out that before he would be
allowed to vote, he would
need to give the correct
answer for the amount of
beans in a jar.
In June of
201 3 the
Supreme Court
dismantled many
of the voting
safeguards in the
1 965 Voting
Rights Act and many Red
states rushed to capitalize
on the changes. State
Houses eliminated or
reduced early voting days,
mail-in voting, and same
day registration. They
caused extraordinarily long
lines as they began to
require ID, reduced voting
sites, and moved some
sites without notice.
These changes were
supposedly made to stop
an epidemic of voter fraud,

E a c h e l e c t i o n c y c l e we
s a y th a t th i s i s th e m o s t
i m portan t el ecti on . E ach
ti m e we are correct.
to overcome voter
disenfranchisement tactics
like the poll tax, the
Grandfather clause, and
literacy tests, but politicians
are seeking to roll back the
clock to reflect that era.
Augusta Thomas,
the Director of AFGE's
Womens and Fair Practice
Department, can hold an
audiences captive when
she describes her
experience with voter
suppression. In Georgia,

but there is no evidence of

such an epidemic. In North
Carolina there was 1 case
of voter impersonation out
of 7.8 million votes.
However, voter
disenfranchisement is
creating a backlash, as it
increases the resolve of
voters. In Ohio in 201 2,
despite new restrictions,
there was a higher voter
turnout among targeted
groups.
Each election cycle
we say that this is the most
important election. Each
time we are correct. No
election is without threat of
significant legislative
losses. We are on the
threshold of losing dues
deduction and official time if
our supported candidates
are defeated. If this
happens, AFGE won't be
able to effectively represent
and advocate for you.
VOTE ON
NOVEMBER 4th.

American Federation of Government Employees 'Proud to Make America Work'

We are Federal Employees of Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin
DOROTHY JAMES

JOE DOLAN

CRYSTAL STOKES

DON EVANS

National Vice President

National Representative

KAYLA MACK

National Representative

National Representative
District Organizer

MATT MUCHOWSKI
Office Manager / Editor

ALBERT THOMAS
Retiree Representative

2 October / November 201 4 | Solid Seventh

VISIT US AT

www.afgedistrict7.org
www.afge.org
www.flickr.com/photos/afgedistrict7
www.facebook.com/afgedistrict7

AFGE District 7 Office:

320 S. Ashland Ave., First Floor
Chicago, IL 60607
201 3 Fair Use / Public Domain
American Federation of Government
Employees, AFL-CIO

G E T O U T T H E VO T E !
The November 4 elections are motivating AFGE
members to canvass, phone bank, attend political events,
send letters, and fundraise to get union members to vote
for pro-union candidates.
Jane Gabler, a member of AFGE Local 1 658 in
Warren, Michigan talked about phonebanking: "It was
great to talk to members of our community about the
issues that affect us all, like jobs, safety and union rights.
Thats why now is the time to get out and elect unionendorsed candidates. If we dont, well be talking about
budget cuts, unemployment and attacks on unions."
AFGE President J. David Cox attended a cavass in
Detroit, MI, while several AFGE members and staff are
working full time on Senate races in states like Iowa and
Michigan.

Ken Jones from local 375 and

IL Senator Dick Durbin at an
event supporting IL
Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

Follow this Example:

All four members of the AFGE Local 0003 Executive
Board are contributors to AFGE PAC. Let's give them
a big thanks and encourage other locals to set an
example to our members by doing the same!

Wayne Lauton
Acting President
Michele McHenry
Acting Executive Vice President
AFGE local 778 President Vaughn Glenn
and his wife in Detroit working a
phonebank calling AFGE members and
reminding them to vote.

Calen McHenry
Acting Vice President
Julie Kohlhepp
Secretary-Treasurer

Ways to Volunteer:
Questions? Contact Legislative and Political Organizer Sara Kuntzler at sara.kuntzler@afge.org

Phone Bank

Political Action App

Letter to Local Members

Weds. Oct. 29, 6pm

AFGE District 7 office,
320 S. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL

Download the PAC App at

www.afge.org/mypac
$1 0 a month from each
member goes a long way.

Will increase voter turnout

by 2% - which is important
in many of the close races.

3 October / November 201 4 | Solid Seventh

AF G E E n d ors em en ts
Richard Durbin
Pat Quinn
Bobby Rush
Robin Kelly
Daniel Lipinski
Luis Gutierrez
Mike Quigley
Danny Davis
Tammy Duckworth
Jan Schakowsky
Brad Schneider
Bill Foster
Bill Enyart
Ann Callis
Cheri Bustos

SENATOR DEMOCRAT
GOVERNOR DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 2 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 3 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 4 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 5 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 7 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 8 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 9 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 0 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 11 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 2 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 3 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 7 DEMOCRAT

Gary Peters
Mark Schauer
Jerry Cannon
Dan Kildee
Pam Byrnes
Sander Levin
Bobby McKenzie
John Dingell
John Conyers
Rudy Hobbs

SENATOR DEMOCRAT
GOVERNOR DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 5 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 7 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 9 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 11 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 2 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 3 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 4 DEMOCRAT

Mary Burke
Rob Zerban
Mark Pocan
Ron Kind
Gwen Moore

GOVERNOR DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 1 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 2 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 3 DEMOCRAT
HOUSE 4 DEMOCRAT

4 October / November 201 4 | Solid Seventh

S u per-th an ks
These released AFGE staffers are working to get
out the vote.
Deborah Dodd
Local 3239, SSA, Detroit, Michigan
Dannette Mitchell
Local 3239, SSA, Detroit, Michgan
Rosendo Rocha
Local 3272, SSA, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Shana Hoak
Local 3272, SSA, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Joe Dolan
District Staffer, Macomb County, Michigan
Albert Thomas
District Retiree Rep., Des Moines Iowa
Earl Tucker
Local 1 395, SSA, Des Moines, Iowa
Lois Ames
Local 1 882, Wisconsin
Rosita Tipton
Local 3272, Michigan

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka visited

Detroit for a dinner fundraiser for the
Detroit Metro AFL-CIO. Pictured from left
to right: Karla Swift, President of the MI
AFL-CIO; Darold Hubbard, Local 2077;
Richard Trumka; Jane Gabler, Local 1 658;
Michael Guerriero, Local 3239; Bobby
Newsome, Local 778.

N e ws & U p d a t e s

H ead s Rol l at VA
Germaine Clarno President of Local
781 , Hines VA Medical Center, in the suburbs
of Chicago, found herself in the eye of the
storm. When she heard the revelations of
fraudulent waiting lists for VA patients that
endagered veterans, Clarno did not hesitate
to come forward and denounce Hines'
unethical practices.
Clarno appeared on several news
outlets to discuss the wait lists, provided
testimony to the Inspector General and
lobbyed congressional representatives.
Clarno has also been coordinating and
working with veterans groups. As the result
of her and other AFGE leadership speaking
out, the Veterans Administration became
embroiled in a nationwide scandal and a bipartisan bill was passed that makes it easier
to remove senior VA officials.
As Clarno said, "We do a lot of good
things at the VA. Im proud to work there. Im
proud to serve our nations heroes. Weve
just got to make some changes,"
Indeed, heads are rolling at the
Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA
recently announced that they were firing four
senior officials for cover ups and fraud. Joan
Ricard, the Director of Hines VA Hospital, and
Jeffery Murawsky, Director of Integrated
Services at Hines are retiring amid serious
allegations of fraudulent wait lists.
With organizing and solidarity, AFGE
members will continue to be on the frontlines
for quality healthcare for veterans.
5 October / November 201 4 | Solid Seventh

N e ws & U p d a t e s

AFGE National President J. David Cox presented

Local 933 President Benjamin Mahan with a
recognition award at a PAC event hosted by Local
933 in Detroit. The event was a big success and
over 50 AFGE members come out to canvass
voters the next day. Pictured left to right: Local
933 President Benjamin Mahan, District 7
President Dorothy James, and National President
J. David Cox.

AFGE members joined the Chicago

Federation of Labor's Labor Day
luncheon in September, and had the
opportunity to network with other
labor leaders. Pictured Karen
Barnes from local 375 met with
Chicago Teachers Union president
Karen Lewis.

B ATTLE G ROU N D M I C H I G AN
Realizing that it would be wasting its money, for the last
two weeks before the November 4th election, the Republican
Party will not air TV ads in Michigan. This is due to the hard work
that the Michigan unions and AFGE especially are doing to help
the candidates they support get elected.
Locals started by selecting Legislative and Political
Coordinators and having them attend the Legislative and Political
Training Institute in Chicago. LPCs played a major role in
energizing their local officials to get involved in all aspects of the
AFGE political program. Learn more at afge.org/LPCdashboard.
AFGE is often cited for having the largest amount of
volunteers. The polls reflected their enthusiasm and have shifted
to show support for union endorsed candidates. Those AFGE
activists who made the commitment and sacrifice to work the
legislative program will see their efforts pay off on election day.
Special thanks to the following Michigan locals for their
political participation: VAMC Local 933, TSA Local 778, DOD
Local 1 626, DOD Local 1 658, DOD Local 2077, SSA Local 3239,
SSA Local 3272, EPA Local 3907, VA Local 1 629 and BOP Local
1 741 .
6 October / November 201 4 | Solid Seventh

B o n u s B u c ks
High Five to Bridgett
Griffore from AFGE
Local 1 629, Veterans
Affairs workers! She
signed 26 new
members up to the
union and became a
top recruiter! She
said, "By talking to VA
workers about the
work that they do, and
how important it is to
have a union that
supports them, they
understood how
necessary it was for
them to join and pay
dues."

Wel com e!
Please welcome Matt Muchowski as the new District
Office Manager for AFGE
District 7. Matt has
worked for the labor
movement for years,
doing everything from new
organizing and contract
campaigns, to political
elections, communications
and data management.
"I'm excited to work here.
AFGE stands on the
frontlines, not only for worker's rights, but for
government services that assist everyone in America."
Matt hopes to help locals develop their websites and
communications efforts. "If the general public knows
about what AFGE members do everyday, then they
will support us. We need to build support with
community groups and organize, organize, organize!"

P as s i n g of a P res i d en t
We mourn the passing of former
AFGE Local 0003 Preisdent
Roberta Marie Scharbutt who left
us on June 3 after fighting throat
cancer. Roberta led Local 0003 in
Milwaukee for 11 years, and
worked at the Clement J. Zablocki
VA Medical Center for 21 years.
She remained local President
while she fought cancer. Her local
represented over 2,000 federal
employees and as a National
Trainer for AFGE, she helped
mentor many union leaders,
including her best friend Julie
Kohlhepp and current Local 0003
President Wayne Lauton. She
loved her family, the Green Bay
Packers, and gardening. She will
be missed by the AFGE
community, her husband, two
children and three grandchildren.

Welcome National Representative

Kayla M. Mack back from
Maternity leave. Pictured are her
two sets of twins - 2 year old Jimi
and Jack and Hallie and Lula
were born on July 1 .

Please welcome Anna Chapman as a temporary

National Representative to the Distirct 7 team! Anna
is an attorney who comes to AFGE with a background
in employment law, concentrating her practice in
workplace discrimination. Before coming to AFGE,
Anna owned her own law firm on the northwest side
of Chicago. She has
previously worked for
a number of Chicago
law firms and for the
City of Chicago. Law
is a second career for
Anna, who began her
professional life as a
writer and editor. Her
employers in publishing included Thomson Media, a
former division of what is now Thomson Reuters,
Dominican University and the Illinois State Medical
Society. Anna obtained a masters in English from
DePaul University, where she also attended law
school. Anna enjoys spending time with her husband
Dale and her dog Woody, playing tennis and trivia
games and gardening. She and her husband recently
auditioned to be contestants on the trivia game show,
The Chase.
7 October / November 201 4 | Solid Seventh

Do Not Distribute on Federal Property

www.afgedistrict7.org
31 2-421 -6245
AFGE District 7
320 S. AShland Avenue
Chicago, IL 60607

P LAN YOU R VOTE

For List of Endorsed Candidates see page 4

1 . When:
Election Day
Tuesday, Nov. 4th
at ________ am/pm
Early Voting
Vote by Mail

2. Where:

3. Why:

My polling place is:

____________________

_______________
_______________
_______________

____________________

Check with your Secretary

of State's Office.

____________________

____________________