Prepared Remarks for
GERALD W. McENTEE
AFSCME International President
2006 OCSEA Presidents’ Conference
Holiday Inn Worthington-Columbus, OH
Saturday, September 16, 2006

Is AFSCME gonna make some changes this November? Is AFSCME gonna end some political careers? Is AFSCME gonna turn things around for working families in Ohio and throughout this great nation of ours?

You know we can. You know we will. Because we are the greatest union in this country. A change is gonna come, and it’s gonna come because of you – the 37,000 members of OCSEA! The 1.4 million members of AFSCME!

Sisters and Brothers, there is no doubt that a change is way overdue.

I was just reading the other day that Cleveland is the poorest big city in America -- for the second time in three years. And that’s not all. Cincinnati made the list, too. It was number 8.

Why? Because of the misguided policies that have cost jobs in this state and left those cities in shambles.  Because of eight years of Governor Bob Taft, the first Ohio governor to be convicted of a crime, and 12 years of Senator Mike DeWine, who has supported our president’s failed strategies so religiously that his name should be “Mike DeBush.”

He should have been devoting every resource to bringing jobs to this state. And Bob Taft should have been doing everything possible to turn those cities – and many other communities in Ohio – around.

Now, in his final months in office, Taft is gallivanting around, trying to lure big companies to this state. I wish he had done that eight years ago. But I guess he was too busy accepting gifts from lobbyists – gifts that he didn’t report.

And after that, he was busy fighting legal battles brought on by his ethical lapses and relapses.

He and DeWine have ignored the problems of working people and poor people. I say “working and poor” like they are two different groups. But the fact is: many times the two are one and the same.

But they don’t notice. And if they do notice, they don’t seem to care.
Fortunately for you, their days in office are numbered – and so are Congressman Bob Ney’s. And I say…good riddance.

Beyond those characters, lots of other politicians are living on borrowed time, even though they don’t know it.

They’re still shaking hands and kissing babies when they ought to be polishing up their resumes and planning for life after politics. Because come Election Day, they’re gonna be jobless!

On November 7th, Mike De Wine’s time will be up!

Ken Blackwell’s time will be up!

And so will Deborah Pryce’s and Jean Schmidt’s.

They will be standing on unemployment lines because of the dedicated, hard-working, committed foot soldiers of OCSEA! Because of the efforts of chapters from Hamilton to Lorrain to give them just what they deserve: a pink slip! A pink slip that says, “Thank you for your service, and goodbye.”

Taking back their offices will be the fruit of your labor. Voting into office politicians who care about our retirement security and who value public services and the people who provide them will be your reward.

It’s all part of our program to Take Back Ohio. And I have to tell you that everything you’ve been doing is outstanding.

You owe yourselves a round of applause, because your model is one our councils throughout the nation should follow.

OCSEA’s success shows what can happen when our political game plans are aligned at every level – when our goals are the same and we work closely together.

With your Red, White and Blue sheets, you’ve got a great tool for targeting every member. Your “Take 10, Ask 5” program is a sure-fire way to get more members to vote and to recruit more of the activists our union needs.

Everything you’ve done is even more commendable because you are saddled with one of the most limiting Hatch Acts in the entire country. The list of what you cannot do is even more restrictive than the Ten Commandments!

You can’t make a speech on behalf of a candidate or raise money for a candidate. You can’t even pass out literature on Election Day. You can’t be a precinct captain or circulate nominating petitions. And you certainly can’t run for office.

But it takes more than a Hatch Act to keep us quiet. OCSEA has still found ways to make its voice heard! You have registered voters. You have visited labor households in every AFL-CIO zone to get out the vote. You have worked phone banks to contact union members.

And we should be proud that five of the six lost-timers who are assisting with TBO activities are retirees – folks who have certainly earned their rest, but understand that the stakes are too high for them to sit this one out. Let’s acknowledge their efforts.

In fact, one of those retirees, Jean Fightmaster, who retired recently after 30 years of state service and 20 years with OCSEA, had this to say about political activities:  

“If you wonder whether you should be part of these activities, you should ask yourself: Do I cash my paycheck? Because every penny received by a public employee is put in place by legislative action. If you don’t want to be involved, you shouldn’t be on the public payroll.” Here, here.

Everything Jean and all of you are doing has these misguided, ill-fated and immoral politicians on the run…whether they will admit it or not.

Like Ken Blackwell. Everybody but him seems to know he’s in trouble. Heck – he can’t get past the election of 2004!

He is still facing accusations – rightfully so – that he disenfranchised large numbers of African Americans by putting fewer voting machines in black neighborhoods. He is still facing accusations that he was such a lackey for George Bush that he forgot his obligation to the voters of Ohio – people who elected him in the first place.

Well…we have an obligation, too. We have an obligation to disenfranchise Ken Blackwell!

The polls say that he and others like him are going down. That’s what they say. But what the polls say and what ends up happening on Election Day can be two different things.

Someone once said that “Bad politicians are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” And it’s true. Believe it or not, despite everything you’ve said and done, there are people in your own chapters who are in danger of standing on the sidelines.

People who still don’t get that they have a responsibility to themselves, their loved ones and their union family to turn out on November 7th.

We’ve got to make sure they get it.  It’s up to everyone in this room to lead by example.

Even if you’ve done so many labor walks that you’ve worn holes in your socks and in your shoes, don’t let up. Even if you’ve done so many phone banks that you hear phones ringing in your dreams, don’t let up. Even if you have gotten so many people registered that you feel like you work for the county Board of Elections, don’t give up.

And if you haven’t yet done a labor walk, it’s not too late. The dates and places are available at this conference; please sign up as soon as you can. Now you know if Ron and Andy are doing it, you should, too!

We have an unprecedented opportunity to elect new political leaders who support state employees. Clearly, the results of these elections will play a key role in determining whether our nation continues along the same dangerous course, or whether we make a sea change that will usher in a new day for workers.

Your efforts are, in fact, great examples of the kinds of activities that we will see more of in the next few years. At the International Convention last month in Chicago, many of you were part of the delegation that approved the Power to Win plan, which focuses in part on holding politicians accountable.

The plan talks about registering 90 percent of our members to vote, getting at least 25 percent of our members to sign up for PEOPLE and mobilizing a 40,000-member army of volunteers by Election Day 2008 who will get out the vote for  pro-worker politicians.

As you know, the plan also focuses on activating more members, increasing our membership, making affordable health care universal and overhauling the image of public-service employees.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting that plan. I believe in it. I know it will work. But as good as it is, it will take all of us working together to bring it to life. Your Take Back Ohio efforts are a great place to start.

You are doing great work. And I know that the day after Election Day, OCSEA and all of AFSCME will be celebrating because of your efforts.

Lyndon Johnson said “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice.”

It’s up to OCSEA to break down injustice! It is up to every member of every chapter to break down injustice! It is up to us to bring about a new day in Ohio for working families!

God Bless the members of OCSEA! God Bless all of AFSCME! God Bless America!