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Council 31 convention largest ever—will set union's course for next two years
November 6, 2001
Nearly 1,000 delegates elected by local unions from around the state will
converge on Springfield Nov. 8–10 to set policy for the next two years and elect
leaders for the next four.
Council 31's twelfth biennial convention brings members squarely into the decision-making process for setting priorities, guiding staff work and mobilizing the resources of Illinois AFSCME. As the union's highest authority, convention delegates will debate on and pass policy resolutions, consider any amendments to the council's constitution and vote in an election for president and officers.
Council 31 is the umbrella organization under which all AFSCME local unions in the state function. Through it the locals are part of the largest union in the AFL-CIO—AFSCME International.
In recognition of the key role Illinois plays, the international's two top officers, President Gerald McEntee and Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy are scheduled to address the convention.
Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer will give his report on the union's activities in the two years since the last convention. Bayer, who also serves as president of the Council 31 executive board, chairs the convention.
Policy resolutions come from locals, which can submit proposals until 10 days before the convention starts. The resolutions cover bargaining and legislative goals as well as spelling out the union's position on any matter the delegates choose to address.
The Council 31 Executive Board is composed of:
- Three executive vice presidents—one representing
state employees, one representing city and county government workers and one
for university members;
- Four State Conference Board chairs;
- Vice presidents elected from four geographical
regions of the state—Cook and Lake counties; Northern Illinois; Central
Illinois and Southern Illinois; and
- A representative of Retiree Chapter 31.
Three trustees are elected statewide to oversee adherence to union financial standards. The number of vice presidents from each region is based on the number of members in that region's locals.
The state conference board serves on the union's negotiating committee for a state master contract. Though the four chairs are elected by the convention, local unions that represent state employees elect their own representatives to the board when the union is preparing for state negotiations.
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Workers President Bruce Raynor will address convention delegates and guests. Raynor, who recently took the reins at UNITE, is an experienced organizer, who aims to aggressively bring textile, garment and other industrial workers in the South and around the country into UNITE. The union has made progress in recent years by helping workers in the very low-paid industrial laundry sector gain representation.
Workers who have been involved in key AFSCME organizing and contract fights in Illinois will talk about their experiences.
Delegates and guests at the convention will have the opportunity to attend educational workshops covering such topics as organizing, fighting privatization, the U.S. economy, political action, Social Security and others.
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