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OurContracts,Our VictoriesFrom Puerto Rico to Hawaii,we’re making gainsBY PABLO ROSCorrections officers in Puerto Rico thisspring achieved an historic victory when thecommonwealth agreed to restore more than$35 million in unpaid overtime wages tonearly 4,500 workers.The settlement was achieved by membersof Alianza Correccional Unida (ACU), ServidoresPúblicos Unidos (SPU), AFSCME Council 95, andwas the largest Fair Labor Standards Act settlementever in Puerto Rico.“We are very happy with this agreement,” saidJuan González, president of ACU Local 3500. “Wehave been fighting tooth and nail to make theDepartment of Corrections and Rehabilitation payup the overtime hours. We couldn’t have done itwithout AFSCME International, which helped usbring this issue to the U.S. Labor Department. Wedidn’t let up and kept applying pressure, and todaywe can say we have achieved our goal.”Public employees across the country this yearhave faced tough collective bargaining fights.But in places like Puerto Rico, New York, Illinois,Minnesota, Iowa and Hawaii, they have alsoachieved victories by bargaining with solidarity.How We Did ItIn March, after a long struggle, Iowa Council 61succeeded in protecting their members’ healthinsurance benefits in a tough fight with Gov. TerryBranstad, who had resolved to freeze wages,reduce health coverage and hike insurancepremiums.An arbitrator ruled that AFSCME’s offer ofstatus quo health insurance benefits was the mostreasonable offer. This will save employees coveredby those contracts approximately $45 million. Thearbitrator also preserved 4.5 percent step increasesfor employees who have not yet reached the top oftheir pay grade.“We were able to defend our members’ rights,we were able to defend our contract and wewere able to defend our members’ benefits,” saidDanny Homan, an International vice presidentand president of Council 61, which represents20,000 public employees in the negotiations. “Wewon on the issue of health insurance and that’sextremely important to our membership. It’s a bigvictory for us.”It wasn’t easy. Governor Branstad campaignedon a pledge to force state employees to pay 20percent of health insurance premiums, and he was10 AFSCME WORKS SPRING 2013