Friday, June 22, 2012

Congratulations, President Saunders!

AFSCME is holding their national convention in Los Angeles this week.

It was of significance because the union voted for their first new president in 31 years.  The winner of Thursday's election was the current Secretary/Treasurer Lee Saunders:

The country's largest union of state and local government employees, which faces big challenges to members' jobs, benefits and bargaining rights, elected Lee Saunders on Thursday as its first new president in 31 years. 
Saunders, the union's current secretary treasurer, will be sworn in on Monday to succeed longtime President Gerald McEntee as head of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He will be the first African-American to lead the 75-year-old union.
While Saunders' opponent, Danny Donohue, had many supporters, and made it a tightly contested battle.  But the Donohue people, from the reports I've received from LA, were being very disruptive and confrontational, which turned many people off.

I know that one of the reasons some people supported Donohue over Saunders what Donohue's focus on the more local races.  And I agree that this is very important.

However, I have little doubt that President-elect Saunders is also aware of this.  Heck, he's even aware of little old bloggers like myself, Blogging Blue and blue cheddar:


I look forward to the future and have confidence in President Saunders' ability to lead us through the struggles ahead.

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