President’s Corner:

First and foremost, on behalf of our Executive Board and myself, I want to thank all of you who supported us in our election. I cannot begin to tell you how gratifying it is to know that our members support us, have placed their trust in us, and want us to lead the local in the upcoming times. We will make every effort to continue to earn that trust and demonstrate that your faith has not been misplaced.

As you know, we are facing the most difficult challenges in the twenty-nine year history of our Local. We are confronting what can only be described as “the perfect storm”, a historic economic crisis, unprecedented dislike from the public, the most hostile governor in our history, and a legislature that has suddenly developed amnesia when it comes to their friends.

At the same time we are establishing our Local in several new areas. We are opening our new office in downtown Trenton, creating new relationships with over twenty-five additional bargaining units and bargaining about a half a dozen contracts, simultaneously. We are revitalizing our steward’s network and adding new stewards at an unprecedented rate. We are developing a mobilization plan for you, the membership, for the upcoming battle. We have added an office in Monmouth County and, thankfully, have brought on experienced staff in Monmouth that has made that job much easier. I have become extremely fond of an expression that I’ve borrowed from a former manager in the state, “We’re building the plane as we’re flying it.”

In spite of or because of all of this, there is an electrifying energy that we are feeling throughout the local. Hundreds upon hundreds of our members have joined the fight. On Thursdays there are ‘seas of red’ in most state offices and many of our local government units. Long dormant pockets of union ambivalence have come alive with activity. Membership cards are pouring in. The labor building in Trenton is, once again, becoming the epicenter for C.W.A. activity. Hundreds of our stewards and activists descended on the capitol in February to shame the legislature for their deplorable actions around our pensions and healthcare.

As the President of our Local, I can only describe what we are seeing as inspirational. We are moving forward in a way that convinces me that we will prevail in this “perfect storm” and we will emerge stronger and more committed than ever before. We will continue to re-establish the 1038 principles of militant confrontation and we will continue to take inspiration from the belief expressed by Fredrick O. Douglas, “if there is no struggle, there is no progress”.

In Solidarity,

Paul M. Alexander

Local 1038 President