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Summer Solidarity Rally in Indianapolis

On July 28, the Indiana State AFL-CIO held a Summer Solidarity Rally in Indianapolis, at Military Park. I had the chance to attend, riding up along with Randy Tackett from AFSCME Local 3995 (MCCSC), Jackie Yenna of the White River Labor Council, and our Council 62 Representative, Rick Bannister. Having stopped briefly at the Council Building to meet the Executive Director Dave Warrick, we headed over to Military Park for the rally.

The first AFSCME local I ran into there were the great folks from 3395, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Union. Michael Torres, their President, offered to send me their recently negotiated contract (their second) so we might have an idea about what the second time around looks like, and we agreed to try to meet up some time in the near future. It was really great to talk to folks from another library local—we have so much in common whereas other locals face very different situations.

The rally itself was more lightly attended than one would have hoped (only about 500), despite the beautiful day and lower temperatures. The speakers, however, were simply inspiring, with Joe Donnelley (running for U.S. Senate) getting people fired up, and John Gregg (candidate for Governor) following. Vi Simpson, candidate for Lt. Governor, made the most enthusiastic and fiery speech. The theme for the day was Hoosier Values, and focused on how recent measures like the passing of the Right to Work bill seek to hamstring everyday Hoosier values such as compassion for our fellow workers, a strong sense of community, and local control of our jobs and finances—values embodied in the Union.

All in all, it was an enlightening day, and I left hopeful that our local would work more closely with other Monroe County locals to build solidarity and be more of a force in standing up for the rights of workers in our community. Similar opportunities will continue to occur, and I invite all of our Local members to keep an eye out here for more information, and to join me next time around!

—Chris Hosler