New Activists Rebuild the Union in Utah

Betty Veenendaal likes to get in her colleagues’ faces—but in a nice way. Her goal is to tell her fellow secretaries and other school staff in the Granite, Utah, district what her local union is all about and why they should join.

While her union, AFT Granite, has been around for many years, a new group of energized leaders and activists is rebuilding the local after some rough times. That’s why Veenendaal and the other activists are working so hard to spread the word about the union. The ultimate aim, which is possible because of Utah’s unusual labor laws, is to get 50 percent of the unit plus one signed up as members to gain status as the bargaining agent.

“Our first goal is to get members involved politically,” says Debbie White. Even though White is a teacher, she attended the AFT’s PSRP conference this year with some of her AFT Granite classified colleagues to help build solidarity and better understand PSRP issues. “We want them to feel like they’re part of something.” That has meant lots of one-on-one meetings with potential members in the large unit of 3,500 employees.

“It’s a unified effort,” says Veenendaal, a secretary in the district. “We’re spreading the same message to people no matter what their job is.” One big issue, says fellow secretary Kelly Christsensen, was the lack of representation that workers were getting from other employee groups in the district. Some grievances filed by secretaries, she adds, have dragged on way too long.

One reason the new leadership turned to the AFT was because of the union’s resources and reputation. “The AFT has demonstrated that they care about us and will stand up for us,” says custodian Brent Fender.  Adds Veenendaal: “We want our voices heard in Utah and in Washington, D.C.”

While the goal of gaining bargaining rights is still something for the long term, the new activists of AFT Granite are rebuilding the union one member at a time. “We want to do this correctly,” says White, “so that long after we’re gone, we’ll have something that continues.”