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District 75 DBR B.R. Brownell and his staff (l to r) B.R. Steve Pridgen,
secretary Sandra Griffin, and B.R. Jeff Smith have organized 2,000
new members in the past 18 months.

Service to the community and justice on the job — the IAM’s organizing rallying cry — echoes across the South.  District 75 in Daleville, AL organized 2,000 new members in the last year and a half.

Nearly all of the new members used to work for the federal government. When the military outsourced their jobs to private contractors, they fell under the jurisdiction of the Service Contract Act (SCA).

The Smart Way to Go
The SCA sets labor standards for contractors who furnish services to federal agencies. Nonunion SCA workers are bound by minimum wage and benefit standards set by the Labor Department’s Area Wage Determinations (AWDs).

Union-represented workers, however, can bargain for wages and benefits higher than those set by the AWD. This is where District 75 comes in.

IAM representation under the Service Contract Act is a smart way to go. “Our motto is to take good jobs and make them better,” said District 75 Directing Business Rep. B.R. Brownell.

Even when the contractor is paying “all that the law requires,” the IAM often gets workers more.

The IAM can also negotiate for fringe benefits, insurance and retirement provisions that the contractor may not offer. 

Helping Recoup Losses
Brownell said workers who begin work with private contractors often take an immediate wage and benefit cut. “We try to help them recoup their losses.”
The IAM tries to meet with workers once the military awards a contract to a contractor and their shop has been privatized — often it’s at the request of the workers themselves.

“Our best advertising is the first-time contracts we negotiate,” said Brownell. “They make a big difference.”

The Union Solution
Brownell said while a wide-ranging military network provides good publicity for the IAM organizing efforts, education is an important facet of the district’s success.

“This is still the South,” said Brownell. “Some people see the union as a problem. We present the union as a solution and we show workers what they can achieve. When they see their wages and benefits rise, they gain a more positive impression.”

The district’s organizing success is a “team effort,” said Brownell.  “The members, stewards, grievance committees, and chief stewards all pitch in. If not for them, we wouldn’t be able to service the contracts we already have.”