FL 2152 Wins Big with BLM Organizing Campaign in California
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
(National Federation of Federal Employees)
Pictured: Two
members of FL2152 leading an interpretive walk
for Audubon
Persistence
paid off for FL 2152. This April, the
local’s decade long effort to
organize the last remaining unorganized group
of Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) workers in California was an
overwhelming
success.
Over
the years, NFFE has continuously worked at
organizing all BLM employees
in California. After an agency
re-organization almost 20 years ago,
then a NFFE local merger about 15 years ago,
there remained one group of
31 Northern California BLM professional
employees left without
representation. Since that time, local
2152 has been dedicated to
organizing the group and has made steady work
of demonstrating the
benefits of union membership to the
professional
employees.
Led
by the local’s President and a team of
dedicated officers and stewards
scattered throughout the state, FL 2152's
organizing efforts focused on
building a high-functioning local that BLM
employees would be proud to
be a part of. Next, the local made it a
priority to get to know the
needs of the Archeologists, Biologists,
Engineers, Botanists, and other
professionals they hoped to represent. Over
time, these small acts
contributed to the local’s organizing
victory.
On
April 19, 2018, BLM professional employees in
California made their
voices heard in a state-wide election. Over two
thirds of the employees
voted yes to joining
NFFE.
Jan Thompson,
the
National Business Representative for NFFE’s
Western region, commented:
“We are so proud of Local 2152! The officers
and stewards
enthusiastically led the campaign and
continually communicated the
importance of union representation. Their
commitment paid off, and we
are very happy to have the NORCAL professionals
on board and part of our
union family!”
FL
2152’s organizing campaign
and successful election demonstrate just how
important it is for locals
to take a lead role in bringing new employees
into the union. No one
knows better than employees in the field just
how important having a
union is to their wellbeing in the workplace.
If you or your local is
interested in organizing new employees, contact
NFFE’s Organizing
Department, and let us help you reach your
goals.