It is no secret that the more members we have, the stronger our Union becomes. More members give us more resources and enable us to provide the best possible service to the hard-working men and women we represent. Recognizing this, recruitment is one of NFFE’s top priorities, and we believe it is important to honor the Locals that share this goal and are seeing growth.
In addition to recognizing the top three Locals (those that sign up and submit the most new members to NFFE’s National Office each month), we are introducing a new, annual award this year in accordance with NFFE’s Membership Building Strategic Plan; these new awards are NFFE’s Annual Presidential Awards.
As written in the plan, NFFE’s Locals were divided into three roughly equal-sized categories based on the number of employees in their bargaining units. This was to ensure that Locals were able to compete for awards with others of a comparable size. The Local in each category that saw the greatest percentage net increase in membership density (the number of dues paying members divided by the number of employees eligible to join) during the 2013 calendar year, based on remittance report figures, won one of the three awards. These Annual Presidential Award winners will be visited by one of NFFE’s National Officers and presented with a plaque.
The large Local category covers all Locals with 350 or more bargaining unit employees. Local 2102, representing Department of Veterans’ Affairs employees in Atlanta, Ga., is the 2013 winner in this category. The Local saw a net increase of 6.48% in membership density during the year.
The medium Local winning the 2013 Presidential Award is Local 1558, representing Forest Service employees of the San Bernardino National Forest in California. This category is comprised of Locals with 125-349 BUEs. This Local won with a 7.69% increase in membership density.
Last but not least, the small Local category consists of Locals with 124 or fewer bargaining unit employees. This year’s small Local picking up the prize is Local 1150, representing Department of Veterans’ Affairs employees at the VA Hospital in Billings, Mont. Local 1150 achieved an 8.82% density increase during the last calendar year.
“NFFE had a number of Locals that worked very hard and saw an increase in membership last year, in spite of retirements and other obstacles, but these three Locals really went the extra mile to help their Locals grow,” said National Organizing Director Cassie Bond. “What they managed to accomplish is really remarkable, and I am excited that we are able to recognize and reward their achievements in such a big way.”
“It is imperative that organizing remains the top priority for our Union going forward,” said NFFE National President William R. Dougan. “We have a lot of challenges ahead, but these Locals have demonstrated that it is possible to overcome them and thrive. Thank you to the brothers and sisters of Locals 2102, 1558 and 1150, and at NFFE Locals around the country, who worked so hard in 2013. I hope these efforts continue to pay off, and that 2014 is an even more successful year for each and every Local.