Rachelle Crowe for Illinois Senate 56th District addressing the Granite City SOAR Chapter meeting.
November 13, 2017
Identifying an official as a “Friend of labor” sometimes sounds cliché’. When personal goals and interests among retirees intersect with those principled beliefs like Rachelle Crowe-D for Illinois’ 56th District or Bob Daiber-D for Illinois Governor, that term becomes respected and its meaning becomes appreciated.
Both Ms. Crowe and Dr. Daiber expressed those common values as part of their campaign platform during presentations before retirees during yesterday’s Granite City, Ill. SOAR Chapter meeting. Rachelle currently works as a Madison County prosecutor, “I take on cases that involve child abuse, murder and the worst elements of our society. As a candidate for state senator I am not afraid to take on the tough cases that people want resolved in Illinois.”
Everyone in the room surely agreed that attacking organized labor should not be such primary focus of policymakers. Rachelle reminded SOAR members, “My opponent, as mayor of nearby Edwardsville, attempted to sneak through a resolution to turn the community into an “empowerment zone, a nice sounding but nefarious effort to strip unions of collective bargaining and destroy project labor agreements that offer benefits to not only workers, but the entire community.”
Retired steelworkers who shared common interests during their working years sometimes renew those discussions as part of their retirement routine, meeting for breakfast to discuss family, fun and politics. Many others break bread together at their monthly SOAR Chapter meetings, discussing similar topics. The difference at the SOAR Granite Chapter meetings, as witnessed yesterday, included invited guests who want to affect change; guests who provide retired members with information and resources for veterans and medical care coverage updates. SOAR meetings remain an important outlet for those of us who are no longer working to become a participant in meaningful change. They continue to offer assistance for those in need throughout communities as volunteers work collectively in many arenas. When elected officials, or those who are campaigning for an elected office address our members with beliefs and direction towards making ours and our next generation’s standards more rewarding, we welcome the sharing of their insight with us, as much as we enjoy the breaking of bread among our fellow retirees.
The current retiring Senator who represents the 56th District in Illinois, Bill Haine-D Alton, has always been there for steelworkers and working families. He is held in high regard among his peers as a wise and thoughtful man who makes good decisions based on thorough reasoning. Hanie’s enthusiasm for Rachelle through his endorsement, and his personal knowledge of her work ethic as a prosecutor in his office when Haine served as the Madison County State’s Attorney cannot be overstated.
The majority of SOAR members recognize prioritizing policy repairs in Illinois should not include stripping middle class families from the benefits of collective bargaining. Bob Daiber addressed the 140 attentive members in the room, “I have pledged my convictions, and if elected as your Governor, I will not agree to anything resembling right to work or those fuzzy sounding, union busting, ‘empowerment zones’ anywhere in the state of Illinois.” Daiber’s additional pledge to support those Southern Illinois values drew applause from many SOAR Chapter members.
When the Republican Mayor of Edwardsville, Hal Patton, who is running against Rachelle, was thwarted in his attempt to create a nearby right to work zone, the presence of many like-minded people, including many local union members who filled that city council meeting, gave strength in opposition to the resolution. This participation completely affected the initial intent and the outcome, changing desired interests of the mayor. A resounding message - - NO to RTW.
Resident Jack Daugherty, who also attended this meeting, said, “Illinois Governor Rauner’s agenda has taken failed government policy, which in the past has rolled down to local government to fill in the gaps, and now they’re doubling down on local government to fill in those gaps. They’re the least culpable in the mess that we’re in.... It defies logic.”
Our union is stronger when Steelworker retirees are involved as activists, advocates and volunteers. This is why the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) was established in 1985. With the establishment of SOAR, our union solidified its focus on the unique issues impacting USW retirees and their spouses. Further, SOAR has been engaged in countless efforts to assure security for current and future generations of retirees regardless of whether they belong to a union or not. Please consider attending the SOAR Chapter monthly meetings on the second Monday of every month and follow our USW District 7 SOAR Facebook Group.