One look at Verle Russell and Syreeta Washington and you might be able to tell they are a couple. They go everywhere together. Their outfits are color-coordinated. They share the same passion of being unionists. With seven children – five at home, the youngest being 9 – and full-time jobs at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), finding enough time to sleep would be a feat for anyone. But for Verle and Syreeta, their drive to fix things means giving all they have for what they believe in. And what they believe in is their local union.
Working closely with the current local officers of Local 3, Verle, who is chief shop steward, and Syretta, a steward, are doing everything they can to help revive the union. That includes creating a new phone number and email address for the local. They are creating a new budget for the year, putting together a membership email list, and learning how to represent members. It’s a big undertaking – the bargaining unit is 3,000. But they are attending AFGE training and have been able to receive advice from fellow union activists from other AFGE locals in the area.
The most urgent thing they need to do right away though is rebuilding relationships with members, potential members, management, and members of Congress.
“We plan on representing the employees in a way that doesn’t get us kicked out of the meetings,” Verle said. “It’s getting better. We’re seeing improvement. President Malone has been very hands on, and she’s meeting with the director on a biweekly basis, so we’re just slowly building that relationship.”
As they’re reviving the local, one of the bigger issues right now is official time, which allows union reps to represent employees such as filing grievances and resolving disputes. It’s hard to get the agency to approve official time for more than one union rep as they believe one person can do all the work representing 3,000 employees.
Verle and Syretta were in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to attend the union’s annual legislative conference for the first time. As they had never lobbied before, they were able to shadow an EPA local they knew from their area and learn how to present their issues to members of Congress and how to receive feedback and follow up.
Rebuilding a local is not for a faint of heart as it takes dedication and sacrifice, including sleepless nights.
“The other night we were in bed asleep, and he popped up and said, ‘We need to file an RFI!’ I sat up in bed and was like ‘What?’ Syretta laughed, referring to a request for information they needed to file with the agency.
Despite all the work, Verle and Syretta are excited.
“I am excited. Righting wrongs and just making sure things are done right properly and in order. When I see something wrong we have to correct it. So having accountability, educating our members is one of my little private goals,” Syretta explained with a smile that had not left her face since we sat down. “I’m excited to get the word out on what we’ve already accomplished and some of the grievances that we have won, so it kind of restores the faith with the employees that the union is back. We’re here.”
Asked what it’s like living together and working together, Verle said he loves his wife’s company.
“We like each other. We balance each other out.”
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