Employee Representatives are critical to the functioning of APEA/AFT and to the administration of the negotiated agreements under which APEA/AFT members work. Their importance has been underscored effectively in the Supervisory Unit agreement, which provides "superseniority" for Employee Representatives:

The basic duties of Employee Representatives are spelled out in the Association's By-Laws in Section III.

Your primary function as an employee representative is to serve the members at your worksite. This means that you will be acting as a point of contact between the members, management, your chapter and the APEA/AFT as a whole. Functioning in this capacity successfully will require a commitment to service, good communication skills, creative problem solving, as well as a healthy dose of patience and humor.

When working with members it is important to remember that not all of your co-workers will be as informed as you are about the workings of the union, the contract, or management policies. Often, you will be called upon to explain basic information or to discuss why particular contract language was negotiated. Be as helpful as you can.

There is more detailed information about working with members in the grievance section of this handbook.

Some people maintain that the major factor separating modern civilization from that of the Stone Age is information. While we cannot claim anything quite so dramatic, it is clear that the right kind of information is essential to you in your role as an Employee Representative. Well-informed Employee Representatives are confident, respected assets to the Association and to the employees they represent. Uninformed or misinformed Representatives can do more damage than good by creating a general atmosphere of distrust and confusion or by failing to protect members' interests in specific situations. You should begin immediately to collect information concerning at least four topics:

1. APEA/AFT issues;

2. the negotiated agreement;

You are APEA/AFT to your co-workers on the job. You cannot explain APEA/AFT, its policies and programs to employees unless you understand them yourself. Read The Alaska Public Employee and any bulletins or "Updates" sent to you by Headquarters. Attend Chapter meetings regularly. Discuss controversial subjects (dues increases, for example, or legislative proposals) with other Employee Representatives and staff. Suggest topics for an "update" bulletin if you feel there is something about which all Employee Representatives should be informed.

The negotiated agreement is the critical document which establishes the salaries, benefits and working conditions for bargaining unit members. You must be familiar with what it contains, any modifications which have resulted from grievance settlements (voluntary or through arbitration), or Letters of Agreement between the Association and the Employer, and how it is applied in practice.

Try to learn as much as you can about agencies in which the people you represent are employed. What purpose do they serve and what type of work is performed? What agency policies have been established concerning such working conditions as the scheduling of breaks or vacation? Who do you contact and how if you need to visit a work-site as part of a grievance investigation?

Gathering this type of information may be difficult if you represent employees who work for several departments of agencies or who are located in a number of work sites. If this is the case, at least be sure that you investigate these matters whenever you handle a complaint or grievance. Never assume that one agency operates in the same way or under the same policies as another agency -- or two offices of the same agency, for that matter.

One of the most interesting and challenging aspects of being an Employee Representative is the number and variety of people with whom you will work. Particularly in stressful situations, such as grievance processing, you will be more effective in representing your co-workers if you understand them, their supervisors and yourself. What does each want? What are their attitudes toward each other and the Association? Toward your role as an Employee Representative? How do you feel about the member you're representing and about the supervisor with whom you are trying to resolve a problem? Are your attitudes likely to interfere with or assist you in working out a reasonable, fair solution?

No one expects you to know everything about any of these areas. Do not hesitate to contact APEA/AFT's local or state officials or staff whenever you need information and assistance. We are a team -- we can succeed only if we work together.

In order to know what APEA/AFT's priorities should be and to insure that everyone works together to achieve them, we must have effective communication between the members, the elected officials and the paid staff.

As an Employee Representative you are the vital link in the communication chain. You are in daily contact with the members. You will be responsible for keeping the communication channels open and the information flowing in both directions.

As in most labor organizations, many members do not actively seek out information about the Association or participate in local chapter affairs until they have a problem on the job or until the entire membership is affected by some policy or practice of the Employer.

"Forewarned is forearmed" -- employees who know in advance what their rights are and what services APEA/AFT can provide in protecting those rights are better equipped to deal with a problem when it arises.

Transmitting information to your co-workers can be accomplished casually and informally as well as in an organized fashion. In the course of ordinary conversations, employees may make comments about the Association. "I don't know why they take that money out of my check every month" is a fairly common one. Use these opportunities to explain just what the Association is and does. Bring the topic up yourself at breaks -- invite comments and suggestions concerning what they would like to see in the next contract, or what they like about this one. Arrange for and publicize lunch time "brown bag" sessions at worksites, either on specific topics or as open-ended discussion or question-and-answer periods.

Encourage members to attend local chapter meetings by letting them know well in advance the time, place and agenda items of particular meetings. Report back to your co-workers what went on at meetings that they don't attend. If your local chapter does not publish a newsletter, get one started. Make sure that all the employees you represent -- members and agency fee payers alike -- know who their Employee Representatives are and how to contact them.

Organizing" is a term which is most often applied to the initial process of establishing an association or union. In the broader sense it applies to any activity to unite and mobilize the membership in support of an organization.

Under the provisions of P.E.R.A. and most of the contracts negotiated by APEA/AFT, members of the bargaining units represented are part of an "agency shop". In other words, they must become either members of APEA/AFT or agency fee payers. The FNSB Agreement, for example, states in Article 5, Section 1 - Agency Shop:

There is a substantial difference between becoming a member of APEA/AFT and remaining simply an agency fee payer.

As an APEA/AFT member, the employee can have a voice in local chapter affairs, make direct input into the establishment of APEA/AFT policy through the chapter, and take part in the election of APEA/AFT officials.

The agency fee payer cannot. One of your responsibilities as an Employee Representative is to encourage all employees to become APEA/AFT members and to persuade all members to take an active part in the Association. You are an organizer.

Your best opportunity -- and one that is frequently missed -- comes with the new employee's first day on the job. In many cases, the new employee's first contact with APEA/AFT is the notification by management that he or she must sign up and pay or be fired. It is unlikely that management will spend time or effort explaining to new employees what benefits will accrue to them from membership in APEA/AFT.

If the employer's explanation and a dues deduction are the only introduction new employees receive to APEA/AFT, should it surprise you that they are less than enthusiastic about joining or participating?

As an Employee Representative, your role is to make the employee's first impression a positive one.

Find out who is responsible for processing new hires in the work sites you represent and make arrangements with them to notify you when a new employee comes on board.

Make a contact as soon as possible, preferably on the employee's first day. Introduce yourself and APEA/AFT. Be sure the employee knows your name, how, where and why to contact you. Supply information about APEA/AFT and the services it provides, especially in handling complaints and grievances.

Be friendly, helpful and available.

Often overlooked but just as important as new employees are those who have been on the job for years who either are not members of APEA/AFT or do not participate in any of its activities. You should not assume that they are aware of or understand the benefits of membership and participation. Whenever talk turns to the subject of APEA/AFT, general working conditions or related matters, encourage these employees to take part.

Organize them!

As an Employee Representative, you will be interacting with the supervisors and managers at your worksite on a frequent basis. It is important to remember, that when acting in the capacity of an Employee Representative, you are legally the equal of management. This gives you the right to request meetings, to make arguments on behalf of your members, and to question management actions and decisions when protecting the rights of your fellow employees in the workplace.

There is more detailed information about working with management in the grievance section of this handbook.

There are many ways to combat this impression. Trumpet the successes of your membership. Dedicate a space in your chapter newsletter to highlight the accomplishments of one of your co-workers. Work with management to form an employee recognition program. Speak up for public employees when you encounter someone conveying the message that public employees do not earn their pay. Work with members at your worksite to insure that they are conveying a positive public image.

Although it is tempting, avoid bad mouthing elected representatives in formal settings. If you have a disagreement with a public official, do not go after them personally, instead, develop a series of sound arguments supported by facts, and present your position to that individual. If he or she continues to be publicly unsupportive of the union, present your side of the disagreement to the public. The more reasonable you look, the worse the public official looks. And remember, there are some people who will never be convinced of your position.

Most of the people who resist membership in APEA/AFT or who object to paying agency fees ask the same questions. Here are some responses you can use to convince them that APEA/AFT is valuable to them and that membership provides important advantages over agency fee payer.

Q.Why do I need APEA/AFT? My supervisor is fair and my Employer (State, city, borough, school district, etc) will take care of its employees without APEA/AFT. I can get along just fine without an association.

A.You can thank the Association for many of the things you like about your job -- vacations, health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance, the grievance procedure, legal protection and general information and representation of employees.

However, it's hard for individuals to represent themselves. They're much too vulnerable and frequently don't know their rights under law. That's where APEA/ AFT comes in.

Q.Why do I have to contribute to APEA/AFT even if I don't want to be a member? Why should I become a member rather than just an agency fee payer?

A.Do you think that it is right for people to accept benefits and not pay their fair share of the cost of securing these benefits? Suppose your next door neighbors paid no taxes on their houses and yet sent their children to the public schools and used the roads and other public services. Would this be fair?

APEA/AFT is a democratic organization. Priorities and policies are established by the members and their elected representatives. Only members are able to vote on these matters and in the election of representatives.

APEA/AFT needs your participation in order to effectively represent your interests. When you come to meetings, express your opinions, and vote, you help to make sure that APEA/AFT fights for the improvements in working conditions and benefits that you want.

Q. The dues are high. What do I get for that money anyway?

A.How were you getting along before the last general pay increase APEA/AFT won for you? The amount of that increase for just one month is probably more than APEA/AFT dues for a year. APEA/AFT dues are considerably lower than other unions in Alaska.

Your dues allow APEA/AFT to take effective action to protect your rights. For example, in 1995, the Alaska State Legislature refused to fund a negotiated pay increase to which the State had already agreed in collective bargaining. Your dues supported APEA/AFT's lobbying activities, which resulted in a special session of the Legislature and eventual payment of all wages owed to State employees.

Your dues pay for professional staff who are experts in contract administration, negotiation and grievance handling. You wouldn't want an amateur to write your will or remove your appendix. Can you afford to have anyone but a trained professional represent you if you are fired unjustly? Hearings and arbitrations cost money too. The bill for the average overtime eligibility or performance incentive hearing is $600 -- the average arbitration runs about $4500 -- and can be much higher than that!

Q.I don't believe in unions.

A.Try to find out the specific reason behind this objection and then try to correct the false impression the employee has. Point out what employee organizations have done historically. Describe how things were in America industry and public employment before employee organizations. Workers were fired at the whim of management or arbitrarily say at the age of 40. Describe the low wages, long hours, no fringe benefits, no unemployment compensation, no social security, no worker's compensation.

Q.APEA/AFT doesn't do anything for me, grievances are not settled satisfactorily, or I don't like the people who are running things in APEA/AFT.

A. Insist upon specifics -- the specific grievance in mind. Check out the problem, obtain the facts and report back to the individual. Concede that the Association can make mistakes, but point out the many grievances which have been won (again being specific).

Discuss the need to use the grievance procedure properly. Frequently the complaints we have concerning grievance processing occur because the proper procedures were not followed.

Show the employee a copy of APEA/AFT's By-Laws and point out how it assures democratic procedures and membership control of the Association. Point out that membership in the Association gives employees the right to choose the officers and to correct any abuses that they believe exist.