By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor
There was no question that Bridgeport Township Employees needed a change of representation. Governmental Employees Labor Council (GELC) fit the bill perfectly.
After being represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) for about 7 years, the group joined the GELC in August 2024, but they didn’t even need to vote on the matter.
“The circumstances allowed us to just kind of roll into this,” said Shannon Huber, Bridgeport Township Employees Local Union President. “We just did an agreement with GELC and our Township and MERC.”
The 13-member group had made their dissatisfaction apparent to their former Union and AFSCME Representatives agreed to step aside.
“We didn’t feel like we were being represented to the fullest,” she said. “There were some things that went down between us and AFSCME, so it was basically a mutual parting.”
Bridgeport Township Employees wanted a Union that was experienced in providing service for municipal employees and found that the GELC checked off all the right boxes.
“We felt that we needed a Union that was more specific to our needs, being a government entity,” Huber said. “We just felt, after doing some research, that GELC was what we were wanting out of a union. They just seemed to be the best fit for what we were looking for as far as representation and our needs.”
Their new GELC Labor Representative Joe Stone, a retired City of Warren Foreman of Sanitation, really brought home the importance of working with a union that knows exactly the types of issues that pertain to your profession.
“They seemed to cater more directly to the government side and our DPW and Waste Management side and we liked the fact that we are being represented by people who have actually done the jobs we are doing now,” she said. “They understand the positions and how we feel.”
With their contract expiring Dec. 31, 2024, the GELC got to work immediately on a new bargaining agreement. Their first GELC-represented contract took effect Jan. 1, 2025. The one-year contract was settled during a significant time of change.
“We were switching from AFSCME to GELC and we were getting new Township Board members in, so everything was bad timing for negotiating. It was just a mess,” Huber said. “We negotiated and completed a short contract with GELC. We will sit down again this fall and do our normal 3-year negotiations.”
They’re off to a great start with a 5% pay increase for all Employees in 2025. “The pay was mainly what we were focusing on for this year,” she said. “That was definitely better than what we normally get.”
The GELC helped Bridgeport Township Employees obtain Stipends dependent on their levels of licensing. Water Department and Waste Water Employees Stipends range from $500 to $2,000 annually. Deputy Clerks and Deputy Treasurers with MCAT certifications receive a quarterly Stipend of $250.
The group also received one paid Floating Holiday and Clerical Employees were provided with a Uniform Allowance.
“We did agree on Clerical staff being able to have some uniform shirts. We agreed on four shirts and two sweatshirts,” Huber said. “DPW and Wastewater (Employees) have their uniforms provided already. We felt like it was important to put that in there to have a couple shirts and be represented as well. (The Township) would provide them on an as needed basis.”
The GELC made a great impression on not only the Employees, but also Township officials. Bridgeport Township Employees noticed a difference in their first negotiations aided by the GELC.
“We feel so far that it was a good change definitely!” Huber said. “I would say the negotiations as whole went a lot better than they normally do because of the new Rep. Joe (Stone) on our side, and the new board members who we were negotiating with as well.”
