Rockford vigil offers support for Rock River employees

On Thursday, employees of Rockford’s Rock River Academy, backed by community and religious leaders, held a candlelight vigil to draw attention to management’s crackdown on a union organizing campaign.

The peaceful event came after Rock River, a residential care facility and school for troubled adolescent girls, suspended or fired employees who had asked management to work with the union and respect the outcome of an August organizing election that saw a majority of employees vote to form a union with AFSCME.

In the lead-up to that election, Rock River administrators fired union supporters and employed an array of anti-union tactics.

“Anything that is about the employees having a voice at work, they’re just completely against it and want to show they’re the boss all the time,” Council 31 organizing director Doug Woodson told WTVO-TV.

When management refused to respect the outcome of the election, seven employees presented Rock River’s CEO with a petition signed by them and 32 of their co-workers.

“We call on Rock River to stop spending money, time and other resources on efforts to undermine our Union,” the petition read. “Money spent on these divisive tactics is money that could be spent on programs, staff development and retention, wages and our facility.”

Management responded by firing or suspending all seven employees who presented the petition.

“I’ve seen people fired, suspended, myself included, for being union supporters,” Dave Malesky, one of the suspended employees, told the Rockford Register Star. “Of course, that wasn’t the reason they used for their discipline, but we all knew the real reason.”

The firings and suspensions caused dozens of faith, community and labor leaders in Rockford to speak out. They signed their names to a letter to the company’s CEO asking it to respect employees’ wishes – a request that management has so far ignored.

“We write to ask that you move past previous hostilities and work to improve your relationship with frontline employees,” the letter read. “We believe that only by putting aside past differences, treating employees with respect and allowing them a seat at the table, can Rock River move forward.”