100% Union: Moline-Coal Valley School District

Terry Boone, President | AFSCME Local 672

“I knew I wanted to be part of a union at my next job after working as a mechanic at a car dealership for 27 years. When I started working for the school district, I immediately got involved in AFSCME and eventually became the local union president.

“We are 100% union at Local 672 and I think that unity comes down to the conversations we have with one another. After Janus we have been stressing to our long-time members that we can’t take anything for granted. And for our new members, we make sure to connect with them from the day they are hired. It takes one-on-one communication. We sit down together to discuss the union and our contract, and encourage them to get involved and to contribute to our PEOPLE program.

“If anyone hesitates to join the union, I point to the school district that’s just 20 miles away, where pay and benefits are a third less than what we have here. This isn’t accidental. Because they do not have a union, they don’t have anyone going to bat for their benefits, wages and their dignity. We had to fight hard for our contract and it took time. The employer isn’t paying us more because they feel like it.

“Having a union isn’t just about our pay. It also means we set a high standard for our jobs. We live in this community, our kids go to the school district and we support our food banks, churches, fire and police. What we make in wages and benefits we turn around and spend here. We care about what’s best for everyone.

“Right now our future is under attack. Despite what big business and rich politicians say, unions aren’t making anyone go broke. The reason they are attacking us is because they want to privatize our jobs so they can make money off them and they can’t do that with unions standing in the way.

“The Janus case is about one thing—people wanting to take away our rights.”   

Terry Boone is pictured in the bottom right.