DAY FOUR: ELECTION GOES TO MCENTEE AIDE LEE SAUNDERS

Lee Saunders was elected as the new

AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer on Thursday, July 1

Boston, Mass.--  A top assistant to Union President McEntee was sworn-in as the Union's number two officer during the Friday morning session.

CSEA President Danny Donohue has failed in his quest for the post of secretary-treasurer of AFSCME, the national union that includes nearly 300,000 CSEA members.  CSEA is one of the nation's biggest locals.  Donohue lost by 4,306 votes out of a total weighted vote of 1.3 million. Saunders received 652,660 votes in the election, then followed by Danny Donohue, President, Civil Service Employees Association CSEA)/AFSCME Local 1000 (NY) who received 648,356 votes. A third candidate, Mark Foley, President, Local 2019, California Council 57, received 1,489 votes.

Coming into Boston, it was speculated Saunders was favored to win as he is the executive assistant and favorite son to AFSCME President Gerald McEntee.

The election caused some tension and a rare split in the AFSCME union this past week. The outgoing secretary-treasurer, Bill Lucy, who has held the position for 38 years, backed Donohue.

"Danny Donohue and I are both deeply committed to our members and deeply devoted to this union," Saunders said. "Both of us waged very vigorous and energetic campaigns. I am very grateful for his words of support and look forward to working together to advance the interests of our members and the working people of this country.”

Donohue’s past endorsement of Republicans (namely former Gov. George Pataki) became an issue during this heated campaign, with Danny arguing perhaps more vociferously than his brothers and sisters in the movement that Democrats should not take them for granted and automatically expect to receive their political and financial support. It seemed like the message resonated with most members, but didn't put him over the top when all the votes were counted.

You can watch a video of Danny's consession speech here.

Cris Zaffuto and I are returning to Rochester Friday evening after the general session.  Attending the AFSCME convention has been an eye-popping experience, and I have alot of information I want to share with all of you upon my return.

In Solidarity,

Bess Watts
President, CSEA Monroe County Local 828
AFSCME Delegate 2010
(photos and video by Bess Watts)