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Get to know why Dr. Kendrick Roberson deserves your vote!
My Vision FOR afge WFP
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1. Supporting AFGE locals
LOCALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF AFGE!
Protecting workers from discrimination starts at the local level. WFP programming must provide locals the tools they need to be successful.
REPRESENTATION
Here are the facts. The Women's and Fair Practices Department only has 7 attorneys when fully staffed, and AFGE has over 300,000 members. As such, when locals reach out to have AFGE attorneys take on their cases, there is a very real limit.
So what do we do? WFP has a national Equalizer Certification program, which provides intensive training to AFGE members so that they can help represent our members. These Equalizers are trained directly by our attorneys, and must complete large projects before gaining equalizer certification. We have trained dozens of equalizers over the last several years (I am one). As NVP, I will expand the equalizer program and provide locals with access to the list of equalizers so that their members can access the expertise of these certified AFGE leaders.
EDUCATION
The Human Rights Training (HRT) is the longest standing training within AFGE. We provide a plethora of trainings that local leaders can access in order to help them represent their workers. As a member of the Human Rights Committee, I have led one of these trainings every year for the past 7 years. As NVP of WFP, I will ensure that the trainings we provide are membership driven. WFP will survey our constituency to ensure that we are providing trainings that are useful to you.
PROGRAMMING
The Women's and Fair Practices Departments is known for awesome programming that boosts solidarity throughout the union. However, most of the programming is provided at the national and district levels. As NVP of WFP, I will ensure that locals have support for their local programming as well. For example, as Chair of the YOUNG Committee, our team created a training segment called "From the streets." This training uses real and successful events to teach YOUNG Coordinators across the country how to create successful events at their local. Afterward, national YOUNG coordinators are on standby to help local YOUNG Coordinators successfully work with their presidents to put on a successful local event. This training segment would be expanded to all the constituency groups in an effort to provide WFP support for programming at the local level.
2. Protect Federal workers who seek to end domestic abuse
The FBI reports that wives are 567% more likely to be killed by their husbands than vice versa.
Domestic violence is a very real issue that disproportionately impacts women.
It is a shame that federal law does not protect employees who need time off work to keep themselves or family members safe from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and related forms of abuse or harassment
DC Employees do have this protection, but the federal workforce does not. Instead, federal workers must hope that the current President of the United States is willing to grant this protection (definitely not a given).
As National Vice President of WFP, I will work with our legal and political teams to enshrine protections from domestic violence into America's laws. If a person needs to escape domestic violence, they should not have to worry about whether or not they lose their job. I believe we can get bipartisan support for this issue on Capitol Hill.
This is also important because children are also abused in large numbers, and a parent may need to protect their children. They too should not have to consider losing their jobs.
If enshrined into law, federal workers experiencing domestic violence will be protected for seeking medical treatment, relocating, securing housing, going to court, participating in safety planning; arranging child care and/or new schooling.
3. Eliminate the unfair $300,000
damage cap on Discrimination
HERE'S THE DEAL!
The Civil Rights Act of 1991 instituted limits on the amount of compensatory and punitive damages a person can recover, such that the sum of compensatory damages paid by agencies cannot exceed $300,000 (Public Law 102-166).
THAT MEANS the maximum payout for the most heinous acts of discrimination is $300,000, and that cap hasn't changed in over 30 years.
WE KNOW that $300,000 today is not the same as $300,000 in 1991 due to inflation.
So by keeping the cap at $300,000 discrimination has become less costly to agencies over time.
As National Vice President of WFP, I will work with our AFGE political team to change the cap on discrimination so that it reflects today's cost of living, or so it is eliminated entirely.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
As an example, In January of this year, a deaf man was awarded $36 million by a jury because he was denied a reasonable accommodation. But because of the cap, the award was reduced to $300,000. The goal of damages is to make the cost of discrimination high enough that employers take all the necessary efforts to prevent discrimination. However, by leaving the $300,000 cap in place for over 30 years, the impact of the maximum damages on protecting workers has declined.
4. Supporting Constituency Groups
DIVISION OR SOLIDARITY?
Within AFGE, I have a firm belief that our diversity is what makes us strong. Years of evidence suggest that AFGE's constituency groups have increased solidarity within our union.
We have 5 constituency programs that are spearheaded by WFP: Y.O.U.N.G., B.L.A.C.K., HISCO, A.P.O.W.E.R., and PRIDE.
As the chair of AFGE Y.O.U.N.G., my team has been able to create mentorship programing, provide new unionist training for all ages, advocate for policies such as paid parental leave, change AFGE's constitution to protect members from bullying, and ensure workers are not silenced in their union by providing nationwide trainings on Robert's Rules.
My AFGE Y.O.U.N.G. team also created a podcast so that members could be more united in the various fights that take place across the federal and DC workforce.
As the founder and chair of AFGE B.L.A.C.K., my team was able to work with attorneys to create a racial discrimination training, specific to nonselection for promotion. This trainings helped everyone.
In AFGE B.L.A.C.K., I also created the annual Black Law Enforcement panel, which is the only AFGE solidarity program with Law Enforcement in mind.
Beyond AFGE Y.O.U.N.G. and B.L.A.C.K., I also have aided in the programming for HISCO, APOWER, and PRIDE, boosting solidarity between all 5 constituency groups.
As National Vice President of WFP, I will boost the national support of AFGE's constituency groups. I will be dedicated to their education programming and solidarity efforts. I will ensure that space is created for these constituency groups to raise their issues that are disproportionately impacting them. Through their work, our union will be more able to protect each other, fight for each other, and boost our collective work experience within the federal and DC governments.
As NVP of WFP, I will also sure that women's issues are raised in every one of these spaces. The fact is, women often times face sex discrimination on top of other identities. WFP will ensure it promotes an intersectional approach to policy in order to fully support our AFGE women.
