TWU Interns Cap Legislative Training With Stint on the Political Battlefield

Legislative success usually follows political activism, so it’s a logical twist that TWU’s latest legislative interns followed their stint in Washington D.C. with active roles in political campaigns back home.

Ron Bigelow of Local 501 is currently working on the campaign of New York City Council Member Michael McMahon for a Congressional seat from Staten Island. Susan Kern of Local 556 is back in Florida where she is working to elect Barack Obama for President as well as local candidates.

The interns spent three weeks in September honing their legislative skills in the union’s popular training program which began last year. Although the TWU local officers are immersed in lobbying on Capitol Hill, they also gain knowledge to advance TWU goals in state and local legislatures.

All interns work closely with Political and Legislative Director Roger Tauss and Assistant Director Portia Reddick White. Reddick White, who coordinates the program, says that the aim is “to develop a program that will be beneficial when they return to their respective locals.”

(The application process for 2009 internships closed October 31. Applications for 2010 will start next June.)

The interns temporarily become part of the Washington staff, which includes Tauss, Reddick White, Political Representative Alex Garcia and Department Secretary Paulette Smith.

Bigelow, who served on the Local 501 Executive Board for six years, has been employed in Fleet Service by American Airlines for 21 years. He credits local leadership for getting him involved in politics and helping him to understand how important elections are to bread-and-butter issues like pensions, outsourcing and safety on the job.

In the current campaign, Bigelow is working with the Central Labor Council to boost McMahon’s profile in the community through labor walks and other grassroots activities. The Congressional seat is seen as an opportunity for Democrats since the incumbent Republican had to drop out of the race after a sex scandal.

Bigelow applied for the TWU internship “to learn more about lobbying for unions; to see exactly what the process is and how bills become laws for our pensions, etc.” He laments that there’s “too much negativity – people giving up on government.” Citing what he learned during the internship, Bigelow says, “There’s a larger picture. I got to see what really goes on in government. Legislators are dealing with so many issues. But, they really are trying to get things done. Sometimes they just don’t have the votes and sometimes elections intervene.

Bigelow admits his own patience was tried in sitting through lengthy Congressional hearings. “They can go on for hours,” he says. “And then the bills will sit until a new Congress comes in.”

Still, he’s quick to recommend the internships to other activists. “It’s a great education about what’s going on in Congress. I’m very thankful for the opportunity.”

Kern, a Domicile Executive Board Member from the Orlando area, has been working with the Space  Central Labor Council on the Obama campaign in Florida, which is likely to be a hard-fought battleground state. The unionists are also supporting Suzanne Kosmas over incumbent Congressman Tom Feeney and in State House races Amy Tidd (District 30) and Tony Sasso (District 32).

In addition to phone banks, canvassing and other get-out-the-vote activities, Local 556’s Kern and the other volunteers have been helping local unions with campaign literature while local officers concentrate on their servicing and negotiation duties. Kern believes increasing voter turnout will be a key to victory, with a large undecided vote up for grabs. Much of the effort for Obama, she says, has been correcting the lies and myths that are being spread.

Kern said her interest in the internship was fanned by attendance at TWU COPE conferences where she had the opportunity to lobby her legislators. “I really enjoyed it and wanted to find out more about what they do in D.C.,” she says. “I knew I could apply some of the lessons to Florida, anything I could do to be more effective.”

She was particularly impressed by a hearing on National Mediation Board rules, a hearing House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar said he couldn’t hold while the Republicans were the majority.

“I learned so much in Washington,” Kern says. “Portia, Alex and Roger were great to work with. I never felt I was ‘just’ an intern. They always listened to what we had to say. I would go back in a heartbeat.”

She adds, “I always heard how important it was to be involved in politics. But it really came home in Washington. You must pay attention to what has a direct impact on your job.”