Member of the Quarter | October 01, 2009
Local 831L’s Brenda Miles PAC Member of the Quarter
Brenda Miles, the recording secretary of Local Union 831L, believes in the power of the USW’s political activism and the Political Action Committees that help to fund that work.
That makes it easy for her to ask members new and old at the Goodyear tire factory in Danville, Va., to support the local’s PAC with a contribution of $1 a week or more.
The approximately 1,600-member Local 831L is the number one PAC contributor in District 8. The Goodyear Danville plant, one of the region’s largest and highest-paying employers, builds truck and other commercial tires.
“Brenda truly gets it,’’ said International PAC Coordinator Mike Scarver, who chose Miles as the PAC member of the quarter in recognition of her efforts.
“She understands the importance of PAC contributions and politics and the role they play in our ability to negotiate contracts and provide the services for our members that they expect to receive,” Scarver said.
Contributions Voluntary
Federal Election Commission rules prohibit the use of union dues money for political purposes. PAC contributions are strictly non-partisan and voluntary.
“Each dollar raised is used to help elect political candidates who will stand up for working men and women no matter their party,” Scarver said.
Local 831L conducted its first PAC drive in January 2003. Local President Danny Barber signed the first card and about 85 members followed suit.
The numbers of PAC participants grew significantly two months later when contributions were solicited during a strike vote. A PAC contributions table manned by the local’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) was set up so members could stop there after voting and picking up a solidarity T-shirt. By day’s end, an additional 927 members had signed up for PAC.
“We did very well signing up our members for that drive,’’ Miles recalled.
A few years later, Miles noticed that participation in the program was flagging. So, she volunteered to pitch for PACs during new-hire presentations made by the union.
Taking Responsibility
“It was falling through the cracks and wasn’t being done. So, I took it. I made it my responsibility,’’ Miles said. “I did it because I believe in what the PAC does. It came easy for me.”
Miles, who has donated $2 a week since the program started, initially thought new hires would be a hard sell for PAC contributions because their starting wages are lower than what veterans make. Her fears were unfounded.
“I tell them that the money that goes to this campaign is bi-partisan. It goes to politicians who support us as working people. And I tell them one thing for sure, what we’ve done in the past – nothing – definitely does not work.
For those who think they can’t afford to contribute, Miles asks, “Is a dollar a week worth saving you job? I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
Politics Matters
And for those who claim to not be political, Miles tells them: “I used to say stuff like that too. You are political whether you know it or not. Your job, your life, is tied to politics and legislation.”
Miles followed her father, John Miles, a union member, into the Goodyear plant at Danville where he had worked for more than 31 years.
“I grew up hearing my father talk about the union and that the union was good for workers,’’ Miles said. “So, when I came to Goodyear it was a no-brainer.”
Miles worked in the plant for nearly 10 years until 1998 when she decided to run for local office as recording secretary, and “they’ve had me ever since.”
