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For a variety of reasons, the union members and officers of United Steelworkers Local 9292 are unique.   First, is their geographic location: situated on the Blount Island United States Marine Corps installation in Jacksonville, Fla. Their critical line of work also makes them stand out because many of the Steelworkers, employees of Honeywell Logistics, are responsible for reconditioning

Local 9292 President Terry Hutsell and Jim Coleman, one of the local's newest members.

the communications equipment inside military humvees, tanks and personnel carriers.

Their location and type of work, however, are not the only reasons they are unique.

They have been especially successful in organizing new members into the USW. Because Florida is a right-to-work state, membership in the USW is not mandatory. That makes organizing new members and keeping them involved in the union a challenging task.

Because it had witnessed a decline in density in recent years, the local was determined to see those numbers improve. So, they sat down with representatives from the USW International and District offices to layout a plan to bring those numbers back to an acceptable level. The plan they developed had the full support of District 9 Director Connie Entrekin and Staff Representative Joe Seal.

“Basically, we just sat down and laid out a plan,” said Local 9292 President Terry Hutsell. “We looked at our different areas and departments and identified the areas we thought we were the weakest and went after those first.”

“It was our objective to establish better relationships with the people who worked in those areas,” Hutsell said. “Clearly, we were not doing a very good job in some departments.”

It was through a spirit of teamwork and determination that Local 9292 was able to mobilize.

“We broke down specific target areas and coordinated a group of volunteers who were willing to help organize. We sent our volunteers in at lunch time to talk with people. Later, we put together a power point presentation that showed our history, our committees, our negotiations and our future goals.”

Hutsell recalled there were several “breakthroughs” along the way where the union was able to sign up members who, in the past, had been opposed to membership.

“We signed up one member who had worked here for 17 years and had never joined the union,” Hutsell said. “When we got him there was a whole group from that department that followed. He was a very influential person in the area he worked in. We finally got him to understand what being part of a union was all about.”

The local union has also displayed strength and competence in other areas.

“We’ve been successful with quite a few grievances and that has helped us, because our members and potential members have seen our successes,” Hutsell said. “They have seen first hand the difference having a union can make.”

The local has also made it a point to reach out to all who work at Honeywell, not just those who have joined the union.

At the company picnic last summer, the union brought along water bottles with the union logo for all the children attending the event. The Union also worked cooperatively with management to put the Steelworkers logo on T-shirts that the company had purchased and later distributed to all employees.

Local 9292’s cooperative spirit has been far reaching.

After the merger with the PACE International Union in early 2005, the local leadership developed a strong working relationship with six former PACE locals in the Jacksonville area. Hutsell said they now all share one union office, and are able to network their resources and information.

The union has also made it a point to keep their members better informed - starting both a newsletter and a web site in the last 12 months.

“We have had a lot of very positive things happen within our Union in the last year,” Hutsell said. “One of the other things that made a big difference, is that we had a visit from Steelworkers International President Leo Gerard. I think that really meant a lot to people. It showed that, yes, maybe this Union really does care about us.”

As we enter into the early months of 2006, momentum is clearly on the side of Local Union 9292.

“Like I said, just a lot of very positive things have been happening,” Hutsell said. “And, I think every little bit helps.”

The local will soon begin the "Phase 2" of their internal organizing plan, which will also include the former PACE locals who they now share office space with.