Newsmakers: Iowa City School Employees Take Initiative on Organizing

Three SEIU Local 199 members from the Iowa City Community School District have decided it is time to increase

Marlin Wiskus

membership in their chapter. Marlin Wiskus and Cindy Dohrer, both custodians, and Ken Funk, a maintenance worker for the district have taken it upon themselves to be responsible for growth in their chapter.

“That’s just the way I am,” Marlin said when asked why he took ownership of the organizing effort in the chapter. He pointed out that he was a volunteer fireman for ten years, and a participant in the Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) program that helped establish Uptown Bill’s, a venture that is home to four microbusinesses that are managed and operated by persons with disabilities. He said getting people to join is simply a matter of talking to them and explaining that because of our collective strength as members we are protected when things get tough and . “I tell them that the union is your voice. You don’t have to be scared to speak up.” Marlin explained. “I just tell the folks I work with that your wages, your benefits, they all come from the union.”

His conversations with new employees and veteran employees who have quit the union are working. In the span of a little over a month, Marlin said he has gone from having three union members on his night crew at West High School to having all but two of the 12 people signed up to be members of the union.

His recent union activism even comes as bit of a surprise to himself, admitted Marlin. Prior to joining SEIU Local 199 five years ago, he did not have a positive feeling toward the labor movement.

Cindy Dohrer

Meanwhile, Cindy is trying hard to undo some problems in the chapter several years ago that resulted in quite a few members quitting. “I’m trying to get them back,” she said. She said she wants to get the message out to them that just like SEIU’s motto says, “we are stronger together.” She is hoping the good contact that the chapter just settled will go a long way toward helping bring people back into the fold. “It’s really important I need to get those people back,” she said. If that means house visiting, site visiting, a chapter party, Cindy said she is ready. “Whatever it takes.”