Joanne Evans-Davis, UE 160 union leader and City of Petersburg public servant.
Petersburg, VA—On Monday, August 4th, Joanne Evans-Davis will top off a seven-month battle and triumphantly walk into the Petersburg, Va City Water/Public Works Department and begin work as a Customer Service Representative.
Virginia UE Local 160, sister union of NC UE 150, fought the City of Petersburg all the way through its grievance process to win her reinstatement to a job comparable to the one she had been forced out. The union also won backpay for her leave time and credit for all the time she had worked for the city and reinstatement of her sick leave.
Since the summer of 2007, Joanne has worked with UE 160 organizers in support of the union’s efforts to help Petersburg City Workers organize and build a strong union. As part of its fight back plan for better pay, improved working conditions, and against discriminatory, disrespectful, and unfair treatment, the union began to demand accountability from the Petersburg City Council. Joanne, meeting after meeting, was out front as one of the union’s main spokespersons. On December 18, 2007, due to the union and community supporters’ constatnt pressure, the Petersburg City Council appropriated $15,000 to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of personnel practices in the Department of Public Works, Division of Operations and Support Services to ensure working conditions and treatment of city employees were consistent with city policies. The very next day, December 19, Ms. Evans-Davis was reprimanded by her department head and reminded that she “did not speak for the Department of Social Services.” One month later, she was threatened with immediate discharge if she did not submit to “mandatory probation extension”.
Management in Ms. Evans-Davis’ old job as an account clerk in Social Services had attempted to create a “paper trail” of non-grievable bad evaluations of her job performance. They then attempted to shield everything from challenge by claiming their actions fell under the city policies defined as “Management Responsibilities.” UE Local 160 defeated this strategy and were successful in getting those negative write-ups re-defined as unfair discipline and her bosses’ actions characterized as “anti-union animus” – which is in violation of the Code of Virginia.
It is extremely important to workers and their union that UE 160 also was successful in getting the organizer as her representative in the grievance meeting.
