One on One with...
Region 1 Director Joseph Peters
What will be your top priorities for the next year?
Organizing is at the top of our list. Attracting new members is essential
to our long-term viability.
Mentoring newly elected representatives has to remain a priority. It is our duty
to provide them with the skills to successfully represent the membership. Our
staff provides this through educational classes and sharing real-world experiences.
Last spring Region 1 Assistant Director Mike Letkowski and I started tours talking
with members at their worksite. We will continue these visits. This year Region
1, along with the Community Caring Program and our always generous local union
leadership, will collect donations toward our No Child Without Christmas fund.
This is our inaugural year.
You are an Arab-Irish American and belong to the NAACP and Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Why did you join these groups?
The NAACP and CBTU stand for the principles and values I believe in: equal rights and social justice. Having seen discrimination and hatred up-close and personal, I pledged that if I ever got into a position of leadership where I could make a difference, I would be unyielding in fighting for the rights of all members.
Michigan may have two controversial ballot initiatives in 2006: raising the minimum wage and undercutting affirmative action. Where do you stand?
I support raising the minimum wage and am opposed to any measures that would undercut affirmative action. A minimum wage of $5.15 is nothing short of an embarrassment in the richest country in the history of the world, to say nothing about being discriminatory toward the poor. Affirmative action is under attack with opponents using words like “quotas” and “preferential treatment” to stir up the masses. It is neither. Affirmative action ensures that all qualified people have equal access to employment and educational opportunities.
Who has helped shape your values and leadership style?
I believe in family, loyalty, integrity, accountability, social justice and dignity in the workplace. The person who most influenced me was my father. For 30 years, he was a UAW Local 400 union official. I was born with union in my blood. The second biggest influence on me was former UAW President Stephen P. Yokich. He instilled passion, loyalty and accountability. Ken Terry, former Region 1 director, is my friend, mentor and trusted confidant. Vice President Gerald Bantom has always been available for advice, direction and valued insight. Vice President Nate Gooden has shown me that there is no substitute for heart and character. Finally, without the love, support and influence my wife, children and grandchildren have given me, I would not know the true meaning of family.
