141 Report - Big Union membership deep in the South

141 Report: Daryl Current, Taking Care of Business and People

After laboring through four airline mergers and doing his fair share of moving around to keep his airline job over 37 years, Daryl Current has a deep appreciation for what a good union contract can do for workers.

141 Report host Dave Lehive catches up with his former coworker Daryl Current, the Grievance Committee Chair at Victory Local Lodge 1725 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dave and Daryl reminisce about their days working together in Newark, New Jersey before Daryl settled in Charlotte in 2006. He was a Shop Steward when District 141 AGCs encouraged him to run for a position in the Grievance Committee in 2015. He has served as Committee Chair since 2017.

As a leader in one of the largest locals in District 141, Daryl Current wants to make sure the 1,8000 members of Victory Lodge 1725 have easy access to their union representatives. For this reason, he and fellow Committee Reps John Wilkinson, Mike Noble, and Lou Gilmore keep staggered hours in their office at the airport. “Our door is always open,” says Daryl, stating how there is a Committee Rep available to members, in person, for 15 hours a day, on average.

Daryl makes sure union stewards receive training and support to help them perform at their best, often taking on training responsibilities “in-house.” He also finds the skills he learned in EAP training helpful to recognize cases when members need help beyond the bounds of the union contract.

Communication at every level is a key element of effective representation, and Daryl works to maintain open channels with district representatives and committee reps in many cities. He mentions the close relationship CLT reps have with their counterparts in Phoenix, which was profiled in a 141 Report when they hosted them at the airport to exchange ideas and best practices on the field.

Maintaining these relationships helps union representatives know well the issues that are important to every member, and are the best way to build solidarity and power.