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Justice and fairness have a key role in any courtroom. But it took 15 years of struggle, a signed law by the governor and a vote by the state legislature to extend those principles to nearly 200 court reporters at the Illinois Supreme Court. Early this month, the workers finally won the right to union representation by IBEW Local 1220 in Chicago.

"AFSCME [American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees] tried to organize them and they gave up; the Teamsters tried to organize them, and they gave up," said Sixth District Vice President Pat Curley. "We didnt give up."

The victory was featured at the recent Sixth District Organizing Conference. From left are Local 1220 Business Manager Ro Wratschko, IBEW Secretary-Treasurer Jerry O'Connor, court reporters Renia Boykin and John Tominello, Sixth District Vice President Pat Curley, court reporter Sue Gruszka and former Local 1220 Business Manager Jessica Logan, who is also project organizing coordinator.

The court reporters have been trying to organize since the late 1980s. In the past four years with Local 1220, those efforts intensified with a public awareness campaign emphasizing the workers were being denied collective bargaining rights explicitly granted to state workers under the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act. But the justices continued to resist voluntary recognition, even after a new Illinois law giving the reporters a right to union representation signed in June 2003.

Finally on July 1, the Illinois Supreme Court by a 4-3 vote, recognized Local 1220 as the collective bargaining representative of the 187 court reporters in Cook County. Local 1220 will continue to fight to represent 319 additional court reporters in other districts in Illinois.

"We will continue the fight and we will not give up until all the official court reporters are represented by Local 1220," Curley said at the recent Sixth District Organizing Conference about the Illinois local that represents broadcast members.

Two court reporters, Renia Boykin and John Tominello, were featured at the organizing conference. Tominello was fired in May 2001 for what he and Local 1220 contend was his organizing activities. The two received a standing ovation from the audience, said Sixth District International Representative Lonnie Stephenson.

Tominello said pay, working conditions and lack of new technology will be among the many issues the workers hope to address in upcoming bargaining. The multiyear struggle has served to poison relations between labor and the justices, who have at times even threatened workers with arrest, he said.

"Its abuse at its worst from people who put robes on every day and you expect to be fair," Tominello said. "Theres no way to take them to court they are the court."