A Short History of Council 94

Council 94 dates back to 1935 when a group of State employees formed an organization appropriately called the Rhode Island State Employees Association.
It was formed partly as a social organization but also as a group of State workers concerned about the policies and laws that affected them.

Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s the organization grew in membership from a few dozen members to hundreds.

They became increasingly concerned about the lack of job security, benefits that could change at the whim of whatever administration was in office at the time, and the General Assembly that could change the conditions of the State workers by simply legislating the change.

The RI State Employees Association became chiefly a lobbying and political organization. In 1962 then Democratic Governor John A Notte Jr. signed what was one of the first collective bargaining agreements in the United States for State employees. The five page document hangs on a corridor wall at Council 94’s Union Hall.

It contains nothing of what our contracts do today. Noticeably absent were hours of work, arbitration, holidays, disciplinary action, vacations, etc. – but it was a milestone and a beginning of what would become true collective bargaining 6 years later. In 1968 the General Assembly passed a real Collection Bargaining Law giving State workers the absolute right to form unions and bargain collectively.

AFSCME granted a Charter to a combination of State and Municipal employees who were rapidly organizing under the new statutes and Council 70 was formed. Its offices were on Westminster Street in the Olneyville section of Providence. The Rhode Island State Employees Association also affiliated with AFSCME and was granted a Charter as Council 22 which was on Weybosset Street in downtown Providence and later moved to Davis Street near the Department of Health. Davis Street no longer exists. It was eliminated to develop 1 Capitol Hill.

In the ensuing years Council 70 and Council 22 competed with each other for rights to represent State employees, Municipal employees, and School employees. AFSCME President Jerry Wurf realized that Councils in Rhode Island and other states were wasting resources in this competition and began a program of merging Councils in numerous states.

While President Wurf’s approach in merging councils was unpopular at the time, history shows that the concept was a right one for public employees. In 1976 Councils 70 and 22 were merged into Council 94.

There followed challenges which were finally resolved, and on November 13, 1976 Council 94 was granted a Charter. The Executive Board of Council 94 appointed Giovanni Folcarelli, former Lt. Governor and Aide to Senator Theodore Francis Green, as Council 94’s Executive Director.

In 1980 Council 94 sold its headquarters at 60 Davis Street to the State and moved to its present headquarters on Charles Street in North Providence. J. Thomas Chellel was elected president and continued in that office for more than 25 years until his passing in 2006.

Through several Directors Council 94 have seen much progress for State workers and Municipal workers including School District employees. The Council is the largest Union of State employees and Municipal employees (excluding teachers, police and firefighters) in the State.