In his 23 ½ years working for the Utah Education Association, Jim Eldredge helped develop
the state's “Career Ladder” program, strengthen public employee retirement benefits, and convince legislators to allocate money for teacher-directed supply money.

But despite all of these accomplishments, Eldredge – who will retire from his position as UEA director of research and bargaining on December 31, 2004 – said he is most proud of being an employee advocate and serving the needs of the many members he has represented.

As a young college student, Eldredge took a job loading trucks for IML in Salt Lake City . It was there that he learned what it meant to have union support in times of crisis.

The first incident occurred when Eldredge's loading dock partner said the union was planning a strike. Eldredge said he was making more money than he had his entire life and told his colleague he wasn't sure he agreed with the strike. His partner was less than amused. “I like you, Jim,” he said. “I'd hate to see you get hurt.”

The second incident would forever strengthen Eldredge's belief in organized labor. It happened when one of the managers at the trucking company took him aside and told him he was being terminated. Shocked, Eldredge picked up his gear and headed out the company gates. On his way out, Eldredge was met by several of his co-workers and shared the news about his termination. Later that day, he was summoned to a union meeting. When he arrived, he found the room packed with all of his friends from work, colleagues who had gathered to support him. And there was one message from the group to management: “We know him [Eldredge]. We know how hard he works. You get him his job back or we will wildcat!” Following the meeting, Eldredge was called back in to work and given his job back with the guarantee that his record would be expunged. He later learned that the termination had occurred due to a misunderstanding in which he had been falsely accused of not carrying out his job duties. “From then on, I [was] a strong believer in organized labor,” Eldredge said.

Prior to joining the UEA staff on July 1, 1981 , Eldredge spent 10 years working for the Utah Public Employees' Association (UPEA). He served as an employee relations representative, manager of field services, and director of government relations. While at the UPEA, Eldredge was instrumental in organizing higher education employees.

Early in his career with the UEA, Eldredge found himself dealing with issues that are still in the headlines today. Voucher discussions were a part of the legislative debate because, as Eldredge put it, there were a couple of lawmakers who felt like choice and competition were a good idea.

In April 1983, the report, A Nation at Risk, was released and Utah legislators reacted by calling on teachers to do more. “We were told that if you [teachers] want a pay increase, you are going to have to do something different,” Eldredge said. “We got together with administrators and legislators and prepared our own “Career Ladder” bill that would provide more money for educators. If [educators] were able to take on more projects or work an extended day . . . all of these were things we felt enhanced the compensation for teachers, but there were also improvements for students.”

Eldredge played a major role in improving retirement benefits for educators and public employees. One improvement was the change from a contributory to non-contributory system. “The contributory system allowed the short-timers to take their money with them,” Eldredge said. “But the philosophy behind the [retirement] system was that it was [established] to reward the career employee. When the change occurred, there was enough money left over to allow employers to establish a 401(k) program for their employees. “It was a success story [in which] UEA and the Legislature [worked] together to make things better,” Eldredge said.

An equally important retirement system change came in 1997-98 when the Legislature approved the Surviving Spouse Benefit. At the time, a friend of the UEA – Representative Kurt Oscarson – had died with 24 ½ years of service in the retirement system. But under existing law, there was no way for his widow and family to benefit fully from his pension. In the last days of the session, Eldredge was informed that the Legislature had failed to allocate the money to cover the Surviving Spouse Benefit. “This is a top priority. This is what should be done. We will absorb the cost,” Eldredge told lawmakers. The law passed and Mrs. Oscarson, along with many other surviving spouses, benefited from the change.

Eldredge was also on the scene when Speaker of the House Mel Brown suggested giving educators teacher-directed supply money to pay for classroom materials. What was supposed to be a one-time bonus has turned out to be a yearly stipend thanks to the efforts of Eldredge and the UEA Lobby Team.

Eldredge said he is saddened by the “level of meanness” exhibited now by the Legislature. “We always had differences of opinion, but you used to be able to talk about it with a smile on your face,” he said.

Because he believes local bargaining is where “the rubber meets the road,” Eldredge worked with his National Education Association colleagues around the country to create the National Association of Bargaining Professionals. The organization – open to state association bargaining coordinators – provides bargaining advice, training, and serves as a clearing- house of ideas.

During his career at the UEA, Eldredge has worked for five executive directors and countless presidents. He praised many of them for their work on behalf of the Association. “We have had some really great leadership here,” he said.