AFSCME Heads South for an Alternative Spring Break

by Steve Veldheer  |  March 13, 2012

This winter’s Alternative Union Break took place in Madison, Wis. Later this month, Alt Break heads south to AFSCME Local 1733 in Memphis.

College students and others interested in learning how to be a union organizer have the opportunity this spring to participate in AFSCME’s Alternative Union Break. The week-long program, occuring in March, combines classroom training with actual work on an AFSCME organizing campaign. This spring, the Alt Break heads south to Local 1733 in Memphis.

It was in Memphis in 1968 that sanitation workers went on strike and marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for the right to unionize with AFSCME.

AFSCME organizer and Alt Break alum Carrie Sachse said she looks forward to ushering in the next wave of AFSCME organizers in a city that holds so much history for the union. The program itself is life-changing, Sachse said.

“AFSCME’s Alt Break program taught me about all it takes to help working people change their lives,” Sachse said. “In just a few days I learned all about the plight of public workers in this country, made friends for life, and was set on a course to have a career more fulfilling than I ever thought possible.”

Final preparation is underway for the Memphis Break, and anyone interested in joining this historic campaign is encouraged to apply at www.unionbreak.org. The Alt Break runs from March 22-25. Qualified applicants will be contacted, and will undergo an interview process before being accepted into the program.

College seniors, union members, women, people of color and LGBTQ individuals are encouraged to apply. Participants will need to make their own travel arrangements to Memphis, but AFSCME will provide a stipend and housing.