The Rule of 29

by Kate Childs Graham  |  February 29, 2012

Are you ready to leap? Like Presidential elections, Leap Day only comes around every four years. In celebration of the day, we thought it’d be fun to take a look at what “29” means to AFSCME.

Nelson Mandela Speaks at AFSCME’s 29th International Convention

In the 1980s, AFSCME provided support to the anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa. In recognition of that work, Nelson Mandela, after being freed from prison, spoke at the 1990 AFSCME Convention in Miami.

29 Public Prisons Saved in Florida

On February 14, 2012, the Florida Senate rejected Senate Bill 2038, which would have privatized 29 prisons and work camps, the largest privatization effort to date in the U.S.

Mayor Writes Sanitation Workers in Memphis on February 29, 1968

On Feb. 29, 1968, Mayor Henry Loeb, in a letter to the sanitation strikers, offered an eight cents an hour pay increase and, in general, met demands of the workers on insurance, retirement plans, a grievance procedure, and hours and overtime. But the mayor still refused union recognition, refused a dues check-off and insisted that "as a precondition to any rearrangement of wages and working conditions, the strike must end." The workers ultimately won their right to union representation after a two-month strike.

29 Members in Arkansas Win Court Decision

On Feb. 7, 2008, 29 employees of the city of Benton, and Local 2957 (Council 38), won a landmark victory when a U.S. appellate court ruled that the city must continue to pay those workers’ retiree health benefits, which were dropped in 2004.

What does “29” mean to you?