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Election Day was a great victory for working families. We chose a future where opportunities are available to everyone, and not just a select few.

On October 10, 2012, AFSCME President Lee Saunders spoke out on the steps of The Supreme Court to defend equal opportunity and diversity in higher education. AFSCME members and staff rallied as Justices heard oral arguments in a key affirmative action case known as Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The Fisher Case will decide whether qualified students from diverse backgrounds should have access to educational opportunity and a fair chance to achieve their potential.

Across the country, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) public workers aren't getting a fair shake. In 30 states, we could be fired. We experience harassment and discrimination on the job. We earn less than our straight co-workers, and we don't have equal access to benefits like healthcare. LGBT and allied members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (AFSCME) are on the frontlines of the fight for equality in the workplace and in every place. We are nurses, firefighters, correctional officers, library workers, child care providers and sanitation workers. Through our union contracts and our activism in cities and states, we are making sure LGBT public workers get a fair shot. AFSCME makes America and equality happen.

Joan Raymond discusses how Mitt Romney views the 47%.

Joan is a City of San Diego sanitation worker whose route included Mitt Romney's $12 million oceanfront villa in La Jolla, Calif. This is her story.

Temo repairs the City of San Diego fire trucks that service Mitt Romney's $12 million oceanfront villa in La Jolla, Calif. This is his story.

Richard is a City of San Diego sanitation worker whose route includes Mitt Romney's $12 million oceanfront villa in La Jolla, Calif. This is his story.

New England EMS workers wasted no time in joining their California counterparts as part of United EMS Workers-AFSCME Local 4911 — and they did it with an even bigger margin of victory. Coming on the heels of Wednesday's election in California where EMS workers in 13 counties voted in United EMS Workers-AFSCME with a 77% margin, New England EMS stepped up today with 90% margin in their election results. The coast-to-coast victories total up to 2,300 new AFSCME members in two days. "This is a great victory," said Matt Anderson, a paramedic from Brockton, Mass., "It means we'll be getting more respect for what we do, and for EMS in general it means we're on our way to making this a profession and not just a job."

AFSCME members from across the country thank outgoing Pres. Gerald W. McEntee for his 56 years of service to our union and our country.

AFSCME is proud to present Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with the 2012 AFSCME Spirit of Public Service Award.

Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders addresses delegates during AFSCME's 40th International Convention held in Los Angeles on June 19, 2012.

Vice President Joe Biden addresses delegates during AFSCME's 40th International Convention held in Los Angeles on June 19, 2012.