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Fighting Back

2011 was a pivotal year for the working middle class. It started with the scapegoating of public service workers for the country's economic woes, and continued with unprecedented attacks on our right to bargain collectively. But by year's end, we managed to turn the tide.

The struggle continues in 2012. Public service workers will continue to face tough times and serious budget cuts, but we have shown what we can do when we raise our voices together. One thing's for certain: We're NOT backing down.
Recent Video
  • A Force to Be Reckoned With A Force to Be Reckoned With

    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.
  • President Saunders speaks at the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Rally President Saunders speaks at the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Rally

    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.
  • AFSCME Makes Equality Happen AFSCME Makes Equality Happen

    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.
  • Jansing & Co. - Joan Raymond Interview Jansing & Co. - Joan Raymond Interview

    Joan Raymond discusses how Mitt Romney views the 47%.
  • Meet Joan Raymond. She picked up Mitt Romney's trash. Meet Joan Raymond. She picked up Mitt Romney's trash.

    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.
  • Meet Temo Fuentes. He repairs fire trucks in Mitt Romney's neighborhood. Meet Temo Fuentes. He repairs fire trucks in Mitt Romney's neighborhood.

    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.
  • Meet Richard Hayes. He picks up Mitt Romney's trash. Meet Richard Hayes. He picks up Mitt Romney's trash.

    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.
  • Coast-to-Coast Victories for Emergency Medical Workers Coast-to-Coast Victories for Emergency Medical Workers

    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."
  • Tribute to Gerald W. McEntee Tribute to Gerald W. McEntee

    AFSCME members from across the country thank outgoing Pres. Gerald W. McEntee for his 56 years of service to our union and our country.
  • Officers Are Sworn In Officers Are Sworn In The president, secretary-treasurer and international vice presidents are sworn in during the final day of AFSCME's 40th International Convention in Los Angeles.
  • Rally for Public Service Workers Rally for Public Service Workers Waving "Respect!" signs and chanting "We're fired up, won't take it no more," thousands of AFSCME delegates rallied in MacArthur Park with their California sisters and brothers, calling attention to the fight for public service employees during AFSCME's 40th International Convention.
  • Building Strength Through Organizing Building Strength Through Organizing Despite right-wing efforts to undermine workers' solidarity by attacking collective bargaining rights, AFSCME continues to build strength through organizing. Our recent victories are told by the sisters and brothers who helped make them happen in this video shown during AFSCME's 40th International Convention in Los Angeles.
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