Our Stories Archive

June 19, 2015

25-Year School Board Member Honored

Gary Miller, a labor leader and LGBT rights advocate, was honored by the City of Roseville, California, for his 25-year service on two separate school boards – Robla board in North Sacramento for 19 years and Roseville City School Board since 2008.

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May 14, 2015

Fallen AFSCME Brothers Honored at Law Enforcement Vigil

Law enforcement officers from around the country came together in our nation’s capital this week to honor those who fell in the line of duty. Among those whose names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial were three AFSCME members.

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May 12, 2015

NY School Bus Driver Honored for Safety Record

Barbara DeLong, a school bus driver who cares deeply about the safety of the children in her care, was honored recently as the School Bus Driver of the Year by Dutchess County, New York.

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April 27, 2015

AFSCME Iowa Council 61 Member Is Life Saver

All across America, there are countless public employees who work every day to help keep us safe. Among them is Elizabeth Cleveland, an emergency communications operator and a member of Local 2364 (AFSCME Iowa Council 61).

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April 23, 2015

Splash Medics Visit Schoolchildren to Promote Water Safety

A group of paramedics and EMTs spent the morning of April 21 reading Stewie the Duck to children at Temple Christian School. It was part of their effort to reduce the number of water-related injuries and deaths in Riverside County.

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April 21, 2015

Remembering Those Who Died Doing What They Loved: Helping Others

Every year on April 28, the Connecticut AFL-CIO and AFSCME Council 4 honor those who passed away while working. It is an opportunity to “Mourn for the Dead and Fight for the Living,” Mother Jones’s immortal words that have served as the theme.

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April 17, 2015

First Responder: EMS Dispatcher Is Difference Maker

Yolanda Matos-McClintock, an EMS dispatcher, comes to the rescue on a daily basis. Her story, recently featured in the Sacramento Business Journal, highlights the importance of emergency response and how being in a union provides strength.

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April 15, 2015

Budget Victory Is Huge for Texas Correctional Officers

After months of intense lobbying by AFSCME Texas Correctional members, lawmakers approved budget plans that provide badly needed pay raises for correctional officers, and addressed the chronic underfunding of the state’s Employees Retirement System (ERS).

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April 10, 2015

Going the Extra Mile: N.Y. Sanitation Workers Save a Life

Two sanitation workers from Elmira, New York, Mike Waters and Ed Wood, took time out from their early morning route to save a life.

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April 09, 2015

On Flight Home, AFSCME Member Comes to the Rescue

One moment, AFSCME member Sami Abed was just a passenger on a routine flight. The next moment, Abed and a doctor also aboard that flight were saving the life of a 68-year-old, unidentified man.

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April 06, 2015

In Memoriam: Victor H. Gotbaum

AFSCME is mourning the passing April 5 of Victor H. Gotbaum, former head of New York City’s largest public employees union, AFSCME District Council 37. He was 93.

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April 01, 2015

Tulsa AFSCME Members Rush in to Clean Up After Tornado

Residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma, are getting back on their feet following a devastating tornado on March 25. AFSCME members – many of them also from Tulsa – are helping them do that.

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March 25, 2015

Everyday Heroes Come Face to Face with Their Biggest Little Fan

Two-year-old Quincy Kroner watches his heroes from the living room window of his Cincinnati home every Friday afternoon - that’s when AFSCME Local 250 sanitation workers Mark Davis and Eric Washington drive by in their garbage truck.

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March 17, 2015

Suspect in Oregon Killing of AFSCME Member Faces Murder Charge

A suspect who allegedly shot and killed Grady Waxenfelter, a member of AFSCME Oregon Local 350, Council 75, could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty on a murder charge.

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March 12, 2015

Quick Action Saves Seven from Burning House

Seven Coeymans, New York, residents can thank quick action by local police dispatch, officers and firefighters for saving their lives last month. AFSCME member Brian Rinaldi located seven people on the roof as their house was engulfed in flames.

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March 09, 2015

In Memoriam: Vernon Watkins

AFSCME is mourning the loss of Vernon R. Watkins, a dedicated labor organizer, activist and inspirational force who had a major impact in the labor movement during a long and dedicated career fighting for working families with AFSCME.

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March 06, 2015

Cab Driver Happy to Give Back to Community

Bayo Aladesuru drives one of Chicago’s 125 wheelchair accessible cabs. But what distinguishes Bayo, a veteran cab driver and Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Council 31 member, is how he gives back to the community he loves.

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February 12, 2015

Local 2960 Rallies to Support Family of Fallen Dispatcher

Megan Lange had only recently returned from maternity leave when she arrived for her shift as an emergency dispatcher with the Phoenix Fire Department on Jan. 27. No one knew it would be her last day on the job.

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February 09, 2015

Former AFSCME Member Takes the Gavel in Albany

AFSCME is welcoming the historic election of Carl Heastie, a former AFSCME member, as the first African-American speaker of the New York State Assembly.

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February 05, 2015

Texas Corrections Officers Mourn Crash Victims

Two Texas corrections officers were among 10 passengers killed when a bus transporting inmates that lost control on a patch of black ice, slid off of the Interstate 20 overpass, and crashed into a moving Union Pacific train.

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