Our Stories | Page 14 | American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

October 03, 2015

AFSCME Mourns Loss of Wisconsin Leader Marty Beil

Within his AFSCME family, Beil was regarded as a gentle giant: outspoken and pointed with foes of working men and women, but a soft-spoken mentor and friend to his union sisters and brothers, and colleagues.

October 02, 2015

Thank you, Brother Beil

September 01, 2015

Member Is Victim in Wave of Violence

Clarence “Wade” Havvard, an AFSCME Local 725 member and employee of the Indianapolis/Marion County Department of Public Works (DPW), was killed Aug. 26 in a wave of violence that has struck the city in recent weeks.

August 28, 2015

Love in the Union: Rick and Rachel

Did you find love in your (labor) union? If so, we’d like to hear your story.

August 27, 2015

Ten Years after Katrina, Solidarity Overshadows Tragedy

Ten years after the storm, we can still say about our AFSCME sisters and brothers: They rose to the challenge.

August 24, 2015

AFSCME Members Establish Innovative Youth Court

For more than a decade, AFSCME Local 1624 Pres. Judy Cortez and Austin Municipal Court Judge John Vasquez, have been working in their free time to establish a mobile problem-solving youth court, or Youth Diversion Program.

August 13, 2015

Record Rains Put Workers to the Test

Indianapolis set a record for rainfall in June with an average of 9.03 inches. The city received 400 tree-down complaints, 129 flooding/high water complaints and 1,140 tree debris complaints.

August 10, 2015

After 66 Years on the Job, No Worries

The longest-serving state employee in Maryland is about to retire, but don’t ask him about his retirement plans. After 66 years on the job as staff photographer for the State Highway Administration, Tim Hyman says he doesn’t have any.

August 04, 2015

EMT Plunges into Hudson to Save Woman

As most New Yorkers were preparing to go to work, EMT Niall O’Shaughnessy was already on the job – literally up to his neck in the treacherous, choppy waters of the Hudson River, trying to save a young woman who had thrown herself in only minutes before.

July 31, 2015

AFSCME Texas Corrections Mourn Fallen Officer

TELFORD, Texas – Corrections Officer Timothy Davison, the victim of an attack by a prisoner at the prison unit here in Bowie County, was laid to rest July 25 amid an outpouring of support for the Davison family from his Corrections family.

June 30, 2015

Florida’s Living Labor Legend Retires

After a long and distinguished career, Council 79 President Jeanette Wynn celebrated her retirement at a reception full of hugs, tears and stories following the recent AFSCME Strong Training Conference held in Altamont Springs, Florida.

June 25, 2015

Ohio Council 8 Activist, Labor Leader Marie Clarke Celebrates 100th Birthday

Marie Clarke, an AFSCME Ohio Council 8 retiree who dedicated her life to working for equal rights in the workplace, celebrates her 100th birthday June 27.

June 19, 2015

Lori Cutshall: Volunteer Extraordinaire

Lori Cutshall, president of AFSCME Local 2523 in Pennsylvania, embodies what the Jefferson Awards Foundation calls an “unsung hero” – a volunteer or paid professional who goes “well beyond their expected duties” to help out in their local community.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Our Stories Archive

AFSCME Mourns Loss of Wisconsin Leader Marty Beil

Thank you, Brother Beil

Member Is Victim in Wave of Violence

Love in the Union: Rick and Rachel

Ten Years after Katrina, Solidarity Overshadows Tragedy

AFSCME Members Establish Innovative Youth Court

Record Rains Put Workers to the Test

After 66 Years on the Job, No Worries

EMT Plunges into Hudson to Save Woman

AFSCME Texas Corrections Mourn Fallen Officer

Florida’s Living Labor Legend Retires

Ohio Council 8 Activist, Labor Leader Marie Clarke Celebrates 100th Birthday

Lori Cutshall: Volunteer Extraordinaire

25-Year School Board Member Honored

Fallen AFSCME Brothers Honored at Law Enforcement Vigil

NY School Bus Driver Honored for Safety Record

AFSCME Iowa Council 61 Member Is Life Saver

Splash Medics Visit Schoolchildren to Promote Water Safety

Remembering Those Who Died Doing What They Loved: Helping Others

First Responder: EMS Dispatcher Is Difference Maker

Budget Victory Is Huge for Texas Correctional Officers

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

On Flight Home, AFSCME Member Comes to the Rescue

In Memoriam: Victor H. Gotbaum

Tulsa AFSCME Members Rush in to Clean Up After Tornado

Everyday Heroes Come Face to Face with Their Biggest Little Fan

Suspect in Oregon Killing of AFSCME Member Faces Murder Charge

Quick Action Saves Seven from Burning House

In Memoriam: Vernon Watkins

Cab Driver Happy to Give Back to Community