June 10, 2019 A President’s Empty Promises Though he claimed to be a champion of workers, President Donald Trump has proven to be an ally of corporations and wealthy special interests. Read More
June 07, 2019 House Committee Rebukes FLRA Chair for Anti-Union Bias The head of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), Colleen Duffy Kiko, faced strong criticism this week at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations. Read More
June 05, 2019 In Sign of Unity Among Lawmakers, Puerto Ricans Will Get $1.4 Billion in Disaster Aid Despite opposition by the Trump administration, the government of Puerto Rico will receive $1.4 billion to help with ongoing rebuilding efforts under a disaster-aid bill that Congress passed by an overwhelming margin. Read More
May 13, 2019 During Mental Health Month, Hear the Voices of Behavioral Health Professionals Through AFSCME, more than 50,000 behavioral health workers in 29 states across the country have a voice on the job, and more are joining every day. Read More
May 09, 2019 Protecting Nurses During National Nurses Week Under the Workplace Violence Prevention bill, which was re-introduced in Congress earlier this year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would require employers to develop and implement plans to prevent on-the-job violence. Read More
May 08, 2019 Prisons Can Become Safer Through Collective Bargaining OCSEA members who work at the Ross facility sat down with management to discuss improving safety measures in the workplace. Read More
April 26, 2019 We Can Do More for Worker Safety Workers Memorial Day is this Sunday, April 28, when we honor workers killed or injured on the job. Read More
April 25, 2019 International Public Sector Unions Tackle Privatization North American members of Public Services International – an international confederation of public sector labor unions – gathered in Washington, D.C., last week to discuss the many threats posed by privatization. Read More
April 24, 2019 Ideas@AFSCME: Let's Talk About Taxes! For the first Ideas@AFSCME Facebook Live chat, we talked about how Americans feel about paying taxes. Read More
April 16, 2019 Public Service Loan Forgiveness: A Broken Promise Just over two years after the first applicants of the PSLF became eligible for loan forgiveness, 99% of processed applications for forgiveness have been rejected. Read More
April 10, 2019 On Capitol Hill, AFSCME Member Urges Congress to Renew Loan Repayment Program Funding this new loan repayment program is an important way for Congress to show respect for the work we do and the people we serve. Read More
April 05, 2019 Gov. Murphy Discusses His Middle Class Plan at NJ Town Hall Gov. Phil Murphy discussed his plan to strengthen the middle class with an audience of working people, including members of AFSCME New Jersey. Read More
April 04, 2019 MD’s Prescription Drug Benefits Bill Is Flawed Ida Ward, president of Maryland Retiree Chapter 1, explains in a column why retirees are fighting a prescription-drug bill in the state legislature. Read More
April 04, 2019 We Carry on Dr. King’s Fight We honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by carrying on his fight, 51 years after he paid the ultimate price. Read More
April 03, 2019 AFSCME Supports IDEA Full Funding Act The IDEA Full Funding Act would ensure that every child with a disability has sufficient access to educational opportunities. Read More
April 02, 2019 To Close the Gender Pay Gap, First a Voice on the Job Today, April 2, is nationally known as Equal Pay Day for 2019. This date is symbolic because it represents how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Read More
April 01, 2019 Atlanta Local Fights Airport Takeover Bill Members of AFSCME Local 1644 want the world’s busiest airport to remain in the city’s hands. Read More
March 28, 2019 Nearly 8 Years Later, Big Legal Win for AFSCME Wisconsin A Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling restores the pension rights of hundreds of AFSCME members in Milwaukee County. Read More
March 27, 2019 The Numbers Are In: AFSCME Members Are Sticking with Their Union Our union gained more than 9,000 dues-paying members and nearly 19,000 dues-paying retirees in the past year. Read More
March 26, 2019 Bipartisanship Prevails as Congress Passes Funding for Mental Health Providers Behavioral health clinics in Oregon and Oklahoma will remain open past March 31 thanks to a House bill that passed with overwhelming, bipartisan support. Read More
March 21, 2019 Women Vote. Women Lead. Women Win. To celebrate Women’s History Month, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride spoke with Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. Read More
March 20, 2019 More Courts Agree: Attacks Against Public Service Workers Are Going Too Far Courts are increasingly putting a stop to mounting attacks against public service workers, this time to recover previously paid fair share fees. Read More
March 19, 2019 In Florida’s Manatee County, A Strong Contract Underscores Worker Power Support staff at one Florida school system won a historic contract. Read More
March 14, 2019 We Support Bill to Renew Mental Health and Addiction Services Called the “Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act,” it seeks to expand past efforts by the federal government to respond to the increasing demand for mental health and substance use disorder services across the country. Read More
March 12, 2019 AFSCME President Calls Trump Budget “An Attack on Working People” Trump seeks deep cuts to federal programs that help low-income families and the elderly, including $845 billion in cuts to Medicare; $241 billion in cuts to Medicaid; $220 billion in cuts to SNAP; and $207 billion in cuts to federal student loan programs. Read More
March 08, 2019 AFSCME Supports Bill to Strengthen Voting Rights The bill would, among other things, make it easier for people to vote and strengthen our democracy. Read More
March 07, 2019 The ‘Gig’ Economy Isn’t As Big As You May Think Despite conventional wisdom that we’re seeing a rise of “gig” workers and independent contractors, a new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that the trend is more hype than real. Read More
March 05, 2019 Clean Drinking Water for All Should be Top Priority for Congress Congress hasn’t invested enough in water infrastructure and some lawmakers make matters worse by supporting dangerous ideas like privatizing drinking-water systems. Read More
February 28, 2019 Women’s History Month: Celebrating Labor Leaders Today marks the beginning of Women’s History Month, and we begin AFSCME’s celebrations by honoring four female labor leaders. Read More
February 28, 2019 Strong Unions Mean Strong African-American Communities AFSCME President Lee Saunders explains how labor unions were instrumental in improving the lives of African-Americans. Read More