October 13, 2015 AFSCME Strong is Key to Increase Membership Tina Rees, a member of AFSCME Local 258, recently received an award from Council 57 in California for her efforts engaging her coworkers in the union. Read More
September 30, 2015 Gov. Rauner Threatens to Stop Health Care Payments llinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has taken the fight over a new state budget to a new low: He’s stopped making payments to doctors, hospitals and others that provide health care to people covered by the state’s insurance plan. Read More
September 22, 2015 Paramedic Activist Seeks to Lift Up EMS Profession EMS solidarity: California paramedic Jared Kirby traveled to Ohio to help EMTs and paramedics there build a union with AFSCME. Read More
September 21, 2015 Puerto Rico Members Visit DC to Seek Solutions to Fiscal Crisis A delegation of public workers from Puerto Rico, members of AFSCME Council 95, visited Washington, DC, to meet with members of Congress and U.S. Treasury officials to discuss the fiscal and budgetary challenges faced by working people on the island. Read More
September 17, 2015 Big Win for Largest U.S. Probation Department The LA County Deputy Probation Officers Union/AFSCME Local 685 overwhelmingly voted in favor of a bargaining agreement that will improve public and personal safety. Read More
September 17, 2015 Chicago, New Orleans Cabbies Join Global Uber Protest Hundreds of AFSCME-represented cab drivers in Chicago and New Orleans joined cab drivers from around the world Sept. 16 in a “Global Day of Action Against Uber” and other unlicensed rideshare taxi operations. Read More
September 14, 2015 Public Safety Congress Gets AFSCME Strong Hundreds of AFSCME first responders gathered in Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2015 Public Safety Congress to discuss important issues regarding public safety, service and building power through AFSCME Strong. Read More
September 11, 2015 Campaign Helps Reduce Violence in Minnesota Hospitals Minnesota state hospital workers – AFSCME Council 5 members – waged a successful public education campaign to improve safety against violent attacks by patients. Read More
September 10, 2015 Contract Oversight is $1.25 Million Payoff District 1199J, NUHHCE/AFSCME reached a settlement with the county that will mean big increases in many paychecks following a settlement to fix a contract oversight. Read More
September 04, 2015 Unified Locals AFSCME Strong with New Contract AFSCME Locals 1328 and 1781, representing 2,400 clerks, LPNs, maintenance, PCAs and other professional and critical staff at UF Health Jacksonville, overwhelmingly approved a new three-year contract. Read More
August 28, 2015 AFSCME Wisconsin Wins Raise for Milwaukee County Workers A majority of Milwaukee County employees now have a 1.5 percent cost-of-living wage, thanks to the persistence of Wisconsin AFSCME Council 32. Read More
August 28, 2015 City Concessions Allow Employees to Avert Strike Troutdale, Oregon members who voted overwhelming to strike for better health care benefits, were still on the job after city negotiators conceded workers’ demand for quality health care, a 9% pay raise over 3 years, increased paid leave and much more. Read More
August 21, 2015 Members at Bankrupt Nonprofit Get $2.5 Million When news broke in March of the bankruptcy of New York City’s largest nonprofit, the Federation of Employment and Guidance Services (FEGS), the future of 1,400 employees represented by AFSCME Local 215 (DC 1707) was at the mercy of the bankruptcy court. Read More
August 11, 2015 Cab Drivers United/AFSCME Local 2500 Makes History After decades of being treated like second-class citizens by the City of Chicago, cab drivers on Aug. 1 took the historic step of forming their own local union, the first in 30 years in Chicago. Read More
August 10, 2015 Union Helps Her Recover $12,800 Deloris Wells' supervisor was not completing her annual evaluation form. And without a completed form she didn’t get a wage increase, year after year - so she called in the union for help. Read More
August 05, 2015 Mass Rally Defends Sanitation Jobs, Services More than 200 union members stood united with small business owners and community activists in front of City Hall here Aug. 4, protesting the Council’s recent decision to move forward with consideration of outsourcing the city’s sanitation services. Read More
July 30, 2015 AFSCME Strong Bus Driver on Board “I have a very strong passion in what I do,” he says. “I’m still learning, but I feel as though I am making a difference in my workplace, in my local. It’s all about the membership," said Frank Upchurch, a bus driver and President of Local 1959. Read More
July 29, 2015 Kentucky COs Earn Raises, Respect Kentucky corrections officers earned hefty pay increases and bonuses from an administration concerned about retaining and attracting good employees willing to perform the dangerous work. Read More
July 27, 2015 Atlanta Workers Speak Up, Win Raises The City Council voted overwhelmingly July 21 to approve a 3.5 percent pay increase for approximately 3,000 Atlanta city workers in public works, corrections, and parks and recreation, among other city services. Read More
July 24, 2015 Act 10 Creates Corrections Crisis in Wisconsin In 2010, Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections (DOC) boasted near full employment with well-trained, experienced corrections officers who considered the job a career and earned a fair wage with good benefits. Act 10 changed everything. Read More
July 21, 2015 Contract Win at Vermont’s HowardCenter More than 13 months of intensive contract negotiations has yielded a lucrative new contract for AFSCME members working at Vermont's HowardCenter, a nonprofit social services organization. Read More
July 20, 2015 Oregon AFSCME Pushes Reform for All Workers Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed into law a groundbreaking package of workplace and retirement legislation that could serve as a model for other states. Read More
July 13, 2015 Cab Drivers United Get Results on Police Harassment Cab Drivers United set up a meeting with high-ranking Chicago police officials to discuss policing practices that target cab drivers. As a result, the department issued a “cease and desist” to the officers who made a habit of targeting cab drivers. Read More
July 10, 2015 Retirees Build on Success, Look to Protect Retirement Security More than 100 retirees gathered for the Alliance for Retired Americans Legislative Conference and the Annual AFSCME Retiree Council meeting in the nation’s capital this week, lobbying lawmakers to protect Social Security, Medicare and public pensions. Read More
July 08, 2015 San Jose City Workers Profit with AFSCME Strong Using AFSCME Strong campaign tactics to energize and mobilize members, Local 101 was able to win 9% wage increases during the 3-year term of a new contract for San Jose city workers. Read More
July 06, 2015 Tucson Fair Wages Push Is AFSCME Strong AFSCME Local 449 members are utilizing the tools they learned during their AFSCME Strong training to gain support to improve the lives of City of Tucson employees. Read More
July 02, 2015 Coordinated Actions Win Raises, Stop State Shutdown It took thousands of public employees rallying across Washington state at more than 100 locations over two days this May and June to urge state legislators to agree to a sensible budget and avert a shutdown of state services on July 1. Read More
June 26, 2015 Pennsylvania Family, Youth Services Workers Strike and Win More than 100 employees of Lackawanna County (Pennsylvania) Family and Youth Services took the ultimate step to go out on strike in May to demand respect in the workplace. After 11 days on the picket line, they won. Read More