Workers’ Rights

  • AFSCME’s Saunders applauds proposed overtime rule, a well-deserved pay raise for millions

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in response to the Labor Department’s announcement of a notice of proposed rulemaking on overtime protections: “Once again, the Biden-Harris administration is showing up for working people. The proposed overtime rule released today would give a pay raise to millions of workers who deserve a fair… Read More

    Read More

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: Help EMS workers help our communities by ensuring safe staffing

    AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in honor of National Emergency Medical Services Week, May 21-27, 2023:   “When disaster strikes, EMS professionals are the first on the scene. Through fires, storms, car accidents, health emergencies and more, our communities depend on their bravery to get us through crisis – and they always deliver.… Read More

    Read More

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: Truly celebrating public service workers means staffing the front lines

    AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement in honor of Public Service Recognition Week, May 7-13, 2023: “Public service isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. Public service workers, from sanitation workers and child care providers to corrections officers and nurses, don’t do this work to get rich. They do it because they are… Read More

    Read More

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: This National Nurses Week is a call to action to address severe staffing shortages

    AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement recognizing National Nurses Week, which is May 6-12, 2023: “Our health care system would be nothing without the nurses who care for us every single day. During times of crisis, they are our first line of defense, braving pandemics, responding to natural disasters or simply being a… Read More

    Read More

  • Saunders: The Senate must confirm Julie Su to continue progress for working people

    AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) voted to advance Julie Su’s confirmation as U.S. secretary of labor: “Julie Su is the best candidate for secretary of labor. Everywhere she goes, workers win. As a civil rights attorney for more than 17 years,… Read More

    Read More

  • AFSCME’s Saunders on National Library Week: Now more than ever, library workers must have a seat at the table

    WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement recognizing National Library Week, which runs from April 23-29, 2023: “Whether they’re introducing us to our next favorite book or teaching new skills like how to code or start a business, library workers are the backbone of our communities. So much of the important work… Read More

    Read More

  • AFSCME’s Saunders: ‘Marty Walsh has made working people proud’

    AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement on Secretary Marty Walsh departing the Department of Labor:  “Marty Walsh has made working people proud. As the first card-carrying union member to lead the Department of Labor in nearly five decades, his door was always open to us, and he ensured that we had a seat… Read More

    Read More

  • The Story of I AM: AFSCME to launch podcast series covering the legacy of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike

    The series will feature exclusive interviews with Memphis sanitation strikers, Martin Luther King III, the Rev. James Lawson, AFSCME President Lee Saunders, and more.   WASHINGTON — This April, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) will launch an exclusive podcast series exploring the history and legacy of the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike titled… Read More

    Read More