Miembros Destacados

Federal money for programs and services that help millions of vulnerable Americans and employ many AFSCME members could be in jeopardy next year.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the White House’s announcement Thursday that the Biden administration will forgive student loans for an additional 78,000 borrowers — including many AFSCME mem

AFSCME President Lee Saunders congratulated Nicole Berner, a longtime labor lawyer and general counsel of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), on being 

In this year’s State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden highlighted his administration’s achievements over the past three yea

Connecticut Rep. Jahana Hayes recently introduced a resolution calling on Congress to affirm its support for providing living wages, good benefits and fair working conditions to paraeducators, classroom assistants, bus drivers, custodial workers and others who are vital to our public education system.
AFSCME’s “I AM Story” podcast has received a nomination for an NAACP Image Award in the “Outstanding Podcast – Limited Series/Short Form” category.

Despite the growing wave of worker organizing across the country, the union membership rate last year ticked down slightly, the U.S.

For John Campion, a monitoring officer with AmeriCorps, the potential for a federal government shutdown beginning this month brings fear, insecurity and frustration.

As the year comes to a close, I am celebrating the incredible surge of worker activism in 2023.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders applauded the latest federal jobs report, which showed the 

AFSCME supports a proposal in Congress to ease the financial burden on child care professionals who provide meals and snacks.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration halted all federal student loan repayments.

TOLEDO, Ohio – AFSCME President Lee Saunders and dozens of AFSCME members stood strong alongside striking 

“This is going to be a game-changer for my household and millions of other retirees like me,” AFSCME Illinois Retiree 

AFSCME members in Hawaii urgently need our help.

AFSCME nurses from affiliates with tens of thousands of members in the health care sector met with U.S.

MINNEAPOLIS – AFSCME’s Staff the Front Lines bus tour made a stop here today and featured the first hiring hall of the summer.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – AFSCME’s Staff the Front Lines national bus tour got underway Monday with a stop in this western New York city.


States, cities, towns and schools face a staffing crisis. Hiring for public service jobs has failed to keep pace with the private sector.


AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised President Joe Biden in the wake of a 

National Law Enforcement Week gives us an opportunity to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of America’s public safety professionals.

Every year on April 22 — Earth Day — communities across the globe celebrate our environment and commit to making it healthy for future generations.

On the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr.

AFSCME wholeheartedly supports the newly reintroduced Richard Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), which would make it easier for workers in the private sector to form stron

Understaffing of state and local government jobs has hit crisis levels.

Here are 10 things to love about your union on Valentine's Day — and every day of the year: 

The most pro-worker president in our lifetimes delivered the most pro-worker State of the Union address in recent memory.

In January 1993, Joann Mapp shared a powerful message on a conference call with newly elected President Bill Clinton.

The following is adapted from remarks delivered by President Saunders at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor’s Martin Luther King Day Breakfast on January 14, 2023.

Thanks to efforts by the Biden administration and AFSCME, many public service workers, 

Many AFSCME members work in high-stress fields such as public safety, health care, emergency medical services and firefighting.

Faced with the management’s refusal to remedy unfair labor practices and address workers’ major priorities during contract negotiations, AFSCME Local 397 (District Counc

AFSCME is committed to helping you get the student debt relief you deserve.

The COVID-19 pandemic arrived at a time when our nation’s health care workers were already experiencing burnout.

American Red Cross (ARC) workers, including many AFSCME members, are rallying this week in cities nationwide to fight back against mistreatment from their employer and demand a fair contract.

They collect, protect and deliver our nation’s blood supply, yet the almost 3,000 American Red Cross workers are not being paid what they deserve, lack the staff to do

Good news for federal student loan borrowers: This month, the Biden administration again 

AFSCME members and working families are celebrating the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose life experience and extraordinary legal career make her uniquely attuned t

AFSCME mourns the loss of Mildred Wurf, a beloved member of our union family, a pioneer

Striketober and Strikesgiving are over, but worker strikes are still going strong.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders on Monday joined President Joe Biden and members of his administration, as well as a bipartisan group of lawmakers, for 

As solidarity actions and strikes sweep the nation, workers are making history by organizing their workplaces for the first time.

The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act was introduced today in the House of Representatives by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.).

Some of the nation’s largest cultural institutions accepted more than $1.6 billion in federal help to weather the coronavirus pandemic, but continued to let go of workers – even though the assistan

When Fran Krugen’s late husband was first diagnosed with diabetes, his insulin cost about $35 a bottle.

The pandemic has led many of us to take stock of our lives and our goals.

More Americans approve of labor unions today than at any time since 1965, according to annual Gallup poll

Workers Memorial Day 2021 arrives at a moment of the greatest urgency, when the front lines of the war against

Workers in health care and social service industries are a big step closer to having safer workplaces.

On this National Library Workers Day, AFSCME library workers deserve to be recognized for the value they bring to ou

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is getting a big promotion.

Georgia Veiga has been a proud member of AFSCME New Jersey Local 3440 for the last 17 years.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the House of Representatives for passing 

There is good news for AFSCME members looking to pursue higher education. AFSCME Free College has made its 

Here’s a sure sign of new leadership in Washington.

The coronavirus pandemic won’t be controlled until states, cities, towns and schools – and particularly health departments – have the funding they need from the federal government, says AFSCME Reti

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has sent a letter to Congress that echoes what AFSCME has been saying for months: It’s long past time to robustly fund the front lines.

In his first days on the job, President Joe Biden has taken swift executive action to protect and empower public service workers, strengthen public services and help working people.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders called the victories of the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s Senate runoff elections “a bold mandate for change.”

Here’s a crucial reason for working people to do all they can to help Jon Ossoff and the Rev.

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice president-elect Kamala Harris on Monday brought together business and union leaders, including AFSCME President Lee Saunders, for a virtual meeting to discuss an

With so much at stake for working families in the 2020 election, AFSCME members across the country stood up to the challenge once again.

This past Saturday, you might have been cooking a late breakfast, planning a fun weekend activity or taking some quiet time with your family.

It’s easy to say that the 2020 election is the most important of our lifetimes, but hearing this firsthand from AFSCME Retirees, many of whom have dedicated their lives to public service and making America a better place to live, shows the urgency to us all.

If there’s one thing the 2020 election has in spades, it’s choices – and not just the choices between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, and choi

There are countless reasons against voting for Donald Trump in November.

Nursing homes have been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout my son’s long career at AFSCME, there have been countless times when I’ve seen Lee proudly wearing an AFSCME T-shirt.

Public approval of labor unions is at its highest level in 17 years, with nearly two out of three Americans (65%) expressing support of unions, 

LOS ANGELES – In a union election victory 17 years in the making, child care providers across California have 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday joined AFSCME President Lee Saunders and front-line public service workers from states experiencing surges in coronavirus cases to urge the Senate to approve

AFSCME praised today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that extends protections under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to millions of LGBTQ workers.

Economists of diverse backgrounds, who might otherwise disagree on a range of policy issues, spoke with a single voice on Monday on the need for Congress to provide robust aid to states, cities and

As New York City became the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, emergency medical services (EMS) professionals, including 

During Law Enforcement Week, we honor public safety officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

Roxie Nelson remembers her father, Ed Nelson, as a caring and passionate man who often put the needs of others before his own.

Editor’s note: The following is a story from the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, as told by a member in Washington state:

It’s become clear that relief bills Congress has approved thus far, including the record $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, 

AFSCME members working for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) are hopping busy these days fulfilling a critical mission.

Updating wills before heading into work. Extending the lives of single-use masks. Self-isolating from their own families.

The coronavirus aid package that cleared Congress is just not good enough for public service workers.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) emerges in the United States, many AFSCME members are and will continue to be on the front lines car

On the eve of Saturday’s Nevada Democratic primary caucuses, AFSCME members and retirees gathered at a Las Vegas restaurant to hear one last time from presidential candidates on the issues that mat

If you followed every Democratic presidential primary debate and read the candidates’ positions on every topic and watched the AFSCME Public Service Fo

On a normal day, Sandra Pacheco, an administrative assistant in Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, begins her day at 7 a.m., filing paperwork for her colleagues in the fie

The new year brings good news for millions of working Americans. Nearly 7 mill

As a public librarian for the Philadelphia Free Library, Sheila O’Steen embodies what we think of when we imagine a public service worker. Every day, she interacts with members of her community.

Despite high levels of stress on the job, many state and local workers say they highly value serving the public and their communities and feel generally satisfied with their jobs.

AFSCME members who work in health care and social services jobs face workplace violence daily. Now they are closer to having it.

Last year, nearly half a million workers went on strike across the nation, the largest number since 1986, when

A bill that has been introduced in the House of Representatives would simplify the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for current and would-be participants.

Across the nation, women are creating change for working families more than ever before. The Women’s Leadership Academy is ready to train more AFSCME women to be leaders of that change.

AFSCME members stood on the steps of the Supreme Court this morning to support the LGBTQ community as the court heard three cases centered on the question of whether it is legal to fire someone for being gay or transgender.

It’s not a secret that drug prices in the United States are rising much faster than inflation.

On Sept. 11, 2001, we as a nation faced a tragedy unique in our history.

LAS VEGAS – Corrections workers have become the first group of state workers to ask to be recognized as AFSCME in contract negotiations since Nevada adopted a law in June giving state employees the

The 19 presidential candidates who participated in the AFSCME Public Service Forum on Saturday disagreed on a range of topics, but they all agreed on o

The work Joe Martinez does for the Los Angeles County Fire Department is emblematic of countless AFSCME members: he’s never in the spotlight and he’s always under pressure while lives are on the line.

With former Vice President Joe Biden confirming his participation on Tuesday, the AFSCME-sponsored presidential candidate forum on Aug.

Today, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to repeal the Affordable Care Act will

AFSCME is on a roll. We are notching victories coast to coast – at the bargaining table, in the organizing trenches and in state capitals.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed into law a historic bill granting 20,000 state workers the right to collectively bargain.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Public service workers across the country lauded the passage of Nevada Senate Bill 135, which expands collective bargaining rights to over 20,000 Nevada state employees – the la

Last year, after nearly 25 years of working hard at her job at the University of Michigan, Deborah Van Horn was forced out of work by health issues and soon found herself in need of financial assis

EMS Week is a time to recognize the sacrifices that EMS professionals make for their communities and to honor these skilled heroes w

Members of AFSCME’s law enforcement community take countless risks to keep our communities safe.

During National Nurses Week, we celebrate the heroes who, with skill and compassion, care for the sick. This year, we’re honoring their hard work and dedication by supporting the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill that seeks to raise the bar on safety standards and protect nurses from preventable incidents of violence at work.
The day after he was released from a hospital, a bruised and swollen Kelvin Chung told a state Senate committee that state employees like him need collective bargaining rights to advocate for safety on the job. “I want you to see my face. We need a voice on the job, so this doesn't happen again to anyone else,” said Chung, a corrections officer.

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy battered the east coast of the United States, causing billions of dollars in damage across 24 states.

Workers Memorial Day is this Sunday, April 28, when we honor workers killed or injured on the job. On this day in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed.

Megha Desai is a public defender in Multnomah County, Oregon. In a given week, she might work upwards of 60 hours. Right now, she has about 145 open cases.

All-knowing sources of information. Tour guides to the highways and byways of history. The friendly voice of a morning story time.

Fifty-one years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis to help rally the community around 1,300 AFSCME sanitation workers who had gone on strike.

In the 1980s, I was living and going to school in Minnesota when women who worked for state government won a big victory.

Our union gained more than 9,000 dues-paying members and nearly 19,000 dues-paying retirees in the last year, suggesting that billionaires and corporations are failing in their effort to “

Workers in Missouri and New Mexico have chalked important victories against anti-worker laws that would have robbed them of their voices and the right to bargain collectively.

LAS VEGAS — More than 160 AFSCME members gathered in Las Vegas last week to lift up the voice of public service workers and move our union forward.  

A federal court has ruled in favor of working families and against wealthy special interests in D

Pamela Knight, a child protective investigator with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service (DCFS), was sent to check on the welfare of a child last fall.

This summer, I joined thousands of union members at a rally in Philadelphia to speak out against the Trump administration’s family separation policy.

The best spokespeople for anyone running for elected office are everyday Americans spreading the word to their neighbors, co-workers, friends and relatives.

Better wages. Check. Better working conditions. Check.

At a time when our country needs real investments in infrastructure, education and public services, congressional leaders 

No politician running for office today would openly advocate for more wealth inequality in our country, where the richest 1 percent of the population owns 40 percent of the wealth. Even candidate Donald Trump in 2016 promised to stand up for the “forgotten men and women of our country,” who feel betrayed by a rigged economic system that benefits a small minority at their expense. Yet every single day, President Trump and congressional leaders seem determined to do more to increase wealth inequality than to alleviate it; do more for corporations and the wealthy than for single parents working two or three jobs to make ends meet.

Like others around the world, I mourned the death last week of Aretha Franklin.

The Janus case was an attempt to deliver a knockout blow to millions of working people and their families who looked to the Supreme Court as an independent institution that advances equal

When he first took a job at the Centralia Correctional Center in Illinois, Keith Kracht knew that a career in public service wouldn’t make him a millionaire. But then again, that’s not why he went into public service.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders lashed out at the Trump administration after President Donald Trump signed a s

When AFSCME members stand together, we have power in numbers. Together, we can defend our freedom to take our loved ones to the doctor when they get sick and retire with dignity some day. Together, we have the power to make our voices heard at work and in our democracy. That’s our AFSCME Agenda.

Public service workers across the country are losing their foothold in the middle class.