For months, Nevada state employees in Ely have been coming together to make an important decision: how do we address issues in our workplace that make our jobs and lives difficult. Workers face issues like understaffing, workplace safety, and balancing mandatory overtime with childcare needs. On May 1st, International Workers Day, these workers decided that they were done waiting for things to change and decided to come together to re-charter the Great Basin Chapter of AFSCME Local 4041.  

By joining together as Local 4041 members, state employees in eastern Nevada are creating the opportunity to decide for themselves the type of workplace they want to create and how they will make the needed changes.  

"If you want something to change you’ve got to be the one to step up and make the changes. Nothing ever changes on its own,” said George Davis, a Correctional Officer at Ely State Prison and president of the Great Basin Chapter.

Coming together as a union is more than just about making changes, but also about making a community with others who also value public service. The Great Basin Chapter includes all state workers in Ely, McGill, Ruth, Lund and other surrounding cities. This chapter allows workers in eastern Nevada to organize around issues unique to working in rural parts of the state.  

“Joining AFSCME and having a chapter in eastern Nevada allows us to build a community for state employees. We all care about the work we do, but we also want to make sure we are safe as we do our jobs and have the resources we need to do our jobs correctly. Being a union member means I’m not alone in trying to create the type of workplace we deserve,” said Davis.   

Workers across Nevada are increasingly choosing union membership to fight for the dignity and respect on the job they deserve. By coming together as AFSCME, state employees are creating a path for themselves towards safer workplaces and better state services.