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AFSCME Wisconsin Council 32 is proud to announce its 2024 scholarship program! Council 32 is devoted to improving educational accessibility for hardworking AFSCME families.

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 January 1993, Joann Mapp shared a powerful message on a conference call with newly elected President Bill Clinton. Mapp, a keypunch operator at the Philadelphia City Police Department and a member of AFSCME Local 1637 (District Council 33), was a single mother to 5-year-old twins.

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.

Union family, it’s a great honor to spend this special day with you, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as we reflect on his sacrifice and recommit to his work.

Madison, WI – AFSCME Locals 1205 and 1558 ratified new contracts with American Red Cross last night, ending 16 months of negotiation attempts and calling off a strike scheduled to take place during the region’s largest single-day blood drive.

“From the beginning, all the workers wanted was for their hard work to be recognized by their bosses with a fair contract,” said AFSCME Council 32 Executive Director Patrick Wycoff. “To attain that, the workers had to take a stand. Make no mistake, the members’ courage to strike the holiday blood drive was critical to reaching this agreement.”

"After many months of negotiations, we have reached a fair contract with our employer," said Lora Parker of AFSCME Local 1205. "Our committee worked long hours to achieve it. Our union members came together in solidarity by using their voices and casting their votes to strike and to ratify. Now, we will be able to continue our mission to help our communities.”

Tony Uecke of AFSCME Local 1558 added, “Blood collection services workers do what we do because we believe in the mission and care about our donors. This contract allows us and the Red Cross to continue our work while delivering fair compensation to our staff.”

The new three-year agreements include retroactive bonus payments for 2021, retroactive wage increases of 6% for 2022 and 3% for 2023, access to excellent United Steelworkers Health and Welfare Fund insurance benefits, and matching 6% and 3% increases to the contract’s progressive wage schedules. The matching wage schedule increases, in particular, were a top priority throughout negotiations for the employees. The Red Cross consistently rejected these proposals until minutes before last night’s vote.

“The bargaining log-jam broke when the Red Cross agreed to our final proposals to increase the wage schedules by 6% and 3% over the next two years, just as our ratification meeting was starting,” said AFSCME Council 32 Staff Representative Neil Rainford. “Progressive, fully-funded wage schedules will allow the Red Cross to attract and retain badly-needed staff to collect and process blood for area hospitals.”

The newly ratified contracts take effect immediately and will expire on December 31, 2024.

AFSCME Wisconsin’s member-led effort to reelect Governor Tony Evers began more than seven months ago at the AFSCME Council 32 Convention. The delegates unanimously voted to endorse Evers for reelection in recognition of his work rolling back harmful personnel policies and his strong defense against further attacks on working people.

Thanks to efforts by the Biden administration and AFSCME, many public service workers, including AFSCME members, have seen their student loans forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Many AFSCME members work in high-stress fields such as public safety, health care, emergency medical services and firefighting. Their jobs have become even more stressful since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many of these workers to put their and their families’ well-being at risk while serving their communities.

But when these everyday heroes face mental health issues as a result of the high-stress environment and duties that expose them to trauma, they are often expected to deal with such challenges on their own.

It’s time to change that.

The last two years have been full of challenges.

But under the leadership of the Biden administration and this Congress, we are turning a corner. There have been unprecedented investments in public services and public service jobs. Millions will see the price of life-saving prescription drugs come down. Millions more will receive relief from unfair student debt. And the wealthy are finally starting to pay their fair share.

To be sure, there is more work to be done. But if we continue this progress, we will have many more reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Faced with the management’s refusal to remedy unfair labor practices and address workers’ major priorities during contract negotiations, AFSCME Local 397 (District Council 47) – the Philadelphia Museum of Art Union (PMAU) – began a museum-wide strike Monday.