News

AFSCME retiree Sue Conard calls on Congress to fund the front lines

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 Retiree Sue Conard.

Conard should know. She spent 24 years as a public health nurse serving Wisconsin’s La Crosse County. One of her many areas of expertise? Immunization.

U.S. Conference on Mayors calls on Congress to go big on funding the front lines

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 first days as president, Biden shows bold leadership

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. On his first day alone, he signed 17 executive orders, memorandums and proclamations that showed the kind of bold leadership our country needs now.

"V" Is For Vaccine: News and Resources on the COVID-19 Vaccine

The availability of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is an exciting development in the fight to get the pandemic under control--and welcome news for Council 4 members and other frontline workers have borne the brunt of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic

While we have the promise of vaccines, and a commitment from the new Biden administration to provide a coordinated response, it will be months before the current surge ends. We can’t let up when it comes to following health and safety protocols at work and at home. 

Saunders calls Georgia runoff victories a ‘bold mandate for change’

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.”

A Message of Thanks to Council 4 Members for Being Everyday Heroes

Dear Council 4 Members:

We are approaching the end of a year like no other. Since early March, COVID-19 has brought havoc to our lives and to our jobs. We have had to make massive readjustments in order to keep our families and communities safe.  

Another reason to involve yourself in the GA Senate runoffs – funding for front-line heroes

Here’s a crucial reason for working people to do all they can to help Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock win the Georgia Senate runoff elections in January – federal aid to states, cities, towns and schools.

If Ossoff and Warnock prevail, there will be a pro-worker majority in the U.S. Senate. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as president of the Senate, will cast the tie-breaking vote when the chamber is deadlocked.

Facing an ‘economic battering,’ Congress must fund the front lines

An article in today’s New York Times describes the grim future ahead for states, cities, towns and schools if Congress fails to fund the front lines. It also echoes what AFSCME has been saying since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic: funding the front lines isn’t a red state or blue state issue. It’s a national imperative.