AFSCME members joined Senator-elect Al Franken for a victory rally at the State Capitol July 1. They celebrated his hard-fought and heavily-litigated victory and paid tribute to the late Senator Paul Wellstone. “Paul's legacy endures in the hard work and unyielding spirit of many men and women who carry on his vision of political organizing and his vision of a world where the common good triumphs over special interests,” said Franken. “I wish I could take you all, all of you, to Washington with me, to fight alongside me," he later added. "But we cost it out. Watch the rally on The Uptake.

Ending an eight month recount and court battle, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled June 30 that Democrat Al Franken won the U.S. Senate election and is entitled to an election certificate that would seat him in the Senate. Soon after the ruling was announced, Norm Coleman conceded the race. Check out the breaking news in the Star Tribune. Read the court’s decision. Now it’s time to celebrate. Join us to congratulate Senator-Elect Franken on Wed., July 1 at noon on the State Capitol’s front steps.

Nearly 125,000 people lined Hennepin Ave. for the 36th annual Pride Parade, which celebrates the Twin Cities’ gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. AFSCME and the AFL-CIO marched proudly in the parade for the fourth time.

AFSCME members joined 10,000 people who travelled to Washington, DC on June 25th to make sure Congress knows what America needs – quality, affordable health care for all in 2009. Workers from all around the country told powerful stories about the urgent need for real reform. They rallied outside the Capitol building with actress Edie Falco and Dr. Howard Dean firing up the crowd. Check out the rally video. After the rally, Council 5 political organizer Laura Askelin met with Senator Amy Klobuchar and urged her to support a public health insurance option not controlled by insurance companies. Our voices are making a difference and Congress is listening.

In Minnesota, AFSCME forced Gov. Pawlenty to drop his proposal to furlough state employees for up to 48 days. Workers in other states weren’t so lucky. More than 728,500 state employees in at least 21 states have already or will be furloughed, and several other states are also considering furloughs for their workers, according to a nationwide tally of state furloughs by Stateline. While Gov. Pawlenty says he has the right to impose furloughs in the future, his failure to negotiate them with AFSCME would make it a violation of our contract. If he tries to impose furloughs on AFSCME members, our union will take it to court.

New two-year contracts covering 19,000 AFSCME state employees were approved by a legislative commission on June 29 and will take effect July 1. The Subcommittee on Employee Relations accepted the collective bargaining agreements for the following contacts: AFSCME Council 5, AFSCME Correctional Officers, AFSCME Radio Communications Operators, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Middle Management Association, Minnesota State College Faculty, and Minnesota State University Administrative and Service Faculty. Read the AFSCME contracts.

Of the 20 states with the worst budget shortfalls, Minnesota appears to be one of only three that won’t raise revenue. We’re now in the company of anti-tax holdouts Louisiana and Georgia. Gov. Pawlenty keeps saying that it would be wrong and unusual – if not crazy – to raise revenue in the midst of a recession. In fact, it’s not so unusual; 36 states have either raised revenue or are still considering it. Check out the policy brief by Growth and Justice.

We need to stand up and defend Minnesota this summer. Gov. Pawlenty and his allies are drastically cutting the things we all need, use and love. In this land of 10,000 lakes, we’re already feeling the pain. St. Paul won't be hiring lifeguards at Phalen Beach. St. Cloud will be closing down wading pools and not filling 20 lifeguard positions. Mankato almost had to cancel fireworks on the 4th. Check out this map where you can track the cuts happening in your community. Then enter your zip code and write a letter to the editor to tell your community that we need a Minnesota that thrives, not just survives.

Governor Pawlenty’s budget axe fell hard on the University of Minnesota last week. For the first time ever, the university will rely more on revenue from students than from the state. That means tuition will increase 3 percent for undergraduates, many of them working class students who are already struggling to afford college. Cuts will also force the university to eliminate 5.5 percent of its workforce, or 1,240 jobs, including 370 layoffs.

Next time someone says public employees aren’t doing their part to fix state and local budget messes, add this to the wage freezes, layoffs and unfilled positions that AFSCME members are dealing with every day: More than 3,500 Hennepin County employees have signed up for voluntary leave — without pay — to help erase the county’s $20 million budget hole. This will save the county $3.4 million. Voluntary leave was an idea AFSCME locals persuaded the County Board to try as an alternative to mandatory, unpaid furloughs for all county workers. It’s an opportunity for members who can afford unpaid time off to help co-workers who can’t afford it. If you work for Hennepin County, you have until June 26 to mitigate layoffs by requesting unpaid leave. Here’s how.