Minnesota winters are tough. In Rochester, several blizzards brought the entire town to a standstill. Major roads and highways were closed, sometimes for days at a time.
The Mike Buesing Local Union Development Award is presented each year to an individual member, local union or group of members or locals who have contributed significantly to internal mobilization
The Rick Scott Political Activism Award is presented each year to an individual member, a local union, or a group of members or local unions in recognition of outstanding work in electoral, legisla
My name is Amy. I want to share my story, and tell you why I’m proud of my union for standing up for families like mine. Last year, I found out I was pregnant for the first time. My husband and I were shocked, happy, and overwhelmed. I contacted my health care provider and followed up with prenatal visits. At eight weeks, I took an early chromosome test, which came back normal and indicated that we were having a boy. A few weeks later we’d named our baby Crosby and shared the exciting news with our friends and family.
Unions have a proud history of fighting for the rights of all working people. The right to access legal and affordable reproductive health care is a basic human right. I am proud that my union is fighting to keep politicians out of women’s health care decisions.
I am proud that my union has made the decision to stand up and join in the fight for choice so my daughters have the right to choose if, when, and how they will start a family. I am proud to be fighting for their rights - just like those before me fought for my rights.
Our union's mission is to fight for dignity, opportunity and prosperity for all. That mission cannot be accomplished until healthcare freedom has been secured for everyone.
Healthcare is a human right – no exceptions. More than half of AFSCME Council 5’s 43,000 members are women, and they have a fundamental right to access the health care they need.
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents recently approved their 2020 budget, which includes tuition increases, the possibility of health care hikes, and a wage increase that doesn’t do enough to keep workers out of poverty.
Local 3800 Members Address University Board of Regents
Back in 2015, workers at the Children’s Adolescent Behavioral Health Services facility found out about a budget plan to transition the program out of the state’s hands and into the private sector and got right to work opposing it. AFSCME members from Local 701, alongside community allies and elected officials from across the state, fought hard to keep the program alive. They pointed out that many of the youth in the workers’ care would be unable to find housing or adequate treatment with private providers, who can turn away clients arbitrarily.
Last week members of over a dozen labor unions were joined for a breakfast roundtable by a very special guest: freshman Congressman Dean Phillips.
Congressman Phillips was elected to represent Minnesota’s Third Congressional District in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to represent the district in decades. He defeated five-term incumbent Erik Paulsen, who supported corporations over workers, cut taxes for the super-rich, and voted in virtual lock-step with extreme right-wing Republicans while he was in office.
As AFSCME Local 66 celebrates the union’s 100th anniversary this year, members are looking back on their union’s long, rich history – and how it’s impacted their lives, families and communities. For Sandy Pernu Wallin, the AFSCME connection runs deep. Sandy – a second generation Local 66 member - is organizing her AFSCME siblings to carry her family’s passion for union activism into the local’s next century.
For 30 years, Sandy’s mom Mitzie Pernu worked as a 911 dispatcher in Virginia, MN and was a passionate activist in Local 66.
Some people have wild stories about their coworkers. Jill’s, though, are unique.
Jill Erzar is a zookeeper at Como Zoo in St Paul. Her coworkers are giraffes, bison, reindeer, kudu, zebra, and other hooved animals of all shapes and sizes.
Growing up, Jill always loved animals. She considered becoming a veterinarian, and was studying animal health in college before she took an internship at Como Zoo.
“By Day Two, I was a goner,” Jill said. “I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
