Who are we? AFSCME! Who does the work? WE DO!

The voices of almost 30 AFSCME Local 2822 activists rang through the Hennepin County Gov-ernment Center atrium as part of a day-long action-packed Local 2822 retreat for activists, stew-ards, and officers on April 16. The day started with a report from our president, Ali Fuhrman, on how far we have come in the past year as a union in fighting for workers in Hennepin County, and how far we still need to go. Workers from some of our most represented departments spoke about their struggles and successes in advocating for themselves, their coworkers, and the com-munities we serve. Then we went up to the 24th floor of the Government Center to let the Hennepin County Commissioners know what it’s really like to work for Hennepin County.

In the packed office entry, members spoke boldly and beautifully about experiences of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation at work; struggles to get by on less than a living wage; and how we will all keep fighting for the respect we deserve. Thanks to Commissioner McLaughlin, and especially the aides and administrative support staff who took the time to listen. (You can watch the videos on our website: www.afscme2822.org or Facebook page: @afscme2822.)

After making some noise and visiting a few work areas, we spent the afternoon learning about the contract bargaining process from Monica at the University of Minnesota’s Labor Education Service. We finished the day sharing our contract proposals at the Hennepin County AFSCME master team meeting.
It was a busy day, made successful by the hard work of the planning committee: Daniel, Ali, Susan, Natasha, Dafa, and Val (thanks Val for the tasty food, especially the cake and strawberries!). Thank you!

As we go into contract negotiations May 7, never forget: The County Works Because We Do!