Solidarity in Crisis: Our Union Stands United for Justice
January 18, 2026
Economic Boycott on January 23, 2026
AFSCME Council 5 stands firmly with working people, our neighbors, and our shared values of fairness, dignity, and economic justice. Our union is not formally signing on to the January 23rd no-work boycott due to contractual language and legal obligations that govern our members’ employment status that could otherwise lead to discipline for work "no show" and the practical implications with workers being off the job who provide economic assistance, housing assistance, and other public services to our very neighbors who need it the most right now. Our commitment to collective action and solidarity remains unwavering, and we do encourage active participation on January 23rd.
We encourage our members, their families, and allies to participate in the economic boycott aspect of the day by withholding their spending from large corporate retailers such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, McDonald's, and other big businesses that profit off workers' back while too often failing to respect workers and communities and remaining silent in the face of the occupation we are facing by the federal government. Economic power is one of the strongest tools working people have, and how we spend our money matters, while we can still deliver the services our neighbors need.
Workers can also use the contractually provided leave available to them (such as PTO and vacation leave) in order to attend events and peaceful protests on January 23rd.
This moment is about solidarity, dignity, humanity, and using every strategic avenue available to stand up for working families, our neighbors, and coworkers. AFSCME Council 5 will continue to advocate for our members, support worker-led movements, and promote an economy that works for all, not just the few at the top.
January 12, 2026
Statement from AFSCME Council 5:
We say her name: Renee Nicole Good. She should be alive today. But instead, she was shot and killed by a masked federal agent, leaving her wife and 3 children traumatized and a community in fear and pain. We mourn her death, and we stand with her family, loved ones, and community in their grief. This isn't about politics, this is about humanity. Politicians come and go, but our values must live on for eternity.
What has been happening in Minneapolis, St. Paul, St. Cloud, Shakopee and other cities across our state and country have shaken our conscience and intensified the fear, pain, anger, and trauma many are feeling in our neighborhoods, in our elementary and high schools, in our office buildings, in our hospitals, and at our doorsteps. This has been the reality for thousands of our union members.
These actions do not happen in a vacuum. Thousands of federal agents, often masked and without any identification and many without a uniform on, have descended upon our state and are creating fear and confusion not only for our neighbors but for local law enforcement as well, and it is eroding public trust, and escalating an already tense situation.
It is appalling that conclusions have been immediately predetermined by the federal administration before a full, independent, and thorough investigation can even begin, let alone be completed. Accountability cannot exist when outcomes are decided well in advance and meant to serve one's political agenda. Our state needs and deserves transparency, due process, and an investigation that is truly independent and credible, guided by facts rather than political agendas.
Our union proudly represents workers with many perspectives on immigration policy, and those who serve our communities bravely in essential public safety roles. We honor that diversity of views. And we are all united by our core principles as a union family that there is dignity in all work, all people deserve to be treated with respect, and that due process and justice is essential for us to live in a functioning society.
We will always be a union that stands up for our union members, no matter their immigration status. That commitment is fundamental to who we are as a labor movement. Solidarity is not a slogan; it is an obligation and a responsibility we must live every day. It means rejecting fear, dehumanization, and violence, and standing firm for dignity, safety, and justice for all working people. It means fighting for others when they are under attack because it could be us next.
It means living our creed that "an injury to one is an injury to all" or we stand for nothing at all. And it means that we all must care just as much for the construction trades union member here in Minnesota who was rounded up by federal authorities yesterday even though he is legally able to work in our country and has since been disappeared, as we would if that worker was our own brother.
We are grateful for the ways our members are checking in with one another and how our union brings people together. We are a union family and in moments like this, we must continue to have each other’s backs.
In solidarity,
Bart Andersen
Executive Director
AFSCME Council 5