When the COVID-19 pandemic started last year, everyone quickly learned how important it was to have personal protective equipment.
Workplaces throughout the country also realized how important it was to have custodians because cleanliness has been one of the main things keeping us all safe.
So when folks started talking about the need for essential workers to have PPE, the custodians at Oakland Unified School District thought they would be first in line to receive it. After all, they deal with people’s garbage, human waste, sweat and tears every day.
Workers in health care and social service industries are a big step closer to having safer workplaces.
On Friday, the House of Representatives passed the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R.1195) by a bipartisan vote of 254 to 166. The bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard to prevent workplace violence in health care and social service assistance settings.
Millions of California workers will get up to two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to take time off to get vaccinated, isolate themselves from potential exposure to the coronavirus, or deal with the effects of COVID-19, under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday.
As the world marked the anniversary of the official start of the coronavirus pandemic Thursday, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law and offered words of hope to a weary nation.
The AFSCME Council 57 Executive Board approved the following resolution in response to the Feb. 1 military takeover in Myanmar and the nationwide general strike that followed:
"Whereas, the military claimed that the outcome of Myanmar’s people vote in parliamentary elections held in November 2020 were fraudulent, there was no basis in fact for such claims that was found by a government commission investigating the claims that reported there was no evidence of fraud in this election;
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: It’s an honor to serve as your Council 57 president. We represent close to 35,000 workers throughout California and I take it as my personal responsibility to make sure that every one of our members gets fair representation at their jobs and a fair return for their work.
Protecting our members’ rights is even more important now that working during the COVID-19 pandemic is our new reality. That’s why I believe communication is even more crucial to keep us all connected and united during these challenging times.
That means that AFSCME members and their families can earn a bachelor’s degree for free, making an even wider choice of career options a possibility for more people.
If you asked Shawn Tallerico why he does his job for Lodi’s public works department or why he stepped up to be a leader in our union, his answer would be simple and honest.
