News

We Are Going Union!

A Super Majority of Workers from Dignity Health in Merced, California voted to form their union with AFSCME Council 57, Local 2703 today! 

Biden: Union, business leaders agree that funding the front lines is ‘urgent’

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice president-elect Kamala Harris on Monday brought together business and union leaders, including AFSCME President Lee Saunders, for a virtual meeting to discuss an economic recovery agenda for the country.

Following the meeting, Biden warned of a “dark winter” ahead for the nation and highlighted consensus among the labor leaders and CEOs alike on the need to fund the front lines.

Through our electoral program, AFSCME members made a difference in the 2020 election

With so much at stake for working families in the 2020 election, AFSCME members across the country stood up to the challenge once again. Although the pandemic prevented us from putting thousands of boots on the ground as we normally do, AFSCME members still made a huge difference in key races across the country.

Local 315 Members Win New Contract Despite Challenges With Socially Distant Negotiations

Our AFSCME Local 315 sisters and brothers continue to show that workers’ voices can’t be silenced in the Eastern Sierra, as the local’s newest bargaining unit won its first contract in September.

The local’s technical unit at Northern Inyo Hospital District—which comprises about 250 patient care, technical, service and business office employees—spent nearly eight months in negotiations and used sheer will and solidarity in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to get stronger job security, safer working conditions and a raise for members whose wages have been frozen for many years.

Make your plan to vote today

If there’s one thing the 2020 election has in spades, it’s choices – and not just the choices between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, and choices up and down the ballot. In a year when our jobs, our families, and every aspect of our lives have felt the impact of a pandemic, there are lots of ways to make your voice heard at the polls. 

2020 General Election Endorsements

The AFSCME Council 57 Political Action Committee has announced its endorsements for national, state and local races for the November 3, 2020, general election.

>> Click here to download the November 2020 national, state and local endorsements (PDF)

This November, preserve the legacy of speaking up

Throughout my son’s long career at AFSCME, there have been countless times when I’ve seen Lee proudly wearing an AFSCME T-shirt. Often, these T-shirts feature slogans like “Rise Up” and “Never Quit.”

To Lee, these are much more than just slogans. They’re principles that guide him as president of AFSCME. As his mom, the meaning behind these phrases evoke a long and powerful legacy within our family.

Labor unions’ approval is highest in 17 years because unions stand with working families

Public approval of labor unions is at its highest level in 17 years, with nearly two out of three Americans (65%) expressing support of unions, according to the latest Gallup poll.

Favoritism, Not Health and Safety, Determines Which Merced County Courts Worker Gets to Work Remotely, Members Say

Our AFSCME Local 1 sisters and brothers are calling out the Merced County Superior Court system for alleged nepotism, following the sudden closure of a non-union department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the start of the health crisis, the Self Help Division, which provides paralegal assistance for landlord, domestic violence and other small claims cases, has been closed to the public and the workers have been allowed to work remotely.