News

From: Dayton Media <[email protected]>
Date: June 27, 2018 at 9:51:12 AM CDT
To: Dayton Media <[email protected]>
Subject: RELEASE: Statement from Governor Dayton on the US Supreme Court’s Ruling in Janus v. AFSCME

Seal State of Minnesota


OFFICE OF GOVERNOR MARK DAYTON

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2018
 
Contact: Matt Swenson
651-201-3441 office
[email protected]
 
Statement from Governor Dayton on the US Supreme Court’s Ruling in Janus v. AFSCME
 
ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Governor Mark Dayton issued the following statement regarding the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Janus v. AFSCME.
 
“The US Supreme Court’s decision today in the case of Janus v. AFSCME is appalling. Its determination that fair share union fees somehow violate the US Constitution is just the kind of terrible ‘Judicial Activism,’ which some Justices profess to deplore.
 
"The benefits provided by a union to employees who elect not to join it are enormous. They receive the same better wages, safer working conditions, and stronger job protections as do union members. It is only fair that they should share in paying for the benefits that they receive."
 
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Office of Governor Mark Dayton, Communications Department
130 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 
T: 651-201-3400 | [email protected]

Biden forgives student loans for an additional 78,000 public service workers

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the White House’s announcement Thursday that the Biden administration will forgive student loans for an additional 78,000 borrowers — including many AFSCME mem

A union voice can help address burnout among health care workers nationwide

The COVID-19 pandemic arrived at a time when our nation’s health care workers were already experiencing burnout. The National Academy of Medicine, in a report from 2019, said that 35% to 54% of nurses and physicians in the United States had “substantial symptoms of burnout.”

Then things got worse.

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Congratulations are in order for the 27 AFSCME Union Plus Scholarship winners. They are:

AFSCME members honor Mental Health Awareness Month, reflect on changing industry

CJ Alicandro (left) is pictured with a few of their colleagues. Photo credit: AFSCME Council 75.

CJ Alicandro (left) is pictured with a few of their colleagues. Photo credit: AFSCME Council 75.

American Red Cross workers, including AFSCME members, rally for fair contract

American Red Cross (ARC) workers, including many AFSCME members, are rallying this week in cities nationwide to fight back against mistreatment from their employer and demand a fair contract. The protests are being held in Washington; Lansing, Michigan; Peoria, Illinois; Hartford, Connecticut; Pomona, California; and San Diego.

Overlooked by management during the pandemic, Red Cross workers fight for a fair contract

They collect, protect and deliver our nation’s blood supply, yet the almost 3,000 American Red Cross workers are not being paid what they deserve, lack the staff to do their jobs effectively, face cuts to their health care and, over the course of the pandemic, have often gone without pay and adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Biden administration extends pause on student loan repayment

Good news for federal student loan borrowers: This month, the Biden administration again extended the pause on student debt repayment – this time through Aug. 31.

AFSCME celebrates Jackson’s confirmation; Saunders calls it ‘a watershed moment’

AFSCME members and working families are celebrating the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose life experience and extraordinary legal career make her uniquely attuned to the challenges working people face.

The Senate confirmed Jackson today by a vote of 53-47. President Joe Biden nominated her as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in February after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement.

Report highlights need for state and local government jobs

A new Center for American Progress (CAP) report describes how state and local governments, having already shed critical public service jobs since the Great Recession, have lost 695,000 more since the onset of the pandemic.

Because the services these jobs deliver are critical to society’s functioning, state and local governments must invest in job creation.