AFSCME nurses from affiliates with tens of thousands of members in the health care sector met with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra this month to share their concerns about the nationwide staffing crisis that is putting health care workers and patients at risk.

MINNEAPOLIS – AFSCME’s Staff the Front Lines bus tour made a stop here today and featured the first hiring hall of the summer.

Minnesota House Majority Leader Jamie Long and Deputy Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget Erin Campbell joined members of AFSCME Council 5 and AFSCME Council 65 to encourage Minnesotans to apply for open public service jobs.

The press conference took place outside Minneapolis’ United Labor Center, where a hiring hall took place this morning. Employers from eight Minnesota state agencies attended the event.

States, cities, towns and schools face a staffing crisis. Hiring for public service jobs has failed to keep pace with the private sector. In April, for instance, there were 833,000 job openings in state and local governments, according to data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In response, AFSCME is kicking off a national bus tour this summer to recruit talented, diverse and dedicated people to staff the front lines.