Last summer, members of AFSCME Local 1307 joined with members of MNA and MAPE at the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC) for an informational picket to call attention to unsafe working conditions at the facility. As a result of these actions, AMRTC added a new job classification – Safety Support Specialist – to the on-site staff.

When it comes to retirement plans, most working Americans have only a few options. For many public workers, though, a pension promises a secure, dignified retirement after a lifetime of service.

Marvin Timmons is a self-declared union man, through and through. He’s also a veteran; a “mechanical guy;” a loving husband, grandfather and brother; a lover of animals and nature; and, in his own words, a “forever optimist.”

And to his coworkers and supervisors at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, where Marvin has spent the past 15 summers working in building maintenance, grounds keeping and security at Upper Sioux State Park near Granite Falls, Marvin is much more than a colleague. He’s an inspiration.