Election Day 2019 was a big victory for working families. Across the country, voters elected pro-worker candidates for state and local government, providing further evidence of growing political momentum for working people. Working families elected candidates who support worker rights, greater access to health care, expanding voting rights, making it easier for workers to form unions, providing quality public services and more.

In Minnesota, the overwhelming majority of AFSCME-endorsed candidates won their elections.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, more than 500 registered AFSCME Council 5 delegates, plus alternates and guests, gathered at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center to convene our 15th annual convention. While this was not an election year for our Council, this Convention came with an action-packed agenda, with a deeper selection of workshop options, more opportunities to build solidarity between locals and across our differences, and an exciting guest list that included big names like Governor Tim Walz and legendary labor leader, author, and former AFSCME Council 5 member Joe Burns.

My name is Amy. I want to share my story, and tell you why I’m proud of my union for standing up for families like mine. Last year, I found out I was pregnant for the first time. My husband and I were shocked, happy, and overwhelmed. I contacted my health care provider and followed up with prenatal visits. At eight weeks, I took an early chromosome test, which came back normal and indicated that we were having a boy. A few weeks later we’d named our baby Crosby and shared the exciting news with our friends and family.