News

Juneteenth and Our Path Ahead

Today, we gather to celebrate Juneteenth, a day that holds profound significance in the history of our nation.

AFSCME Council 5 Announces 2021 Day on the Hill!

AFSCME Council 5 Members:

Although many groups and organizations have canceled their days on the hill as a result of the legislature working remotely, we believe we have the capacity, determination, and will from our membership to plan a virtual day on the hill. It will be crucial that you join us and fight for our shared priorities as we head into a difficult legislative session. We will need an "all hands on deck" approach as we fight for our legislative agenda that invests in our workplaces, livelihoods and communities.

AFSCME Council 5 and 65 Call on Congress to Fund the Front Lines!

The following letter was sent to Minnesota's Congressional Delegation as part of our #FundtheFrontLines Day of Action on February 4, 2021.

To Minnesota’s U.S. Congressional Delegation:

On behalf of the 43,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 5 and 13,500 members of AFSCME Council 65, we urge you to support a coronavirus relief package that is based on President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan to provide aid as soon as possible.

Governor Walz's Budget Puts Working Families First

Governor Walz has released his budget recommendation today for the next biennial state budget (2022/2023). We applaud Governor Walz for keeping our shared values at the center of this proposal by prioritizing public health investments to recover from COVID, building our economy back better to allow a more prosperous future for working Minnesotans, and investing in our schools and future workforce needs.

Reviving Dr. King's legacy of love, compassion and service

AFSCME Martin Luther King Documentary 'I Am A Man' Memphis Sanitation Strike

AFSCME has a deeply personal and spiritual connection to Dr. King and the fight for civil rights and workers' rights. On April 3, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to support striking AFSCME sanitation workers. That evening, he delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech to a packed room of supporters. The next day, he was assassinated.

MN Legislature: Respect Public Employees, Invest in Minnesotans

Rick Neyssen is a member of AFSCME Local 599, Council 5 and works at the St. Cloud Correctional Facility. Rick has been serving the people of Minnesota in this capacity for 28 years. Front line workers and public employees are being pushed to their maximum capacity, all while they face the risk of bringing COVID-19 back to their families. They need leaders to stand by their side and fight to improve our workplaces and communities. The Minnesota legislative session began last week, so be on the look out for calls to action from us!

AFSCME Council 5 Leadership Rebukes Assault on Democracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2021

AFSCME Council 5 Leadership Rebukes Assault on Democracy 

AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Julie Bleyhl, President Eric Hesse, Vice President Carmen Brown, Treasurer Jay Anderson and Secretary Destiny Dusosky issued the following statement after recent events at the U.S. Capitol - 

Front Line Workers Need Our Help Now

Front Line Workers Need Our Help Now

Victoria Johnson of AFSCME Local 744, Council 5 at the Minneapolis Veterans Home in Minneapolis, Minnesota experiences the COVID-19 pandemic every day she steps into work. Since the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals, group homes, secure facilities, and veterans' homes have experienced significant outbreaks of COVID-19, yet public service workers continue to go to work every day to care for and protect our fellow Minnesotans.

Walker Art Center Workers Unionize with AFSCME Council 5!

December 1, 2020- After one year of focused internal organizing, workers at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota have successfully won voluntary union recognition and have now joined the AFSCME Council 5 family!

Walker Art Center workers successfully banded together to highlight how unionizing will better their workplace, grow the Walker, and form even stronger relationships with their fellow co workers. Congratulations and welcome, siblings!