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.
The Minneapolis-St Paul metro region is in the middle of a housing crisis. Home prices are rising, rents have skyrocketed, and construction of new housing has not kept pace with the number of people moving to the region. The housing squeeze harms the most vulnerable first; with no affordable options and nowhere else to go, more people must resort to surviving on the streets.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We're excited to announce that AFSCME members who work for the State of Minnesota in Bargaining Units 2-7 have voted officially to ratify the agreement reached in June. This contract agreement includes big gains for our workers.
Get all the details on the agreement at MemberLink now: go to members.afscmemn.org and hover on Negotiations, then click Bargaining Updates.
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.
