News

Attacks on Library and Museum Funding Threaten Our Jobs and Our Future

Attacks on Library and Museum Funding Threaten Our Jobs and Our Future

The recent decision by the Trump administration to dismantle the Institute of Museum

AFSCME and MAPE Response to State Telework Policy Change

MAPE and AFSCME denounce Walz’s unilateral decision to revoke telework agreements for state em

Fighting Anti-Worker Extremists and their Billionaire Buddies

Anti-union extremists and their billionaire buddies are pushing devastating budget cuts that will have terrible consequences.

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!

When We’re United, Anything Is Possible

For the last six years, Heather Hansen has worked as a Corrections Counselor at MCF-Togo, also known as the “Thistledew Camp" and a proud member of AFSCME Local 3887. She said, “For the first time in my life, I was making a livable wage and able to provide good medical insurance for my family. Working here has given me a sense of purpose that I’d never thought I would experience.

Every Vote Must Be Counted

Be Patient; Every Vote Must Be Counted

Every eligible voter should have their voice heard and their vote counted. But due to the coronavirus pandemic and health concerns, more people decided to vote by mail than ever before and absentee ballots take longer to count because of security measures to verify the accuracy of those ballots. We need to be patient so our election officials can take the time to make sure every eligible vote is counted accurately.

Scuffy Paulson: Keeping Minnesota Moving

Minnesota winters are tough. In Rochester, several blizzards brought the entire town to a standstill. Major roads and highways were closed, sometimes for days at a time.

When weather makes it unsafe to travel, Jeff Paulson – better known as Scuffy – hits the road. Scuffy works at MnDOT District 6, which covers Southern Minnesota. In the summer, Scuffy and his MnDOT team inspect bridges, maintain signage, and fix potholes and other road damage. But in the winter, they plow snow.