News

AFSCME Council 5 Condemns Mass Layoffs at the Science Museum of Minnesota

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AFSCME Council 5 Welcomes Program Assistants at Robbinsdale Area Schools to Our Union Family

Minneapolis, MN - AFSCME Council 5 is proud to an

AFSCME Council 5 proudly represents over 43,000 workers, many of whom are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. They work in group homes, long term care facilities, prisons and secure facilities, K-12 public schools and higher education institutions and hospitals. Many of our members plow our roads to keep us all safe, protect vulnerable children, adults, and the elderly from abuse and neglect and process crucial paperwork to keep our state functioning. Minnesotans need the services AFSCME members provide now more than ever before.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Max Hall
(c) 612-247-3725

February 12, 2021

AFSCME Council 5 Secures the Rights of Workers in Court

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.

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 Bidens American Rescue Plan to provide aid as soon as possible.

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.

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.

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!

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 -