This year we are honoring a local who has exhibited extraordinary service to our union and projected a bold, strong vision of what it means to be a leader, an effective communicator, and a change agent.

We in the Communications Department at Council 5 work every day as your storytellers and to put a public face to your work, but there is no way we could do our job effectively without the sustained pressure that all of you put on employers, legislators and others to do the right thing. 

The Jerry Wurf Organizing Award is given each year to an individual member, local, or group of workers who work tirelessly and effectively at organizing, empowering workers, and growing our union. Jerry Wurf, after whom the award is named, got his start in the labor movement picking up jobs in New York City cafeterias and organizing his co-workers to form a union.

The Department of Corrections went to the Legislature with a supplemental budget request ($18 million). This request would have addressed a structural shortfall in funding at the Department of Corrections and was a top legislative priority for AFSCME Council 5. 

The MN House of Representatives passed legislation which included additional DOC funding. Ultimately, the MN Senate did not pass this funding and a deficit has accumulated at an unsustainable rate since.