Category: Municipal Employees

The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would decide Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, a lawsuit that aims to take away the freedom of working people to join together in strong unions.

If workers don’t have the freedom to form unions, there is no front-line defense against unfair wages, harmful policies and eroding public services. That’s why America needs unions more than ever.

AFSCME members working in sanitation have one of the most dangerous public service jobs. They have higher risk of death on the job than police officers or firefighters.

After a long struggle for fairness that climaxed in a three-day strike, nearly 1,000 AFSCME members at Rockford Public Schools successfully blocked the district’s privatization attempts, improved their wages and protected their health insurance.

Contract negotiations are getting underway for 21 AFSCME locals in city and county government this summer. Fiscal constraints promise bargaining challenges.

The Chicago City Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution on March 29, calling on Rauner to return to the bargaining table with state workers and their unions.

Following in Bruce Rauner’s footsteps, the Rockford Public Schools Board of Education voted to impose its ‘last, best and final’ offer on employees at a board meeting packed with union members pressing to continue negotiations.

"As bus drivers we are responsible for all of Rockford’s school children, and in return we deserve fair pay and affordable health care for our own children,” AFSCME Local 1275 President and driver Tracy Goodwin said.

More than 100 community members filled the West Branch of the Aurora Public Library on August 8 to protest the Library Board's planned cuts to staff and services. Many in the standing room only crowd wore stickers demanding "No cuts!"

Aurora library employees, patrons, kids and families held a “Read-In at City Hall” to fight proposed cuts to library hours and services.