On March 24, leaders of the labor and civil rights movements gathered in Washington, D.C., to pay homage to legendary AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy and celebrate his life and legacy.
Council 31 was recently made aware that a number of employees in multiple city departments had received emails from management asking them to fill out and submit I-9 forms.
Assaults and exposure to potentially dangerous substances are still major problems throughout the Illinois prison system—and management is still failing to address these issues.
Mail scanning program will pilot at two facilities soon
Over the past several years, as the use of drugs among the IDOC prison population has steadily increased, so have the negative consequences for employees—with many being overcome by the substances released into the air when ind
When Marci Smith started working part-time in Illinois prisons in 1997, the dental hygienist had a second job working in private practice. She says that she found the private practice work a little boring, whereas working in a prison brought new challenges every day.
Our local elected officials directly influence our ability to bargain for better wages and working conditions. That’s why we need to get organized, stand united, and vote in the April 1 elections.
Health Alliance insurance plan to cease operating at end of 2025
Earlier this week, Carle Health announced the discontinuation of its health plan offering, Health Alliance, at the end of the year with no forewarning and no real justification.
The Trump administration’s heedless slashing of federal funding that supports vital public services at the local level has been temporarily paused by the courts, but the administration appears to be pushing ahead with its planning to impose these cuts which c
AFSCME, along with the Alliance for Retired Americans and the American Federation of Teachers, filed a lawsuit on Friday to halt DOGE’s unprecedented, unlawful seizure of personal, confidential and sensitive data from the Social Security Administration.
Winter reminds us of the dedication of public works employees
With the snowfall and frigid temperatures Illinois has experienced this winter, it’s important to remember those who charge towards weather when their communities need them most: public works employees.
22 States, including Illinois, sue to stop cuts to research grants
As part of billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to slash funding of public institutions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a major, catastrophic overhaul in its research grant
Billionaire Elon Musk has painted a target on the backs of the federal employees, launching mass layoffs on Feb. 14 which affected tens of thousands of federal employees. But unionized federal employees are standing up and fighting back.
Mail scanning program will pilot at two facilities soon
Over the past several years, as the use of drugs among the IDOC prison population has steadily increased, so have the negative consequences for employees—with many being overcome by the substances released into the air when ind
Amidst all the tumult of recent weeks regarding the inauguration of a new president of the United States, I realized that this month was also the 10th anniversary of another inauguration—the installation of Bruce Rauner as governor of Illinois. And I couldn’t help but fasten on the similarities of these two transitional moments.
