AFSCME members gather to set legislative agenda and electoral strategy
Hundreds of delegates from AFSCME local unions across the state will gather in Springfield on January 27 to set the union’s 2018 legislative agenda and formulate a plan to elect pro-worker candidates in the March and November elections.
They meet at a time of unprecedented challenge as a powerful network of the super-rich seek to strip working people of our ability to come together in strong unions. We’re fighting back at the bargaining table, at our worksites, at rallies and on picket lines, and in the state and federal courts.
Now, in 2018, that fight is moving squarely into the political arena. The anti-union forces are marshaling ever greater piles of money in their determination to re-elect Bruce Rauner as governor and gain control of the Illinois General Assembly. It’s going to be more important than ever for union members to come together to support candidates who will stand with working people.
Over the past weeks, presidents and PEOPLE chairs of AFSCME Council 31 local unions have met on a regional basis to review the voting records of incumbent state legislators and interview new candidates. The PEOPLE Executive Committee, comprised of the chairs of each of the regional PEOPLE committees, will meet on January 26 to make endorsements for state legislative candidates in the upcoming March Primary Election based on the recommendations of the regional PEOPLE committees.
Click here to see the AFSCME voting records of incumbent state senators and representatives.
At the PEOPLE Legislative and Endorsement Conference on January 27, the full body of delegates—local union and retiree sub-chapter presidents and PEOPLE chairs—will vote on endorsements in statewide and Congressional races.
Workshops and speakers at the PEOPLE conference will focus on laying the groundwork for a massive grassroots voter outreach effort leading up to the General Election in November in order to elect candidates that will help protect and support workers’ rights.