Member Updates
AFSCME Strong is Our Plan.
We have a plan and the power to protect the jobs, financial security and future of AFSCME members. That plan is AFSCME Strong. We know that in order to survive we need to be strong. We need to be AFSCME Strong.
It’s Our Turn.
For too many years, public service workers (and actually most Americans) have seen their job security, wages and benefits, and retirement security erode — even though for the top 1 percent things have been great. Now, when it’s our turn to make things better for our families, they’re trying to cripple our union. We’re not going to let that happen.
Bold Vision.
AFSCME Strong is a bold vision of building a strong union of committed members
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A union that connects to all public workers.
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A union that has power on the shop floor, at the bargaining table and at the state legislature.
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It’s building a union that 100% of our members will be loyal to.
Big Goals.
Last year we responded to a similar Supreme Court threat by adding 133,000 new AFSCME members in our 50,000 Stronger campaign. We will build on that.
Step 1: Organizing Member to Member.
AFSCME Strong makes organizing job one. In the next year, 5 percent of AFSCME members will receive in-depth training on how to reach and connect with coworkers. These AFSCME Strong member activists will be the engine that drives our effort to engage 80 percent of our members, one conversation at a time.
Step 2: PEOPLE Power.
Many of the corporate politicians that are hell bent on wiping out the labor movement won during the last election. We need to do more and do better when it comes to advocating in the political process for candidates that care about the middle class. PEOPLE is a major priority. We will make PEOPLE promotion a central issue at every union event and we will increase participation in the program nationwide. Our goal is to have 10 percent of members signed up as PEOPLE MVPs.
Step 3. Support and Accountability.
We are all in this together. AFSCME Strong is structured to help locals, councils and the national union share resources, best practices – and information. We’re setting up a campaign tracker for affiliate and IU staff so we can see each others’ progress recruiting and training volunteers and talking to members. That site will also have resources and campaign updates. We’ll also be sharing campaign news through regular email updates.
President's Letter 2023
Brothers and Sisters,
As we get back to the new normal after the pandemic, I hope this letter finds everyone healthy and in a safe place. After more than nine months at the bargaining table, we have successfully settled our contract! This could not have been done without everyone's active participation in the job actions by wearing buttons, stickers, the color green, and putting up your union signs. The city took notice and settled the day before our scheduled citywide picketing. This is a perfect example of the strength of standing in solidarity. The strength of union is ALL of us, and it requires ALL of our support. With that being said, we have not had an increase in union dues for more than ten years. We are required to be fiscally responsible for our local, so there will be a small increase of $1.28 per paycheck.
The Illinois Policy Institute has stepped up their tactics to convince you unions aren‟t necessary. Companies across the country that have never been unionized are trying to organize and become Union strong, from Starbucks and Amazon to the Art Institute, to name a few. They are angry the Workers‟ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution passed this past November.
“The Workers Rights Amendment guarantees every Illinois citizen their fundamental right to organize their workplace and bargain collectively for better pay and safe workplaces. It permanently outlaws any attempt to pass as so called „right to work (for less).‟ Illinois will be the fourth state to enshrine the right to collective bargaining in its constitution.” -Ed Finkelstein, Labor Tribune
The struggles we deal with on a day-to-day basis are challenging enough without the worries of not having a union to fight for us. Local 2912 is only as strong as its membership. In a city-wide meeting regarding contract updates, the membership suggested we should start a “Wear Green Wednesday” movement. Moving forward, we are asking all AFSCME members to wear green EVERY WEDNESDAY. We should all be proud knowing that despite the strong attacks thrown at us, we have proven we want our union intact. We deserve a voice at the table, and we continue to challenge the billionaires that doubt our intelligence and try to convince us we would be better off without our Union.
I recently returned from a spiritual trip to India. It was rejuvenating and a well needed break from my regular day-to-day. I took all the eyeglasses that everyone donated over the years of the pandemic and gave them to an eye camp in Vrindavan, a small village in India. The eye camp is for those who cannot afford basic eye care. The man that took the box of glasses found a pair that worked for him, and he exclaimed, “I can see again!” He said a monkey took his glasses (they will steal things like glasses, hats, bags, etc.) and he could not afford a new pair. The trip was an emotional experience that made me appreciate my life that much more. I am still collecting glasses; if you have any you would like to donate, please drop them in the box by my desk.
I am grateful to you for allowing me another year to represent you, and for our union standing in solidarity. Please stay safe and healthy!
Susan M. Littlefield,
President AFSCME Local 2912