Minneapolis, MN – Over 1000 union members, immigrant rights activists and supporters marched through Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood on Monday, February 16, to demand an end to ICE’s occupation of the city and for the defense of immigrant rights.

Marchers held dozens of banners with slogans like “ICE our now,” “Legalization for all,” and “Killer ICE off our streets.” The march began at Stewart Park, crossed a highway where the supportive honks of passing traffic temporarily drowned out the marchers’ chants, and ended at the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, where Alex Pretti was murdered.

Pretti was shot repeatedly in the back while held down on the ground by masked federal agents agents, after stepping between the agents and a woman who they were attempting to pepper spray.

The march was headlined by the Minnesota AFL-CIO, and was endorsed by many local unions, including AFGE Local 3669, AFSCME Council 5 and Council 65, ATU Local 1005, IATSE Local 13, IAM District 77, IUPAT District Council 82, LiUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Minnesota Nurses Association, NALC Branch 9, SEIU Locals 26 and 284, UFCW Locals 1189 and 663, and UNITE HERE Local 17. Many community organizations endorsed the event and turned out their membership to march as well, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations — MN (CAIR-MN), 50501 Minnesota, Reviving Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE), Women’s March Minnesota, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Speakers were unanimous in driving home the message that ICE occupation of Minnesota has not ended. Manuel Pascual, a member of MIRAC, spoke to the crowd from the back of a truck as the marchers took the streets, saying, “Just days ago, federal officials announced the end of Operation Metro Surge. Let’s be clear — that did not happen because they suddenly found compassion. It happened because people across Minnesota organized, spoke out, marched, and refused to stay silent. It happened because immigrant communities and allies showed courage. It happened because resistance worked.”

However, Pascual continued to note that the community fight against ICE continues, and spoke to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s agreeing to “unprecedented” levels of state collaboration with ICE, without details of this agreement being made public. Pascual said, “What we are seeing now is not a victory lap from those in power. It is a shift in strategy. A quieter approach. Deals being made behind closed doors. Policies that risk embedding ICE deeper into our local systems — into our jails, into policing, into everyday encounters — where harm becomes less visible but no less real. We must say clearly: we will not be fooled.”

Organizers noted that a decreased ICE presence in Minnesota also does not mean that the battle against ICE has ended on a national scale, and that just as millions marched across the country in solidarity with Minnesota, Minnesota will march in solidarity with any future city to see a large-scale occupation by ICE.

When the march arrived at the site of Alex Pretti’s murder, organizers handed out flowers to attendees so they could lay them in tribute at his memorial. The crowd was asked to repeat these slogans after the emcee: “We have a duty to fight for our freedom! We have a duty to win! We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

MIRAC plans to take their demands for an end to ICE terror and for legalization for all directly to Governor Walz, with a rally outside the Minnesota Governor’s Residence at 1006 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Labor #AFLCIO #AFGE #AFSCME #ATU #IAM #MIRAC #CAIRMN #FRSO

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, August 30, workers came out in full force to demonstrate outside of Senator Rick Scott’s office in downtown Jacksonville. This rally, organized by the North Florida Central Labor Council and the North Florida Future Labor Leaders, was in protest to the onslaught on US workers by the current administration.

This protest was sparked by the AFL-CIO’s call for a “Workers' Labor Day.”

Union teachers, plumbers, longshoremen, electricians, logistics workers and city employees showed out and demonstrated the power of union solidarity. LJ Holloway, a rank-and-file member of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), led the chant: “United we bargain! Divided we beg!” Anyone in downtown Jacksonville could hear the echoes of the workers chanting, “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Worker power!”

Monica Gold, a middle school teacher and proud union member, told the crowd, “Within our building we have teachers, paraprofessionals and office personnel. We have maintenance workers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians. And I think about how their victories are my victories, and how their losses are my losses, and that we’re so much stronger when we work together. I think it’s high time that we stop asking for things, but that we demand things.”

Many at the rally spoke on the Trump administration’s shameful attacks on unions and the working class as a whole, including the recent ruling on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Michael Sampson, an organizer and union rep for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) stated, “What we are seeing is the agenda of Donald Trump to starve us, to get rid of our unions, to get rid of the solidarity that we have with each other. Because he knows that having a union means having an organization, and having an organization of workers means having the ability to fight back against the agenda of corporate America.”

Shayne Tremblay, a union electrician and president of the North Florida Future Labor Leaders spoke on the need for solidarity, stating, “I believe that we need to take the winning strategy of solidarity that got us our unions, and we need to aim higher. We need to stand in solidarity, not just with our coworkers, but with every working person in this country. We need to organize all working people to turn this into a country that is for workers, by workers.”

The rally took place in one the most traffic-heavy parts of the city, and the workers got a plethora of honks and expressions of support from folks driving by.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #Labor #LaborDay #NFFLL #AFLCIO #ILA #AFSCME

Speakers at the rally will include representatives of unions and organizations fighting for immigrant rights and racial and social justice. Among them will be Marcia Howard, president of the teacher chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT); State Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega; Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA).

Jovita Morales, an organizer in the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, said, “May 1 has always been important, but this year it matters more than ever. While the wealthy try to strip away our rights – attacking unions, slashing healthcare and education, deporting our neighbors – we are standing together, stronger than ever. We will not accept their cruelty. We will fight for the future our families deserve.”

Sorcha Lona, an organizer with Minnesota Workers United and a rank-and-file member of Teamsters Local 638, commented on the Trump administration’s attacks on organized labor, saying, “All of us in the May 1st Coalition are ready to stand up and fight back against the mass firings of federal workers, the attempts to eliminate their unions, and the efforts from Donald Trump and Elon Musk to privatize the federal government, which includes vital programs like Medicaid, Social Security and public education.”

At a moment of intense attacks on immigrants and workers from the Trump/Musk administration and their corporate backers, the May Day protest is going to show that working-class Minnesotans won’t be divided by our jobs or where we were born in our fight for a better future for all of our families.

Marchers will stand against escalating attacks on immigrants around the country including attacks on immigrants here in Minnesota such ICE detaining immigrants at workplaces from Saint Louis Park to Duluth; the Department of Homeland Security revoking the visas of at least 11 international students at the University of Minnesota, ICE detaining a hospital employee at the hospital where he works in Marshall, as well as other unjust immigration enforcement operations around the state.

The May 1 protest was initiated by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Movement, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, and Minnesota Workers United. It is co-sponsored by the following 50 organizations and unions: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFSCME Local 34, AFSCME 2822, AFSCME Local 3800, Anti-War Committee, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, Council on American Islamic Relations-MN, Climate Justice Committee, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Communications Workers of America Local 7250, East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, Families Against Military Madness, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice, Free Palestine Coalition, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, IBEW 292, Indivisible Twin Cities, Indigenous Protector Movement, Kalpulli KetzalCoatlicue, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, MN8, Minnesota 50501, Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Minnesota AFL-CIO, Minnesota BDS Community, Minnesota Federation of Teachers Local 59, Minnesota Immigrant Movement, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, Minnesota Workers United, Party for Socialism and Liberation – Twin Cities, Saint Paul Federation of Educators, Service Employees International Union Local 26, Students for a Democratic Society, Teamsters Local 638, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 663, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1189, UMN Graduate Labor Union-United Electric Local 1105, UNITE HERE Local 17, Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, Women Against Military Madness, Women’s March MN, Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council – MN.

#StPaulMN #MN #Labor #ImmigrantsRights #MayDay #MIRAC #MWU #AFSCME #AFACWA #MIM #ADC

In 2023, Senate Bill 256 passed in the state of Florida. SB 256 is among the most anti-union labor laws in the country and effectively decertifies any unionized bargaining unit in the public sector that does not meet a bar of at least 60% dues-paying membership. The bill also makes it harder for workers to pay their dues by banning voluntary automatic payroll reduction.

Until recently, the USF workers were represented by AFSCME Local 3342 but now are among 68,000 public employees who have since lost their unions in Florida since the law passed. With the loss of unions, public-sector employees have no avenue to prevent privatization or changes to their employers’ and terms of employment. The aftermath for the 355 USF workers from SB 256 decertifying the AFSCME bargaining unit is unknown.

USF claims that it will save $320 million in costs over the life of the 15-year contract with Compass, and it is offering a signing bonus to workers who decide to transition to the new company. However, those who make the switch to Compass will lose their state pension retirement plan, which requires being a state employee. Additionally, the future of these workers’ pay is up to the Compass Group to decide unilaterally, now that the workers have no union. At the same time as the workers futures are uncertain, USF spent $47 million on a signing bonus with Southeast Services Corporation, a Compass Group subsidiary.

Since the loss of their unions last year under the new law, it is reported that around 2000 USF employees will no longer have collective bargaining rights to fight for higher pay, their pension, or their job protections. Another effect is that, with no union, the workers had no advance warning of the deal with the Compass Group and no way to stop it or bargain over effects on terms and conditions of employment if they wanted to do so.

#TampaFL #FL #Labor #AFSCME #Feature

Jacksonville, FL – Alrededor de 55 trabajadores de servicios de alimentos y miembros del Local 2941 de AFSCME se manifestaron frente a las oficinas de la empresa Chartwells el lunes en Jacksonville, expresando su descontento contra lo que describen como salarios de pobreza, falta crónica de personal y falta de respeto por parte de la gerencia.

“Como líder de cafetería, frecuentemente tengo que hacer el trabajo de tres empleados debido a la falta de personal y salarios decentes,” dijo Annette Taylor, vicepresidenta del Local 2941 y trabajadora de Chartwells por casi 30 años. “Y nadie de la alta gerencia tiene el respeto, o incluso intenta ayudar en parte a hacer llegar la comida a los niños a los que necesitamos llevársela”.

Chartwells, un contratista de servicios de alimentos privatizado con más de 1000 trabajadores en escuelas en todo el condado de Duval, actualmente ofrece salarios a partir de $13 por hora, el salario mínimo estatal. Los miembros exigen mejores salarios iniciales, con buenos aumentos salariales durante los próximos tres años. Según los trabajadores, el mes pasado, más de tres docenas de trabajadores asistieron la sesión de negociaciones cuando la empresa propuso recortar sus licencias por enfermedad. Los trabajadores dicen que su movilización tuvo éxito al lograr que la empresa retrocediera esa propuesta.

Los trabajadores encabezaron cánticos de “Chartwells Chartwells, no pueden esconderse, podemos ver su lado codicioso” junto con “¿Qué queremos? ¡Un buen contrato! ¿Cuándo lo queremos? ¡Ahora!”.

Las próximas negociaciones están programadas para el 30 y 31 de octubre, y el contrato actual expirará al final del 31.

Los miembros han discutido una posible votación para autorizar una huelga si no se logra llegar a un acuerdo.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #Labor #AFSCME

Jacksonville, FL – Around 55 food service workers and members of AFSCME Local 2941 rallied in front of Chartwells company offices on Monday in Jacksonville, speaking out against what workers described as poverty wages, chronic understaffing and a lack of respect from management.

“As a cafeteria lead, I often have to do the work of three staff members due to a lack of employees and decent wages,” said Annette Taylor, vice president of Local 2941 and near 30-year Chartwells worker. “And no one from upper management has the respect, or even tries to help in part of getting the food out to the children that we need to get it out to.”

Chartwells, a privatized food service contractor with over 1000 workers in schools across Duval County, currently starts wages at $13 per hour, the state minimum wage. Members are demanding better starting wages, with good pay increases over the next three years. According to workers, just last month, over three dozen workers showed up to negotiations session when the company proposed cutting their sick leave. Workers say their mobilization was successful at getting the company to back off that proposal.

Workers led chants of “Chartwells Chartwells, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!” along with “What do we want? A good contract! When do we want it? Now!”

The next negotiations are scheduled for October 30 and 31 with the current contract set to expire at the end of the 31.

Members have discussed a potential strike authorization vote if an agreement isn’t able to be reached.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #Labor #AFSCME

Although this is the first week of school, the UMN board of regents has already passed a resolution making the university endowment “politically neutral” in a bid to avoid accountability for their actions. Along with this resolution, new UMN President Rebbecca Cunningham introduced new protest policies which severely limit free speech on campus.

As students return to campus, protests and political repression will continue. But as Fae Hodges, a junior and member of SDS, said in their speech, “We will not be told when, where, and how we can speak on our own campus, especially when all we are saying is to stop funding genocide.”

After chanting, calls for divestment, and a speech from Dr. Sima Shakhsari of Educators for Justice in Palestine, the crowd marched from the board of regents meeting space and down Washington Avenue toward Morrill Hall, the building which houses the president's office.

Once at Morrill Hall, people laid down on bloodied sheets in silence, holding a die-in to represent the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have died in the last 11 months and the blood on the hand of the UMN’s administrators for their continuation of the funding of this genocide.

The protest ended with speeches from AFSCME 3800, Students for Justice in Palestine, and chants calling for the divestment from Israel and for victory to Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #AFSCME #SJP #Feature

Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) employees represented by their union, AFSCME Local 526, are celebrating a decisive victory in their campaign for workplace safety during the Republican National Convention.

In a statement, the union said it “presented a list of proposals to MPM administration that would prioritize the rights and safety of MPM employees during the RNC, which will be held just blocks away from MPM. The Union asked MPM not to host organizations or individuals whose actions are inconsistent with MPM’s values, and that employees suffer no loss of wages or additional transportation expenses during the RNC, among other workplace-specific issues.”

On June 4 the Milwaukee Public Museum announced that it would be closed for the duration of the RNC. AFSCME Local 526 says their demands for safety during the RNC have been met, and the decision not to open during the RNC “is a victory for union and workers’ rights and safety, and a rebuff to the reactionary and anti-worker Republican agenda.”

The union statement added, “The Republican Party is actively trying to harm members of our union and our community, leading attacks on unions and workers’ rights, African Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, DEI programs, public institutions, and many other marginalized groups.”

AFSCME Local 526 will continue to resist Republican attacks on our rights by participating in the Coalition to March on the RNC, a group of over 70 local and national grassroots and labor organizations planning a mass protest against the Republican Party’s racist, anti-worker agenda on the first day of the RNC, July 15.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #Labor #PeoplesStruggles #RNC2024 #AFSCME #Feature

St Paul, MN – On May 21, the Minnesota State Board of Investments (SBI) held its second quarterly meeting of 2024. The meeting began with an extensive discussion on “ethical investments” related to green energy and combating the ongoing climate crisis. What was not brought up by board of investors was how much Minnesota annually invests in companies and shareholdings connected with the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

Residents, constituents, pension-holders and anti-war activists packed the meeting to let the SBI know that the people demand immediate and direct divestment from Israeli bonds, and from all companies that profit off Israeli apartheid, including but not limited to Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems and BAE.

Asiyah Ahmed from the MN Anti-War Committee gave an impassioned speech, stating, “As we know, SBI channels $3.25 billion into bolstering Israel, funding companies notorious for human rights abuses such as Elbit Systems, Caterpillar, and Lockheed Martin. These investments, drawn from the hard-earned pension and retirement savings of public employees, electively endorse genocide, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Now, let's turn our attention to the devastating impact of these investments in Gaza. In places like the Jabalia refugee camp, which has been relentlessly bombed, and among the 900,000 refugees who have fled Rafah in the past few days, the brutalization and exploitation of the Palestinian people remain consistent. Just yesterday, a request for an arrest warrant for some Israeli leaders accused of crimes against humanity was made, emphasizing the urgency of our actions.”

The most fiery speech of the day was given by Sana Wazwaz of the MN American Muslims for Palestine. Wazwaz castigated the SBI for their continued investments in Israel and the hypocrisy they demonstrated by claiming a deep care for climate change while wholly ignoring their investments in a leading contributor of climate change, militarism, most especially Israeli militarism.

Wazwaz addressed the SBI stating, “As a recent graduate with hopes to become a Minnesota school teacher, it devastates me to know that my future pension funds are going to be invested in not just the slaughter of my family, but also my planet, your planet, and the planet that my grandchildren will inherit. How dare you all pat yourselves on the back and attempt to stall your constituents with this phony climate investments roadmap without divesting from the perpetrators of climate destruction. How dare you? You cannot play fireman and arsonist at the same time. Respectfully you have millions invested in the government that’s responsible for destruction of over half of the water facilities in Gaza according to UNICEF. According to National Geographic ,in 2023 alone over 2000 of the olive trees in the West Bank alone were destroyed in just one month. How can you attempt to talk about planet investments while not divesting from the thing that is actively harming the environment tenfold. The time to divest is now!”

Many other speakers took to the podium as well showing their support for divestment including members of Jewish Voice For Peace, the New Testament United Theological Seminary, AFSCME 3800 and a professor at the University of Minnesota.

The SBI meeting was followed with a press conference in the hall featuring many of those who took to the podium stating that the people will not stop fighting for full divestment until Minnesota divests entirely from all entities tied to apartheid Israel. The next Minnesota State Board of Investments meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 14 at 10 a.m.

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #JVP #AFSCME #MNAWC #AMP #SBI

100 students, faculty and community members were then prompted to march across the lawn of the mall and right up to Morill Hall, where they demanded divestment from Israel.

A statement from SDS said, “In the climate of repression of pro-Palestine activism on campus, the genocide being carried out by the illegal Israeli occupation, and an ongoing Department of Education investigation into false claims of antisemitism, this meeting is shameful complicity in Israel’s crimes. Any collaboration by administration with representatives of the settler state of Israel is disgraceful. SDS and SJP fully condemn this reported meeting, as well as all collaborations by the UMN with Israeli universities, study abroad trips in Israel, and investments in entities that benefit from the occupation.”

Since October, SDS has shifted its focus on the still ongoing struggle for liberation in Palestine while spotlighting the role that the university and its upper administration play with their ties and investments in Israel with its ongoing genocide.

Just two weeks ago SDS found out they were put on probation for allegedly “continually violating” the university’s student group posting policy; a tight-lipped set of rules that vaguely state that student groups should only post one poster on every “university-approved board,” which is near to impossible for this group as they are continually targeted by administration, barred from important information, as well as being stood up on many occasions when trying to get meetings with the Student Union of Activities staff. This current probation comes at a very pertinent time in the group's proceeding campaigns.

Students for a Democratic Society were reprimanded last year for similar accusations, regarding posters that targeted the University for its proposed budget cuts to gender and ethnic studies last fall. Merlin Van Alstine, an SDS member and the current admin liaison for the group states, “It was clear then, and it is clear now that the university has placed SDS under probation as retaliation for bringing attention to a subjects they would much rather sweep under the rug!”

SDS member Ava Roots mentions in their speech that “it is unsurprising that our university would try to silence the voices that continue to speak out against their complicity. The place that they [VP Croson and the Consul General of Israel, Yinam Cohen] are meeting today is likely Morrill Hall; the same building that the protesters took to in the late 1960s using their bodies to fill and disrupt the space and to push back against the university for similar political and racial repression.”

Speakers at the emergency action included Student for Justice in Palestine, Anti-War committee, and AFSCME 3800.

#MinneapolisMN #TwinCitiesMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #SDS #SJP #AFSCME

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution adopted by AFSCME Local 526.

AFSCME Local 526 Stands with the Palestinian people against Genocide

AFSCME Local 526 dedicates itself to improving the lives of working people, and fighting for a world where all people can live with dignity, justice, respect, peace, and equality. We consistently stand against Islamophobia, antisemitism, and racism in all its forms.

We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, Palestinian trade unions, anti-Zionist Jewish people, and millions of others who are demanding an end to Israel’s colonial violence and genocide.

We condemn the active role of the U.S government in supporting Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, illegal settlements, and forced displacement of Palestinians, which is the root cause of the conflict.

We mourn all loss of life resulting from the conflict and call for an immediate end to Israel’s aggression against Gaza that has killed over 23,000 Palestinians and displaced 85% of Gaza’s population, 1.9 million people.

U.S. support for Israel’s war has caused a humanitarian disaster, and is risking a deadly outbreak of famine, disease, and a wider war. The billions of U.S. tax dollars spent on weapons for Israel every year should be reallocated to fund programs that help poor and working people, like healthcare, education, and childcare.

AFSCME Local 526 commits to taking the following actions in support of peace and justice:

1. We will send letters to our Congressional representatives, asking them to endorse bills such as H.R. 3103 and others that take meaningful action to end the genocide and occupation.

2. We will join over 900 unions, governments, and popular organizations who have endorsed South Africa’s Genocide Convention case against Israel at the U.N. International Court of Justice.

3. We will petition our employer, the Milwaukee Public Museum, to correct the large map in the “Crossroads of Civilization” gallery that includes a label for Israel, but not Palestine.

4. We will send a copy of this resolution to AFSCME leadership, encouraging them to join the many union internationals who have already called for a ceasefire.

5. We will continue to support and participate in actions led by the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, Wisconsin Labor for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, and others.

Passed unanimously at the AFSCME Local 526 membership meeting on January 11th, 2024.

#MilwaukeeWI #International #Palestine #AntiWar #Labor #AFSCME #AFSCME526

St. Paul, MN – On Wednesday, November 29, Palestine solidarity activists spoke at the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI)’s quarterly meeting, demanding divestment of state-managed pension funds and other public monies from Israeli weapons manufacturers, banks and bonds, and other entities complicit in Israel’s apartheid system in Palestine.

The SBI manages assets for state retirement plans and pensions, state trusts and agency cash accounts. For years, local Palestine solidarity organizations have demanded divestment from Israel, noting that the SBI’s holdings directly fund construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank that are considered illegal by the United Nations.

The divestment push came with renewed urgency after Israel’s ongoing military attack on Gaza, which as of press time has killed over 15,000 Palestinians and left thousands more injured or missing.

The Minnesota State Board of Investment is composed of chair Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha and Secretary of State Steve Simon. Ellison notably was absent at Wednesday’s meeting.

Drake Myers of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee gave documents to the SBI identifying over $1 billion in Minnesotan taxpayer dollars that the SBI has invested in Israel and other companies that enable the Israeli regime. The most recent SBI reports showed $57 million invested in Israeli companies, $686 million in companies that support and enable Israel’s apartheid state, and $283 million in weapons companies that supply munitions to Israel.

Myers also spoke as a Minneapolis public school employee with a retirement account managed by the SBI. “I don’t know of a single educator that wants our money invested in weapons companies, bombing elementary schools and racist wars,” he said. “On top of morality and legality, these are not safe investments for our retirements, as apartheid has fallen before.”

Myers’ union, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59, passed a resolution in October condemning “the role our government plays in supporting the system of Israeli occupation and apartheid, which lies at the root of the Palestinian Israeli conflict.”

Sarah Martin of Women Against Military Madness is a retired nurse with a Public Employees Retirement Association pension managed by the SBI. She told the SBI how Israel’s onslaught against Gaza affected her. “As a nurse, this latest bombing campaign – unprecedented in this century by every measure of death and destruction – was unimaginable,” Martin said. “Hospitals were at the center of Israel’s attacks. My pension, which I get because I took care of sick and injured people in the state-of-the-art hospital just down the street, was used to destroy the hospitals of Gaza.”

Virginia Eckert is a former 11th grade student of Governor Walz, who, before he entered politics, worked as a social studies teacher at Mankato West High School. “Me and my friends spent hours phone banking, door knocking and marching in parades during the summer to get you elected, because as children we trusted you to do the right thing. Today I’m asking you to do the right thing by divesting from Elbit Systems, the largest weapons provider to the Israeli military,” Eckert said.

Max Vast is a clerical worker at the University of Minnesota and president of AFSCME Local 3800. “We are vested in the MSRS [Minnesota State Retirement System] pension fund, and we refuse to have the money reserved for our futures, destroy the futures of the Palestinian people,” Vast told the SBI.

“I’m also here as a parent,” Vast continued. “When my Palestinian son visits his family in Palestine, I spend every single one of those days scared that he will become Elbit Systems’ next text subject.” Elbit Systems has advertised its products as “field-tested” on Palestinians.

After the public comments, Governor Walz adjourned the meeting without making any remarks. Dozens of divestment supporters immediately began chanting, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes,” while raising red-painted hands in the air to symbolize the SBI’s complicity in the deaths of Palestinians. Organizers vowed to continue the campaign for divestment.

#StPaulMN #FreePalestine #AFSCME #Feature #BDS

“We have called the board, sent letters, we have done rallies like this one at board meetings; we feel like we are doing something then we keep getting shut down. The morale for our unit is getting bad because we don’t feel like they value our positions as custodial even though we are the ones that make sure the buildings are safe to go into and are ready for use anytime of the year,” said Norma Vela, a custodian from West High and the secretary of AFSCME Local 60.

Vela continued, “If there was an emergency in our building, we are the ones that must come and clean it up. If there is a break in, we are expected to go and investigate what happened, not security, because we are the ones that maintain and secure the buildings.”

Bryan Lynaugh, another custodial worker in attendance, recounted that one winter, around 6 p.m., the power went out at his school. One custodial worker had to stay until nearly 2 a.m. when Lynaugh came in to relieve him. The power didn’t come back on till about 8 a.m., leaving Lynaugh to wait all that time in a building with no heat. The custodial department is the only department that, if any weather-related event closes schools, are still required to attend work.

When COVID shut everything down, the custodians were there every day making sure the buildings were sanitized so that kids could continue learning in a clean and safe environment. They were the ones cleaning up the COVID clinics, the nurse’s office, and decontaminating and sanitizing rooms after someone got COVID. When raises were being given out to the employees considered the “frontline” of COVID, they were passed over.

Custodians and trade workers – employees with a particular skill set, like electricians, carpentry, plumbing, or painting – have had to continuously work overtime to accommodate the massive staff shortages. With about a million dollars made in overtime this year, the district saw the highest year of custodial overtime to date. Not only are they having to pull staff from other schools to help get the work done, but they are struggling to attract new hires that would help alleviate the immense workload that they are expected to complete every day.

Another reason the gaps are not being filled is that the hiring process is too long for any applicants to get hired. They would conduct interviews and then expect applicants to wait three months to even offer the positions. By that time most would have already accepted jobs elsewhere, leaving the district back at square one.

Custodians work themselves to the bone to try and complete their work, resulting in a high number of burn outs, injuries and workers comp claims. One worker in attendance, Tina Mourna, said she developed carpal tunnel from her work. Another custodian in attendance said that one summer she consistently worked 12-hour days, resulting in her getting so burnt out that she got physically sick.

“The bottom line is students cannot learn without the lights working, cannot learn if the room is not properly sanitized or clean, they cannot learn if the school lacks safety or prevented routine maintenance, and they cannot learn and focus if there is no heat in the building,” said Travis Thomas, treasurer of AFSCME Local 65.

Christina Morna, a building custodian 2 at East High School and a substitute teacher in the Monona School District, remarked during the meeting on how she has had to work two jobs to afford to support herself and her two sons. “There are days where I work 16 hours: eight hours subbing and eight hours as a custodian. Before I didn’t have to do that. We put in so many hours for the kids because we want to make sure that the classroom that they go to is conducive to learning,” Morna said. “I have got two boys to support, as a single mom, and all of a sudden, I have to get a second job just to support my boys.”

“The increase is an investment in us and will give MMSD the ability to hire quality employees who are here for the long haul, for a career. People who care about our kids, our staff and our community. Most importantly, though, it will show our current employees that we are valued, not to mention getting back to a place where in these economic times we can fully support our own families,” said Rob Larson, president of AFSCME Local 60. “Not just with monetary values but getting back to the one thing that you can never get more of, time. Time with our families, time with our own children. Show us that we are valued, let’s get this done tonight and start moving forward to a better tomorrow.”

After further comments and deliberation, the board ultimately decided on a $3.20 per hour raise that went into effect on July 1 and will extend until June 30 of 2024. While this was not the raise the AFSCME Local 60 leaders and rank and file were demanding, it does make it so that no custodial workers are making less than $20 per hour.

If the district wants to continue having quality employees putting out quality work, they need to pay them a quality wage, and though this increase is a step in the right direction, there is still plenty of work that could be done to better support these extremely vital employees of the district. The community can show their support for the custodians and trades by calling or sending letters to the Madison Metropolitan School District board.

#MadisonWI #AFSCME

While managers patted each other on the back and reconnected after two years of hiding at home, union leaders confronted public officials with signs and informational flyers. Workers are demanding the bosses stop targeting union stewards and activists.

Bosses began targeting three union leaders in January 2022.

The first was Irish Gauna, a single African American mother of five who was fired in late January for allegedly violating the county’s COVID testing policy. Irish, a rank-and-file leader, became active in the union after organizing Black women and others in a successful campaign to get paid leave for parents and caregivers during the COVID pandemic. Irish spoke publicly throughout the union’s recent contract negotiations, including at a press conference in early January about why workers voted to strike.

The second was Sue Olson, a 31-year employee at Hennepin County who had no issues at work until she became the only union steward for support staff in the probation department. In the past two months Olson received a three-week suspension without pay for petty issues, including reporting a broken door to facilities instead of her supervisor. The disciplines came shortly after Olson informed human relations that her supervisor was over three months late in issuing raises. Most of the retaliation stems from manager Jen Belde.

The third was DJ Hooker, an executive boardmember of AFSCME 2822, and an associate librarian at North Regional Library. DJ Hooker is a beloved community activist as well. Hooker was issued a written reprimand and one day suspension without pay after a white manager accused them of “reverse racism.” The accusation was related to a conversation with manager Michael Boe where Hooker asserted the need to hire more Black and Latino workers at their library. North Regional serves a predominately African American community on the North Side of Minneapolis. Boss Boe asserted that Hooker’s advocacy for a diverse workforce created a hostile work environment for their white co-workers. None of Hookers co-workers filed any complaints about the incident.

The union members declared that these acts of harassment, intimidation and retaliation must end. They called on Hennepin County commissioners to “Stop the retaliation against union activists now! End racism, sexism, ageism at work!”

AFSCME 2822 demands:

• Reinstate Irish Gauna and issue back pay, offer her a transfer at same or higher pay in new department. Provide requested documentation.
• Rescind Sue Olson’s three-week suspension, offer her a transfer at same or higher pay in new department.
• Rescind DJ Hooker one-day suspension and written reprimand, issue back pay.
• Fire manager Jen Belde and manager Michael Boe.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #AFSCME #AFSCMELocal2822

While managers patted each other on the back and reconnected after two years of hiding at home, union leaders confronted public officials with signs and informational flyers. Workers are demanding the bosses stop targeting union stewards and activists.

Bosses began targeting three union leaders in January 2022.

The first was Irish Gauna, a single African American mother of five who was fired in late January for allegedly violating the county’s COVID testing policy. Irish, a rank-and-file leader, became active in the union after organizing Black women and others in a successful campaign to get paid leave for parents and caregivers during the COVID pandemic. Irish spoke publicly throughout the union’s recent contract negotiations, including at a press conference in early January about why workers voted to strike.

The second was Sue Olson, a 31-year employee at Hennepin County who had no issues at work until she became the only union steward for support staff in the probation department. In the past two months Olson received a three-week suspension without pay for petty issues, including reporting a broken door to facilities instead of her supervisor. The disciplines came shortly after Olson informed human relations that her supervisor was over three months late in issuing raises. Most of the retaliation stems from manager Jen Belde.

The third was DJ Hooker, an executive boardmember of AFSCME 2822, and an associate librarian at North Regional Library. DJ Hooker is a beloved community activist as well. Hooker was issued a written reprimand and one day suspension without pay after a white manager accused them of “reverse racism.” The accusation was related to a conversation with manager Michael Boe where Hooker asserted the need to hire more Black and Latino workers at their library. North Regional serves a predominately African American community on the North Side of Minneapolis. Boss Boe asserted that Hooker’s advocacy for a diverse workforce created a hostile work environment for their white co-workers. None of Hookers co-workers filed any complaints about the incident.

The union members declared that these acts of harassment, intimidation and retaliation must end. They called on Hennepin County commissioners to “Stop the retaliation against union activists now! End racism, sexism, ageism at work!”

AFSCME 2822 demands:

• Reinstate Irish Gauna and issue back pay, offer her a transfer at same or higher pay in new department. Provide requested documentation.
• Rescind Sue Olson’s three-week suspension, offer her a transfer at same or higher pay in new department.
• Rescind DJ Hooker one-day suspension and written reprimand, issue back pay.
• Fire manager Jen Belde and manager Michael Boe.

#MinneapolisMN #AFSCME #AFSCMELocal2822

The mass firings come as COVID-19 infections reach historic lows in our communities. the county and state have already rolled back all previously implemented safety measures such as mask mandates, access to free at-home testing and occupancy limits in buildings.

Two Hennepin County unions have filed lawsuits over implementation of the vaccine requirement. The county has no plan to require staff to receive booster shots.

“Before the county decided to fire unvaccinated workers, workers could choose to submit weekly COVID tests or vaccinate. Implementation of this policy was not equal across race and class lines. Based on data provided by the county, low wage workers received the most aggressive disciplines, and while we don’t have the ‘official’ racial breakdown yet, we know the majority who received escalated disciplines are workers of color,” said Jayne Mikulay, executive board member of AFSCME Local 2822 representing county support staff workers.

“Make this make sense to me. We are pro-vaccine but you have the public coming into county buildings and we don't know if they’re vaccinated and they don’t have to wear masks. But you’re terminating workers over the vaccine? Hennepin County, make this make sense – stop the firings and bring back workers who were already fired,” Regina Kittrell, co-chief steward of AFSCME Local 2822 declared.

Kittrell, an African American woman and mother, is no stranger to this fight. In 2020 she was wrongfully fired after advocating for COVID safety measures in her own workplace. She was shortly reinstated after a successful campaign led by Local 2822 proved her innocence.

The county has not reported terminations related to COVID testing but AFSCME Local 2822 knows of at least two, both Black women. Irish Gauna, one of the two workers terminated for alleged testing violations, has five young kids and is the sole breadwinner in her home. She was fired despite presenting documentation to HR proving she was not at fault for her delayed test results.

Many oppressed nationality communities, particularly African Americans and indigenous people, have been historically targeted as guinea pigs for the medical industry and do not trust vaccines.

Under the guise of safety, workers are being disciplined and terminated for choosing what is best for them and their bodies – bodies that were good enough to keep the county running before vaccines but are now suddenly disposable.

On November 16, county commissioners passed a resolution authorizing County Administrator David Hough the power to implement, modify and potentially end the vaccine mandate. AFSCME 2822 is calling on Hough to stop the mass firings, reinstate Irish Gauna and others, and rescind all COVID-related disciplines.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #AFSCME #AFSCMELocal2822

Oak Creek, WI – On February 17, over 50 people gathered in front of Starbucks in Oak Creek, a suburb of Milwaukee, for an announcement that the workers at that location filed for a union election. Shortly after, it was announced that an additional Wisconsin Starbucks filed for a union election, this one in the tiny community of Plover. The election filing is one of at least 100 across the country where Starbucks workers demanded a union at their workplace. Except for the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks workers have worked through it all.

The workers at Starbucks are beset on all sides. While the company offers some fringe benefits – which are rare, such as tuition reimbursement – pay still remains low, working hours are unpredictable, and workers are regularly exposed to contagion, often by obstinate, hostile people refusing to wear masks. While the workers at Starbucks are faced with these threats to their health and safety, Howard Schultz, the company’s chairman emeritus, remains one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

Members of the organizing committee, all young women, spoke before the crowd, with committee member Hannah Fogarty saying, “We are here today because we are standing up for what we deserve. What we are looking for is our safety, both physical and financial,” adding their call for, “improved COVID policies, improved sick pay, and financially also with sick pay and being paid a livable wage. None of us make enough to build a savings account; we can’t afford any accidents.”

The Starbucks workers in Oak Creek were not alone. Leaders from unions across Milwaukee and State Senator Chris Larson stood in solidarity with the Starbucks workers in the arctic cold. AFSCME Local 526 vice-president Jacob Flom cheered on the Starbucks workers with some comments during the rally.

“We are really thrilled to see the Starbucks workers organizing all across the country. This wave is just kicking off and this big upsurge is bringing new life to the labor movement that we really need,” Flom said.

Carlos Ginard, an organizer with Workers United, the union organizing Starbucks workers across the country, said that 85% of the workers at the Oak Creek store had signed union cards. Even with such an overwhelming amount of support, Ginard expects Starbucks to fight organizing efforts like the company has at each of the other 100-plus stores where Workers United has filed for union elections. Workers United continues undaunted. Two Buffalo, New York-area Starbucks locations have won union elections and in Mesa, Arizona, where a judge had previously issued an injunction to temporarily block the counting of ballots, Starbucks Workers United won a union election 25-3.

If successful, the union election at the Starbucks in Oak Creek would be the third worker victory at a Milwaukee-area coffee shop, joining Likewise Coffee and Colectivo Coffee with the Teamsters and IBEW, respectively. A victory in Plover would be a statement that it’s not just bigger cities where workers can organize and win. These two organizing efforts are sure to be the first of many across the state. For a long time it was conventional wisdom of gutless trade union bureaucrats that organizing in the service industry was not possible, but baristas in the Milwaukee area are proving that fortune favors the bold.

#OakCreekWI #PeoplesStruggles #AFSCME #Starbucks

Tallahassee, FL – On February 1 from 8 to 11 a.m., around 20 people showed up to AFSCME 3343’s informational picket line to demand Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) raise the wages of workers on campus.

Members of the AFSCME Local 3343, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, Graduate Students United and City Commissioner Jack Porter all stood on the roundabout between FAMU and Wahnish Way, with signs insisting that FAMU’s leadership come to the bargaining table ready to pay up.

“It’s time that we start negotiating in black and white and take care of employees on campus,” said Andre Crumity, AFSCME union president for Local 3343. A senior fiscal assistant at the FAMU Foundation, Crumity has been employed on FAMU’s campus for 15 years. Even though he became AFSCME’s president nearly four years ago, he says he hasn’t seen much change in FAMU’s willingness to pay workers.

“We have a tendency to sweep things under the rug, and that has to stop; there has to be a greater appreciation for the work that we do, and we should be compensated well,” said Crumity.

Staff organizer for ASCFME 3343, Tallulah Thomas, also pointed to the added dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of respect workers were given for their contributions at FAMU, despite the rise in cost of living and the complications brought on by the poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on the university's campus.

“You choose to not recognize them for what they do and the funds they need to be able to increase their salary. Because the cost of living is going up. They are overworked and underpaid,” said Thomas. “If it wasn’t for the people at the bottom who hold the foundation together, the top wouldn’t be able to survive.”

Thomas called out FAMU’s leadership, stating “They only think about themselves, they’re not thinking of others.”

Thomas stated that they are “Making sure these people have a voice at the table, that they are not going unheard.”

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #AFSCME #TallahasseeCommunityActionCommitteeTCAC #AFSCMELocal3343

The negotiations had been six months in the making. The first offer made by the administration only gave raises to 21 out of 500 FAMU AFSCME employees.

The picket line will take place between 8 and 11 a.m. at the roundabout on Wahnish and FAMU Way.

Local 3343 President Andre Crumity believes the university could do better. “We have to bring awareness to what is happening on our campus. For far too long we have not been recognized – only through lip service, but never through action. We have to demonstrate why we believe that this administration has not been fair to its employees. We want results.”

Last year, FAMU President Larry Robinson’s salary increased from $385,000 to about $419,650.

According to Crumity, some employees have not had raises in almost a decade: “This is going on for too long. This is getting too old.”

#FAMU #AFSCME #Tallahassee #unionStruggle

Minneapolis MN – A looming strike was averted when AFSCME Local 2822 came to a mediated settlement with Hennepin County, January 27. The agreement comes one day after Local 34 also reached a tentative deal. Workers represented by these two locals will begin voting on the contract February 2, the first day workers were poised to walk out. The bargaining committees of both locals are unanimously recommending a yes vote on the new contract offer.

This comes after a mediation session on January 18, where Hennepin County made a worse offer than members previously rejected in December. After that mediation session, Locals 34 and 2822 held informational pickets at 20 worksites and issued strike notices to the county. In the days that followed, the locals organized those picket leaders into strike captains, building strike capacity openly and at a fevered pace.

This strike would have forced the county to deploy scabs and workers in non-striking units to the most critical departments, resulting in the closure of many public buildings to maintain a patchwork of operations. To demoralize workers, Hennepin County Administrator David Hough sent emails to all staff containing anti-union agitation and outright lies. Among these lies was the intimation that striking workers would lose their health insurance immediately.

“You don’t make that many threats to your workers unless you’re scared of them,” says AFSCME Local 2822 Chief Steward Shane Clune. “Our members were outraged and ready to walk. We were openly and proudly talking about striking. Hough thought he could deceive and threaten our workers into giving up their sacred right to strike. And because our members stood up and fought, he saw that he had to finally offer us something.”

After the locals’ strike preparation, efforts came a new offer, where Hennepin County agreed to forgive “negative leave balances” taken by workers during the pandemic. This negative leave balance program, implemented by the county in early 2020, meant workers suffering from COVID-19 had to go into sick leave debt to the county if they had exhausted their paid leave due to COVID-19.

While the agreement didn’t meet all the union’s demands, the employer came to the table with a significantly better offer, which the negotiating committees decided to accept.

Ali Fuhrman, president AFSCME Local 2822 said, “Despite absolutely refusing to offer us anything in mediation last week, the employer came back this week with a better deal that, if approved by membership, will eliminate the morally reprehensible ‘paid leave debt’ that workers were forced to use to weather the pandemic. Workers sick with COVID, parents caring for children during school closures and workers temporarily furloughed took this debt on to survive. We want to be clear: this was put on the table for us because 34 and 2822 rejected the contract and threatened a strike.”

The deal also includes a 2.5% cost of living increase each year for three years, an additional 3% performance raise for workers who aren’t at the top of their job class’s pay range, increases to top pay for most workers, a $500 pandemic bonus, increased flexibility for funeral leave, increased paid parental leave from three to six weeks, and increased bus subsidies for workers.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #AFSCME #HennepinCountyAFSCME