RESULTS FOR THE NEW ENGLAND DIRECTOR POSITION
The vote count took place on April 1, 2015, and was overseen by the AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION. Results were verified and endorsed by the UEMSW 4911 Election Committee. We congratulate JOHN ZENUS as our NEW ENGLAND DIRECTOR. John has taken the Oath of Office and w...
AFSCME members from across the country are sharing their stories of progress over the last two years.
The last two years have been full of challenges.But under the leadership of the Biden administration and this Congress, we are turning a corner. There have been unprecedented investments in public services and public service jobs. Millions will see the price of life-sav...
Nikki Smith
Nikki Smith started in EMS at the age of 19, beginning with EMT. She became a paramedic at 25 years old and her career included field training officer, alt supervisor, preceptor and clinical instructor. When she left the field she became a labor rep for UEMSW, continuin...
The union difference: Greatest wealth gains are for Black and Hispanic union households
We’ve said it before: Life is better in a union. Workers who belong to unions make more money than their nonunion counterparts. They have better health care insurance and retirement plans, more job security and safer working conditions. They’re happier.
Biden administration extends pause on student loan repayment
Good news for federal student loan borrowers: This month, the Biden administration again extended the pause on student debt repayment – this time through Aug. 31.
AFSCME-backed bill would help child care providers with food costs
AFSCME supports a proposal in Congress to ease the financial burden on child care professionals who provide meals and snacks.
Make your plan to vote today
If there’s one thing the 2020 election has in spades, it’s choices – and not just the choices between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, and choices up and down the ballot. In a year when our jobs, our families, and every aspect of our lives have...
Imperial County Medic walks to raise money
On a clear and quiet evening, Paramedic Guillermo Gonzalez prepared for his night.
Online Training Available for AFSCME Women Leading Change
Across the nation, women are creating change for working families more than ever before. The Women’s Leadership Academy is ready to train more AFSCME women to be leaders of that change.Introducing the 2019 Women’s Leadership Academy Online, which is kicking off training...
A New Jersey member’s career grows thanks to the AFSCME Free College Benefit
The pandemic has led many of us to take stock of our lives and our goals. For AFSCME New Jersey member LaTrenda Ross, the pandemic ignited a long-held dream—starting her own life coaching business.“I was thinking about revamping my whole entire life,” recalls Ross, a me...
In No Uncertain Terms
EMS Week is a time to recognize the sacrifices that EMS professionals make for their communities and to honor these skilled heroes who rush into danger when we need them most. AFSCME EMS professionals play an essential role in the emergency response system, but their st...
Amid tragedy, the ‘true soul of Hawaii’ shines bright
Cameron Dexter with U.S. President Biden. Member provided photo.
‘We Wouldn’t Have Anything If It Weren’t for Our Union’
When he first took a job at the Centralia Correctional Center in Illinois, Keith Kracht knew that a career in public service wouldn’t make him a millionaire. But then again, that’s not why he went into public service.
Bayou State Blues: Members Slammed While Processing Record Unemployment Claims
AFSCME members working for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) are hopping busy these days fulfilling a critical mission. They are helping Louisianans survive as the Bayou State’s economy buckles under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.
Splash Medics Is Saving Children from Drowning
Lisa La Russo remembers watching the TV series “Emergency!” when she was 5.The 1970s show featured two specially-trained firefighters/paramedics in Los Angeles County who went around saving lives. It wasn’t children’s entertainment but it spoke to La Russo.“I felt reall...
Hospital Wait Times Impact EMS
You arrive at the emergency department with your patient to see a wall of ambulances taking up every available space. As you unload the gurney your patient looks around anxiously, seeing the other gurneys with patients on them waiting to be seen by the hospital staff. P...
House Bill Simplifies and Fixes PSLF, Overhauls Higher Education
A bill that has been introduced in the House of Representatives would simplify the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for current and would-be participants.
Biden’s new $9 billion student debt relief plan would greatly help public service workers
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration halted all federal student loan repayments. After the national COVID-19 emergency ended in March 2023, Congress passed a law preventing further extensions. As a result, payments resumed in October.For people whose s...
AFSCME Praises Supreme Court Ruling Protecting LGBTQ Workers
AFSCME praised today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that extends protections under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to millions of LGBTQ workers.In a statement, AFSCME President Lee Saunders said such protections are long overdue and represent an important ste...
Another reason to involve yourself in the GA Senate runoffs – funding for front-line heroes
Here’s a crucial reason for working people to do all they can to help Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock win the Georgia Senate runoff elections in January – federal aid to states, cities, towns and schools.If Ossoff and Warnock prevail, there will be a pro-worker...
We made it happen: Union members helped win the American Rescue Plan
As the world marked the anniversary of the official start of the coronavirus pandemic Thursday, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law and offered words of hope to a weary nation.
Outnumbered and exhausted, a Louisiana corrections lieutenant fights for better staffing
Member-provided photo
AFSCME’s Saunders urges Senate to act on House-approved Build Back Better Act
AFSCME President Lee Saunders on Friday urged the Senate to follow in the footsteps of the House of Representatives and approve the Build Back Better Act, which he said would be a turning point for our country.