About Los Angeles (Updated)
Posted April 24, 2012 | View at Greenline
Los Angeles is a high-energy city, a place of entertainment, arts and boundless dreams. It’s the perfect locale for delegates to AFSCME’s 40th International Convention to chart the course for our union’s future and celebrate its 75th Anniversary.
(Photo credit:
www.discoverlosangeles.com)
L.A. is known for balmy weather and ocean views, but the city also boasts a proud labor history – a tradition of solidarity that has grown stronger through the decades. In 1875, Los Angeles printers founded the first union in Southern California, Local No. 174 of the International Typographical Union. Today, more than 800,000 workers are represented by the unions of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Our host city is also one of the world’s sports capitals. Take your pick: whether it’s the Dodgers or Angels, Clippers, Lakers or Sparks, UCLA or USC, there’s a team in L.A. to make you cheer. In the City of Angels, convention activities will be headquartered at L.A. Live, an area overflowing with entertainment venues, restaurants and special events, all adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center.
For more information on events, attractions, restaurants and other activities, please visit: www.discoverlosangeles.com
United
Posted July 02, 2010 | View at Greenline
International Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders was sworn in this morning as AFSCME’s 39th International Convention concluded in Boston.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Saunders addressed the delegates and pledged to work for AFSCME members and workers across the country:
“Throughout our history, this has been what we do. We come together in support of those whose names may never be known, but whose work safeguards neighborhoods and strengthens communities.”
Stressing the importance of moving forward as a united union, Saunders praised Danny Donohue, his main competitor for the Secretary-Treasurer position, saying “You are my brother today, tomorrow and always. And I thank you for your grace and goodwill.”
Sec.-Treas. Saunders said he will continue to promote the Next Wave program, which recruits and trains young union leaders, and build on AFSCME’s commitment to diversity and equal pay for women. He also said he will work with councils and locals on a campaign to turn back efforts to gut defend defined pension plans.
Read the press release for more.
Women Take Charge at Café
Posted July 02, 2010 | View at Greenline
Hundreds of AFSCME women – and a few men – discussed ways to build leadership skills Thursday during the first-ever Women’s Leadership Café.
The readiness of existing AFSCME leaders to pass along their skills and knowledge to other members was a central theme of many stories. Philadelphia city accountant Marguerite Morgan noted, for instance, that after just seven years as an AFSCME member, “I’m already an officer” – recording secretary of Local 2187 and a trustee of DC 47. “That’s because our officers saw something in me I didn’t even see in myself.”
Confidence – based on the knowledge that you are in a powerful union – was also cited as a motivator for taking charge.
Linda Alexander, a nursing assistant at a county psychiatric nursing home and president of Local 2664 (Wisconsin Council 40), put it this way: “With AFSCME behind me, I knew I had somebody at my back.”
During the Café session, Lonetta Cook won first place in a drawing. Cook, a member of Local 1553 (Council 2), will receive a round-trip ticket to the 2011 Women’s Conference (location to be decided).
Political Power = Victories
Posted July 02, 2010 | View at Greenline
“Organized labor built this country, organized labor can save this country,” progressive talk radio and television host Ed Schultz said Thursday during a program on political achievement. “The country is on your shoulders!”
Schultz, as emcee, introduced three AFSCME members who related their successes, including the defeat of a ballot referendum to consolidate public services with another town.
Ken Fortier, a recycling truck driver for the Village of Johnson City, N.Y., and president of Local 3718 (District Council 66), said the union’s 39 members led a coalition that included police and firefighters to stop the measure. Their contract – and almost 100 jobs – was on the line. They succeeded: The measure was defeated by just one vote.
Robin Edwards, president of Child Care Providers Together Michigan/AFSCME Local 3051 (a joint venture between Council 25 and the United Auto Workers), told the story of 40,000 home-based child care providers who won the right to organize – and later a first contract – by helping to re-elect Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) in 2006.
Passing the “Fair Share Act” was the goal of AFSCME Maryland, said Sheila Hill, a corrections officer at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, Md., and president of Local 1319. Their efforts, including lobbying and a State House rally, paid off: The bill passed by overwhelming margins and became law last year.
The program was preceded by political analyst Donna Brazile, who reminded AFSCME members of the battle that lies ahead in the mid-term elections. “AFSCME is the Green Machine for a reason,” Brazile said. “You don’t wait for politicians, you lead the fight and you’re going to draw a line in November.”
Resolutions
Posted July 02, 2010 | View at Greenline
Delegates adopted several resolutions Thursday. Among them were five calling on AFSCME to:
- fight for the passage of the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (#23) and the Employee Free Choice Act (#60);
- hold politicians that promise – and then fail to support – AFSCME’s agenda accountable (#38);
- fight privatization of Human Services Delivery Systems (#12);
- and urge Congress to pass the Protect America’s Workers Act to extend Occupational Safety and Health Administration coverage to all public employees (#39).
