President Saunders outlines a ‘fearless agenda’ in keynote address

By AFSCME Staff ,

In his keynote address to open AFSCME’s 46th International Convention on Monday, President Lee Saunders celebrated our union’s victories over the past two years, presented a bold vision for the future called the “Fearless Agenda,” and emphasized how critical it is to help elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in November. 

Organizing wins topped the list of victories, across a broad swath of sectors that range from health care to cultural workers.  

“They all want the strength and security of belonging to something bigger than themselves,” Saunders said of workers who recently organized with AFSCME. “And they are choosing AFSCME because they know we are the union for public service workers. Organizing remains our most important responsibility. Whether it’s reaching out externally to unrepresented workers or adding members internally from existing bargaining units, we must all do this work every single day.” 

AFSCME’s organizing wins over the past two years have been matched by our union’s successes at the bargaining table — despite, Saunders noted, a pandemic that could have devastated us and a Supreme Court case that made the entire public sector right to work. 

“We have negotiated groundbreaking contracts in the last few years, some of our best in generations,” Saunders said. “And we couldn’t have done it without the blast of federal aid received by states, cities, towns and schools from the American Rescue Plan.” 

AFSCME, Saunders said, is more powerful than any time in decades. 

Threats still loom 

Despite these victories, Saunders warned, AFSCME cannot be complacent. We’re confronting new, immediate threats.  

The most immediate? 

“They call it Project 2025, and it is a clear and direct threat to you, your union, your job, and the people you serve,” Saunders warned of Donald Trump’s 900-page extremist agenda to take power away from working people. “Project 2025 would end the labor movement as we know it. And it specifically calls for banning unions of public service workers like AFSCME.”  

It would also erase the accomplishments the Biden-Harris administration has made, accomplishments like reining in prescription drug costs, easing the burden of student debt, and more. 

A moment like this, Saunders said, calls for “forward-looking ideas that address the challenges that keep people up at night … an alternative vision — a plan for the future of public service workers.

President Lee Saunders delivers an inspirational keynote address on the first day of the 46th AFSCME International Convention. Photo credit: Khalid Naji-Allah 

 

The Fearless Agenda 

“The Fearless Agenda will focus on the concerns members have every day at work, like health and safety on the job,” Saunders said.  

Whether it’s corrections officers who fear being assaulted or groundskeepers who work in extreme heat, the Fearless Agenda will prioritize a fundamental right to return home at the end of the day unharmed. 

“The Fearless Agenda,” Saunders added, “must also address the staffing issues that still push AFSCME members to the breaking point.” 

“Last year, we launched our Staff the Front Lines initiative to tackle this problem head-on — to improve recruitment and retention, to bring qualified and passionate people into public service,” Saunders said.  

While hiring is starting to bounce back, AFSCME remains committed to Staff the Front Lines’ long-term goals, including deploying the AFSCME Job Training and Development Center to help affiliates meet their workforce needs. 

The Fearless Agenda will also prioritize the care economy. 

“We must increase access to care while also lifting up care workers, who have too often lived in the shadows,” Saunders said. 

While workers in the care economy have fought tenaciously to shift the tide in their favor — especially in states like California — Saunders said, “We have to do more because care providers are the most essential of essential workers.” 

Political engagement is a major thrust of the Fearless Agenda, especially electing Harris and Walz in November. 

“Kamala Harris once said that AFSCME members ‘do … the most noble and selfless work that anyone can do,’” Saunders said. “So, if you want a president who honors your sacrifice, a president with the deepest respect for everything you do to strengthen our communities … you should get on the bus and support Kamala Harris.” 

Saunders also stressed the historic nature of what a Harris presidency would mean. Saunders’ mom, 98 years old, is a fearless Harris supporter.  

“She’s seen a lot of change and progress in her lifetime. Well into her adulthood, African Americans in the South were still living under the thumb of Jim Crow. She was born only a few years after the U.S. Constitution was amended to give women the right to vote,” Saunders said.  

This fall, Saunders said, his mom will vote for Kamala Harris to be the 47th president of the United States. 

In closing, Saunders said, by remaining committed to the Fearless Agenda, “we will continue to organize and grow. We will continue to kick ass at the bargaining table. We will defeat Project 2025 and win in November. And we will make our bold new agenda a reality in the lives of all our members because we are fearless.”

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