News

Local 872: Taco plates and contract debates

Nothing can stop WFSE Local 872 from getting together to envision a better contract — not even a swarm of chile-verde-hungry yellow jackets!

WFSE Members Endorse Political Candidates for 2024 Elections

Local delegates, executive board members, and member of PEOPLE, our union's political action fund, came together on April 27 to decide which candidates our union endorses in a critical 2024 election season.

WFSE Celebrates Public Service Recognition Week

It’s Public Service Recognition Week, and that means celebration. 

Injured on the Job, Corrections Officer Links Safety with Collective Bargaining Rights

Safety Through Collective Bargaining Rights: Kelvin's Story

The day after he was released from a hospital, a bruised and swollen Kelvin Chung told a state Senate committee that state employees like him need collective bargaining rights to advocate for safety on the job. “I want you to see my face. We need a voice on the job, so this doesn't happen again to anyone else,” said Chung, a corrections officer.

NJ Librarian Praises Fast Access to Disaster Relief Grant with the Union Plus Credit Card

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy battered the east coast of the United States, causing billions of dollars in damage across 24 states. The hurricane quickly became known in the impacted region as “Superstorm Sandy.”

Shileen Shaw knows firsthand how the storm got that name.

“We had never seen anything like it,” says Shaw, recalling the damage her East Orange, New Jersey, home suffered at the time.

Assistant Attorneys General Win Right to Collectively Bargain

Assistant Attorneys General in Washington State officially gained the right to collectively bargaining when Governor Inslee signed Senate Bill 5297 into law this morning.

The bill signing was witnessed by an exuberant group of advocates and members of the Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (AWAAG). AWAAG joined WFSE earlier this year to make collective bargaining a reality for 600 AAGs across the state.

We Can Do More for Worker Safety

Workers Memorial Day is this Sunday, April 28, when we honor workers killed or injured on the job. On this day in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed.

For almost half a century, OSHA has been charged with helping to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for men and women across this country. But under the Trump administration, OSHA is failing us. As we observe Workers Memorial Day, it’s clear that we can do more – much more – for worker safety.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: A Broken Promise

Megha Desai is a public defender in Multnomah County, Oregon. In a given week, she might work upwards of 60 hours. Right now, she has about 145 open cases.

“It's like a conveyor belt. Every day you work on your assigned cases, new ones roll in,” said Desai, a member of Local 2805 (Council 75). “There's a joke in the office: If you don't come in on the weekends, you’re screwed for the next week.”

The first weekend of April was an exception: It was her wedding. 

WSDOT Memorial Honors Killed and Injured Workers

OLYMPIA, Wash. — On Wednesday, community and family gathered to honor fallen and injured Washington State Department of Transportation workers.

This week marks the 2019 National Work Zone Awareness Week. In Washington State, DOT worker safety remains a significant issue. According to WSDOT, 11 workers lost their lives due to work zone crashes, and 422 workers were injured just in 2018.

At the worker memorial, an honor guard of 60 WSDOT workers commemorated the service and lives of the 60 workers killed on the job in Washington since 1950.

AFSCME Celebrates National Library Workers Day

All-knowing sources of information. Tour guides to the highways and byways of history. The friendly voice of a morning story time. If that’s all you think of when you think of your library staff, you’d do well to meet some of AFSCME’s library workers, whose reach goes far beyond their libraries’ walls.

Today is National Library Workers Day, when we honor those professionals who keep our libraries running: librarians, technicians and other staff, including custodians, security and maintenance workers.