There's a lot going on for WFSE Department of Correction Members: an arbitration award resulting in significant raises for our 2023-25 contract, workload concerns, important legislation, union organizing in WMS, and much more. Find everything you need here in the Corrections Corner.
WFSE members must come to Olympia to lobby during the 2023 Legislative Session to ensure funding for our contracts, which will benefit our communities, workplaces and families.
Thanks to efforts by the Biden administration and AFSCME, many public service workers, including AFSCME members, have seen their student loans forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
Many AFSCME members work in high-stress fields such as public safety, health care, emergency medical services and firefighting. Their jobs have become even more stressful since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many of these workers to put their and their families’ well-being at risk while serving their communities.
But when these everyday heroes face mental health issues as a result of the high-stress environment and duties that expose them to trauma, they are often expected to deal with such challenges on their own.
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-saving prescription drugs come down. Millions more will receive relief from unfair student debt. And the wealthy are finally starting to pay their fair share.
To be sure, there is more work to be done. But if we continue this progress, we will have many more reasons to be optimistic about the future.
Faced with the management’s refusal to remedy unfair labor practices and address workers’ major priorities during contract negotiations, AFSCME Local 397 (District Council 47) – the Philadelphia Museum of Art Union (PMAU) – began a museum-wide strike Monday.
