Like many DCYF workers in Washington, Taylor Andrews-Garcelon loves her clients but has felt her job get more stressful and dangerous in the last few years.
Big decisions about our working conditions and livelihoods were made in Olympia during the 2024 legislative session. Through our union, we had a seat at the table and came away with major improvements for public employees.
SEATTLE — More than a year after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling some thought would deal a major blow to unions, the organizations show no signs of slowing down in Washington state. The 2018 decision on Janus v. AFSCME had the potential to cut off one revenue stream to public unions: it allowed employees to opt out of "fair-share" fees even as the unions continued to negotiate for them.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR GLADYS BURBANK — OCT. 20 IN LACEY The Celebration of Life for Gladys Burbank will be 2-5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019 at the Jacob Smith House, 4500 Intelco Loop S.E., Lacey, WA 98503.
The 19 presidential candidates who participated in the AFSCME Public Service Forum on Saturday disagreed on a range of topics, but they all agreed on one issue – our country needs a federal law that expands and protects collective bargaining rights for all public service workers.
The work Joe Martinez does for the Los Angeles County Fire Department is emblematic of countless AFSCME members: he’s never in the spotlight and he’s always under pressure while lives are on the line.
When a harsh, disruptive lighting change gave employees watery eyes and headaches, WFSE Local 872 members took action. Their collective voices and strategy convinced management to do the right thing and correct the problem.
“The agency went to LED lighting, which was a good thing,” said Alan Bogner, Brownfields Manager and Vice President of WFSE Local 872. “But the lighting that they put in came with a pretty wide range of brightness level, and they unfortunately set the level at high, at maximum, throughout the entire building. It was just too much. It was way too bright.”
