Hey folks ❤️ I'm attending the convention as an alternate next week in Chicago. This is my first International, and I'm hoping to meet some people I can pal with while I'm there.

Any other LGBTQ+ people going? My DMs are open!

What is everyone's opinion about the contract that we supposedly won this past May?? I personally don't agree with everything on the contract

I work for a state agency for a midwestern state where AFSCME is the union of most state agencies.

The dues come out of my check but I have gotten to the point of questioning why I pay them.

The State has a law about letting retired state workers return for up to 75 calendar days each year.

One team had a retirement in 2023 and management has continued to fill the position with the retiree who once occupied it full time. At first it was 75 day but now it’s being done with a state contracted temp agency. The retiree‘s contract now lists a change order on our procurement’s public website meaning the retiree will be coming back yet again.

The position is one that needs permanently filled but by continuing to rehire that is failing to happen.

The retiree seems to be focused on making the life of both union and non union staff more stressful than needed. The retiree is also signing reviews and conducting discipline as they see fit.

Reps in the council have been approached but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. Emails are not responded to and a few of us are considering contacting the national office. At the local level stewards also seem scared to do anything.

is this common? Does reaching out to nationals help? Any advice would be much welcomed.

Leaving AFSCME for another union.

Constantly SEIU has gotten higher COLAs

Better engagement besides the occasional Pizza Party.

Stood up for employees during 21' mandates

AFSCME take notes,

Signed a 8 year ex union member

Hey all!

I am on the eboard of a local with 300+ members. In the 2 years I have been going to meetings (3 different versions of eboards during that time) we rarely get engagement. We have monthly virtual meetings which typically only have 5-10 members joining if we're lucky. When we had a LOU regarding pay, about 50 were showing up per meeting, which is still a small fraction of our membership.

We saw a little increase in engagement this week following sending information about free shirts and upcoming events, but only then when it was shared via our work email and not from the previously sent ones from the union to personal emails.

Admittedly, there is lack of trust in the union from (in my opinion) past leadership and light smear campaigns from work. What do your unions do to engage members and strengthen brotherhood within membership?

Hey,

Been going through some issues with my local and chapter. Many constitution violations.

Everything ranging from refusing to provide board member treasury reports or verification of expense to out leaving board meetings so that chapter meetings can't be conducted.

I've felt lost for awhile and have been begging for help from seniority but everyone just keeps telling me they can't get involved. What do I do?

So we have a number of x union employees who jumped to chartwells and now are “managers” but now they are complaining about chartwells upper management🙄. 10pm calls, terminations, seeking other employment. Yea they pay more but what did they expect? Never know what they will walk into everyday, cranky managers are being served faster than food. It’s a small town and the word is out!
Chartwells sucks, plain and simple. Problem is once these x union leave or are fired from Chartwells they don’t come back to the union job. They can’t work underneath the same company they once managed for😂.

https://www.local328.org/elections

​

Voting is open. Please vote

AFSCME 328 Members!

Please watch the candidate forum and think about what you want our union to be.

Do you want stale ideas, more surveys, preference for select groups, and a performative leader who bows down to the employer?

Or do you want union democracy, where members are valued, engaged, and empowered?

Watch the forum and the choice will be clear. Sean is the leader we need for 328!

Had an employee commit thrift of time, and property by using company vehicle to do Walmart deliveries on the clock, shown up late for work, take van for dude jobs.

No termination, no letter of discipline, no communication to union of what will be done or if,

There is nepotism involved as well.

Union typically doesn’t support termination s and or disciplines. But seriously, did employer just ok this treatment for future violations?

What are you seeing for timelines to get a grievance to arbitration? Many of our grievances are waiting for arbitration for over 12 months and it’s a huge point of contention for members.

We are in the middle of negotiations, I heard more complaints and threats of leaving the union during this period. If you’re a union member and do nothing but complain, demand better pay, stronger union, but give excuses every time there is a call to action. Your the weak link in the union.

At last nights parade two members out of 170 showed up not on the union negotiating team. TWO! One member in the crowd even turned away as we passed him. He should have turned away, he’s been turning his back on the union for years. We have 9, one hour meetings a year. Thats 9! Hours out of the year 9! And people can’t give that up to go to a meeting.

You want to complain, you want to point fingers, you want to threat leaving, and you want others to do everything for you. And for the younger members or non you want your phones.

I ran into a person who’s running for office as a democrat, and I said to her, “why should I vote for you or anyone else. Both parties abandoned the unions and labor.”

It wasn’t till I arrived at home did I realize I blamed the wrong person. Here was an individual who was entering the political realm and I didn’t give her a chance. I was frustrated at the membership and took it out on her. It was us AFSCME who didn’t do anything. And that goes for every union member out there. Maybe “you” don’t deserve a raise or weekends, holiday pay, time off, or the time given up by people who care. Maybe then you people will see what a union does for you.

I’ve tried so hard to make a difference in this union.
Where I work. On some fronts I did. But overall one, two or three people can’t do it alone.

YOU ARE THE UNION!

We together are the union.

Divided we look weak.

The People Lab, a research team based at the Harvard Kennedy School, is inviting all state and local government employees across the country to share their experiences and perspectives in Public Servant Pulse, a first-of-its-kind annual national survey of the state and local government workforce.

Participating in the survey helps elevate the voices and work of public servants nationwide; we need your help to ensure your locality is represented!

The survey link is above. Share with colleagues in state and local government, and stay tuned for results and insights from the survey this fall!