Throughout the year, AFSCME Local 199 members have made volunteering one of the key union-wide goals to help build connections with the same people they serve every day working for Miami-Dade County. That community service has taken on many forms but also added importance after Hurricane Irma exposed just how big of an issue food insecurity is for many hard working families.
In state capitols and all the way to the Supreme Court, wealthy and powerful interests want to silence our voice and take away our freedoms. To fight back, we must lead with our values. We must stand up to say proudly who AFSCME is and what we stand for.
AFSCME Florida executive director Andy Madtes released the following statement on the GOP tax plan released today. AFSCME Florida will mobilize members, retirees and allies to put pressure on Congressional members from both parties to reject this plan:
When working people have the freedom to come together in strong unions, entire communities benefit. Unions give everyday working people the power in numbers they need to make their communities safer and stronger, and they are critical to fixing an economy rigged in favor of the rich and powerful.
Whether it’s EMS workers negotiating for better staff ratios that decrease emergency response times, or teachers speaking up together for smaller class sizes, this report underscores that strong unions are needed now more than ever.
This summer, the members of AFSCME Local 1363 decided it was time to breathe new life into their union. They came together to plot a new path forward so they could strengthen AFSCME’s voice for the workers within Miami-Dade County’s Jackson Health System and improve services to the community.
When Irma slammed into south Florida in September, a Miami 311 operator named Lorraine Brown fielded calls throughout the weekend, talking to anxious people and making sure their requests were routed appropriately. "I'm not leaving until maybe Monday at the earliest," Brown said. With access to showers and food, she and her colleagues didn't see the need to go home. "We can sleep later," she added.
