WHEREAS:

            Individuals and organizations opposed to workers’ rights and public services have frequently turned to the ballot box to promote harmful policies using misleading language; and

WHEREAS:

            There are 24 ballot initiative states.  This year alone in almost all of these states these corporate-funded interests are attacking union members through measures that attack collective bargaining rights, the right of workers to form a union and the right of workers to engage in political speech; and

WHEREAS:

            These same interests are promoting ballot measures that would cripple public service funding through tax and spending limitations; and

WHEREAS:

            The funding for these ballot measures derives from the same shadowy front groups that corporations and billionaires use to funnel money into political campaigns; and

WHEREAS:

            AFSCME members and other public service workers are the primary target of these shadowy, harmful attacks.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME will fight to protect working families and union members from harmful ballot measures attempting to sap our collective strength at the bargaining table (like “right-to-work-for-less”) at the ballot box (like “paycheck deception”) or by diminishing access to public services (like “TABOR”) or retirement security (like “pension deform”); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME will strive to expose financial and ideological backers of the campaigns for these harmful measures, including big corporations and radical right-wing think tanks, who have made these efforts the cornerstone of their attack on working families; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME will work to build coalitions of progressive groups that support our positions on these workers’ rights campaigns; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME will work in coalition with the groups who support workers’ rights by supporting their campaigns against the corporate agenda on women’s health, environmental justice, marriage equality and other issues; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME will take the offensive and promote pro-active ballot measures to regain workers’ rights, to protect public services and to ensure the ballot initiative process reflects the true will of the people by advancing common sense reforms.