WHEREAS:

The Janus case was an effort led and funded by anti-union billionaires to impose nationwide right-to-work in the public sector, to shrink and diminish the power of AFSCME and other public sector unions. Despite the unfair outcome in Janus, these anti-union organizations have failed to weaken AFSCME, and in fact, our union has grown stronger as more new members have signed up than have opted out; and

WHEREAS:

Despite the best efforts of anti-worker groups and billionaires, our union has seen two years of membership growth since the Janus decision; and

WHEREAS: 

Since Janus, AFSCME has won landmark victories for public service workers by securing collective bargaining rights for 20,000 Nevada state employees, tens of thousands of Virginia local government employees and more than 40,000 family child care providers in California. We have already successfully brought thousands of Nevada’s state workers into AFSCME and won exclusive representation for all 40,000 child care providers in California. We are poised to organize thousands more public workers into AFSCME when the law authorizing public sector bargaining in Virginia goes into effect on May 1, 2021; and 

WHEREAS:

These landmark victories are attributable to our AFSCME Strong program and our pioneering hybrid organizing-political program that links membership recruitment with the election of pro-worker lawmakers and winning workers’ rights; and 

WHEREAS:

AFSCME has shown incredible heroism, creativity and resilience during this pandemic as we continue to provide our members with quality representation while growing our union. Whether it is winning representation rights for tens of thousands of workers in California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Colorado, Ohio, Maryland, New York and Nevada; fighting for the right to organize for private sector workers who suffer under a rigged Trump NLRB; leading the coalition in the fight for sufficient state and local aid from the federal government; or being at the forefront of the effort to elect worker-friendly political leaders in 2020, AFSCME members never quit. Our union’s efforts to deploy novel strategies and tactics to overcome the restriction on our basic in-person, member-to-member organizing are becoming increasingly effective and our organizing program is the envy of the labor movement; and 

WHEREAS:

AFSCME’s internal organizing program remains remarkably successful and has been instrumental in achieving substantial improvements in wages, benefits and working conditions for our members while growing our union. Our new employee outreach programs remain effective, despite social distancing requirements. More affiliates are successfully accreting workers. And we continue to convert workers who were formerly “fee-payers” into full membership. These successes are made possible by the front-line heroes who are AFSCME-strong.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 

That AFSCME reaffirms our commitment to continue one-on-one conversations with members, engage activists in building local unions, set goals to mobilize the union’s membership, reach out to new employees in union workplaces, deploy our successful hybrid campaign strategy and follow other best practices that build our union and workers’ power; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME, at all levels, will take advantage of this time when millions of workers are voicing support for becoming part of the labor movement, and we will mobilize and renew efforts to embrace unorganized public service and health care workers throughout the nation. Member activists, Volunteer Member Organizers, leaders and staff will work in concert to identify organizing opportunities, organize the unorganized and empower more workers by providing them with the power of collective action and a voice on the job; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That AFSCME continue to leverage the power of our political program to support our organizing program. Endorsed candidates and officeholders should be held accountable to support both the right to organize for public employees who still do not have comprehensive collective bargaining rights and labor peace requirements for government contractors and grantees where legally justifiable. We will fight for federal labor laws including the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act and the Protecting the Right to Organize Act so that all workers can organize and fight for a better future for themselves, their families and our country.

SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board