WHEREAS:

In 2014, AFSCME members launched the 50,000 stronger campaign to build our capacity to fight for and protect jobs that sustain our families and provide basic respect and dignity. We embraced building solidarity through one-on-one relationship building, by taking on the fights that matter and by engaging all represented workers to urge them to commit to membership to make their union stronger and better positioned to improve public services and their jobs; and

WHEREAS:

Those practices and our success led AFSCME members to embrace the AFSCME Strong program in 2016. We recommitted to strengthening our union internally through one-on-one conversations, blitzes and contract campaign fights led by union activists; and

WHEREAS:

The AFSCME Strong program was a success, with 25,000 member activists recruiting over 500,000 new members through more than 1 million conversations about their union; and

WHEREAS:

In 2018, AFSCME delegates to our Convention reaffirmed that AFSCME Strong principles and practices are essential to our union and not merely a temporary initiative; and

WHEREAS:

The pandemic crisis has negatively impacted public sector employment through attrition, retirements and excessive turnover, which threaten the membership and security of AFSCME unions across the country and ultimately the ability of members to protect and raise standards and win tough fights; and

WHEREAS:

VMOs have been critical to AFSCME’s external organizing success and are the foundation of external organizing programs in core AFSCME sectors like health care, behavioral health and human services, cultural institutions and general government; and

WHEREAS:

There is renewed interest among the U.S. workforce in achieving a voice on the job. This is a unique opportunity to organize public service workers and grow the union in strength and power.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

AFSCME affiliates will recommit to AFSCME Strong goals of recruiting an army of activists to conduct one-on-one conversations with all members and nonmembers of the union and mobilize them to win fair pay, good working conditions and quality public services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

AFSCME affiliates will institutionalize an internal organizing culture through a structure of accountability such as membership chairs or committees that track and review performance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

AFSCME affiliates will facilitate local union implementation of New Employee Outreach programs, membership drives and blitzes around contract campaigns and other opportunities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

AFSCME affiliates will invest in external organizing to achieve membership growth, including hiring staff exclusively assigned to external organizing, deploying VMOs to engage nonunion workers, targeting key employers in their core sectors and prioritizing the growth agenda when supporting candidates for public office; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

The International Union will focus its resources to support organizing activities and assist affiliate organizing program development and will work closely with affiliates to recruit VMOs to participate in external organizing campaigns coordinated by the International Union.

SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board