WHEREAS:

Climate change is upon us, with 2023 being the hottest year in the last two centuries, according to the journal “Nature.” Climate change is changing the entire planetary environment, increasing risk of disasters of every kind; and

WHEREAS:

In September 2020, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest was decimated by firestorms destroying swaths of forests and enveloping the entirety of towns like Detroit, Talent and, unironically, Phoenix. With winds pushing flames at 120-plus miles per hour, members of Oregon AFSCME responded throughout the state to save their communities, making contributions by dispatching 911 calls from a terrified public knowing there was no help available to send, making evacuation notices, erecting roadblocks to limit public exposure and limit looting, maintaining and fixing overburdened hydrants and water systems, monitoring health effects of the incredible smoke generated, manning evacuation and information centers, within eight hours successfully moving an entire 911 center 40 miles away from the fire without losing one call or one radio transmission and thousands of other tasks; and

WHEREAS:

During that event Oregon AFSCME realized that our union family had homes that were burning or in danger, members’ families were evacuating, entire employer operations were evacuating and there was uncertainty in the future. We looked in our toolbox to see what tools we had that might be able to easily identify affected members and get them the assistance needed. We used our political mapping database along with publicly available evacuation and fire boundary maps to identify ZIP codes of affected areas and then sent text messages to those members to inquire about their status, any damage and any immediate needs. We set up central crowdfunding and a response matrix to assign immediate action for our members when they most needed it. This immediate aid from their union was reported to be the only immediate aid some burned out families had for five to six months before insurance companies and the American Red Cross were able to distribute assistance; and

WHEREAS:

During the Gray Fire near Medical Lake, Washington, on Aug. 18, 2023, AFSCME Local 573 had a wildfire blow up at Lakeland Village, their workplace and a state-operated 24-hour facility that provides all facets of training, education and health care for approximately 210 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These members stayed at work even while their own homes were on fire, dealing with thick smoke and driving through falling, burning trees on the roadways. AFSCME members put away their duties as caretakers, nutritional workers and maintenance staff and immediately pushed residents in wheelchairs up hills, with the fire only a few hundred feet away. Not a single resident was harmed. Members of Local 573 were awarded the Medal of Valor by the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28 for their heroic evacuation efforts during the level 3 evacuation of over 200 residents during the fire; and

WHEREAS:

During firestorms on Aug. 7, 2023, that plagued the Hawaiian island of Maui and others over 100 lives were lost and 2,200 structures destroyed. The Lahaina district, where over 300 AFSCME members lived, was hit particularly hard. The three AFSCME affiliates in Maui, United Public Workers AFSCME Local 646, Hawaii Government Employees Association Local 152 and United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), jumped into action to assist to evacuate citizens, search for victims and provide care for victims. It was said that even through the smoke-filled skies that the true soul of Hawaii shined brightly with citizens and members coming together with donations from their own cupboards and closets and purchased out of their own pockets; and

WHEREAS:

There are countless other stories from around AFSCME International highlighting heroism and generosity that are not included in this resolution. The risk of disaster is universal for all the communities that AFSCME services and members reside in, and the potential for dangerous impact is a commonality that all AFSCME members face daily.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME International will convene a task group to not only capture all the best practices and stories from our members suffering from loss and damage from the very same disasters they are responding to and working on, as well as best practices and stories from other labor unions around the world also coping with similar disasters and situations, but also to develop a response framework that can be easily deployed throughout our labor movement with opportunities for financial and deployable supports for those affected affiliates; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:                                 

That the 2024 AFSCME International Convention declares that all AFSCME members are indeed Front Line and Fearless no matter the classification of job or tasks assigned, in our responses to disasters and emergencies threatening our communities, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with our union families when they are coping with their own disasters.

SUBMITTED BY:
Frederick Yungbluth, Jr., President
Meredith Hickman, Secretary
AFSCME Council 75
Oregon