WHEREAS:

After the November 2010 elections, it was clear that we faced massive assaults – on our union, on all of labor and working people, on public services and on the middle class standard of living we had fought and sacrificed for; and

WHEREAS:

In anticipation of these assaults, the International Executive Board in December authorized an all-out campaign to fight these assaults. The International Union and affiliates around the country moved into action. Together we mobilized our staff and resources, boosted our campaign capacity, and integrated efforts across departments and among affiliates in an unprecedented effort to both defend ourselves against these assaults and to emerge from them a stronger, more vital union; and

WHEREAS:

The assault on workers’ rights began in Wisconsin, where AFSCME was born. In addition to stripping 7,000 child care workers of their newly-won bargaining rights, Governor Scott Walker proposed to decimate all public employee collective bargaining rights, in the guise of budget relief. He hoped to enact his bill quickly and quietly, but he underestimated the power and unity of working people. After three weeks of the most massive protests our country has seen in decades, the governor and Republican senators resorted to questionable parliamentary tricks and violated open meeting laws. Stripped of any mention of the budget, and after workers had agreed to the economic demands made by the governor, the legislation passed and was signed into law on March 11. The protests only grew and protestors’ energy and anger are reflected in the recall drives against the governor and Republican senators that have begun; and

WHEREAS:

In Michigan, on March 1, Governor Rick Snyder eliminated collective bargaining rights for 20,000 home-based child care providers by executive order. On March 16, ignoring the voices of the thousands who demonstrated against this power grab, he signed the so-called “emergency financial managers” legislation into law. Among other provisions, the law would allow the governor to declare a financial emergency in a local unit of government and appoint an emergency financial manager who could unilaterally terminate collective bargaining, dismiss democratically elected local officials and consolidate local governments or school districts without consulting voters; and

WHEREAS:

In Ohio, legislation gutting public sector bargaining has passed the Senate and is now before the House. The original bill eliminated all bargaining rights for state and higher education employees. AFSCME members and allies helped ensure that the measure that reached the House restored at least limited bargaining rights to state and higher education employees. If this bill passes, Ohioans will work to win their rights back through a “citizens’ veto” referendum; and

WHEREAS:

Bills attacking collective bargaining rights, cutting public sector pay and benefits, requiring or enabling privatization or eliminating bargaining altogether have been introduced across the country, including: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee and Washington. So-called right-to work (for less) legislation or initiatives are being considered in 15 states and expected in others; and

WHEREAS:

Lawmakers understand the power of unions. They know that union members are among the most active participants in our democracy. They know that only unions can effectively challenge Wall Street and corporate interests. They know that if they weaken unions, the moneyed interests who got them elected will be even more powerful. But in state after state, AFSCME members and a massive coalition of Americans are uniting to tell lawmakers that we treasure our freedoms and our democracy and we intend to keep them; and

WHEREAS:

AFSCME’s PEOPLE PAC (Public Employees Organized to Promote Legislative Equality) is an essential tool in fighting these battles and protecting our freedoms. Increasing PEOPLE participation at all levels is more important than ever before; and

WHEREAS:

On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Memphis where he joined with AFSCME sanitation workers who had a dream: the right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life. Today, that dream is being threatened and that threat is electrifying people across America. In memory of Dr. King, April 4, 2011, has been declared a national day of action, We Are One, where we will stand as one for human rights and dignity against those politicians who want to silence millions of working families.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That beginning with worship services the weekend of April 1, and continuing throughout the week, we encourage all affiliates to fully participate in We Are One; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME is humbled and inspired by the heroic efforts of our members and their allies across the country as they have stood up to politicians, corporate interests, the right-wing media and their powerful allies and shown them just what democracy looks like; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME reaffirms its commitment to the strong partnerships between the International Union and affiliates that have made these battles in state after state possible. Winning these battles is AFSCME’s top priority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

This is not just a fight for Wisconsin, or Ohio, or Michigan or any of the other states that are directly threatened; this is a fight for the very life of our union and for the rights and livelihoods of the men and women who make America happen. The International Union and all affiliates pledge to devote all resources necessary to win this fight; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That we reaffirm our commitment to the PEOPLE PAC as a critical component of AFSCME’s program of political action and will redouble our efforts to achieve our goal of enrolling 10 percent of our members at the MVP level; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

An important part of winning this fight is bringing together AFSCME leaders from every state to take stock of what we’ve been through, to assess how it has reshaped our union and to plan next steps. To that end, this year, instead of the AFSCME Legislative Conference, we will hold a Battleground Summit June 6-8 in Washington, D. C.