WHEREAS, the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 may result in many welfare recipients being placed in public service or workfare jobs;

WHEREAS, welfare recipients assigned to workfare positions may be working with AFSCME members and performing similar work, but they will be paid far less for their labor, generally no more than the minimum wage;

WHEREAS, welfare recipients assigned to workfare positions will need union representation, and it is in the interests of AFSCME and the AFSCME members who will be working with them that they are represented by AFSCME, rather than some other organization;

WHEREAS, it is not yet known whether workfare employees will be afforded full, or even any, collective bargaining rights; and

WHEREAS, even if there is collective bargaining for workfare employees, AFSCME's ability to represent them may be limited by the extent to which various terms and conditions of employment are placed outside the scope of bargaining.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the AFSCME International Executive Board, acting pursuant to Article IX, Section 6 of the International Constitution, hereby delegates to the International President and International Secretary-Treasurer the authority to grant, on an interim basis pending approval by the International Executive Board at its next regular meeting, requests from subordinate bodies for dues and per capita tax rates for workfare employees which are below the dues and per capita tax rates of regular AFSCME members; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That workfare employees who join AFSCME shall be afforded full membership rights in AFSCME, without regard to whether they belong to an existing local union that includes non-workfare employees or to a local union that consists solely of workfare employees.