Roman

I truly believe these last two years with the president in the White House has been the rescue years.

Roman Arizona AFSCME Retiree Chapter 97, AZ
Vanessa

"Who you put in office does have an impact on your every day life."

Vanessa Philadelphia Retiree Chapter 47, PA
Laura

"I feel like I can finally breathe."

Laura District Council 37, NY
Craig

"This is going to be a game-changer."

Craig Illinois AFSCME Retiree Chapter 31, IL
Kanika

"I think me and my family have been more hopeful for the future."

Kanika Local 2960, AZ
Shirley

"The $1,400 helped me put everything back in the black."

Shirley AFSCME Florida, FL
Miren

"I was able to keep the doors open."

Miren UDW, CA
Wilfredo

"The unemployment rate has gone down. Medical care is much better."

Wilfredo Philadelphia Retiree Chapter 47, PA
Winstan

"We have a White House that isn’t afraid to invest in ... public services."

Winstan PEU Local 1, CA
Aaron

"We have so many more opportunities and ways to care and support our family."

Aaron Local 2773, Council 8, OH
Sonja

"Investments in infrastructure are long overdue."

Sonja Local 4041, NV
Noah

"Student loan forgiveness means I can pursue college again."

Noah Local 4041, NV

After years of confronting a rigged system and a brutal pandemic, working people are finally catching a break. But now, all our progress – and even our very rights and freedoms – are under attack. This November, the choice is clear. 

Ahead of this November’s midterm elections, public service workers are mobilizing up and down the ballot to continue the progress made for working people over the past two years. 

"I can’t begin to explain what this meant for me and my family,” she said I thought I was going to die with the debt."

Laura Morand
District Council 37, Local 2627
New York, NY

For far too long, too many families have barely kept their heads above water, struggling to pay the bills each month because of a rigged system that favors the wealthy. The pandemic made it worse, especially for public service workers fighting a brutal battle on the front lines of our communities.

But now, under the leadership of the Biden administration, we are turning a corner. Gas prices are falling, costs are coming down across the board, and unemployment is at historic lows. Working people are finally catching a break, and the wealthy are finally starting to pay their fair share.

There is more work to be done, but there are many more reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Over the past two years, landmark legislation has passed, and unprecedented investments have been made that will strengthen public services, rebuild infrastructure, and create good union jobs for years to come. These wins will also lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs, combat climate change and deliver student debt relief to tens of millions of Americans.

"This year alone, my wife and I have paid over seven thousand dollars for our deductibles and our out of pocket for those medications. The Inflation Reduction Act is going to be a game-changer for my household and millions of other retirees like me.”

Craig Missel
AFSCME Retiree Chapter 31
Springfield, IL

For the first time in ages, we have elected leaders in Washington who understand the challenges facing working families and are committed to making things better.

That is why this November, we must protect the progress we have made. Political extremists, and the same group of politicians who have spent decades rigging the system against working people, are teaming up to reverse all that we have accomplished. And to do it, they are hell-bent on taking away our rights and freedoms, putting our very democracy at risk.

As we get ready to vote, the choice is clear.

Watch Video

Two years of progress

The American Rescue Plan saved public services and public service jobs

 

American Rescue Plan (ARP) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. It brought the economy back from the brink. It put money directly in the pockets of working families, with payments of $1,400 to tens of millions of people. And the centerpiece of the bill was $350 billion in aid to states, cities, towns and schools – a huge investment that saved AFSCME jobs and restored public services that were on the chopping block.

 

Strong Union Contracts

The American Rescue Plan and pro-worker momentum coming from the Biden administration are helping public service workers negotiate some of the strongest contracts in years, winning better pay, safer working conditions and protecting pensions for retirees.

 

Landmark infrastructure investment is strengthening communities and creating good jobs

The historic bipartisan infrastructure bill is creating good union jobs while improving quality of life for all of us – everyone who drives on our roads, rides public transit, buys goods that pass through our ports, and who depends on clean drinking water broadband and a reliable power grid. A historic bill will bring down costs, fight climate change and ensure the wealthy pay their fair share.

 

The Inflation Reduction Act is also the law of the land, making a powerful difference in family budgets across the country. We have been fighting for this kind of change for decades. The new law will dramatically lower health care and prescription drug costs. For years, the big pharmaceutical companies have used their power in Washington to rake in more profits while gouging seniors and working families. But now, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, the federal government can now negotiate lower prices and provide badly needed relief to folks on Medicare, such as Craig Missel.

The wealthiest families and the biggest corporations will start paying their fair share, while no one making less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more. Finally, this law represents the nation’s biggest commitment ever to tackling climate change.

 

Relief from a never-ending spiral of student debt

President Biden took a bold step to help working families breathe a little easier. He delivered on a promise to ease the burden of crushing student debt. Up to 43 million people will get relief under the president’s plan, with about 20 million borrowers seeing their entire balance canceled.

In addition to debt cancellation, the president’s administration has overhauled the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF), making it easier for millions of dedicated public service workers to get student loan forgiveness.