News

To kick off National Apprenticeship Week, United We Heal (UWH) celebrated their graduating apprentices in Portland on Friday, November 15th. 

Workers from the Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU), represented by Oregon AFSCME Local 1264, have announced a vote of no confidence against Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Direc

In a nearly unanimous vote today, Benton County workers represented by AFSCME Local 2064 ratified a strong three-year contract, following nearly a year of bargaining and five days on the strike lin

Following a brutal workplace attack in October that left her unconscious and hospitalized, Tina Suckow is speaking out. She and her AFSCME sisters and brothers are raising their voices against her firing by Iowa state authorities and in favor of a federal bill that would help prevent such workplace attacks.

I was twenty-five, a young and rambunctious unionist - I didn’t think of myself as a trouble maker, more a rabble-rouser. It was my first AFSCME convention - honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting into. However, when I saw resolution 11, the resolution to bring transgender and gender nonconforming peoples into the protected clauses in the AFSCME contracts, I just knew that I’d been “voluntold” to go to the convention for a reason.

EMS Week is a time to recognize the sacrifices that EMS professionals make for their communities and to honor these skilled heroes who rush into danger when we need them most. AFSCME EMS professionals play an essential role in the emergency response system, but their stories—and the wounds they suffer on the job—are often overlooked.

Members of AFSCME’s law enforcement community take countless risks to keep our communities safe. When those brave heroes make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, our obligation is to never forget them.

National Police Week is a time to honor fallen law enforcement officers, as well as a time for the law enforcement community to stand in solidarity with each other.

During National Nurses Week, we celebrate the heroes who, with skill and compassion, care for the sick. This year, we’re honoring their hard work and dedication by supporting the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill that seeks to raise the bar on safety standards and protect nurses from preventable incidents of violence at work.
The day after he was released from a hospital, a bruised and swollen Kelvin Chung told a state Senate committee that state employees like him need collective bargaining rights to advocate for safety on the job. “I want you to see my face. We need a voice on the job, so this doesn't happen again to anyone else,” said Chung, a corrections officer.

Oregon AFSCME is excited to announce a new way AFSCME represented members and leaders can connect with and engage in our Union.  As more and more members get active in their local union, we want to add a new and efficient way for members to easily get questions answered and concerns responded to; while also providing additional support to member leaders.  For this reason, we are bringing a new resource to our Council, the AFSCME Council 75 SMART CENTER which stands for Steward, Member, Assistance, Representation, and Training Center.

Workers Memorial Day is this Sunday, April 28, when we honor workers killed or injured on the job. On this day in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed.

For almost half a century, OSHA has been charged with helping to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for men and women across this country. But under the Trump administration, OSHA is failing us. As we observe Workers Memorial Day, it’s clear that we can do more – much more – for worker safety.