News

“The fear is constant and overwhelming.” Workplace risk is high and safety is low according to a new report

SALEM, OR – Understaffing, extreme overtime and lack of safety protocols are creating untenable situations in the workplace, based on member survey results released today by Oregon AFSCME in their

Public Defenders Respond to DA Vasquez’s Harmful Remarks on Public Defense Crisis

PORTLAND, OR – Newly sworn-in Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez recently referred to Oregon’s public defense crisis as a “work stoppage” in an OPB interview.

City of Portland Workers Overwhelmingly Vote To Strike

PORTLAND, OR – Yesterday, City of Portland workers represented by Oregon AFSCME Local 189 voted 87% in favor of a strike, with 89% of members participating in the vote.

Landmark PTSI Reform Bill Prioritizes Public Safety Workers

Following a signing ceremony for the Post Traumatic Stress Injury Reform Bill (SB507), Oregon AFSCME released the following statement:

Oregon’s Union Renaissance

A collaboration from SEIU Local 503, Oregon Education Association, Oregon AFSCME, and Oregon AFL-CIO.

2020 Public Service Forum is Largest Candidate Event in AFSCME History

With former Vice President Joe Biden confirming his participation on Tuesday, the AFSCME-sponsored presidential candidate forum on Aug. 3 will be the biggest event of its kind in our union’s history.

Following Attack, AFSCME Iowa Nurse Speaks Out for Safe Workplaces

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.

Pride Is More Than Just June

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.

In No Uncertain Terms

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.

AFSCME Celebrates Law Enforcement Week

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.

Protecting Nurses During National Nurses Week

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.