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.
The General Assembly adjourned its regular 2019 legislative session June 5, providing Council 4 and the labor movement with an opportunity to reflect on significant accomplishments:
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed into law a historic bill granting 20,000 state workers the right to collectively bargain.
The bill, which he signed Wednesday, is the largest expansion of collective bargaining rights for state workers anywhere in the U.S. in 16 years, and it will position those workers to better fight a rigged economy that favors the wealthy.
Editor's Note: The 2019 legislative session adjourned on June 5. Our review is coming soon!
With the legislature drawing closer to its adjournment, Council 4 members made their voice heard in support of workers’ rights at the State Capitol in Hartford.
The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) has reached an interim agreement with the state Executive Branch that makes telecommuting a bargaining right for many state employees.
This is an interim document stemming from the 2017 SEBAC savings and job protection agreement.
It's also further proof that collective bargaining makes a difference when it comes to empowering state workers to get their jobs done.
Last year, after nearly 25 years of working hard at her job at the University of Michigan, Deborah Van Horn was forced out of work by health issues and soon found herself in need of financial assistance.
“I was put on disability, but after a while you only get about 50 percent of your normal wages,” she recounts. “It was important to me to cover general expenses and keep my credit in good standing.”
