WHEREAS:
The health care and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic have placed enormous stress on government at all levels. Due to the failure of President Trump and the GOP Senate majority to act, state and local governments and school districts lack the resources to provide vital services to the public and safely reopen our economy. Despite heroic efforts by AFSCME members during these health and economic crises, many of them may be thanked with a “pink slip.” As of August 1, 2020, three times as many public workers have lost their jobs in 2020 as were laid off during the entire Great Recession; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME’s “Fund the Front Lines” campaign has been at the forefront of the effort to obtain sufficient fiscal assistance for state and local governments and relief for affected workers. AFSCME members have made 100,000 contacts with members of Congress as part of the campaign. In addition, we have garnered significant media attention as we pressed our case; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME’s engaged and active membership provides our union with the capacity to run effective campaigns such as “Fund the Front Lines,” and to win workers’ rights. AFSCME’s recent victories in California, Nevada and Virginia stem from the exercise of our members’ political power. But because we cannot always do it alone, we work to build strong relationships with allies within and outside the labor movement, and these partnerships produce enduring success; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME honors our legacy by fighting to make it easier for working people to vote. We oppose voter suppression, challenge gerrymandering, repudiate partisan purging of voter rolls, resist the closing of polling places in Black and Hispanic communities and battle the imposition of overly strict voter ID requirements that are shown to disenfranchise voters of color; and
WHEREAS:
One of the biggest threats to voting is President Trump’s unconstitutional interference with the 2020 Census to exclude noncitizens in apportioning congressional districts; and
WHEREAS:
The 2020 federal, state and municipal elections are a crucial opportunity to elect worker friendly candidates who share our values of restoring economic fairness, expanding collective bargaining and addressing critical issues in health care, racial justice and public service.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That AFSCME and its affiliates will continue to advocate fiercely for our front-line heroes by fighting for substantial and direct federal assistance to state and local governments so they can maintain services in the face of the public health and economic crises. Federal assistance must be sufficient to meet the large revenue shortfalls caused by the public health crisis and resulting economic downturn and should be equitably allocated to each state, Washington, DC, territories and local governments. It also must include the resources and measures necessary to ensure front-line workers have access to the PPE and other tools needed to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will continue its efforts to elect pro-worker majorities in Congress, state capitals, cities, counties and school boards, which have significant influence on public employees’ workplace rights. We will elect a pro-worker President and governors and mayors who share our values. AFSCME will continue to press those elected officials to deliver on the promise of greater workplace rights once in office; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will continue to emphasize recruitment of members into our PEOPLE program to ensure we have the resources necessary to fight for our rights and realize our goals. AFSCME affiliates renew their commitment to growing the number of PEOPLE MVPs by 1% or more every year, and PEOPLE fundraising will be integrated into all of our work; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will continue to utilize and improve upon our hybrid political-organizing model that has proven so successful. AFSCME will deploy new and better ways to communicate with members and make effective use of digital technology and social media. We will continue our investment in data and analytics to increase the effectiveness of our political program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will join together with our allies in the civil rights community to protect and defend voting rights, and will work to secure enactment of H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
That AFSCME supports efforts by our allies in the civil rights and civil liberties community, state attorneys general and the U.S. House of Representatives to protect the 2020 Census from unconstitutional, partisan and racially biased interference by the Trump administration.
SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board