A six-month legislative campaign spearheaded by AFSCME and aimed at providing Vermont's home care providers with collective bargaining rights ended triumphantly today when Governor Peter Shumlin signed SB59.

AFSCME Council 93 golfers will be hitting the links at the Mt. Hood Golf Course in Melrose this July 19th for the union's 7th Annual Memorial Scholarship Tournament.

Golfers of all skill levels are invited to form a foursome and enjoy a fun and relaxing round of golf at one of the more challenging and picturesque courses in New England.

Council 93 will be conducting a one day Financial Code Reporting Conference and Treasurers Training on Saturday, June 1, in Nashua NH. All Local Union Presidents and Treasurers are urged to attend at least one of these sessions on an annual basis to stay on top of changes and updates. Trustees, Executive Board Members, and other interested members are also invited and encouraged to attend.

As the historic AFSCME Vermont Home Care (http://vthomecareunited.org) Worker Organizing campaign continues to move forward, AFSCME Council 93 is making another plea for Volunteer Member Organizers (VMOs) to assist with the efforts.

A small team of AFSCME members running the town wastewater treatment plant in Uxbridge, MA recently received New England-wide recognition from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for "exceptional work in operating and maintaining the plant."

At least a dozen union members of the powerful American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, some of them holding signs, greeted Markey outside the building.

"He's always gone the extra mile for us," said Jim Durkin, spokesman for AFSCME's Boston-based Council 93.

Durkin was respectful of Lynch, saying that "there are two very good good candidates in this race." But he said Markey's long record of leadership in Washington - specifically his efforts to stem the outsourcing of jobs and his support of Obamacare - warrant support.

AFSCME Council 93 will be conducting a Union Steward's Training for any AFSCME member that is interested in attending. All members and current or newly elected Union Officers and Stewards are urged to attend.

Members of AFSCME Local 1343 recently took time to celebrate the extraordinary public service of three of their members. Local 1343 President and Council 93 Executive Board Member Karl LaBounty, and Local members David McWilliams and Bill Rasch were honored for reaching a combined 101 years of service in the jobs.

Council 93 Executive Director Frank Moroney's recent election to the AFSCME International Executive Board was formalized today at a swearing in ceremony with AFSCME International President Lee Saunders in Washington, DC.

AFSCME Council 93 proudly welcomes 45 new members serving as educational secretaries in the Town of Brookline, MA. The group voted unanimously last night to increase their power at the bargaining table and in the corridors of government by affiliating with AFSCME.

Fighting for a voting bloc that proved critical to Sen. Elizabeth Warren's success in November, Congressman Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch have been trading union endorsements with a big prize still to be decided on Friday.

BOSTON - The Executive Board of Council 93 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) today voted to endorse Congressman Edward J. Markey's candidacy for the United States Senate.

An affiliate of the 1.6 million member AFSCME International Union, AFSCME Council 93 represents more than 35,000 state, county and municipal employees in the state. Council 93 also represents an additional 7,000 public sector workers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Staff reorganization was an important early step in transforming the CFM. These changes included redefined job descriptions, the elimination of posts dedicated to a single function, and the establishment of service-writer positions.
The fleet also instituted three technician levels linked to earned certifications. "We sat down with the union that represents the majority of our employees and, through collective bargaining, we started rewarding our technicians for getting ASE certifications," McGonagle explained.

The official encouragement to earn certifications, which included pay increases, paid off. In just one year, the number of certified technicians went from zero to 18; these technicians now collectively hold 70 ASE certifications, including six Master technician designations.

Council 93 Volunteer Member Organizers (VMOs) continue to make a tremendous impact in ongoing efforts by AFSCME International (www.afscme.org) to organize approximately 6,000 home care workers in the State of Vermont.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to participate in an AFSCME union organizing campaign? Are you willing to volunteer some of your time to help individuals and families gain the security and benefits that only come with union membership?

Council 93 has a new leader on the AFSCME International Executive Board.  Executive Director Frank Moroney has been chosen by Council 93 members to fill the vacant International Vice President seat for the Northern New England region. Moroney was nominated for the position last month by a unanimous vote…

On Monday, December 10, AFSCME and other labor unions and organizations across the country will participate in a National Day of Action aimed at protecting critical benefit programs during “Fiscal Cliff” deficit reduction negotiations in Washington.   A series of events in states across the nation will target members of…

Massachusetts and 36 other state and local retirement funds have committed more than $5 billion to the four private-equity investment pools that bought Aramark in 2007, according to Preqin Ltd., a London-based research firm.

 “It’s a cruel irony to think that for some workers, their pension money is being invested in a manner that could ultimately strip them of their pension or drastically reduce their pension benefit,” Jim Durkin, a spokesman for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 93, said in a statement. The council represents 30,000 government workers in Massachusetts.  “We would like to see a more thoughtful and considerate approach to future investments of public pension funds and we will be encouraging that here in Massachusetts,” Durkin said.