Posts tagged AFSCME
Illinois at near record-low union membership in 2025
February 23, 2026 // Just 13.1% of workers in Illinois were union members in 2025. Thousands of government workers have rejected union membership. Union membership in Illinois was at a near-record low in 2025, according to a release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Feb. 18.
Op-ed: The $921M Special Interest Machine That Controls California
February 21, 2026 // The California Policy Center’s analysis lays it bare: California’s public sector unions collected $921 million in 2018 alone. That’s not campaign contributions—that’s annual revenue. The prize they’re protecting? According to Govern For California, state and local governments spend $240 billion per year on public employee compensation and benefits.
West Yarmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Funds from Labor Union
January 19, 2026 // Between May 2020 and May 2025, Mattoon embezzled funds from the Barnstable Massachusetts Department of Public Works Employees Local Number 3003 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. Mattoon was an officer of the labor union at the time. The charge of embezzlement from a labor union provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Op-ed: AFSCME Let Me Down When I Needed Them Most
January 15, 2026 // I had paid the union thousands of dollars over the years and had never asked for a thing. But when I requested the union’s help to defend its own contract, it flat-out refused to process a grievance on my behalf. If I was shocked when the state broke the contract, I was outraged when my union rolled over and let it happen. I had to ask myself, if Council 13 wouldn’t even defend something as fundamental to a union as seniority, what other parts of the contract would it allow the state to trample?
Unionization Wave Hits Nonprofit Sector
December 17, 2025 // ASeveral key economic factors are driving this current union organizing trend, including inflation and job security. In this environment, employees are motivated to seek the protections that higher pay and increased benefits offer. However, about one-third of nonprofit museums and cultural institutions are also struggling to confront the loss of government grants or contracts. More than half of museums reported fewer 2025 visitors than in 2019, according to a Novemberreport by the American Alliance of Museums. In spite of these conflicting economic difficulties, employees are continuing to push back, feeling that they have been taken for granted for many years. Bottom line: unions continue to seek out new groups of workers to organize as their traditional targets, such as manufacturing and production jobs, wane or move overseas. Nonprofit employers would be well advised to stay engaged with their employees, keep an eye on employee morale, and look for ways to reward employees' hard work even when funds are scarce.
Report: Government unions spent $915 million on politics in 2024
December 17, 2025 // The Commonwealth Foundation’s most recent report found the top four public sector unions: the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spent over $915 million on politics during the 2023-2024 cycle. The unions spent $755 million on federal elections and policies while their state affiliates spent $160 million on state races and policies.
NIHD and AFSCME Reach Agreement, Averting Strike and Ending Labor Dispute
December 15, 2025 // Northern Inyo Healthcare District and AFSCME Local 315 have released details regarding a labor agreement made, following a lengthy state-mediated bargaining session held December 9. Union members voted Thursday to ratify the proposal, formally averting a threatened Unfair Labor Practice strike and resolving the union’s related charge before the Public Employment Relations Board. The vote alleviates tension between the healthcare district and frontline staff, who had authorized a ULP strike leading into the holiday season. Following ratification, the union withdrew its strike notice and the associated unfair practice filing.
‘Finally delivered for them’: Mayor signs union contract, marking historic moment for Baltimore
December 3, 2025 // Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott signed off on three American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees councils' union contracts Tuesday in a historic moment for city labor. The deal provides double-digit pay increases and puts employees onto wage steps. Advertisement The union went through a tense leadership controversy, and a runoff election for president of Local 44 will be held next month.
Union representing 25,000 nurses reaches deal with UC, averts planned strike
November 19, 2025 // Originally, AFSCME had planned to go on strike with University Professional and Technical Employees CWA Local 9119, or UPTE-CWA 9119, a union representing about 21,000 professional and technical UC employees, in an attempt to secure higher wages. CNA planned to participate in a sympathy strike to show solidarity with other unions and increase pressure on the UC system. However, UPTE also recently reached a tentative agreement with the UC, leaving AFSCME to strike alone. The UC system also released a statement praising the agreement, claiming that it yields “meaningful pay and benefit increases for more than 24,000 UC nurses.”
David Osborne: Unions spend big on politics — often at the expense of their members
November 17, 2025 // NJEA funneled general funds through Garden State Forward, Working New Jersey, and Protecting Our Democracy—all election-focused organizations that not only backed Spiller but also were headed by the NJEA president. These questionable activities landed NJEA in court with a lawsuit alleging that the union misled its members, including Dupont, who is a lead plaintiff.