AFSCME Siblings, Thank you to the Hundreds of you who showed up for our Informational Pickets on 1/19, in sub-zero wind chill tempera
AFSCME Siblings,
Thank you to the Hundreds of you who showed up for our Informational Pickets on 1/19, in sub-zero wind chill temperatures!! I am encouraged by your activism and willingness to stand up in Solidarity with each other in this Contract fight for Dignity and Respect in the workplace, not just on 1/19, but through our townhalls, volunteering on committees, reaching out to and organizing your co-workers, gaining community and political support, creating mutual aid FB page and networks, and so much more!
Here’s Where we are at:
We are in our 10-day cooling-off period before we can begin a legal Strike on 2/2/22.
The Bureau of Mediation Services has called our Table Team back to mediation on Wednesday, 1/26/22. This is an opportunity for the County to come back to the table with a better offer before we walk off the job and initiate our strike on 2/2/22.
-If Hennepin County refuses to come back to the table with a better deal that Respects Us:
It’s time to say “I’m sticking with our union!” We are calling on you to step up and join us in this great struggle! Please fill out this form if you can help!
How to learn more and join the strike with confidence:
Sign our pledge our solidarity pledge to honor the strike . We have had nearly 200 additional members pledge to Stand in Solidarity over the last couple days! We’re Building Power and Solidarity!
By signing this pledge you commit to the following:
I pledge that I will stand in solidarity with my fellow coworkers, and I will honor the strike, and walk out with my coworkers if we must go on strike to get the contract we all deserve https://bit.ly/Pledge34
Commit to joining our Legal STRIKE by WITHHOLDING our labor starting 2/2/22. (Details to follow on where and when our pickets will be located)
Our INSURANCE is covered for the month we start a strike: Be confident going on strike– DONT believe David Hough and HR’s misleading information regarding insurance coverage during a strike. If you have one working or paid time status day in February, you will have insurance coverage through 2/28/22. This is Why we have strategically chosen to begin a Strike on 2/2/22.
Review our application for our AFSCME 34 Strike and Hardship Fund for possible emergency financial assistance. See below for more details. Members can apply for funds in an emergency, receiving up to 60% of a pre-strike paycheck. Here’s a copy of what information is requested to apply.
A PDF copy of our Strike Hardship application: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ULHfciFrrhdb4sLc0CJXj_-uCsNbe9i7/view?usp=sharing
- Starting Wednesday, February 2nd members can apply to our Local 34 Strike Hardship Funds.
Applications can be filed up to one month following the end of the strike. The current form is electronic but we will also have paper forms available. - Members can apply for funds in an emergency, receiving up to 60% of a pre-strike paycheck
- The most urgent, most critical fund requests will be approved or denied within the week they’re received, less critical ones might take longer to be processed.
- We have a committee to review applications.
- Funds will be prioritized toward paying necessary, urgent expenses incurred during the strike or correcting hardship caused by the strike.
More strike prep resources will be posted at https://afscme34.org/s
Join our private 34 Facebook group (must be a dues paying member to join):https://www.facebook.com
We also have a Strike Solidarity and Mutual Aid Resource group: https://www.facebook.
(If you need help connecting to our Facebook pages, please reach out to our Membership Secretary Darcy Young movingupandon@yahoo.com)
Continue to ask the public to sign our Petition of Support! Forward this Petition to your family, friends, neighbors and other residents in Hennepin County, as well as partner organizations to sign on and send the message of support for us to Administrator David Hough and all County Commissioners!
We have OVER 2,700 community members signing on in our support! Let’s grow this to over 5,000!!
PLEASE SEND this Petition/Letter of Public Support far and wide– sign and share on your social media , twitter, etc… https://bit.ly/HCworkers
Once we reach a Tentative Agreement and Officially END our Strike we will return to work on our next normally scheduled shift and return to working paid status with Hennepin County – regardless of whether the County has reinstated access to the systems we use that they may have ‘turned off’ during our legal Strike.
Please watch for additional and more frequent communications as we continue to prepare for Strike on 2/2/22 if Hennepin County does not offer an agreeable contract settlement on Wednesday’s mediation session.
Always in Solidarity,
Grace Baltich
President AFSCME 34
http://afscme34.org/
https://members.afscmemn.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Local34/
