AFSCME Council 31 executive director Roberta Lynch responds to Gov. Pritzker's state budget address.

We're remember civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who sadly passed away this morning.

Employees of the Cook County Board of Review have been at the table for 14 months trying to win a first contract. As their bargaining committee headed out to negotiations Tuesday, members joined them—showing management the membership has their backs every step of the way.

Today we celebrate the birthday of a great Illinoisan: President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln knew that when the people are united with a common purpose, we can build a freer, fairer future.

After months of unresolved staffing shortages and safety concerns, members of AFSCME Local 401 at Murray Developmental Center took to the picket line last weekend to tell facility management to put safety and care first!

When disasters strike, FEMA workers show up to help families through the worst days of their lives. The Trump administration’s move to slash FEMA’s workforce will lead to more preventable deaths and cause more strain on local/state emergency responders. afscme31.org/news/afscme-...

Solidarity with the 31,000 UNAC/AFSCME-represented nurses in California who are out on strike until Kaiser Permanente agrees to a fair contract that includes better staffing levels and better care for their patients!

When extreme weather hits, AFSCME members jump into action. Members of AFSCME Local 1669 who work for the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services were out all night in -20 windchills to help people experiencing homelessness find shelter and hand out dry socks and gloves.

We’re sharing this statement issued by our union family from AFSCME Council 5 in Minnesota after the killing of Renee Good because it is an important reminder of one of the labor movement's most foundational values: That an injury to one is an injury to all.

It’s official: Champaign Public Library workers have overwhelmingly voted YES to forming a union with AFSCME! Welcome to the AFSCME family!

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged America to live up to its fundamental ideals in order to build a more just and compassionate society respecting every person’s dignity. Today, on his birthday, we honor his call to stand up for justice and against hatred everywhere.

College of DuPage staff are fired up and ready to hit the bargaining table to fight for fair wages, fair treatment and RESPECT in their first union contract!

AFSCME Chapter 31 Retirees serve their communities for their entire careers. They don’t quit in retirement. This holiday season, sub-chapters gave back to local food pantries, homeless shelters and after-school programs—making sure their communities got through the holidays.

We’re continuing the fight for dignity, respect and a fair living for all working people in 2026. We’ll see you there. Happy New Year!

The fight for fair wages, good benefits and a voice on the job is one of the enduring fights we face every day. Throughout our union, AFSCME members took action, made our voices heard, and proved that when we fight together, we win together.

2025 was not without its challenges. Billionaires and anti-union politicians took direct aim at public services and public employees. We called out these cuts in the press and fought them in court. We’ll continue the fight to protect public services.

In 2025, we grew our union and organized scores of new workers at workplaces like the College of DuPage, the Chicago History Museum, the Adler Planetarium, the Franklin Park and Champaign Public Libraries, and many more. In 2026, we’re going to keep that momentum going.

The finalized city of Chicago budget represents a hard-fought defense of the essential services that AFSCME members provide.

Let's give a big "Thank You!" to all the building service workers keeping walkways clear and all the snow plow drivers working long hours to keep the roads safe this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving to every AFSCME member across Illinois. We’re especially thankful for all the union members who cannot have Thanksgiving day itself off because they are guarding our prisons, caring for seniors and people with disabilities, staffing 911 call centers, and much more.

Members of AFSCME Local 1891 showed up in force to the Evanston Public Library’s board meeting this week to protest the city’s attempt to split the library off from the rest of the city.

AFSCME helped pass a law last year that raised wages for direct care employees, but Mosaic is holding that money back from frontline workers. Members of AFSCME Local 2515 who work for Mosaic took to the picket line with a simple message for their boss: Pay us what you owe us!

Many veterans continue their service in our communities as public service workers—protecting our streets, caring for aging veterans, and keeping our communities strong. Today, we honor their service and vow to continue the fight to protect veterans’ services and health care.

Devin Knox, a human services caseworker and member of AFSCME Local 1805, is this month’s Never Quit winner! Whether he’s coaching youth football or providing assistance to his community, he’s on a mission to help people build better lives for themselves. afscme31.org/news/afscme-...

Let’s give a warm welcome to the 20 employees of the Franklin Park Library, who recently announced they’re forming a union with AFSCME Council 31! FPL employees, like library workers throughout Illinois, know that the best way to win fair treatment and a voice on the job is by forming a union.

This week, members of AFSCME Local 2464 made history: For the first time ever, all three of the Jackson County Ambulance Service’s EMS crews were staffed entirely by women!

Museum of Science and Industry Workers United announced that they have authorized a strike by a 90% margin. Museum management can’t get away with offering poverty wages to the workers who make the museum run. We’re fighting back.

After Chicago History Museum management drastically cut library and research staff hours, UIUC researchers are calling out those in charge for restricting access to the museum’s collections in order to further their union-busting campaign. chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/...

AFSCME members at the Museum of Science and Industry are voting to decide if they will authorize a strike this week. Management is still refusing to offer wage increases they know will lift workers out of poverty. Enough is enough. www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Congratulations to the latest graduating class of IDOC Cadets! And welcome to our union!

During National Direct Support Professional Week, we honor every DSP who goes above and beyond in their work to care for people with developmental disabilities. DSPs deserve to earn a living wage—and that's something our union will never stop fighting for.

Workers at the Champaign Public Library marked Labor Day by announcing they are forming their union with AFSCME Council 31! afscme31.org/news/champai...

Celebrating Labor Day the AFSCME way!

Our work keeps our communities going. Today’s our day to stand proud. Happy Labor Day to every AFSCME member and retiree, and to everyone who works for a living.

This Labor Day weekend, Museum of Science and Industry workers are demanding management value their labor by agreeing to a fair contract!

National support for unions is still at one of the highest levels in the last 50 years. The American people know there’s only one way we win fair wages, strong benefits and protections on the job: Join a union.

AFSCME Cultural Workers United hit a BIG milestone this year: 50,000 workers at museums, libraries, zoos and other cultural institutions across the nation have won a voice on the job by forming a union with AFSCME — more than any other union. afscme31.org/news/50000-w...

We’re continuing to call out the disastrous impacts that the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.” This week AFSCME members and retirees joined Rep. Nikki Budzinski to sound the alarm about how these cuts will devastate our communities.

97% of voting AFSCME members who work for Cook County voted YES to ratify a new contract extension that raises wages over the next year, and extends the protections and benefits of their current union contract!

Social Security turns 90 today. For 90 years, Social Security has been there to help people suffering loss, support people with disabilities, and ensure generations of Americans can retire without falling into crushing poverty.

Last week, AFSCME members and retirees joined @congressmanraja.bsky.social to detail how Illinois’ working families will suffer from the devastating cuts to public services Congress passed to pay for billionaire tax breaks—and to thank him for voting No on this disastrous budget.

Workers at the Chicago History Museum won their union election with @afscme31.bsky.social in April. Since then, management launched a relentless retaliation campaign, including illegal layoffs. The #BetterInAUnion bus tour joined the workers today to stand up to management’s union-busting!

For non-tenure-track faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, their first union contract did more than just improve wages and benefits—it’s created a cultural shift that is empowering employees. @ilcwuafscme.bsky.social

As a chaplain at Lawrence Correctional Center, AFSCME Local 3600 member Gene Moore doesn’t have to look far to find meaning in his work.

2024 saw a record 41 million visitors to Illinois’ state parks and historic sites. Behind it all, AFSCME members who work for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources make it all possible. afscme31.org/news/idnr-em...

The 13 AFSCME locals in Cook County government head to the bargaining table tomorrow, and members are fired up and READY TO BARGAIN!

When CHM employees won their union election in April, museum management retaliated by terminating and disciplining union activists. Now management has imposed layoffs with no notice to staff or bargaining with their union. The bus tour joins workers and allies in a demonstration outside the museum.

As Chicago Animal Care and Control sees a surge in pet surrenders, members of AFSCME Local 2912 who work for CACC are urging Chicagoans to come to the facility to help a pet in need find its forever home. afscme31.org/news/chicago...

The AFL-CIO reports that the average CEO made 285 times what the median worker made in 2024. Meanwhile, the national minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25/hour for 16 years. The best way to get paid what you’re worth? Join a union.

Council 31’s Anders Lindall joined the America’s Work Force Union podcast to talk about our union’s big wins in organizing cultural workers—and the improvements in wages, benefits and working conditions that they’re winning in their first contracts.