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.

They walked right up to the brink of their first-ever strike. But because members of AFSCME Local 900 who work for Champaign County stayed united and determined, they won a contract that makes real improvements without having to walk off the job.

When President Trump signed an executive order stripping 900,000 federal employees of their collective bargaining rights, the labor movement got organized. We got a bipartisan majority of Congress to sign as co-sponsors of a bill to overturn this executive order.

John Lewis didn’t wait for permission to demand change. He made Good Trouble—nonviolent direct action—to confront injustice. Tomorrow, July 17, we can make sure that John Lewis’ spirit and his dedication to Good Trouble lives on. Find an event near you: goodtroubleliveson.org#attend

Cook County employees are READY TO NEGOTIATE! During yesterday’s Solidarity Day, AFSCME members from all 13 Cook County locals let management know that they’re unified and ready to do whatever it takes to win a fair contract.

Members of AFSCME Local 900 who work for Champaign County were ready to strike this morning to get the fair contract they deserve. But after eight hour of negotiations, our pressure paid off and the bargaining team reached a tentative agreement, avoiding a strike!

NEWS: College of DuPage employees took the next step to claim their seat at the table: Today, some 600 employees of the college officially filed to form their union with AFSCME Council 31! afscme31.org/news/college...

AFSCME District 33 workers are on STRIKE for fair wages, dignity and respect. They’re holding the line no matter how long it takes. #AFSCMEStrong

The White House is trying to strip collective bargaining rights from nearly 1 million federal workers, but a federal judge put a stop to it after AFSCME and a coalition of five other unions challenged the move. afscme31.org/news/judge-b...

Classified staff at the College of DuPage are organizing their union with AFSCME, and last night they showed up to the college’s board of trustees meeting to make sure the administration know it's time they are treated with respect!

AFSCME Local 900 members work in nearly every Champaign County department, from the Highway Department to Animal Control. They’re tired of waiting for management to agree to a fair contract while they keep showing up every day to provide the services their community relies on.

Scabby the Rat has a message for Chicago History Museum management: Do the right thing. Workers and community supporters picketed against the museum’s decision to fire four workers and threaten the jobs of six more in retaliation for them exercising their right to form a union.

The day after Chicago History Museum employees voted to form their union with AFSCME Council 31, management began retaliating against workers. They fired four and threatened the jobs of six more. That’s illegal and it’s wrong.

Happy Father's Day to all the hardworking dads who show up every day to build a better future for their children and communities.

Members of AFSCME Local 2542 who work for the nursing home Thrive of Lake County delivered a letter signed by 22 elected officials demanding the home’s owners honor the contract they negotiated, which protects residents by requiring mandatory staff-to-resident ratios.

Make no mistake about it: The House’s budget bill is a massive tax giveaway to billionaires paid for by the health and well-being of working families and retirees.

NEWS: Some 600 employees of the Lake County Health Department just announced they are forming their union with AFSCME! afscme31.org/news/lake-co...

Members of AFSCME Local 2452 who work for Thrive of Lake County had an agreement with strong staff-to-resident ratios to make sure the residents of their nursing home get the best possible care. But Thrive's wealthy owners are refusing to sign their contract.

Solidarity means being a part of a union that fights for all of its members. LGBTQ+ rights are workers' rights and your protections on the job matter.

NEWS: Employees at Chicago’s Field Museum have won their first union contract after organizing with AFSCME. The agreement raises pay and strengthens their rights on the job. Read more: afscme31.org/news/field-m...

BREAKING: Members of AFSCME Local 900 who work for Champaign County have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike as they fight for a fair contract. "Champaign County works because we do," Local 900 President Cecelia Phillips said. afscme31.org/news/champai...

Employees at a world-class institution like the Museum of Science and Industry should be able to afford to put food on their table. MSI management: Pay your workers a living wage. Agree to a fair contract now!

AFSCME members are public service workers—on and off the job. AFSCME Local 817 at Dixon Correctional Center held a coloring contest for Dixon Schools students, and 10 winning students walked away with a brand new bike and a gift card to purchase a helmet courtesy of Local 817!

At work they’re called heroes. At home they’re just called Mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all the AFSCME moms out there.

Members of AFSCME Local 900 who work for Champaign County make sure the people in their community has safe streets and reliable services. In return, they deserve a fair wage and secure benefits. At today’s rally, Local 900 made sure management knows they’ll accept nothing less.

Public service workers are the reason why Americans have access to health care, clean water to drink, safe roads to drive on, and front-line heroes they can count on whenever their families face an emergency or need a helping hand.

Our union won a key victory when a federal judge agreed with AFSCME and ordered the Trump administration to cease its attempts to gut the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the only federal agency dedicated to our nation’s libraries and museums. afscme31.org/news/court-s...