AFSCME Family,
This day has been a long time coming.
President Joe Biden just signed the American Rescue Plan, which invests a total of nearly $700 billion in public services nationwide. That includes $360 billion in flexible aid to fix budget problems in states, cities and towns. This was our highest priority for the last year. This is the help that laid off and furloughed public service workers have needed to return to work.
There is so much in this new law to help working families: $1,400 checks, expanded jobless benefits, health care funding and more. In the coming weeks, we will be sending more information on the many ways the American Rescue Plan benefits AFSCME members.
How did we do it? We stood together, raised our voices and refused to back down. We’ve spent the last year fighting on two fronts — on the front lines of the pandemic protecting our communities and at the ballot box to elect lawmakers who supported us and our jobs.
Remember when Mitch McConnell said states should just “declare bankruptcy,” which would mean massive layoffs of public service workers? Well, he and his supporters no longer run the United States Senate. The new senate majority worked with a new president who promised to treat public service workers and our jobs with respect. And that’s what they did.
And once we had a new Senate and president, your activism made the difference in holding them accountable. All told, you contacted members of Congress more than 116,000 times, demanding that they fund the front lines. In the end, they couldn’t ignore us.
Being in a union pays dividends every day, but especially in moments like these. Only our power in numbers made this historic win possible. The AFSCME family looks out and sticks up for one another. I’ve got your back, and you’ve got mine. It’s the union difference.
The strength and stamina you’ve shown this past year have been awe-inspiring. Thank you for everything.
In solidarity,
Lee Saunders
AFSCME President
