Introducing AFSCME Council 40
AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, is the nation's largest union of public employees, with over 1.4 million members. The Wisconsin Council of County and Municipal Employees, AFSCME Council 40, is one of the 65 district councils which are affiliated with AFSCME International. Council 40's 32,000 members work for cities, counties, school districts, and other local units of government, as well as for child care, health care, and non-profit institutions in Wisconsin.
AFSCME Council 40 is composed of about 360 affiliated AFSCME local unions and chapters. These local unions and chapters represent public employees in 71 of Wisconsin's 72 counties. (Local government employees in Milwaukee County are represented by AFSCME Council 48.) Locals and chapters are structured so that employees with similar concerns are in the same local or chapter.
AFSCME Members Run Their Union: AFSCME Council 40 members have a voice at all three levels of the Union:
At the Local Level: Each local in Council 40 is a self-governing unit. Each has its own constitution, elects its own officers, and determines its own policies. Members of each local or chapter select their own negotiating committee, and vote to accept or reject proposed contracts.
At the Council Level: All of Council 40's officers and Executive Board members are public employees who hold full-time jobs in addition to their duties as Council officials. They are elected every two years at Council 40's annual convention by delegates representing every Local and Chapter in the Council. The convention also sets the Council's policies and priorities for the coming year.
At the National Level: AFSCME's International president, secretary-treasurer and regional vice-presidents are elected every four years by delegates to AFSCME's International Union convention. International convention delegates, representing 3,000 local unions, also determine the policies and programs for the International union.
AFSCME services and resources for Council 40 members
Council 40 members can utilize a wide variety of services developed specifically to meet the needs of employees of local governments and non-profit institutions. The local union, the International Union and Council 40 work together to provide AFSCME members with top-notch representation through:
Local union officers and stewards: These local leaders, elected by their co-workers, provide the day-to-day representation on the job and the direction for the local union that AFSCME members rely on.
Staff Representatives: Council 40 staff representatives are based in every corner of the state. They work directly with local union leaders, assisting with grievances and arbitrations, helping the local negotiating committee draft contract proposals, serving as chief negotiator, working with the local union on administrative questions and problems, representing the rights of the union and the individual AFSCME member before the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (which enforces the laws governing labor/ management relations for Wisconsin public employees), and helping in many other ways to provide quality representation.
Research: AFSCME's research capabilities are an important asset for AFSCME members in negotiations, arbitrations and many other areas. Council 40's research staff can provide wage and benefit comparisons and sample contract language from the Council's computerized data bank of all its 1000-plus contracts. This is backed up by the International Union's research department, with information from AFSCME contracts across the country, a library of information on issues of importance to Council 40 members, and labor economists who can provide budget analysis and other useful information for AFSCME negotiators.
Legal services: Council 40 retains a law firm which specializes in labor law. These attorneys are available to assist in enforcing AFSCME contracts as well as employee and union rights.
Educational programs: AFSCME's education representative in Madison develops and runs training programs for Council 40 members on subjects such as local leadership development, health and safety on the job, pay equity, grievance handling, worker's compensation, negotiating skills, and other issues as they are requested by local unions.
Legislative work
AFSCME Council 40 has developed an extensive legislative program to safeguard the interests of public employees. AFSCME's full-time, professional lobbying staff in Wisconsin, working with rank-and-file committees from AFSCME locals and chapters across the state, has been instrumental in winning many key victories over the years, including:
Collective Bargaining: Thanks to AFSCME's efforts, Wisconsin has one of the strongest and most comprehensive public employee collective bargaining laws in the country.
Pensions: For the past 50 years, AFSCME has lobbied for improvements in the Wisconsin Retirement System, including the 1984 law that increased public employee retirement benefits by an average of 23%.
Health and Safety Protections: AFSCME's efforts led to passage of a law giving Wisconsin public employees the right to a safe and healthy workplace and the right to know about dangerous workplace substances.
Local Government and Nursing Home Funding: Council 40's legislative efforts are constantly concerned with maintaining and increasing state and federal aid to local governments and nursing homes. These efforts are backed up by the International Union's work in Washington, D.C.
And Much More
Scholarship program: AFSCME Council 40 provides several college scholarships every year for Council members or their children.
Publications: All members receive the monthly AFSCME Works magazine from the International Union. All members also receive the monthly newspaper, AFSCME Reports, from AFSCME Councils 40 and 24 in Wisconsin. Local leaders are also sent a weekly "Leadership Update", which provides information about upcoming events, contract settlements, and other topics of interest to local leaders. We also send a weekly "Legislative Alert" to local leaders, which provides information about bills of interest to our members being acted on in the State Legislature. The International Union also provides educational publications on a wide range of subjects, such as workplace health and safety, Family and Medical Leave Act, women's rights, privatization, and political action.