Thanks to everyone who came out!!

Times are tough for working families in New Mexico. That's why AFSCME Council 18 will be gathering school supplies throughout the state in February and March. We will then donate the collected supplies to several areas where school children are in financial need. Read more >>>

Thanks to all those who came out to 3rd Annual Public Safety Blue Breakfast!!

 

Statement of AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee after Pres. Obama’s State of the Union address Read more >>>

Thanks to all those who came out to support the MLK  marches in Las Cruces and Albuquerque!! (Photos by Rob Trombley and Robert Collazo)

During the 2012 New Mexico Legislative Session you can find all of AFSCME Council 18's legislative updates under this link.  Read more >>>

The Albuquerque Journal recently published a very important and timely op-ed piece written by AFSCME International Secretary-Treasurer Lee A. Saudenrs. The op-ed, published on Martin Luther King Day, discusses the shared goals and long-standing relationship between the Civil Rights movement and AFSCME here in New Mexico and across the country. Click the link above to read the full text or download a copy of the op-ed

AFSCME Council 18 will be holding its 3rd Annual Public Safety Members' Blue Breakfast on January 24, 2012. Please click the link to find out more. Read more >>>

There are two parades honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. scheduled for January 15 -- one in Albuquerque and one in Las Cruces. It is so important for AFSCME members to participate in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Annual Parade events as the civil rights and labor movements are tied together. As you all know, Dr. King was in Memphis, TN, in support of the striking sanitation workers of AFSCME Local 1733 when he was assassinated. Please click the article for all the details and to download copies of the event flyers

KOAT, KOB, KRQE, the Albuquerque Journal, KUNM and the Associated Press ALL covered our "Clean Water Jobs Coalition" press conference on Monday that brought together a wide variety of environmental, labor, and consumer groups, as well as local elected officials, in support of water infrastructure projects here in New Mexico. Click "Read more" to get links to several of the stories. Read more >>>

The Santa Fe Reporter just published another well-written story, this time about the extremely high vacancy rates and culture of employee intimidation at the Department of Health.

The story link is pasted below and you can read the full story inside this post.

Here's the link to that story:

http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-6473-department-of-help.html

Read more >>>

On November 27, an arbitrator ordered the Department of Corrections to reinstate Local 3422 President Lee Ortega!   Read more >>>

The Santa Fe Reporter just published a well-written story that gives an update about AFSCME Council 18's state contract negotiations. The link is pasted below. Please read!

http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-6457-tense-talks.html

Read more >>>

We've attached registration forms for all of Council 18's upcoming steward and e-board training events.

The forms are attached inside as Word documents and can be downloaded, filled out and then either e-mailed back to: info@afscme18.org.

Or, faxed back to: 1-505-266-2404

Questions, please contact malanie@afscme18.org

Local 2499's Peter Koeppe was recently featured in the AFSCME International's video from the 2011 Public Safety Congress in Houston.

Yesterday was a truly important day for public employees and working families across the country because Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to repeal Senate Bill 5—Gov. John Kasich's attack on middle-class jobs that was designed to destroy collective bargaining rights in Ohio.

For months, AFSCME members and other public employees have been working tirelessly to overturn this anti-worker bill. Our victory sends a clear message and represents a turning point in the collective work to protect good jobs and workplace rights.

We want to congratulate everyone who helped create this historic day and look forward to more victories in the future!

Bargaining unit formed at detention center in LL
Written by Julia M. Dendinger/News-Bulletin
Saturday, 05 November 2011 07:00

A new collective bargaining unit has been formed at the Valencia County Detention Center. After a quiet four-hour election Wednesday evening, the ballots were counted and the vote was unanimous.

Read more >>>

The added benefit of a walk on a gorgeous crisp fall morning along the Bosque trail in Albuquerque's north valley was knowing that the AFSCME Council 18's Women's Committee had just raised over $1,000 for the fight against women’s cancers. Read more >>>

AFSCME Council 18 is speaking out against Governor Martinez's vindictive decision to cut flex time for state employees. Both the Albuquerque Journal and Channel 13 covered the story. To watch the video, click below. To read the Journal story, please click the headline above.

We'd like to thank all those who attended the Council 18 Effective Communications training on October 22. We look forward to seeing you at new trainings in the future!

These rallies are important to show politicians and the world that many of us understand that our problems have been created by Wall Street gambling and a lack of regulation, not by the hard working families of New Mexico and America--who are the ones suffering the most right now. If you're sick of the giant multinational corporate ownership of politics, this is just the start of how we fight back. Read more >>>

AFSCME's "Women Empowering Women" conference was held on October 8 at the Convention Center in Santa Fe. The conference, which featured several workshops as well as a long list of prominent speakers, was a great success and we're already looking forward to the next one! For more information, or to find out how you can get involved in the AFSCME Women's Committee, please contact us at 1-800-423-0770.

Eighty-fourth in the world: that's where the United States ranks for women in elected office, behind Mexico, China and Pakistan. In fact, women make up just 17% of the U.S. Congress.

New Mexico ranks in the top 15 for state legislatures, with a ranking of 12th in the nation in terms of women in elected office. However, currently, New Mexico has no women in its Congressional delegation.

A pool of highly qualified Democratic candidates is being left untapped. Too often, women do not see themselves running for office - they don't think they are experienced enough or they just don't know where to start.

Emerge New Mexico is changing that!

Read more >>>

AFSCME Council 18 will be holding a series of town hall meetings across the state to discuss the status of the state contract negotiations. Please click on the link above to learn more!

 American workers at events across the country this week urged their elected congressional representatives to quickly pass The American Jobs Act, President Barack Obama’s plan to put Americans back to work.

“It is time to rebuild the economy for those who have been under attack for decades – the middle class,” said Nellie Rosales, a worker at New Mexico State University and a founding member of AFSCME Local 2393 (Council 18).“The American Jobs Act will help put unemployed Las Cruces residents back to work, rebuilding our roads, bridges and schools. It’s time to get this country back on track, where hard work and responsibility are embraced.”

Read more >>>

AFSCME Council 18's Maxine Velasquez speaks eloquently and forcefully about SPO's poorly-timed decision to illegally layoff 12 workers and union members at EXPO New Mexico.

 

AFSCME Council 18's Biennial Convention in Las Cruces was a smashing success! Here are some of the highlights from the event. Enjoy!

An update from the Legislative Special Session and other news from your union.

AFSCME Council 18 represents more than 15,000 public employees across New Mexico. We perform many of the state's most important jobs—from childcare providers to corrections officers—and work to make sure our rights, our families and our communities are protected. To learn more about our union and meet our members, please take a moment to watch the following video. 

The Albuquerque City Council Elections are right around the corner. Click here to find out how you can get involved! Read more >>>

Hundreds of community members, union allies and elected officials from across New Mexico attended a vigil in Santa Fe on July 24 in support of their brothers and sisters at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center who are fighting to win a fair contract with the hospital.

1199NM Vigil - Images by Jakob Schiller

We're in the middle of a major battle in Santa Fe for our nurses, techs, and other hospital staff represented by AFSCME affiliate District 1199. Read more >>>

A group of AFSMCE members, along with labor and community allies, deliverd more that 500 signatures to Gov. Susana Martinez's office on Tuesday demanding Brother Lee Ortega be reinstated after he was fired by the New Mexico Corrections Department for blowing the whistle on the department's plans to hide a serial sexual harasser.

ORTEGA PETITIONS - Images by Jakob Schiller

In a story that will eventually hit the major papers, the Corrections Department fired union president Lee Ortega for blowing the whistle on the department's plans to hide a serial sexual harasser. Read more >>>

AFSCME members from across New Mexico joined their brothers and sisters at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center during a rally on June 24th in Santa Fe.