Click any of the dates below to read Council 18's message:
- June 6, 2020 - Everyday Heroes Part 5 - WE ARE AFSCME STRONG!
- May 29, 2020 - AFSCME Candidate Endorsements: 2020 Primary Election - New Mexico
- May 28, 2020 - SIGN TODAY! Demand Safety for New Mexico Corrections Officers and Staff
- May 10, 2020 - Demand Safety for New Mexico Corrections Officers and Staff
- May 3, 2020 - NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL EMPLOYEES WEEK May 3 - 9
- April 28, 2020 - Workers Memorial Day - TODAY!
- April 25, 2020 - Everyday Heroes Part 4 - AFSCME Members Still Making a Difference!
- April 16, 2020 - Everyday Heroes Part 3 - AFSCME Members Never Quit!
- April 12, 2020 - Everyday Heroes Part 2 - AFSCME Members Still Going Strong!
- April 6, 2020 - COVID 19 Update - April 6, 2020
- April 2, 2020 - Everyday Heroes - Still Working - Still Providing Public Services
- March 27, 2020 - THE FRONTLINES - Spring 2020
- March 17, 2020 - ELITE UPDATE - Trainings canceled for March and April
- March 15, 2020 - Message to New Mexico State Employees from Connie Derr, Executive Director, AFSCME Council 18
- March 13, 2020 - New Mexico Coronavirus Update - Free Testing and Treatment
- March 10, 2020 - Coronavirus Update
- March 5, 2020 - For Immediate Release: Governor Lujan Grisham Signs House Bill 364 (PEBA) Into Law
June 6, 2020
WE ARE AFSCME STRONG!
Thank you AFSCME Council 18 members!
Everyday Heroes Part 5, while our two states slowly reopen in a safe and responsible way, we must continue to recognize our workers that show up each and everyday. Whether on the front lines, support staff, or working from home, AFSCME members are providing vital services to our communities and are contributing to our economy.
Keep up the amazing work! Your service is not forgotten, and we are so thankful for everything you do!
For additional information and COVID-19 resources, please click to visit our AFSCME Council 18 Website and our AFSCME International Website. You can also follow us on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Stay safe and healthy!
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Demand Safety for New Mexico Corrections Officers and Staff
If you have already signed the petition, thank you for your support! If you haven't, please take a moment and click below to sign and please ask your friends, family, and co-workers. We must show support for our frontline workers now more than ever!
New Mexico state corrections officers and staff are risking their lives every day to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, New Mexico Corrections Department has refused to involve New Mexico State Corrections Officers’ Union, AFSCME Local 3422 (Council 18) to come up with a plan to ensure the safety and protection of corrections workers on the front line.
Across the country, prison and jail administrators are sharing their COVID-19 security plans with officers and staff out of respect and transparency. However, this is not the case in New Mexico as state corrections officers and staff are left without proper safety protocols, personal protective equipment, and training to handle changes in the facilities brought on by COVID-19.
Join us in demanding New Mexico Corrections Department work with AFSCME Local 3422 (Council 18) to implement safety protocols and ensure the safest workplace possible for all state corrections officers and staff!
Demand Safety for New Mexico Corrections Officers and Staff
New Mexico state corrections officers and staff are risking their lives every day to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, New Mexico Corrections Department has refused to involve New Mexico State Corrections Officers’ Union, AFSCME Local 3422 (Council 18) to come up with a plan to ensure the safety and protection of corrections workers on the front line.
Across the country, prison and jail administrators are sharing their COVID-19 security plans with officers and staff out of respect and transparency. However, this is not the case in New Mexico as state corrections officers and staff are left without proper safety protocols, personal protective equipment, and training to handle changes in the facilities brought on by COVID-19.
Join us in demanding New Mexico Corrections Department work with AFSCME Local 3422 (Council 18) to implement safety protocols and ensure the safest workplace possible for all state corrections officers and staff!
NATIONAL CORRECTIONAL EMPLOYEES WEEK May 3 - 9
Corrections officers and employees perform some of our most important public services, under the most difficult of conditions.
During National Correctional Employees Week, we recognize these proud public service workers who protect our communities. It is dangerous work, and too often corrections workers have to deal with budget cuts, staffing shortages and overcrowded facilities that make it even tougher.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!
AFSCME Members Still Making a Difference!
Thank you AFSCME Council 18 members! Everyday Heroes Part 4, AFSCME members in Colorado and New Mexico continue to make the difference for our great states.
Whether on the front lines, support staff, or working from home, AFSCME members are providing vital services to our communities and are contributing to our economy.
While stay-at-home orders are still in place, and will go into May for many, we will continue to recognize the hard word and dedication of our public employees.
Keep up the amazing work! Your service is not forgotten, and we are so thankful for everything you do!
For additional information and COVID-19 resources, please click to visit our AFSCME Council 18 Website and our AFSCME International Website. You can also follow us on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Stay safe and healthy!
AFSCME Members Never Quit!
Thank you AFSCME Council 18 members! As we highlight even more AFSCME members in our third part of Everyday Heroes, we showcase that AFSCME members NEVER QUIT, especially in the most difficult of times.
AFSCME members continue to step up to the plate to ensure that our communities are safe and that the citizens of New Mexico and Colorado are taken care of every step of the way.
We still have a tough road ahead of us, but make no mistake, we will get through this together and we will come out the other side stronger than before, because WE ARE AFSCME STRONG!
For additional information and COVID-19 resources, please click to visit our AFSCME Council 18 Website and our AFSCME International Website. You can also follow us on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Stay safe and healthy!
AFSCME Members Still Going Strong!
Thank you AFSCME Council 18 members! We are honored to continue to recognize more AFSCME Council 18 members in New Mexico and Colorado for their hard work and dedication during these troubled times.
AFSCME members continue to demonstrate that YOU are the backbone of our society. You are the frontline workers and support staff and you continue to show up to work every single day to keep our great states running.
You are EVERYDAY HEROES. You are AFSCME STRONG!
For additional information and COVID-19 resources, please click to visit our AFSCME Council 18 Website and our AFSCME International Website. You can also follow us on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Stay safe and healthy!
Saturday, in a tele-townhall, AFSCME President Lee Saunders spoke to AFSCME members across the country, praising them for the incredible work they are doing in response to the coronavirus pandemic despite the unconscionable challenges they are facing. Too many workers are being forced to put their lives and the lives of their families at risk by going to work without the personal protective equipment they need.
AFSCME is doing everything it can in this crisis to get you the resources you need. We are fighting on Capitol Hill for the equipment and funding you need on the front lines of this crisis. When Congress was debating the latest coronavirus stimulus bill, we made sure there was $150 billion in funding for state and local governments. We know that is not enough. We will keep fighting, in bill after bill, to make sure AFSCME members get the support you deserve for the work you are doing.
We’ve also called on the president to use his full authority under the Defense Production Act to force companies to produce PPE to their fullest ability.
Finally, we have created a website page just for coronavirus pandemic resources to make sure the information you need is at your fingertips. Take a look, and be sure to bookmark it and check back for new resources:
Thank you for your service to your community in the midst of this pandemic. AFSCME members’ commitment to their communities and dedication to others is awe-inspiring.
AFSCME Digital
We're Still Here! We Always Will Be!
AFSCME Members Continue to Provide Vital Public Services
Thank you AFSCME Council 18 members! Despite great personal risk, you continue to serve your communities with pride and commitment.
As with all AFSCME members across this country, Council 18 members are dedicated to keeping New Mexico and Colorado running strong during this terrible crises. Members like you continue to demonstrate that as the backbone of our society vital services that so many depend upon are delivered.
AFSCME members are health care workers, corrections officers, transportation workers, utilities employees, law enforcement officers, elderly assistance employees, sanitation workers, veterans services employees, emergency personnel, benefits and family assistance employees, 911 dispatchers, family childcare providers, and dozens of other blue collar, white collar, technical and professional classifications.
You are EVERYDAY HEROES. You are AFSCME STRONG!
As you know, our union is closely monitoring the fluid situation with COVID-19 coronavirus . We are committed to communicate the most recent updates and best practices to ensure that we have a safe and healthy environment for our members and our staff.
All ELITE trainings scheduled for March and April in New Mexico and Colorado are CANCELED. We will reschedule at the appropriate time.
If you have any questions, contact Council 18 @ 505-266-2505.
Please make sure to follow the recommended guidelines to stay safe and healthy, you can find all the information you need here. Thank you.
Message to New Mexico State Employees
Good afternoon AFSCME Sisters, Brothers and Siblings,
This afternoon, Governor Lujan Grisham issued a directive adjusting state staffing to proactively minimize the spread of COVID-19 while continuing to provide essential services to the citizens of New Mexico. Governor Lujan Grisham’s administration has been in communication with AFSCME leadership as well as the leadership of CWA regarding the impact to state employees. (Click here to read press release.)
Governor Lujan Grisham’s directive is reasoned. This is a fluid situation with an unprecedented challenge. Public employees provide the essential services that make our communities function and the services that our fellow citizens rely upon. We will rise to the challenge because so much is at stake. We appreciate Governor Lujan Grisham for her leadership.
State employees will be contacted by their respective department on how their specific work will be handled, i.e., whether in an essential classification and therefore continuing to report to work, working remotely, teleworking, or intermittent, etc. There are many different scenarios and issues so not all work and service delivery situations have been worked out as of now, but please know that they will be.
How we respond to adversity is a true measure of a society and us, as individuals. This is unchartered territory and we will get through it, together. Let’s help make the State of New Mexico the best it can be.
In solidarity,
Connie Derr
Click here to read the entire press release on free COVID-19 testing and treatment for New Mexicans. You can also keep up-to-date with the most recent news in New Mexico and Colorado by visiting:
AFSCME Council 18 Website
AFSCME International Website
Office of the Governor Website
New Mexico Department of Health Website
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Website
Coronavirus update
With COVID-19 (the coronavirus) continuing to spread, we are being vigilant about taking every step possible to protect AFSCME members and the communities they serve. Whenever there is a crisis or challenge, people are counting on us to be part of the solution. When public health is at stake, public service workers are all in. But we are also uniquely at risk.
Timely and accurate information is essential at moments like these. We have put together a new online resource webpage where you can access all materials in one centralized place. It includes links to state and local health departments, essential tips about symptoms and prevention, industry-by-industry guidance and much more. The webpage is www.afscme.org/covid-19.
Congress is also moving quickly. By an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, the House passed an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill to increase resources at the federal, state and local levels to prepare for and respond to the evolving coronavirus. We expect the Senate to pass this bill today and the president to sign it into law quickly. It includes:
- $475 million for new CDC funds through existing grants to state and localities within 30 days of the president signing the bill into law. No state will get less than $4 million within the 30 days.
- States and localities can use these funds for close monitoring of individuals exposed to the virus, identify patterns of the spread of the virus, increase testing for the virus, improve infection control and other activities to prepare for, respond to and lessen the spread of the virus. An additional $475 million will be available to states and localities for similar activities after the initial amount is disbursed.
- $10 million for worker-based training to prevent and reduce exposure of hospital employees, emergency first responders and other workers who are at risk of exposure to coronavirus through their work duties.
- Roughly $500 million to purchase pharmaceuticals, masks, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies, which can be distributed to state and local health agencies in areas with a shortage of medical supplies.
- $100 million for Community Health Centers, supporting smaller health clinics in underserved urban and rural areas.
- $20 million in new funds to increase low-interest disaster loans through the Small Business Association (SBA). These loans can help meet working capital needs or normal business operating expenses for business and nonprofits impacted by the coronavirus.
Because this situation is evolving, we expect that Congress will introduce a second emergency supplemental bill as needed. We will continue to be in touch as new developments arise. Thank you for everything you do.
Lee A. Saunders
President
AFSCME
GOVERNOR LUJAN GRISHAM SIGNS HOUSE BILL 364 INTO LAW
MEASURE USHERS IN PUBLIC SECTOR LABOR LAW REFORM IN NEW MEXICO
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2020
Contact: Shane Youtz
505-244-1200
Santa Fe – The New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO released the following statement:
“New Mexico’s Public Employees Bargaining Act (PEBA), enacted in 2003, established a framework for collaborative relationships between State and local governments, institutions of higher education, and local public school districts and their public servants. In the intervening seventeen years, New Mexico’s PEBA was not amended to reflect best practices and evolving labor law standards.
“House Bill 364 modernizes PEBA and provides public sector employers and employees with the currently used tools necessary to create a coherent and consistent labor policy in New Mexico, in step with laws recently modified by other states. HB 364 represents a true and hard fought compromise between New Mexico’s public servants and State and local governments. Though HB 364 incorporates many changes, the provisions which are most significant can be summarized as follows: labor board restructuring, freedom to choose a Union without intimidation (election reform), dues deduction reform, and protecting employees' rights to fair representation.
“New Mexico’s new labor law will provide essential support to fulfill its stated purpose: to ensure, at all times, the orderly operation and functioning of the state and its political subdivisions.
“Every person in New Mexico deserves the right to come together and stand up for their safety and economic well-being, and HB 364 strengthens this right for New Mexicans. With this bill, championed by Senators Mimi Stewart and Daniel Ivey-Soto, and Representatives Sheryl Williams Stapleton, Christine Trujillo, and Daymon Ely, we solidified that public servants will have their voices heard.
“We want to extend our greatest appreciation to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and every member of the House of Representatives and the State Senate who stood in solidarity with working New Mexicans. We appreciate your courage to respect and empower the working women and men of our state.”
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The following Public Sector Unions Supported House Bill 364 during the 2020 Legislative Session:
American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Council 18
American Federation of Teachers New Mexico
Communications Workers of America
International Association of Fire Fighters Local 244
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 611
International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 492
National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees District 1199 New Mexico
New Mexico Professional Fire Fighters Association
American Association of University Professors
Albuquerque Police Officers Association
National Education Association New Mexico