Upcoming Elections
October 18, 2024
Mark your calendar to vote
November 5th is Election Day. Remember To Vote and Remind Your Friends and Loved Ones That This Moment is Critical To The Future of This Nation. Each Vote Counts.
We Pay Tribute To Bill Lucy
September 30, 2024
In 1968, Bill Lucy was in Memphis, Tennessee to support the strike of sanitation workers protesting working conditions that led to the deaths of two of their colleagues. Generating community support for the workers, Lucy and a local pastor are the creators of the historic slogan, “I am a man”. He was one who urged Dr. Martin Luther King to go to Memphis to support that labor action. King did so, leading the historic “I am a man” march for these working men.
AFSCME Local 1739 President Fred Wright paid tribute to his longtime colleague this weekend. “Lucy was an icon for civil and human rights and a legendary labor leader, devoting his life to the struggle for economic and social justice,” Wright said. “He championed causes that spanned the arc of his 90 years, focusing on the grievances that challenged public servants and government workers as well as some of the great human rights battles of our time.”
“Lucy’s founding of CBTU (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists) spotlighted the special plight of black union members; CBTU became the first labor union to publicly condemn apartheid in South Africa. He helped create FSAM (Free South Africa Movement) which catapulted the antiapartheid movement into the national spotlight. We will never forget what Bill Lucy meant to the labor movement.”
Registering To Vote: PA, DEL, NJ
September 5th, 2024
To vote in Pennsylvania, you must first register to vote at least 15 days before the election. You can register to vote online, by mail, or at a number of government agencies, including Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Photo License and
Driver’s License Centers. To learn more click here. The last day to register to vote is October 29, 2024. In Pennsylvania, you can request a mail-in ballot now.
Delaware, will offer early voting at designated sites for 10 days before general, primary, and special elections. The final days of Early Voting are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday just before the election date. Early voting sites and dates are now available on the Department of Elections website. Registration deadlines: By Mail: Saturday October 12, 2024 (postmarked). In person: Saturday, October 12th, 2024. Online: Saturday, October 12, 2024 Get registered.
New Jersey has three ways to vote: Vote-by-mail | Early voting | Vote at your polling place on Election Day, November 4th. Learn more here.
Key Calendar dates for New Jersey Voters:
October 15
Voter Registration Deadline for General Election
October 15
Mandated Evening Voter Registration Available for General Election in Offices of County
Commissioners of Registration
October 23
Mailing of Sample Ballots for General Election
October 26 – November 3
Early Voting Period
October 29
Deadline to apply for a Mail-In Ballot by Mail for General Election
November 1
Deadline for Application to Receive General Election Mail-In Ballots by Electronic Means
for Qualified Overseas Civilian and Military Voters
November 4 – by 3:00 p.m.
Deadline for In-Person Mail-In Ballot Applications for General Election
November 5
General Election Day
November 5
Deadline for Post Office Receipt of Mail-In Ballots from the General Election
November 5
Deadline for In-Person Submission of General Election Mail-In Ballots to County Boards
of Election and to Authorized Ballot Drop Boxes
AFL-CIO Endorses Harris - Walz
Harris Fights For Economic Justice
August 15th, 2024
Following a vote of its Executive Council, which represents 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, today the AFL-CIO unanimously endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election.
“From day one, Vice President Kamala Harris has been a true partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in history,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “At every step in her distinguished career in public office, she’s proven herself a principled and tenacious fighter for working people and a visionary leader we can count on. From taking on Wall Street and corporate greed to leading efforts to expand affordable child care and support vulnerable workers, she’s shown time and again that she’s on our side. With Kamala Harris in the White House, together we’ll continue to build on the powerful legacy of the Biden-Harris administration to create good union jobs, grow the labor movement and make our economy work for all of us.”
- Championed worker organizing and chaired the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment
- Saved the pensions of more than 1 million union workers and retirees
- she championed for new worker organizing and training to create pathways to good union jobs
Minnesota Is Proud of Governor Walz
Walz Takes New Leadership Role
Tim Walz’s connection with AFSCME runs deep. Like Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, he has high regard for the union’s president, Lee Saunders, who for many years has chaired the political committee of the AFL-CIO, served on the Democratic National Committee, and built a reputation as a uniquely savvy and influential political strategist and policy advocate. A working-class intellectual who trained as a labor economist but has always maintained the enthusiasm of a grassroots organizer, Saunders sees organized labor in the context of broader movements—he’s long been active with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a group he currently serves as treasurer—and progressive governance.
Frontline and Fearless
August 15, 2024
Local 1739 Vice President, Zakkyya Snead attended the AFSCME International Convention held in Los Angeles this summer. The Convention theme, Frontline and Fearless spoke to the “dire nationwide shortage” and marginalization of care providers, many of whom are unorganized and still work for poverty wages. – Zakkyya Snead –
June 2024, DSP Shortage In Philadelphia
The national shortage of Direct Support Professionals is a critical issue in the Philadelphia region. At SPIN (Special People in the Northeast) the problem has been particularly acute in the post COVID period. As well, SPIN has experienced an increase in the number of openings for
Early Childhood Education teachers. Local 1739 and SPIN have a Joint Apprentice Committee
to recruit and train potential professionals in these fields. This committee is supported in partnership with State Rep Joe Hohenstein, City Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson, the Philadelphia School District Philly Works and Apprenticeship PHL. “The work of the committee is designed to create more awareness of possible career paths for high school seniors and young people entering the workforce to give them alternatives to
consider in social service and education,” said AFSCME Union President Fred Wright “Our DSPs and Early Education positions are living wage jobs that make an essential contribution to the city’s economic stability and growth.”
Federal Protections Notice sent to Membership
June, 2024
Leadership of AFSCME Local 1739 issued its annual notice of the rights guaranteed to employees in Section 7 and 8 of the National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act,.
The Act gives employees the following rights:
- To organize to form or join a union and bargain collectively.
- To act together for mutual aid and protection
- To refuse to participate in any of these activities.
The notice includes direct language of the Labor Relations Act established in 1935 to encourage collective bargaining that would protect worker’s rights to freedom of association. The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) is a key tool in the process of securing fair wages, benefits and decent working conditions for the nation’s employees. This notice is provided annually by 1739 leadership and describes the payment of union dues as well as the benefits that accrue to non-union members. Please refer to the June 2024 edition of Local Net, the union Newsletter, for details.
Academy House Staff Join 1739
January 2023
President Fredrick Wright proudly announces a new chapter of Local 1739, the service employees of the Academy House in Center City in Philadelphia.
Housekeepers and maintenance staff as well as Front Desk Service employees won an election in November of
2022, certifying AFSCME Local 1739 as the exclusive bargaining representative of the Academy House workers. Organizing efforts at Academy House consumed nearly 6 months and it is expected that many challenges remain to get the chapter established and operating.
The Academy House, with 552 residences, is one of the largest condominium communities in Center City and boasts of the services provided by our new members: “exceptional people dedicated to keeping the building well-maintained, running smoothly, and delivering a high
level of personal service [with]…..attentive front desk staff, skilled in-house maintenance team, meticulous housekeeping crew…” caring for the building and its residents. Welcome Academy House staff to the AFSCME family!
