Council 3 Updates

Member Spotlight: Zach Reed

A lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County and a member of AFSCME Local 582, Zach Reed is more than a maintenance mechanic for government buildings; for the past seven years he's been vital to ensu

November 2023 Message from AFSCME Maryland Council 3 President Patrick Moran

Giving Thanks

The holiday season has started, and we have a lot to be grateful for — all because of the work that AFSCME members do each and every day acr

USM Bargaining Story: Jontae Thomas

A seasoned Mechanical Trades Chief at Bowie State University, Jontae Thomas has spent over a decade taking care of the fire alarm systems and electrical issues on campus.

Help Our Sisters and Brothers in Puerto Rico

On a normal day, Sandra Pacheco, an administrative assistant in Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, begins her day at 7 a.m., filing paperwork for her colleagues in the field. It’s a job that Pacheco, who is president of her local, AFSCME Local 3889, Council 95 (Servidores Públicos Unidos de Puerto Rico), does with pride and dedication.

2020 Minimum Wage Hikes to Benefit 7 Million Working People

The new year brings good news for millions of working Americans. Nearly 7 million of them are in line to get pay raises this year thanks to state and local minimum-wage hikes.

Caught in Limbo: AFSCME Member Struggles with Student Loan Forgiveness

As a public librarian for the Philadelphia Free Library, Sheila O’Steen embodies what we think of when we imagine a public service worker. Every day, she interacts with members of her community. Whether her patrons are young or old, affluent or impoverished, O’Steen shares knowledge and information with everyone she serves.

Beating the Expectations, Believing in His Community


AFSCME Supports Bill to Restore Voting Rights Protections

The 1965 Voting Rights Act worked. In the years and decades that followed its implementation, the law helped minority voters make their voices heard, especially African Americans who had been discriminated against at the polls. As a result, our democracy became stronger.

But in 2013, despite bipartisan reauthorization of the law by Congress, the Supreme Court gutted it, ruling 5-4 that a key provision was no longer necessary because the Voting Rights Act had worked and the problem was fixed.