State Contract Negotiations 2023

Sisters and Brothers,

As the expiration of your current collective bargaining agreement draws near, it is once again time to go to the table with the Commonwealth and negotiate for a new contract. The ability to negotiate our wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions is the backbone of collective bargaining, and it’s what having a union is all about.

AFSCME ensures that we have a seat at the table and that our voices are heard through the negotiations process. This gives us the ability to bargain for the dignity and respect that all workers deserve, but nothing is ever handed to us. The real power at the negotiating table comes when the employer sees, feels, and hears the full strength of workers standing in solidarity to fight for what they deserve.

The amount of power you have by standing together with your coworkers is not trivial. There are shady special interest groups out there that spend millions of dollars on smear campaigns and dis-organizing efforts trying to get members to drop out of their union. They think they can fool you into giving up your power as workers.

Now is the time to let them know they are wrong and that AFSCME members are not fooled by their nefarious schemes. There is power in a union, and we will fight like hell to keep it that way!

In the coming months, we need to put this strength and solidarity on display for all to see. To get a good contract, we need to negotiate from a position of strength. That means a strong, active, and engaged membership.

Just by being a member of AFSCME, you have already taken the first step toward building strength. Now we are asking you to take the next step. Get active in your local union. Have conversations with coworkers that are not members and explain to them the importance of signing up.

Let them know: it’s wrong not to belong! Explain that it is no longer acceptable to freeload off the backs of dues-paying union members and benefit from the things you fought for. Explain that every non-member is playing into the hands of the groups trying to destroy unions and take away our ability to negotiate a strong contract. The time is now. Ask them “which side are you on?” Ask them “are you with us?” Ask them “are you ready to be part of the fight for a fair contract?”

Until a fair contract is reached, AFSCME members will be showing which side they are on by wearing a green wrist band at work every day and wearing AFSCME green every Friday. Be proud of your union and be part of this movement.

Your AFSCME leaders will be visiting you in your workplace to help build strength, discuss issues and concerns, and blaze the path to our next contract. Please join us at these visits, speak to your Local Officers about how you can get involved, or give us a call in the Member Resource Center at 1-800-5-AFSCME to speak with a Staff Representative.

This contract campaign is all about bringing us together to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that is fair and just for the AFSCME members who keep this Commonwealth running day in and day out, through thick and thin, in solidarity with one another.

We invite you to join us in this effort, and we thank you for all you do for your commonwealth, your community, and your union.

In Solidarity,
David Henderson
Executive Director, AFSCME Council 13

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Looking for ways to get involved and have your voice heard? Have questions about the 2023 Master Agreement and Master Memorandum negotiations? Please fill out the form below and a representative will reach back out to you. Additionally, we can always be reached in the Member Resource Center by calling 1-800-5-AFSCME or emailing [email protected] We look forward to hearing from you!