During historic AFSCME International Convention week, Council 8 members show we are Built For This Moment!

It’s hard to summarize the purely electric feeling of being in community with over 5,000 fellow union members for a whole week during AFSCME International Convention proceedings.  

There was laughter, joy and celebration as we convened with our fellow union family from across the nation in Chicago, IL in August. But perhaps the most important feeling that emerged from Convention was the strength of our solidarity as AFSCME members nationwide met to set our union’s agenda for the next two years. 

The theme of the week was Built for This Moment, a fitting tribute to the many different jobs and communities AFSCME members come from and serve. Even just looking at Ohio, we represent everyone from crossing guards to zookeepers, cafeteria workers to law enforcement officers, heavy machinery operators to administrative office staff and everything in between.  

Members spent the week hearing from key speakers, including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) President Mark Hancock, AFT President Randi Weingarten, SEIU President April Verrett and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.  

Perhaps the most anticipated speakers of the week though were AFSCME’s very own International President Lee Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride, who both gave their final keynote speeches as the leaders of our union. After decades of service to our great union, President Saunders and Secretary-Treasurer McBride announced their retirements this year, adding to the historic nature of this convention.  

“Never forget that you have the power. All of you collectively,” Saunders said in his keynote address.“Every VMO and PEOPLE MVP. Every steward and activist. Everyone who stands up to the boss. Who asks a co-worker to join the fight. Who simply gets up in the morning and answers the call to strengthen our communities, by doing the heroic and selfless work of public service. That is who you are. That is what you do. Every single day. We are AFSCME!” 

In honor of Saunders’ special relationship with his home state of Ohio, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, Local 1632 member Will Harmon participated in Saunders’ keynote introduction program.  

Secretary-Treasurer McBride also gave a heartfelt and rousing keynote address to delegates, highlighting the power of our union and the path we have ahead of us.  

“I want to lift up our most essential task: growing our labor movement,” McBride said. “There’s a fundamental problem that our movement needs to tackle. Seventy percent of Americans think that unions are a force for good. More than half of American workers say they would vote for one on the job if they could. But 90 percent of workers in this country have no union voice on the job. Nine out of ten. Think about the gap between the workers who want a union on the job and those who have a union on the job. We can and we must bridge that divide.” 

After setting the tone of the week with these profound messages from our retiring leaders, Council 8 members spent the week fired up and showing we are truly built for this moment. Members stood up and spoke on important issues to our union, rallied to support Shedd Aquarium workers as they fight for their first union contract after unionizing with AFSCME Council 31, and made bonds and connections with fellow union members that will serve to strengthen our union in the days ahead. 

Another profound and historic moment of the week was the swearing in of our newly elected AFSCME International President Patrick Moran and Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Pollard, Council 8’s endorsed candidates for the election. Moran and Pollard spoke to the convention on the last day, inspiring our union for the fight ahead of us.  

“Look at all of us today. Strong, united, and battle-tested. I am honored, truly honored to accept this responsibility today, and I do so with great optimism and gratitude, eternal gratitude. I embrace this responsibility knowing that we are built for this moment,” Moran said in his acceptance speech. “For 90 years, AFSCME members have been shaping history and making history, but we’re just getting started. Our brightest days are ahead of us. The next 90 years begins today.”  

Pollard continued this vision for the future in her acceptance speech, saying “the responsibility we accept today is about making sure the next generation of workers inherits a union that is stronger and more powerful than we are today. That means remaining an activist union, organizing at every opportunity, building strong locals and councils, sharing our best ideas with one another, and making strong and smart decisions to strengthen our foundation.” 

While this convention week felt a little bittersweet as we honored two incredible retiring leaders in Saunders and McBride for their service to our union, we elected two formidable leaders with the vision and determination to lead us into this next chapter.  

The convention closed with highlights from the week and announced our next biennial AFSCME International Convention in 2028, which will be hosted by our Louisiana AFSCME family in New Orleans!

You can view the wrap-up video with highlights from the week at the link here.