Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Understaffing of state and local government jobs has hit crisis levels, and AFSCME is fighting back by launching Staff the Front Lines. This initiative will focus on the nationwide shortage of public-sector workers, as half a million public-sector jobs are vacant. This shortage means vital public services aren’t being delivered and public-sector workers are exhausted from shouldering impossible workloads. The plan will focus on retention, recruitment and outreach. “This is a real issue and a real problem, not just for our union and for those who provide public services,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “It’s a real problem for the citizens who rely upon public services every single day.”