National fight, shared struggle
Editor’s note: Some of the material in this article was originally published on AFSCME’s blog.
After congressional Republicans pushed through their massive budget reconciliation bill that was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, union members across the nation are bracing for the fallout.
The sweeping federal cuts threaten programs that working people, retirees and vulnerable communities depend on every day.
CSEA has been raising concerns about how these cuts will harm New York, but we are not alone.
AFSCME members across the country are speaking out, showing that this fight is national, and our union family is united in demanding fairness. Here are a just a few ways that AFSCME members are fighting back.
Cuts harm working families
Ohio workers are seeing what these cuts mean on the ground. Ohio Association of Public School Employees/AFSCME Local 4 President Lois Carson highlighted how reductions to Medicaid and SNAP will hurt working-class families, children and people with disabilities. For too many union members, the consequences of the cuts will mean less health care, more hunger and deeper economic insecurity.
“I’ve seen firsthand how poverty and lack of health care hold back our children,” said Carson. “When families struggle, our schools, our communities, and our entire state suffer.”
In Wisconsin, the birthplace of AFSCME, members are bracing for the worst.
Zabdiel “Zab” Martinez, an economic support specialist at Dane County, Wisconsin, sees every day how federal programs keep people afloat. This includes single parents trying to stretch every dollar, laid-off workers getting back on their feet and retirees struggling to afford groceries.
“Let’s call this budget what it is: a massive giveaway to billionaires at the expense of our futures,” said Martinez. “More than 15 million people stand to lose their health care and another 3.5 million could lose food support, all so billionaires can buy more yachts. It’s shameful.”
AFSCME Local 3055 President Ben Delie, a utility worker at the Green Bay Area Public School District, knows firsthand how fragile state and local budgets can be and how much they rely on federal support. Delie noted that federal Medicaid money makes up more than 20% of Wisconsin’s state budget.
“These pro-billionaire cuts are going to punch a huge hole in the Wisconsin state budget,” said Delie. “We’re not going to forget in 2026, and in 2028.”
AFSCME Local 3282 President Joshua Capilla, who is based in Arizona, warned about the effects of the budget.
“These cuts will have deep ripple effects on our local budgets and will put our communities in a fiscal hole that could take years to crawl out of,” said Capilla.
Retirement security at stake
AFSCME retiree members have also made it clear they won’t sit back while retirement security is jeopardized.
In Pennsylvania, AFSCME retiree members are fighting back and holding elected officials accountable. District Council 47 Retirees Local member Chuck Donaldson recently joined several congressional leaders at a rally to save Social Security.
“I’d like politicians who want to cut Social Security to think about what they’re doing, not just the bottom line. Have some compassion for seniors,” said Donaldson “Seniors are afraid and insecure…Anti-worker politicians want us to pay for their tax breaks with whatever little money we have.”
In Texas, AFSCME Retirees Chapter 12 President Luther Elmore underscored how Social Security is already under attack.
“The Social Security Administration has closed field offices and now has 7,000 fewer employees than it had at the beginning of the year,” said Elmore at a rally in Brownsville, Texas.
In Florida, AFSCME Retiree Chapter 79 member Peggy Goodale, a former Florida state worker, called out congressional representatives who supported the reconciliation bill.
“Shame on [them] for not showing the leadership to fix a budget bill that requires massive cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other essential programs,” said Goodale.
Many retired CSEA members who have relocated to Florida have continued to stand up for the very same rights they worked their entire careers to earn through being active in CSEA’s three Florida retiree locals.
CSEA stands strong
CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan has repeatedly stressed that New York’s budget crisis is tied directly to decisions made in Washington.
“Public service workers everywhere are saying enough is enough,” said Sullivan. “Together, we are standing strong to defend the programs that keep our communities safe, healthy, and secure. This is a national fight, and CSEA members can take heart knowing that across the country, our union family is stepping up shoulder-to-shoulder with us.”