Politics
PEOPLE Program
Across the country, Americans are facing an out-of-balance economy that favors the wealthy while wages remain stagnant for everyone else. Working families are struggling to get ahead and public services are under attack. AFSCME PEOPLE, our union’s political action fund, provides us with an opportunity to stand together to protect the benefits and rights we’ve won in our workplaces and our communities.
We must take an active role to elect politicians who advocate for issues that are important to working families, like the need to balance the economy, defend workers’ rights, secure workers’ benefits, invest in public services, and ensure a secure retirement for all. By contributing today, you can help elect local, state and federal candidates who will fight for us and the issues we care about most. E-mail kkweli@dc37.net to request a PEOPLE presentation.
PEOPLE Chair
Michelle Akyempong
VP for Political Action, Local 371
PEOPLE Coordinators
PEOPLE Coordinators from each DC 37 local and the Retirees Association are appointed by their local/Retirees Association president. They hold meetings on the second Monday every three months (except in July and August).
How PEOPLE Makes a Difference
By law, union dues cannot be used to fund political campaigns; voluntary member contributions to the PEOPLE fund are needed to help elect pro-worker candidates.
PEOPLE funds are used for lobbying, running grassroots campaigns, sharing our message through print and radio ads, and directly supporting pro-worker candidates who are committed to addressing the needs of DC 37 members and retirees.
Politics Affects Everyone
As a public employee, your job, wages and working conditions are directly linked to politics. Our jobs as city workers are under attack. The services that we and our families depend on are under attack. We are encountering decreases in funding for Medicaid and Medicare, food stamps, NYCHA public housing, and education. Not only are these programs that provide jobs for over a hundred thousand DC 37 members, but these are programs that many DC 37 members need to survive on a daily basis.
By participating in PEOPLE (DC 37/AFSCME’s political, legislative and fundraising arm), you can have a direct impact on the political process from helping protect jobs and services, to shaping policies on privatization and other issues that affect us, and helping elect the public officials who are your bosses.
PEOPLE Needs You
To provide a strong political voice for public employees, we need help. You can become an active part of PEOPLE in many ways.
The easiest way is by participating in a PEOPLE check-off program to provide a regular contribution that we can count on as we work with candidates and campaigns throughout the year to make sure our members’ interests are represented. Please join PEOPLE today!
DC 37 PEOPLE
Room 408
125 Barclay Street
New York, NY 10007
(212) 815-1578
Join PEOPLE Now, Get Involved
Make a PEOPLE donation, sign a payroll deduction card for PEOPLE checkoff, get active with your union’s PEOPLE committee and become an MVP (Most Valuable PEOPLE). To find out how, click here.
“Holding politicians accountable takes resources, and that’s where the PEOPLE program comes in. And we can’t just be active at the national level. We’ve got to be just as involved in state and local politics to make a difference for working people. Never underestimate what you do for our union. Never underestimate the power of our voices or our PEOPLE program. Never underestimate what we can achieve when we come together. “
— Lee Saunders, Int’l President
