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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday joined AFSCME President Lee Saunders and front-line public service workers from states experiencing surges in coronavirus cases to urge the Senate to approve at least $1 trillion in flexible aid to states, cities and towns.

After dealing with years of favoritism, retaliation, and arbitrary staffing changes, the legal assistants, legal interviewers, and victim advocates at the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office have come together to form a union.

AFSCME joined a virtual gathering of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, a movement that seeks to shift the moral narrative of our country and build power for poor and vulnerable people.

AFSCME praised today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that extends protections under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to millions of LGBTQ workers.

In a statement, AFSCME President Lee Saunders said such protections are long overdue and represent an important step in the fight for equality and justice for all workers.

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County is calling for a statewide day of action in support of all Black lives in Washington State on Friday, June 12th. The day of action will honor lives lost and send a powerful message that Washingtonians no longer tolerate the racism that is built into so many of our institutions. For those who can’t march in Seattle, Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County encourages local groups to organize a march in their communities.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a quarter of the U.S. labor force, close to 43 million people, have filed for unemployment benefits.

Washington state has been the hardest hit. Between a surge of fraudulent claims originating overseas as well as a record number of legitimate claims, the equivalent of 30 percent of the workforce has filed for unemployment insurance.

Employees at the Washington state Employment Security Department (ESD) like Beth Toms, an Intake Specialist in the Spokane office who serves as the Secretary Treasurer of WFSE Local 1221, have been working around the clock to process unemployment claims.