HIGHLIGHTS

AFSCME 41st INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

DAILY

afscme.org/convention

‘Bold, Brave and Determined!’ 41st International Convention Points to Future

COMMITTEE MEETINGS – Upon recess of General Session; See list, Page 2

CONSTITUENCY GROUP CAUCUSES – Upon recess; See list, Page 2

AA MEETING – 6 - 9 p.m., Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel, Picasso Room

MONDAYJuly 14

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CONVENTION REGISTRATION

7 a.m. – 1 p.m., McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B

BOOTHS

7 a.m. – one hour after recess; closed during General Session

McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B

Cyber Dome, Learning Lounge, Pin Trading Post, Affiliate Booth, AFSCME Advantage, Generations United, Information, Labor History, Organizing, PEOPLE, PEOPLE Q+A, Video and Wellness

CHILD CARE

7 a.m. – one hour after session

McCormick Place North, Level One, Rooms N126 – N129

ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

8:30 a.m., McCormick Place North, N136

41ST INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CONVENES

10 a.m., McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B

CALL TO ORDER

Reading of Introductions and Convention Call

Program: Internal Organizing and Capacity Building

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

Lee Saunders, International President, AFSCME

The Cyber Dome at the Convention Hall helps delegates connect to AFSCME’s online resources. See page 3 for more about the Cyber Dome.

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The electricity that 4,000 AFSCME Convention delegates and alternates will generate in the Windy City this week will light the way for 1.6 million AFSCME sisters and brothers nationwide who are counting on a “bold, brave and determined” direction for the future.

That’s the theme of our 41st International Convention: Bold, Brave, Determined. That’s what we must become as we stand up to some of the most difficult challenges workers – especially members of public service unions – have ever faced.

We’ve organized this week to focus on each of the four pillars of AFSCME’s Power to Win plan. For starters, today we’re highlighting one of the most important campaigns we’ve launched in recent years. This year, we’ve trained an army of Volunteer Member Organizers (VMOs) in an effort to grow our union by 50,000 new members by the start of this Convention.

This campaign, which we call 50,000 Stronger, launched in January with a meeting of AFSCME leaders. Today, in his keynote address, Pres. Lee Saunders will reveal just how well we did.

VMOs also will be front and center in today’s special program. Some of those activists who took up our 50,000 Stronger challenge will tell their compelling stories.

Tuesday’s special program focuses on building political and legislative power. Activists from several states will describe their fight-back campaigns against attacks from extremist right-wing, anti-worker politicians. Sec.-Treas. Laura Reyes will deliver Tuesday’s keynote address, and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke and Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist also will address the Convention.

Wednesday, we will highlight our efforts to grow our union through external organizing. We will highlight campaigns by Vermont home care providers, New Orleans taxicab drivers and most recently Chicago’s 13,000 licensed cab drivers to build power by organizing with AFSCME. We’ll take to the streets on Wednesday on behalf of those cab drivers. We’ll also hear that day from our friend U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Ramogi Huma, founder and president of the National College Players Association.

We’ll talk about building power with allies on Thursday. Barb Kalbach, president of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund, and Paul Moist, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, will address the Convention. Delegates from the Southwest Region will elect an International Vice President, and we’ll participate in our first-ever AFSCME’s Got Talent karaoke competition.

President Saunders will wrap up our Convention on Friday with final thoughts and a challenge to turn the energy of this Convention into positive results in every state where AFSCME members live and work. We’ll also hear from Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, an organization active on critical issues, who in 2012 helped organize the “Nuns on the Bus” tour that fought against devastating federal budget cuts.

Throughout the week, delegates will also consider key policy resolutions and Constitutional amendments, and renew friendships while making new ones. We’ll leave Chicago bold, brave and determined together.

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TODAY’S WORKSHOPSThe following workshops will be held TODAY, 2 – 3:30 p.m.

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COMMITTEE ROOM

Appeals N137

Budget, Taxes & Economic Affairs N139

Constitution N226

Federal Policy S401a

Health Care N227a

Organizing N140

Political Action PEOPLE N426a

Resolutions N231*Credentials Committee will meet at McCormick Place North, Level Three, directly behind the Registration area in Hall B.

Upon recess at McCormick Place, Rooms 100 – 400

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

3:45 – 5:15 p.m. (after the conclusion of workshops)

CAUCUS ROOM

African-American N228

Asian/Pacific Islander S403a

Latino S230b

LGBT S402a

Next Wave S227b

CONSTITUENCY CAUCUSES

SECTOR CAUCUSES

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 • 7:30 – 9:30 A.M.

• Administration and Finance South Building, Level Four, Room S426a

• Child Support North Building, Level One, Room N137

• Child Welfare North Building, Level One, Room N139

• Corrections* South Building, Level Four, Room S401a

• Early Childhood Education North Building, Level One, Room N135

• Emergency Services North Building, Level One, Room N140

• Employment and Vocational Services North Building, Level Four, Room N426b

• Environmental Protection and Parks* North Building, Level Four, Room N426c

• Higher Education North Building, Level Two, Room N230b

• Home Health/Home Care South Building, Level Four, Room S401d

• Hospital-Based Acute Care South Building, Level Four, Room S402a

• Housing South Building, Level Four, Room S401bc

• K-12 Education* North Building, Level Two, Room N231

• Sworn Law Enforcement South Building, Level Four, Room S403a

• Libraries and Other Cultural Institutions South Building, Level Four, Room S405ab

• Long-Term Care South Building, Level Four, Room S404a

• Outpatient Services South Building, Level Four, Room S404bc

• Probation and Parole North Building, Level Two, Room N230a

• Public Assistance South Building, Level Four, Room S404d

• Public Works South Building, Level Four, Room S403b

• Transportation* South Building, Level Four, Room S402b

Join your sisters and brothers for a discussion about your challenges, triumphs and experiences in your sector during the 2014 Sector Caucuses, all held from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16. Your issues, strategies and tactics will be front and center among members who share your concerns. Find your sector caucus below, and come and share your experiences.

Spanish translation will be offered in those caucuses marked with an asterisk.*

Check Your Blood Pressure at the Wellness BoothDon’t be stressed out. Take care of your heart by stopping by the Wellness Booth today from 7 a.m. until 1 hour after the general session. Nurses from AFSCME United Nurses of America (UNA) will take your blood pressure absolutely free, and they’ll do it with a smile to set you in the right mood for the Convention. They’re located at McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B.

Keep Your Shirt(s) On!See what the best-dressed AFSCME delegate will wear this summer and fall at the PEOPLE Booth, your one-stop shop for shirts in every color and style made by union/USA manufacturers! From golf shirts to polos to designer T-shirts, from stripes to solids and newly branded merchandise for Retirees, Next Wavers and women, you can’t beat the selection or pricing!

And don’t forget to purchase the limited edition, commemorative 41st International Convention PEOPLE T-shirt featuring the stunning Chicago skyline encapsulated in the iconic Bean. Both women’s and men’s cuts available in AFSCME green with white print. You’ll want to be in with the hip crowd on PEOPLE T-shirt day (Thursday).

The PEOPLE Booth is located at McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B. It is open today from 7 a.m. to one hour after the General Session. It is closed during the General Session.

Have a PEOPLE question? Stop by the PEOPLE Q+A Booth, directly across from the PEOPLE Booth, where you can have all your PEOPLE-related questions answered.

n AFSCME’s Financial Standards Code South Building, Level Four, Room S406 A

n The Art of Class War South Building, Level Four, Room S404 A

n Beating Back Paycheck Deception and Right-to-Work North Building, Level Two, Room N227 B

n Better Together: Coalitions South Building, Level Four, Room S402 A

n Communicating to Win North Building, Level Two, Room N230 B

n Faith and Labor Partnerships South Building, Level Four, Room S406 B

n From Apathy to Activist: Activate Coworkers and Build Union Power (Also offered in Spanish), South Building, Level Four, Room S401 D

n Get on the VAN-Wagon: Data-Driven Campaigns South Building, Level Four, Room S403 A

n Getting Ready to Run (Also offered in Spanish) South Building, Level Four, Room S401 B/C

n Growing the Union in Your Backyard North Building, Level Two, Room N230 A

n Labor History for Labor Activists North Building, Level Two, Room N228

n A New Approach to Outsourcing North Building, Level Four, Room N426 B

n Saving Our Cities Through Pro-Worker Growth (Also offered in Spanish) North Building, Level One, Room N135

n Stronger Together! (Locals fewer than 200 members) South Building, Level Four, Room S404 D

n Stronger Together! (Locals 200 – 1,000 members) (Also offered in Spanish), South Building, Level Four, Room S405 A

n Stronger Together! (Locals more than 1,000 members) South Building, Level Four, Room S405 B

n Taking Next Wave to the Next Step South Building, Level Four, Room S402 B

n Talkin’ Union to New Employees: Orientations that Build Power (Also offered in Spanish), South Building, Level Four, Room S403 B

n Unleashing the Power of Diversity and Inclusion in the Union North Building, Level Four, Room N426 C

n Using Direct Action (Also offered in Spanish) South Building, Level Four, Room S404 B/C

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HEAD TO THE CYBER DOME

Build Union Power at the Interactive Learning LoungeEver wonder how to use a bullhorn? Would you like to create your own Facebook page for your local? Come by the interactive Learning Lounge every morning through Thursday and find out how. It’s located in McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B.

Here is today’s schedule:

8 a.m. – Gentle Mind-Body Stretch8:30 a.m. – The PEOPLE Ask in 3 Easy Steps9 a.m. – Getting the Most Out of Your iPad or iPhone

The Cyber Dome is a central hub where you can take part in the day’s action, watch videos about how AFSCME members are bold, brave and determined, and see the live stream of Facebook posts, text messages and Instagram photos.

Write on facebook.com/afscmebold or use the #afscmebold hashtag on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to send content to the Cyber Dome. You can also text the keyword BOLD to 237263 to submit a message via text. Or talk with an Action Ambassador to send a message via their iPads.

Want to get on the big screen? Talk with an Action Ambassador about how you can create a video about how you’re bold, brave and determined. We’ll screen them on the Cyber Dome.

The Cyber Dome will be open before and after the General Session. It is located at McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B.

Get AFSCME updates and news online by liking AFSCME’s Facebook page and following the @AFSCME Twitter account.

Once you’ve done that, give the Monday ticket in your Action Passport to an Action Ambassador to enter today’s raffle drawing.

The winner of Sunday’s drawing was Russell Pedroza of Local 2960 in Arizona. See an Action Ambassador to claim your PEOPLE prize.

We’ve all got them piling up in our rooms – unused bottles of cream, shampoo, mouth-wash, even soap. Don’t just take them home. We’re collecting them to donate to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH). Since 1980, CCH’s mission has been to ‘organize and advocate to prevent and end homelessness, because housing is a human right in a just society.’ Please help the less fortunate by dropping off your contributions at the Information Booth. Their thanks will follow you home.

Save Your Extra Toiletries

AFSCME’s Got Talent! We know that, but lots of it is hidden – in showers, in karaoke bars, behind the steering wheel – everywhere but on a big stage in front of our AFSCME sisters and brothers. But that’s about to change.

‘AFSCME’s Got Talent’ is our way of having lots of fun while raising money for AFSCME’s political action committee, PEOPLE. Delegates, alternates and other AFSCME mem-bers will compete for the best talent at karaoke. It will be a blast for one and all!

Who will be the PEOPLE’s choice?

To compete, just visit the AFSCME’s Got Talent Showcase Stage and enter your name for a chance to perform in the finals on Thursday. You’ll need to tell us what song you’ll sing. Later, names will be drawn to see who gets a chance to

get up on stage. Then the audience will vote for their favorites with their PEOPLE contributions.

Names will be drawn randomly to see who gets a shot at the final performance on Thursday. The contestant who raises the most money from the audience wins a grand prize: a two-night hotel stay at any Hyatt in the 48 contiguous states. Contestants who raise pledges before Thursday, and combine those pledges with their onstage contributions, will be eligible to win the grand prize of two airline tickets to anywhere in the United States.

Just want to watch? Pick up your free general admission ticket or purchase a premium seat (in the first three rows) for $10 at the AFSCME’s Got Talent Showcase Stage, located next to the PEOPLE booth.

The big finale starts on Thursday after the conclu-sion of the General Session in the Grand Ball-room, Level One, S100.

Contributions or gifts to AFSCME PEOPLE are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. All contributions to AFSCME PEOPLE are voluntary and will be used for political purposes. Contributions are not a condition of membership or employment and refusal to contribute is free of reprisal. In accordance with federal law, AFSCME PEOPLE accepts contributions only from AFSCME members, executive and administrative personnel, and their families. Contributions from other persons will be returned.

Do You Have Talent? Of Course You Do!

Shuttle ScheduleShuttle buses run from Saturday through Friday, July 12 – 18, between official Convention hotels and McCormick Place. Buses will travel to McCormick Place in the morning and return to the hotels at the conclusion of the sessions.

The buses will stop at: Hilton Chicago, Hyatt Regency Chicago/Swissôtel,* Palmer House, Sheraton Chicago,** and Westin River North.***

* Delegates staying at the Swissôtel will pick up their shuttle at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

** Delegates staying at Embassy Suites will pick up their shuttle at the Sheraton Chicago.

*** Delegates staying at Hilton Garden Inn will be part of the Westin River North shuttle and will be picked up/dropped off at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Shuttles will be available for Wednesday’s rally.

Stand Up! Speak Up!As an AFSCME delegate or alternate, you are among the most active, dedicated members of our union. So stop by the Video Booth to tell your sisters and brothers, both here and back home, how you will be bold, brave and determined in the months ahead. This will be fun, and take just a few minutes. You might even see yourself up on the Convention’s big screen later this week. The Video Booth is located next to the Wellness Booth at McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B. Just ask any Action Ambassador to point it out. It’s open from 7 a.m. until one hour after the General Session (it is closed during General Session).

9/11 Responder or Survivor?Stop by the DC 37 Affiliate Booth (#201) to learn about the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical monitoring and treatment to eligible 9/11 responders and others affected by the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pa. Also, ask about the informational CDs to take back to your membership.

He’s No.1 (Literally!)John Quinn is a fast worker. So fast, in fact, that he became the very first registrant at our Convention on Saturday.

Quinn, a member of New York City Sewage Treatment Workers Local 1320 (DC 37), has been an AFSCME member for 33 years. He’s also a PEOPLE MVP and a Convention alternate who knows that it takes an activist like him to get things done in his union.

That said, the Navy veteran didn’t plan to become the first registrant. He arrived at the counter at 12:30 p.m. because, he explained, he wanted to catch a baseball game. It’s something he tries to do every time he visits a city with a ballpark. No word on whether he caught his game.

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n The Affordable Care Act and Health Benefits North Building, Level Two, Room N226

n The Art of Class War South Building, Level Four, Room S404 A

n Bargaining During Challenging Times (Also offered in Spanish) North Building, Level Two, Room N227 B

n Creating and Delivering Short Persuasive Speeches (Also offered in Spanish) North Building, Level Two, Room N227 A

n Exposing Wasteful Subsidies North Building, Level Four, Room N426 A

n The Fight for Our Pensions North Building, Level Two, Room N230 B

n From the Kitchen Table to the Street (Also offered in Spanish) North Building, Level Four, Room N426 B

n Get on the VAN-Wagon: Data Driven Campaigns South Building, Level Four, Room S403 A

n Hot Topics in Health and Safety North Building, Level Two, Room N231

n IRS Form 990 Filing Requirements: Protecting Your Tax Exempt Status South Building, Level Four, Room S406 B

n Labor History for Labor Activists North Building, Level Two, Room N228

n Making the Case for Immigration Reform North Building, Level One, Room N139

n Main Street Matters North Building, Level Four, Room N426 C

n The New Frontier: Organizing Non-Traditional Workers North Building, Level One, Room N137

n The New Wage and Benefits Movements South Building, Level Four, Room S401 B/C

n Retiree Power South Building, Level Four, Room S402 A

n Retirement Security for All South Building, Level Four, Room S401 D

n Speaking Up When Oppression Happens North Building, Level One, Room N135

n Stopping Outsourcing in Its Tracks (Also offered in Spanish) North Building, Level Four, Room N140

n Stronger Together! Internal Organizing (Locals fewer than 200 members) South Building, Level Four, Room S404 D

n Stronger Together! (Locals between 200-1,000 members) South Building, Level Four, Room S405 A

n Stronger Together! (Locals more than 1,000 members) South Building, Level Four, Room S405 B

n Talkin’ Union to New Employees South Building, Level Four, Room S403 B

n (Un)Popular Economics: Student Debt South Building, Level Four, Room S401 A

n Using Direct Action South Building, Level Four, Room S404 B/C

n Women in Bargaining South Building, Level Four, Room S402 B

WORKSHOPS FOR TUESDAYThe following workshops will be held Tuesday, July 15, from 7:30 – 9 a.m.

Swing by the AFSCME Advantage

Booth for a GIFT

AFSCME Advantage offers the Benefits of Solidarity: scholarships, life insurance, automobile, computer, pet service discounts, our new AFSCME Advantage credit card program and more. AFSCME Public Safety members can also talk with providers of the Public Safety Protection Program. Today, just for stopping by, you can pick up your recyclable Advantage bag and nifty credit card holder. Complete your sweepstakes ticket to enter to win gift cards (no need to be present to win). Also learn all the benefits of being an AFSCME Advantage credit card holder. Congratulations to JoAnn Johntony OAPSE Local 4 and Adriel Reyes, Local 2620, Saturday and Sunday’s winners of a $100 Union Plus gift card. The Advantage Booth is at McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B.

Leaders from AFSCME’s 43 retiree chapters nationwide met here Friday through Sunday to learn about right-wing attacks on retirement security; to discuss how to build membership to stand up to such challenges as the Supreme Court’s decision on Harris v. Quinn; and to elect officers for the next two years.

The 34th annual meeting of the AFSCME Retiree Council brought together 230 Retiree Council representatives and guests from their chapters. During the three-day session, they heard presentations from Pres. Lee Saunders and Sec.-Treas. Laura Reyes, and speeches by U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Steven Horsford (D-NV) and Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Retirees were briefed on a variety of topics important to AFSCME seniors, such as pensions and building political power and retiree member benefits through AFSCME Advantage. Also highlighted was the importance of supporting AFSCME’s political action fund, PEOPLE, although AFSCME retirees already know how critical it is: They contribute more than $450,000 to PEOPLE annually, and 31 percent of retiree contributors are PEOPLE MVPs.

By acclamation, the Retiree Council also re-elected its leaders: Gary Tavormina, New York Retiree Chapter 82 (chair); Phyllis Zamarripa, Colorado Chapter 76 (vice chair); and Jim Moore, North Carolina Retiree Subchapter 165 (secretary).

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Retirees Gather to Learn, Inspire, Re-Elect Leaders

Gary Tavormina re-elected chair.

John Clark of Ohio Chapter 1184 participates in the Retiree Council meeting.

Hear our stories at the Labor History Booth McCormick Place North, Level Three, Hall B