Richard (Rich) Kowalczyk was voted to be the first president of AFSCME Local 3599 when it was started in 2018 and continues to serve in that capacity.  Rich had also been active as an executive board member at the chapter level for many years prior to Local 3599 being started.  

On February 14, more than 360 government employees and their supporters joined an on-line meeting organized by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, which represents workers in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Labor Network for Sustainability.

Government workers are on the move to fight the MAGA assault on public services and public workers. They need and deserve the support of the entire labor movement and of the public they serve.

As a public servant, I am a member of AFSCME Local 3599, the Upstate Environmental Protection Technical and Professional Employees, part of District Council 37 of New York City. Our local’s highly technical and professional members ensure approximately ten million people receive high quality drinking water.

Not only are government unions protectors of the environment, they have also been strong advocates for climate-friendly policies.

In 2019, government workers and their supporters forced an end to President Trump’s shutdown of the government and used the threat of a general strike to keep the government open. 

Our annual Transit Equity Day featured people from around the country taking action for better, more reliable, and more equitable transit. Our livestream for the event also showcased many little-known local transit justice initiatives.

A diversified transportation system will not only reduce emissions faster, provide more mobility for more people, and lessen the burden of mineral extraction for batteries–but also stimulate millions of new, dignified jobs across the supply chain.

January 2025 was the warmest January on record, with average global temperatures of 3.13 degrees Fahrenheit (1.74 degrees Celsius) – significantly above the target set by the Paris Climate Agreement. 

Jeremy Brecher’s new book The Green New Deal from Below is hitting the media. Watch a Rutgers LEARN webinar about the book.

A new article by Loyola University professor Urooj Raja says that “essential workers” are “bearing the brunt of climate change.” 

Each issue of Making a Living on a Living Planet we feature a member of the LNS network. This time it’s LNS’ new Young Worker Organizer Martina Manicastri.

The Labor Network for Sustainability mourns the catastrophic loss of life and homes in California.

According to a statement on the Los Angeles fires by the Labor Network for Sustainability, “The fires are not a natural disaster.”

Mass mutual aid operations, demands for disaster preparedness, and calls for climate readiness are just a few examples of the working class responding to the climate catastrophe brought by the extreme Santa Ana windstorm and devastating wildfires on January 7th in Los Angeles.