WHEREAS:

          AFSCME’s ability to effectively fight attacks on our retirement security, health care, wages and collective bargaining rights depends on voluntary contributions to the union’s political action fund, AFSCME PEOPLE; and

WHEREAS:

          Our livelihoods rest in the hands of elected officials and PEOPLE donations can help send working-class champions into public office; and

WHEREAS:

            Corporatist organizations and the mega-rich who sponsor them have dumped such massive amounts of cash into the coffers of anti-worker candidates that it is vitally important to fight back with PEOPLE contributions as part of the overall mission of the union and its political action program; and

WHEREAS:

          Organized labor–and public sector unions, in particular–face an unprecedented assault on our ability to forcefully represent members, to participate in the political process, and even to exist; and

WHEREAS:

            The wealthy and powerful who have made the destruction of organized labor in this country one of their top priorities are ruthless in pursuing their goal and have vast resources at their disposal; and

WHEREAS:

          Our ability to fight back against these assaults is dependent on having a strong PEOPLE program that can recruit and elect candidates who will stand up and fight for working families; and

WHEREAS:

          PEOPLE revenue has grown approximately 50 percent since the PEOPLE MVP program and Power to Win goals were introduced–from $6 million in 2005 to $9 million in 2013; and

WHEREAS:

          PEOPLE has seen this impressive growth, despite attacks on working families at the federal and state levels; and

WHEREAS:

            Despite this growth in the PEOPLE program, it is imperative that we raise more political dollars in order to be able to effectively defend our union from the array of attacks that have been unleashed on working people and their unions in our country today; and

WHEREAS:

            Current activists contributing at the MVP level have demonstrated their strong commitment to our union and are most likely to increase their support to PEOPLE and ensure that AFSCME remains a mighty force not only for our own members, but for all working families.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            That the AFSCME PEOPLE Program create a new contribution tier for those members who are prepared to do more to help ensure that our union has the resources it needs in the battles before us; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME members who give at the higher levels of $250, $500, $1,000 or more annually in voluntary PEOPLE contributions become part of the “PEOPLE Champions,” a new tier of PEOPLE; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That participants in PEOPLE Champions be provided with special opportunities to participate in AFSCME’s political programs in a manner that will recognize their status as top PEOPLE contributors; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

            Like MVP PEOPLE contributors, PEOPLE Champions will earn one point per dollar contributed to be redeemed in the online MVP Rewards catalogue.