Every year, the President of the United States addresses the House and Senate in a joint session of Congress to discuss the state of our nation and plans for the future. Each member of Congress is allowed to bring a guest.
This year the state of the union address will be held on March 7, and AFGE Local 96 member April Williams will be attending as a guest of Rep. Nikki Budzinski of Illinois, who also spoke at the AFGE rally calling for full funding of our government earlier this month. In bringing April with her, the congresswoman wanted the issues important to federal workers to be front and center for all of Congress to see.
April works as a nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in St. Louis, MO. Besides being a member of Local 96, she’s also the local’s legislative and political coordinator and is active in her local community.
We caught up with April during our legislative conference and asked her about her union activism and the upcoming SOTU.
How long have you been working with Rep. Budzinski and on what issues?
Why have you been invited as a guest for the State of the Union address?
A federal judge last week ordered the Bureau of Prisons to immediately reinstate the union contract covering about 30,000 correctional officers and staff AFGE represents nationwide.
The AFGE council representing 8,000 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency sued the agency and its Senate-confirmed leader last week over the unlawful termination of its contract.