Memphis Plays Host City for AFGE’s 3 Events
May 19, 2014
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Member Profile
Memphis, Tennessee, saw hundreds of AFGE leaders and activists in early May as AFGE held three events in the city known for its World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest and Rock and Roll.
The Council of Prison Locals held its Southeastern Regional Training on May 5-9. The training was attended by 250 AFGE leaders and activists and offered classes on arbitration, equal employment opportunity, workers compensation, advanced stewards training, and Cyberfeds training.
On Thursday May 8, the Council led by Council President Eric Young held a prayer vigil to honor our fallen corrections officers and address the AFGE-backed Smarter Sentencing Act which would help reduce federal prison overcrowding and improve safety for prison staff and inmates.
More than 100 Council of Prison Locals members from the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions were joined by 20 AFGE 9th District Council 131 members and AFGE TSA Council 100 officers at the Clifford Davis-Odell Horton federal building. AFGE members were also joined by Congressman Steve Cohen's representative Jeremy Jordan and fellow federal employees from within the GSA that are located at the federal building.
AFGE National Secretary Treasurer Eugene Hudson and National Vice President for Women’s and Fair Practices Augusta Thomas attended the vigil. NST Hudson spoke about AFGE’s fight for federal officers through legislation. NVP Thomas talked about the need to hold vigils at every BOP facility and training to honor fallen officers and bring attention to this critical issue.
The District 9 Spring Training was held the same week and offered classes on arbitration, representation, workers’ compensation, disability retirement, safety/OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), equal employment opportunity, MSPB, collective bargaining, and establishing Women’s and Fair Practices in a Local.
The training was put together by the 9th District Council of Locals, Council 131, whose sole purpose is to hold two training events a year for Locals in District 9. The Council recently expanded its program to allow AFGE Locals outside District 9 to participate. Of the 30 Locals that participated this year, half of them were non-District 9 Locals.
