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?
AFGE’s legal fight over the Trump administration’s efforts to shutter federal agencies, fire and displace federal workers, and outlaw federal unions notched another significant victory last week when a federal judge blocked an unlawful reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
New economic data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week painted a sobering picture: costs for everyday goods like gasoline, groceries, and rent are up 3.7% from this time last year.
AFGE is urging members of Congress to support the Department of Defense’s civilian workforce as they begin work to finalize must-pass legislation authorizing the department’s spending for the next budget year.