2015 AFSCME Next Wave Assembly

July 2015

Hundreds of young AFSCME activists from all over the country gathered June 12-14 in St. Louis, Missouri for the Next Wave Assembly, where participants exchanged ideas and strategies for building a stronger union. Next Wave is a network of AFSCME activists under age 35, whose goal is to create pathways to leadership for the next generation of union members.

UNAC/UHCP’s parent union, AFSCME, is made up of over one million Americans across the country and every two years, Next Wave activists come together to discuss the future of the labor movement, and learn effective ways to organize for workers’ rights and engage our communities.

UNAC/UHCP activists in attendance were: Shauntea Brown, RN, from Sharp Memorial; Sara Modugno, RN, from St. Francis; Valentina Zamora-Arreola, RN, from Kaiser Ontario-Vineyard; Michelle Lanorias, RN, from Pettis Memorial; and UNAC/UHCP Staff Organizer Richard Leon. Our young leaders sharpened their skills in order to build an even stronger UNAC/UHCP. Activists had an opportunity to put solidarity in action when more than 600 participants rallied alongside homecare workers fighting for a fair contract with Paraquad – a state-funded homecare agency in Missouri.

Next Wave is about more than just workers’ rights and learning how to be better leaders and organizers – it is about a broader movement for social justice.