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AFSCME Local 579 Leaders Pull Together for the Planet at the Oshkosh March for Science

On the most beautiful Saturday Oshkosh, Wisconsin has seen this year, Rob Clancy and Laura Zirbel were up early, advocating for public health and the environment, representing AFSCME Local 579 at the March for Science.

Rob Clancy VP & Treasurer at the March for Science
Rob Clancy, Local 579 Vice President and Treasurer at the Oshkosh March for 
Science, with organizer, Prof. Misty McPhee.

Clancy works at UW Oshkosh in Classroom Technology. He is the person who maintains technology in the classrooms and comes on call to rescue the class when the projector won't turn on. Zirbel works at the Circulation Desk in Oshkosh's Polk Library, helping people find study spots, media, and answers. 

 Both Clancy and Zirbel take care of essential tasks behind the scenes that most people never see. They are two of the people on staff who make UW Oshkosh happen. They also donate their time by serving as officers in AFSCME Local 579, making Oshkosh and its university a better place to learn, live, and work.
 
Around 250 community activists, including faculty, staff, and students from UW Oshkosh, turned out on Earth Day to March for Science.
Around 250 community activists, including faculty, staff, and students from UW Oshkosh, turned out 
on Earth Day to March for Science.

While elected leaders from the Republican Party are stubbornly denying that climate change is happening, public employees and union leaders like Clancy and Zirbel know better - and they are working to raise awareness and promote positive change. 

 Heidi Frey, Local 579 President, said, "This is what union people do, and this is who union people are. We work to make the world a better place, and we start that work at home in our communities. We are committed to the idea that public institutions and public service are for the public good."

These people all know that climate change and destabilization are real. They also support scientific research conducted through public grants, grants that President Trump and the Republicans in Congress want to defund.
Clancy, Zirbel, and the other concerned citizens who turned out for the March for Science understand that
climate change and destabilization are real. They support scientific research and education made possible 
through publicly-funded grants, grants that President Trump and the Republicans in Congress want to defund.


AFSCME members are proud to say that our union is green. Union jobs are the sustainable choice for rebuilding our economy and strengthening the middle class. Our union offers benefits in addition to the employer's benefit package, adding value to the workplace at no additional cost to taxpayers. Union jobs, especially working class union jobs, pay better wages and offer better benefits than non-union jobs. Union wages aren't hoarded away by billionaires; they are reinvested back into small businesses in our local communities. 

 If you are an activist and you would like to get involved, contact afscme579@gmail.com to find out how you can join the union at UW Oshkosh. The union is still here. We still have great benefits. Ask us about AFSCME Free College!

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Location: Oshkosh, WI, USA

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