At AFT convention, public employees sound alarm on midterms, SNAP cuts

The midterm elections dominated the discussion at the AFT Public Employees divisional meeting today at the AFT convention in Washington, D.C. Members representing job titles ranging from lifeguards to emergency room nurses listed some of their biggest challenges, noting how each one is affected by policy at every level.

Regardless of state, city or occupation, members listed the same issues: They are overworked and understaffed, dealing with workplace violence and outdated equipment, fighting anti-union propaganda and facing the issue that took up the latter half of the discussion: disappearing public funding.

Jennifer Porcari, the director of the AFT Public Employees division, warned that public funding is about to become an even bigger issue, especially for the municipal employees who distribute Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Under a provision in the Republicans' 2025 Big Ugly Bill, states with a SNAP payment error rate above 6 percent-which can come from a mix of overpayments, underpayments and missed deadlines-must now start covering a share of SNAP costs. Nationally, that amounts to about $9 billion a year across almost every single state. For public employees, that means already understaffed offices will be facing budget shortfalls as money is shifted to cover the new state funding gap, Porcari said.

Vicki O'Brien, who works with the Alaska Division of Public Assistance, which is tasked with distributing SNAP benefits, noted the irony in the new policy. Her team has been cut by about 50 percent, leading to an error rate above 6 percent. Currently, the state has taken on contractors to pick up the slack.

"I shouldn't even be here," O'Brien said. "I should be in Alaska training contractors."

Issues like this are why the midterm elections are critical, said Kyle Weidleman from the AFT's political department.

"We need to win Congress," he said. "This is a referendum on where we want our country to go. On the local level, we are electing whoever sits on the other side of the negotiation table."

Weidleman said the AFT wants to provide at least 5,000 of the 50,000 volunteers the AFL-CIO is calling for to text, phone bank, canvass or knock on doors. He also warned that members should be prepared for election interference.

"They are purging voter rolls," he said. "Check on your voter registration today. Check on it next month" and, he implored, "tell your neighbors to check on their registrations."

Porcari noted how election protection is unique to public employees.

"Our members are the ones who make sure the law is followed," she said. "We have to be the ones to take the lead. We need to volunteer to get out the vote and to protect the vote."

[Melanie Boyer/Photo credit: Pam Wolfe]