During July, NAPE/AFSCME Volunteer Member Organizers (VMOs) visited 35 worksites across Nebraska to talk with state employees about our new labor contract, higher pay, and new benefits. More than 1,300 state employees stopped by to chat and got a goodie bag.
Volunteer Member Organizers are union members who are trained on our contract, our rights on the job, and volunteer to visit with state employees around Nebraska. In late July, our VMOs deployed at large worksites in Beatrice, Bellevue, Grand Island, Kearney, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, Omaha, and Scottsbluff. While at the worksites, our VMOs had conversations with more than 1,300 state employees about our new contract.
VMOs also visited with potential union members across Nebraska to talk with them about our union and our future. Over the course of one week, 155 state employees became new NAPE/AFSCME union members after talking with our VMOs.
“One of my favorite things about being a VMO is meeting new people that do such cool work for so many different state agencies,” said Erika Robles, VMO and Senior Agent for the Nebraska Department of Revenue. “I had a blast traveling from Lincoln to Scottsbluff and meeting with state employees in the panhandle.”
Some of our VMOs completed their initial training in July and were able to hit the ground running. Tony Gleason, NDOT Highway Construction Technician from Lincoln, and LJ Vasquesz, NDOT Senior Highway Maintenance Worker from Gordon, traveled throughout Nebraska. “It was great to be able to visit the different NDOT districts and talk to the workers about our union,” Tony said. “There’s a lot of education to do about our contract and I’m really glad I got to be a part of that.”
If you are interested in becoming a NAPE/AFSCME VMO, the first step is to take a leadership training course. We have upcoming leadership training classes in Scottsbluff and Omaha. All union members are welcome to attend any leadership training. Sign up here. Once leadership training is completed, you can sign up for VMO training.