New AFGE Video: EEOC Employee Stands Up for Next Generation of Workers
In latest AFGE documentary, union steward Matt Albucher discusses need for younger employees to get active
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Matt Albucher is on the front lines of the battle being waged daily against working people in America.
Matt works at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), whose mission is to fight and prevent illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Matt also is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, where he serves as a delegate and steward at AFGE Local 3504 in Chicago.
"I think it's really important at this time in our history for people to stand up and stand for working people (before) all of our rights as people who work for a living are taken away," Matt says.
Matt shares his story in the latest documentary produced by AFGE, which is the exclusive representative for all bargaining unit employees at the EEOC. The documentary series is part of AFGE's year-long campaign, "I Am AFGE," to increase the public's awareness and appreciation of the women and men who work for them every day.
Matt is a member of AFGE's YOUNG program, which stands for Young Organizing Unionists for the Next Generation. He says younger workers especially need to stand up and have their voices be heard.
"The vast majority of my friends who work in nonunionized workplaces are abused. They work 60, 70 hours a week and are paid for 40 hours and are really being taken advantage of by these employers and corporations who don't respect our rights," Matt says.
According to Gallup, half of full-time employees in the United States work more than 40 hours a week, with 18 percent working 60 hours or more each week.
Workers at the EEOC encounter employers who flout the law under the misguided notion that employees are expendable, while employees are scared to speak up for their rights out of fear of being retaliated against.
"Employees like Matt are the reason why AFGE and the labor movement exists," AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. "Workers in this country are being marginalized and victimized every day, and it's up to all of us to stand up and defend the basic rights and protections that are being trampled by employers who view employees as commodities on a spreadsheet instead of human beings."
Matt's story is one of 15 short-form documentaries being released by AFGE through the end of the year, highlighting individual federal employees who carry out important work across the country.
All of the videos are being posted online and distributed to hundreds of news outlets across the country. The campaign also is being promoted through social media, an employee photo contest and other events.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.
For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Video - http://youtu.be/wf3bBE6Xeo0
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140319/DC86787LOGO
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/MM21150LOGO
SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees
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