AFSCME Council 5 is the Minnesota state-level council of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) government-worker union, the largest union for non-educational government workers in the United States and the largest member union of the AFL-CIO labor federation. AFSME Council 5 lobbies in favor of left-of-center priorities such as legalization of marijuana and increased employment benefits. The union also exclusively supports Democratic Party candidates in its political giving. ^{1 2 3}

Activities

AFSCME Council 5 is a Minnesota-based council of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees government worker union, the largest union for non-educational government workers in the United States and the largest member union of the AFL-CIO labor federation. AFSCME Council 5 has 43,000 members in Minnesota and is comprised of dozens of AFSCME local unions throughout Minnesota. ^{1 4}

In 2023, AFSCME Council 5 claimed credit for political wins in Minnesota, including banning private prisons, expanding unemployment benefits for school workers, expanding paid medical leave, and securing funding for public services. Council 5 also praised legislation in Minnesota that legalized marijuana, and provided free college. ²

In 2024, through the AFSCME Council 5 PEOPLE Fund, AFSCME Council 5 endorsed U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for re-election. ⁵ After President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election race, AFSCME Council 5 promoted an AFSCME national update saying that AFSCME’s international executive board voted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States, saying AFSCME members were “all in” for Harris. ^{6 7}

People

Eric Hesse is the president of AFSCME Council 5. Hesse is a member of AFSCME Local 404 at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center. ^{8 1}

The vice president of AFSCME Council 5 is Latonya Reeves. Reeves is a member-elect of the Democratic National Committee, a member of the board of directors at the Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association, and a commissioner on the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. ^{1 9}

Beginning on May 1, 2023, Bart Andersen was named the permanent executive director of AFSCME Council 5. Upon his appointment, Anderson promised to prioritize “inclusion in every facet of our decision-making and programming.” According to LinkedIn, Anderson is a field director at AFSCME. ^{10 11}

Political Spending

AFSCME Council 5 spent a total of $18,432 in the 2020 election cycle. According to its profile on OpenSecrets, Council 5 spent the entirety of that sum for the Democratic Party. According to Council 5’s independent expenditures, the organization spent $6,915 supporting Joe Biden for president and the rest in favor of Democratic legislative candidates. ³

Related Organizations

According to tax returns, AFSCME Council 5 has several related tax-exempt organizations, including the AFSCME Building Organization, AFSCME Council 5 Members’ Health and Welfare, and AFSCME Council 5 PEOPLE Fund. ¹²

AFSCME Council 5 is also a partner of We Choose Us, a left-of-center coalition of unions, activist groups, and other left-of-center organizations devoted to “fighting to protect and expand multiracial democracy in Minnesota.” ¹³

Financials

According to tax returns, in 2023 AFSCME Council 5 reported $5,709,974 in assets, $22,687,684 in expenses, and $23,327,790 in revenue. Of that revenue, $22,530,138 came from membership dues. That same year, AFSCME Council 5 gave $600,000 to the AFSCME Council 5 PEOPLE Fund. ¹²

1. “About AFSCME.” AFSCME MN. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/council-5/about-us.
2. “2023 Annual Report.” AFSCME Council 5. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/system/files/2023_annual_report_12.21.23.pdf.
3. “AFSCME Council 5 Independent Expenditures.” Open Secrets. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/afscme-council-5/C90020009/independent-expenditures/2020.
4. “Council 5 Local Union Website.” AFSCME MN. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/council-5-local-union-websites.
5. “2024 Election.” AFSCME MN. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/2024-election.
6. Levine, Pete. “AFSCME is ‘all in’ for Vice President Kamala Harris.” AFSCME. July 23, 2024. Accessed August 7, 2024. https://www.afscme.org/blog/afscme-is-all-in-for-vice-president-kamala-harris.
7. “AFSCME Blog Feed: Page 2.” AFSCME MN. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/node/13332/rss/0?page=2.
8. “Eric Hesse.” AFSCME MN. Accessed July7 25, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/council-5/about-us/eric-hesse.
9. “Latonya Reeves M.S., B.A. (She/Her).” LinkedIn. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/latonya-reeves-m-s-b-a-90b33a12/.
10. DHolmes. “Bold New Leadership at AFSCME Council 5!” AFSCME MN. May 1, 2023. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.afscmemn.org/news/bold-new-leadership-afscme-council-5.
11. “Bart Andersen.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-andersen-a967b0143/.
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). MN Council Number 5 of AFSCME. 2023.
13. “Partners.” We Choose Use. Accessed July 25, 2024. https://www.wechooseusmn.com/partners.