San Antonio, Texas is celebrating the passing of a new budget that not only avoids employment cuts to local public service workers, but also protects workers from layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts through the end of the 2021 budget year.

“Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of the children I teach,” said Rachel Cavazos, an assistant pre-K teacher. “I know how vital the pre-K services we provide are. Cuts to these services would devastate our community. But losing my job or being furloughed would be just as difficult.”

The budget effort was led by members of AFSCME Local 2021, prompting Cavazos to add “I am so proud we were able to offer the administration common sense solutions and protect both the services and our jobs.”

Read more about how AFSCME members protected public service workers during the budget negotiation process here.