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‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: The Far Right Today
On the latest episode of “State of the Unions,” podcast co-host Tim Schlittner and guest host AFL-CIO International Director Cathy Feingold talk to Cas Mudde, a political scientist from the University of Georgia. Mudde has a new book, The Far Right Today, which takes a look at the resurgence of right-wing politicians and activists across the globe, much of it cloaked in populist, worker-friendly rhetoric.
Listen to our previous episodes:
- Talking with Guy Ryder, the director-general of the International Labor Organization, about the international labor movement, the idea of "decent labor" and the future of work.
- A discussion with Union Veterans Council Executive Director Will Attig about his work connecting the labor movement and the veterans community.
- A conversation with union member and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (Wis.) about strikes, trade, health care, LGBTQ equality and the freedom to form a union.
- A chat with Maine Senate President Troy Jackson (IUPAT, IAM) about his path to power and the experiences that have shaped his life and career.
- Talking to Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) about worker power, automation, trade and his decision to stay in the U.S. Senate.
- Checking in with AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council Executive Director Brad Markell about the UAW strike at General Motors and interviewing Veena Dubal, an associate law professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, whose work helped pave the way for passage of A.B. 5, the landmark pro-worker legislation in California.
“State of the Unions” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you can find podcasts.
Pelosi brokers deal with liberals on drug pricing bill
Economy Gains 266,000 Jobs in November; Unemployment Down Slightly to 3.5%
Economy Gains 266,000 Jobs in November; Unemployment Down Slightly to 3.5%
The U.S. economy gained 266,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 3.5%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In response to the November job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:
A large part of the job growth (15.4%) came from the returning @UAW workers from their strike against GM. So, motor vehicle employment was up 41,000, but remains 2,000 lower than the month before the strike. @AFLCIO #JobsDay #NumbersDay
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
Once again, big gains (moving to the right) in lower wage industries (moving down). Leisure & Hospitality gained 45,000 last month (219,000 in the last four months). The 25,300 in food services puts that industry at 12.33 million compared to manufacturing's 12.87 @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/YIyFDCnadQ
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
Why is full employment important? Again the unemployment rate for Latino men (over age 20) at 3.0% in November equaled white men's unemployment rate. Economists insisted the unemployment gaps reflected skill gaps; @federalreserve must realize its impact on inequality @AFLCIO
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
Another reason for concern about Retail: average weekly hours and average weekly payrolls fell in November. Amidst negligible job gains, this isn't a good sign for the month that includes Black Friday. @UFCW @AFLCIO #JobsDay #NumbersDay pic.twitter.com/iAn7v2GdYA
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
Thanks to all the states marching to a $15 an hour minimum wage, wages in leisure and hospitality were up 4.3% over the year. @BobbyScott led the House in passing a federal minimum wage hike, but from silent Mitch and Republican Senate crickets. @AFLCIO #FightFor15
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
In addition to tepid Retail numbers, gains in transportation for package delivery related work was good, but not great, up 8,000 for warehousing (logistics centers), 5,100 for couriers and messengers, 1,800 for support activities. @AFLCIO #JobsReport pic.twitter.com/J3yXuvDHso
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
With tepid wage growth, this puzzle of lingering long term unemployment with low overall unemployment lingers. And, NO the long term unemployed are not a homogenous group of low skilled workers. @AFLCIO #JobsReport pic.twitter.com/GrF7Rqm1KH
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 6, 2019
Last month's biggest job gains were in manufacturing (54,000), health care (45,000), leisure and hospitality (45,000), professional and technical services (31,000), transportation and warehousing (16,000) and financial activities (13,000). Mining lost jobs (-7,000). Employment in other major industries—including retail trade, construction, wholesale trade, information and government—showed little change over the month.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for teenagers (12.0%), blacks (5.5%), Hispanics (4.2%), adult men (3.2%), whites (3.2%), adult women (3.2%) and Asians (2.6%) showed little or no change in November.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined in November and accounted for 20.8% of the unemployed.
Is It Time To Regulate Or Nationalize Facebook?
CWA Executive Board Condemns Philippine Human Rights Abuses
Today, on International Human Rights Day, the Communications Workers of America Executive Board is united in its support for activists in the Philippines who face intimidation and retaliation for seeking to improve the lives and conditions of Filipino workers.
Valuing Working-Class Life: Recent Memoirs by Working-Class Women
File an Information Request with Every Grievance
Practically speaking, one of the most useful parts of U.S. labor law is the obligation of employers to furnish records and other information needed to investigate and process union grievances.
Although this duty is not explicit in the National Labor Relations Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has construed it from Section 8(d) of the Act, which requires employers and unions to “bargain collectively.”
Will The 2020 Contenders Take On Inequality?
Organizing Update
Workers at a Bay Area T-Mobile retail store in Pinole, Calif., have voted to join CWA.
Bargaining and Mobilization Update
The CWA bargaining committee representing CenturyLink workers in Texas reached a three year tentative agreement with the company.
CWA and Dominican Union FEDOTRAZONAS Announce Solidarity Agreement to Build Worker Power
The two unions represent call center workers who are employed at many of the same companies or who work at vendors that handle customer service work for those companies.
CWA Supports Global Day of Action to Stop Attacks on Activists in the Philippines
CWA members will participate in a global day of labor union action on December 10, International Human Rights Day, to protest the severe repression of labor union and other activists in the Philippines.
U.S. Senators Urge GateHouse and Gannett to Recognize Workers' Unions
As two of the largest newspaper chains in the country, GateHouse and Gannett News, plan to merge, a number of U.S. Senators are fighting to ensure that company employees aren't left behind.
Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 Still Falls Short for Workers
Congress must NOT say yes to NAFTA 2.0 until we get it right.
U.S. House Passes Bill to Prevent Violence in the Workplace
In a huge victory for working people, the U.S. House passed H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, by a vote of 251-158.
5 Things You Can Do to Celebrate Our Birthday With Us
You said it's our birthday! And it is. If you've always wondered what you'd do with the AFL-CIO when we're 64, now's your chance! On this day in 1955, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations came together after a long and winding road.
You said you wanted a labor revolution, and we all still want to change the world. And over those 64 years, together, we have achieved something to be proud of. Under the leadership of the fab five presidents, we've refused to let it be and championed critical fights for workplace safety, trade fairness, fair wages, secure retirement and equal pay!
A wise person once said "all you need is love," but we know that working people also need a way to express their voices on the job. From the beginning, that's been our goal, and here's how you can help us celebrate our 64th birthday!
1. Sign our petition supporting pro-worker legislation: You should let your mother (and everyone else) know about bills like the PRO Act, which would help level the playing field between mean Mr. Mustard and his friends on Wall Street!
2. Subscribe to our podcast: In my life, I haven't found a better way to dig deeper about the stories important to working people than to listen to State of the Unions, the podcast of the AFL-CIO!
3. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Money can't buy me love, but the good news is you won't need money to get the latest video content from the crew aboard our yellow submarine!
4. Follow us on social media: A great day in the life would include you following us on our social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) to keep up with the latest news and information!
5. Sign up for text messages: While you're twisting and shouting, text WORK to 235246 to receive periodic text alerts from the AFL-CIO (message and data rates may apply) to know when your fellow working people need your solidarity!
We've accomplished a lot from yesterday to today and I've got a feeling the future is bright for working people. Whatever challenges we face, we can work it out as long as we work all together now!
(With apologies to the Beatles!)
The Food Stamp Work Requirement Is a Scheme to Punish Hungry Americans
Building Power And Raising Voices Of Rural Women
Trump’s Labor Dept. Has Declared War on Tipped Workers
In Wisconsin, the Teamsters Faced a Revolt from Below
Solidarity Forever: What Working People Are Doing This Week
Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week.
Actors' Equity:
Happy #GivingTuesday! While everyone is getting ready to find gifts for loved ones, we ask that you consider donating to our friends whose work supports the theatre community! (1/4)
— Actors' Equity (@ActorsEquity) December 3, 2019
AFGE:
Protecting TSOs in the workplace is one of our top priorities, and we need your help. #ThankATSO
— AFGE (@AFGENational) November 29, 2019
Call (833) 710-2924 today and ask your representative and senators to cosponsor H.R. 1140 and S. 944. pic.twitter.com/kZQGsalF4A
AFSCME:
The Marciano family fired their workers who were earning minimum wage after they filed to form a union. Meanwhile, their private jet has cost an est. $1 million on flights this year ALONE. Join us TOMORROW to demand they reinstate their workers: https://t.co/RBafLWwv16#MAFUnion pic.twitter.com/u4uw72nDQK
— AFSCME (@AFSCME) November 28, 2019
AFT:
Q: Do you have an endorsement process?
— AFT (@AFTunion) December 2, 2019
.@rweingarten: Yes! After 2016, the bottom line became engagement. We’ve had #AFTvotes town halls that are an 1-2 hours where members can grab a microphone and ask the candidate any question. pic.twitter.com/gPlqklHwZm
Air Line Pilots Association:
The FAA blew past an Oct. 5 deadline set by Congress last year to fully implement #SecondaryBarriers on all newly-manufactured commercial aircraft to prevent another 9/11-style terrorist attack. Tell @FAANews to secure the flight deck to #keepflyingsafe: https://t.co/tXi74VQyrL pic.twitter.com/GUQP5431ND
— ALPA (@WeAreALPA) November 25, 2019
Alliance for Retired Americans:
High drug prices are so pervasive that many Americans have either struggled to afford lifesaving medicine themselves, or know someone else who has. The system can be fixed. Congress just needs to step up and take action. https://t.co/ZCGAu8Iy5b #HR3 #LetMedicareNegotiate pic.twitter.com/G1r26padoy
— Alliance Retirees (@ActiveRetirees) December 2, 2019
Amalgamated Transit Union:
International President John Costa and JIC Locals with @TransdevNA contracts hold a spirited and raucous rally at the picket line of striking @ATULocal689 Transdev workers at @WMATA's Cinder Bed Road Bus Garage. #1 #UnionStrong #TogetherWeFightTogetherWeWin! pic.twitter.com/za3S4kcOHg
— ATU, Transit Union (@ATUComm) November 29, 2019
American Federation of Musicians:
Big radio gets away without fairly paying artists for playing our music on the radio. The #AMFM Act introduced by @RepJerryNadler & @MarshaBlackburn would fix this by allowing artists to control their own work & finally get paid. https://t.co/VCEbn3e0Eo pic.twitter.com/8D3JvgPVXJ
— AFM (@The_AFM) November 22, 2019
American Postal Workers Union:
Can you name the two states in the United States that have laws to establish public banking? #postalbanking #justeconomy #PeoplesPostOffice @bankpostal #popquiz https://t.co/hFCReMQIg3
— APWU National (@APWUnational) November 26, 2019
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance:
While @AmericanAir pulls in billions in profits, airline catering workers who provide food & beverages served aboard AA flights face poverty wages & unaffordable health insurance. https://t.co/1NawXVA8Gt | #1job | #1u pic.twitter.com/wLtDx8SrZy
— APALA (@APALAnational) November 26, 2019
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA:
When tragedy strikes, the @afa_cwa Disaster Relief Fund strives to have an immediate, positive impact on as many active and retired Flight Attendants as possible. On this #GivingTuesday, make your donation matter: https://t.co/YGYcmrWkP0 pic.twitter.com/xx5DXjU6Z3
— AFA-CWA (@afa_cwa) November 26, 2019
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers:
BCTGM Intl. Pres. @DavidBDurkee is a member of the AFL-CIO Retirement Security Working Group and has worked tirelessly to push legislation that will provide retirees with their hard-earned benefits and help stabilize the multiemployer pension system. #SaveOurPension
— BCTGM International (@BCTGM) December 2, 2019
Boilermakers:
IBB stands with UMWA against Grassley-Alexander multi-employer pension plan proposal. With UMWA, we urge the House and Senate to put partisanship aside and pass the Bipartisan American Miners Act. Read UMWA IP Cecil E. Roberts' statement ➡️ https://t.co/4xu1Zw72OP
— Boilermakers Union (@boilermakernews) November 30, 2019
Bricklayers:
It looks like our two members 112 years ago wanted to make sure that people knew this building was built #Union.https://t.co/r30VIGKGVU#MondayMood #mondaythoughts #UnionStrong#1u
— Bricklayers Union (@IUBAC) December 2, 2019
California School Employees Association:
13% of students enrolled in our nation's public schools receive special education services. Dedicated classified employees work alongside teachers and other educators to help provide these essential services on a daily basis. #EveryChild pic.twitter.com/PCjdQ9Yr5k
— CSEA (@CSEA_Now) December 2, 2019
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists:
It’s with great sadness that we inform the CBTU family and trade unionists around the world of the death of Harold Rogers, who transitioned at his Chicago home on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, with his loving wife at his side. More information will be provided soon. #1u #Chicago #Unions pic.twitter.com/As1YRv0Vns
— CBTU (@CBTU72) December 3, 2019
Coalition of Labor Union Women:
🗣️@AmericanAir: You have the power to FIX a labor dispute affecting thousands of airline food workers who cater flights at your hubs. Why haven’t you? It's a SHAME that working ppl who help generate your BILLIONS in annual profit live in poverty w/o access to medical care! #1job pic.twitter.com/aHNYS7zpuU
— CLUW National (@CLUWNational) November 26, 2019
Communications Workers of America:
We need a trade agreement that benefits everyone - not just corporations & the global 1%.
— CWA (@CWAUnion) December 2, 2019
Trump's NAFTA 2.0 is not good enough - especially for workers & the environment. Congress must NOT say yes to NAFTA 2.0 until we get it right. #ReplaceNAFTA
📽 @ShaneLarsonCWA explains: pic.twitter.com/pi72rPXPy5
Department for Professional Employees:
Wow @Hearst, you’re that afraid of your employees having a voice in their workplace?
— Department for Professional Employees (@DPEaflcio) December 2, 2019
Solidarity with @HearstUnion! #1u https://t.co/ORQzSYibyT
Electrical Workers:
The Henry Miller Museum is all about preserving #IBEW history. And it needs your support. https://t.co/0y74wwUduf
— IBEW (@IBEW) December 3, 2019
Farm Labor Organizing Committee:
Support FLOC by giving to us this Tuesday and during the holidays. Our farm worker members and friends like you support the work we do.https://t.co/fnyWEaJBEA pic.twitter.com/oDfdcqWH46
— Farm Labor Organizing Committee (@SupportFLOC) December 2, 2019
Fire Fighters:
See the Worcester 6 tribute that preserved the photos, signs and letters 20 years after 6 #firefighters were killed https://t.co/0CfW7XFg8f
— IAFF (@IAFFNewsDesk) December 3, 2019
Heat and Frost Insulators:
In September, HFIAW Local 53 New Orleans opened a brand-new state-of-the-art training center. Read the article from the Winter Journal and see additional pictures here: https://t.co/ubWIE146wu
— Insulators Union (@InsulatorsUnion) December 3, 2019
International Labor Communications Association:
Our #ILCA2019 convention may be over, but the conversation continues on our new labor comms listserv #1u https://t.co/XNh9WK1gzf
— Labor Communications (@ILCAonline) November 21, 2019
Ironworkers:
Cincinnati ironworkers lead the way in recruitment and process improvement. pic.twitter.com/BUksbculIY
— Ironworkers. (@TheIronworkers) November 25, 2019
Jobs With Justice:
STRIKE! Join Jobs With Justice and the @TESACollective for a game of worker rebellion. We are excited to partner with TESA on this groundbreaking cooperative game. Click the link to support the campaign and learn more! https://t.co/oanRCt5szb pic.twitter.com/oOZtv470w5
— Jobs With Justice (@jwjnational) October 21, 2019
Laborers:
#LIUNA Local 348 in the news: “I wanted to represent where my father Doug has worked for the last 19 years. I am very grateful for his hard work and dedication while supporting our family through hard times.” #FeelThePower https://t.co/7aV2Ve9vTZ
— LIUNA (@LIUNA) December 2, 2019
LCLAA:
Since its beginnings, in 1972, LCLAA has focused on improving workers' rights & increasing the influence of Latinos in the political process. Help us start celebrating the season of giving by making a contribution. To donate please follow this link: https://t.co/QdpJgkQrQF pic.twitter.com/N23UaDHWHk
— LCLAA (@LCLAA) December 3, 2019
Machinists:
A special thanks to the thousands of IAM members working for several U.S. airlines, @Amtrak and other commuter railroads. They are making sure everyone gets home safely to spend #Thanksgiving with their families. pic.twitter.com/ggRLQBPRQu
— Machinists Union (@MachinistsUnion) November 27, 2019
Metal Trades Department:
As income inequality soars, languishing labor unions make a return - ABC News https://t.co/4nleANF7jm
— Metal Trades Dept. (@metaltradesafl) November 26, 2019
Mine Workers:
Congress needs to #actnow! #TheyEarnedIt https://t.co/8UQX2CI33k
— United Mine Workers (@MineWorkers) November 20, 2019
Musical Artists:
AGMA proudly stands with our sister union, @The_AFM (American Federation of Musicians), as they fight to secure a fair contract with major Hollywood film and TV companies. Visit the link below to support musicians who score TV & Films! https://t.co/QSioXIH1K0
— AGMA (@AGMusicalArtist) November 26, 2019
National Air Traffic Controllers Association:
#GivingTuesday is a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. NATCA members can join the movement and give through @NATCACharitable. Through NCF, NATCA members and their family and friends give and volunteer to make a big impact. https://t.co/mItjZYcPsY pic.twitter.com/aJJ7goG3DG
— NATCA (@NATCA) December 3, 2019
National Association of Letter Carriers:
Member Jose Martin is featured in a spotlight by CBS4 News, demonstrating his day-to-day routine and the community he loves to serve!https://t.co/i1exdlTYJu #NALC #PostalProud #Dedication
— Letter Carriers (@NALC_National) December 2, 2019
National Day Laborer Organizing Network:
Talkin familycareve unity and human rights to US Senators standing in the way of #TPSJustice to #ResidencyNow! pic.twitter.com/PkBPooNoOw
— NDLON (@NDLON) December 3, 2019
National Domestic Workers Alliance:
Raising the minimum wage has not led to significant job loss in any state. We have no excuse, let’s #RaiseTheWage in all 50 states. https://t.co/bUxm4ZiyQG
— Domestic Workers (@domesticworkers) December 3, 2019
National Nurses United:
Today, the Registered Nurse Response Network is deploying 17 RNs & nurse practitioners from across the U.S. for a medical mission in Guatemala.
— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNurses) December 3, 2019
Help send RN volunteers like Monica Ramos where they're needed most. Make a #GivingTuesday gift to RNRN --> https://t.co/6CjG1cNtAX #1u pic.twitter.com/BIEva6eE3k
The NewsGuild-CWA:
The entire @news_guild @CWAUnion stand with you! Can't wait until it's official! https://t.co/llLmJ5c1nl
— NewsGuild (@news_guild) December 3, 2019
NFL Players Association:
The work doesn’t end when these real-life superheros take off their uniforms. On this #GivingTuesday, we’re celebrating the 2019 #CommunityMVP winners who have come to the rescue when their community was in need.
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) December 3, 2019
Help them make a difference: https://t.co/8AtNDL8UDz pic.twitter.com/nUBkQg7f2c
North America's Building Trades Unions:
Eight women, eight stories.
— The Building Trades (@NABTU) December 2, 2019
Read and learn about the perspectives of each of these tradeswomen making their way in the construction industry 💪
“I’m here because I SHOULD be.”
https://t.co/TIo9UiY8kT
Office and Professional Employees:
To the clerks who stock the shelves with cranberry sauce, to the drivers who deliver the stuffing mix, to the farm workers who grow and pick our potatoes, to the meat packers who package our turkey, and to the transit workers who help us get to where we need to be: THANK YOU. #1u pic.twitter.com/6nFMksei5n
— OPEIU (@OPEIU) November 28, 2019
Painters and Allied Trades:
The fight against worker exploitation is an international one. Our allies at @unitetheunion are standing up against Skanska in the UK today - we are proud to stand in solidarity with them! #StopUnionBusting #HS2rights #HS2 pic.twitter.com/BcQQ8cvmD7
— GoIUPAT✊🏽 (@GoIUPAT) November 20, 2019
Plasterers and Cement Masons:
Lawrence VanDyke “led a lawsuit against a Department of Labor rule that would have entitled 4.2 million more workers to become eligible for overtime pay...” We join @AFLCIO in opposing his nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. https://t.co/0hWcRvJrUO
— OPCMIA International (@opcmiaintl) November 30, 2019
Printing, Publishing and Media Workers:
ACADEMIC WORKERS UNITE! @IFPTE stands with these workers!! (and they are workers, regardless of what the Trump administration says.) https://t.co/qg8P2NJhA7
— IFPTE (@IFPTE) December 3, 2019
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists:
"But critics, including federal unions, argue that it gives away too much control" PASS has fought expansion of program & urges FAA to wait for outcome of 737 Max investigations. Dedicated public servants we represent at FAA should have greater oversight.https://t.co/DKKrQjILZS
— PASS (@PASSNational) December 3, 2019
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union:
Life in retail as told by our members of @RWDSU, a Local 1-S @Macys worker & @Local1102 @ZARA worker, and a @RetailAction member. This #Thanksgiving be nice to a retail worker. @mcorkery5 for The @nytimesbusiness @nytimes reports: https://t.co/MQ3W9d0Xlo #1u @CentralLaborNYC
— RWDSU (@RWDSU) November 28, 2019
United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers:
Please consider supporting the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention today. This org is leading the way in the movement to educate members and prevent suicide in the construction industry--one of the industries where it hits hardest. https://t.co/9BaCETFjEM pic.twitter.com/EH2gCrDiHa
— Roofers Union (@roofersunion) December 3, 2019
SAG-AFTRA:
On this #sagaftramember Monday, check out the new digital issue of SAG-AFTRA to see members who are proudly showing off their card (and find out how you can too)! https://t.co/XujUHGsCuP pic.twitter.com/nnzaOwBO20
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) December 2, 2019
Seafarers:
Fantastic remarks from @MrSethHarris about career pathways, workforce development - and how unions play vital roles. Worth the read: https://t.co/BtRUAdARJ9 #1u #maritime #jobs #seafarers
— Seafarers Union (@SeafarersUnion) November 19, 2019
Solidarity Center:
90%+ women working in tea growing/processing have experienced or witnessed sexual or physical abuse at their workplace. We can change that. Find out how. #16DaysCampaign https://t.co/cm0rajuUWf @cleanclothes @Fash_RevSg @AWID @GLJhub @etuc_ces pic.twitter.com/QyZ875u6Iw
— Solidarity Center (@SolidarityCntr) December 3, 2019
Theatrical Stage Employees:
Be sure to check out this month’s issue of #ICGMagazine featuring @LittleWomen, @bombshellmovie, #Serberg (@AmazonStudios) and our 2019 Generation Next spotlighting ten rising Local 600 filmmakers. The issue is now available at https://t.co/0LPVlna1CH. pic.twitter.com/qXTBO8nxLw
— IATSE Local 600 (@ICGLocal600) December 2, 2019
Transport Workers:
The NYS Taylor prohibiting public sector strikes is antiquated and skewed in favor of the employer. The law prevents good faith bargaining by the bosses and could actually trigger a strike by backing workers into a corner. @transportworker https://t.co/jhAUXk6jIj
— TWU (@transportworker) November 23, 2019
Transportation Trades Department:
We've said it before & we'll say it again: Precision Scheduled Railroading doesn't make our railroads more efficient. It leads to dangerous understaffing & workers stretched to the breaking point.https://t.co/TonwbkCx7p
— Transp. Trades Dept. (@TTDAFLCIO) December 2, 2019
UAW:
UAW Secretary-Treasurer Ray Curry announced a series of audits and stringent changes to the UAW’s financial procedures and processes on Monday. These reforms come on the heels of Acting President Rory Gambles’ series of ethics reforms announced last month. https://t.co/E345YZaTAV
— UAW (@UAW) December 2, 2019
United Food and Commercial Workers:
Amazon's ruthless business model is making Jeff Bezos billions while squeezing workers across the country.
— UFCW (@UFCW) December 2, 2019
This #CyberMonday please help spread the word that #Amazon’s warehouse workers deserve better, fairer working conditions! #1u pic.twitter.com/ieFf76xppT
Union Label and Service Trades Department:
Stand with musicians to help raise awareness about the studios’ refusal to negotiate a fair contract. #BandTogether with musicians and support their fight for a fair contract. https://t.co/vOYq8CXHHf
— Union Label Dept. (@ULSTD_AFLCIO) November 18, 2019
Union Veterans Council:
. @WillAttig, “If you’re willing to stand next to me & fight for my fellow union veterans, I am going to stand right next to you. It’s about building power for our union veterans.” #NG2019 pic.twitter.com/M4ahvLqwCj
— Union Veterans Council (@unionveterans) November 20, 2019
UNITE HERE:
🚨 TOMORROW! Thru marches, pickets, sit-downs & die-ins, airline catering workers & allies will call on @AmericanAir & @Delta to take urgent steps to ensure workers who cater flights can escape poverty & access health care.
— UNITE HERE (@unitehere) November 25, 2019
Find a #1Job picket near you: https://t.co/YVbJf4ACox
United Steelworkers:
On #GivingTuesday or any day, Steelworkers have huge hearts! We're always giving back to the communities where we live and work like this day at @bgcwpa. Watch & share! #USWCares #1u #NG2019 https://t.co/TBsnoXNxwI
— United Steelworkers (@steelworkers) December 3, 2019
United Students Against Sweatshops:
Local Spotlight! We want to spotlight a training on Anti-Oppression and a Collective Liberation hosted by USAS Local uscscale “We believe that oppression does not allow anyone to be a full human being whether they… https://t.co/9KT9Ywp0Wb
— USAS (@USAS) November 12, 2019
Utility Workers:
Wherever there are individuals who want to organize, they will find a way. Worker power and solidarity lead the labor movement! Read more in @VICEUK’s @Motherboard by @LaurenKGurley: https://t.co/a5wcJxl3mX
— UWUA National (@The_UWUA) December 2, 2019
Working America:
Solidarity with @hgsuuaw in their fight for a fair contract! This strike is bigger than just Harvard — it's a part of a larger battle against exploitation & precarity throughout all of academia. Graduate students deserve better! #ContractNow https://t.co/wH2qRlV0UT
— Working America (@WorkingAmerica) December 3, 2019
Writers Guild of America, East:
The writers from TOMMY are members of the Writers Guild of America and support @HearstUnion joining the Guild! pic.twitter.com/KPwnaULj3L
— Writers Guild of America, East (@WGAEast) November 26, 2019
Red for Ed: The Working People Weekly List
Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
Red for Ed: In the States Roundup: "It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states."
Trade Unions Demand Governments Address Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work: "This week marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and trade unions around the world are demanding governments ratify and implement International Labor Organization Convention 190 (C190), on ending violence and harassment in the world of work."
‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: A Future Where People Will Have Jobs: "On the latest episode of 'State of the Unions,' podcast co-host Tim Schlittner talks to Guy Ryder, the director-general of the International Labor Organization, about the international labor movement, the idea of 'decent labor' and the future of work."
Native American Heritage Month Pathway to Progress: Ojibwe Women Transform Working Life in Minneapolis: "History has long been portrayed as a series of 'great men' taking great action to shape the world we live in. In recent decades, however, social historians have focused more on looking at history 'from the bottom up,' studying the vital role that working people played in our heritage. Working people built, and continue to build, the United States. In our series, Pathway to Progress, we'll take a look at various people, places and events where working people played a key role in the progress our country has made, including those who are making history right now. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we will take a look at a group of Ojibwe women who helped transform the world of work in Minneapolis-St. Paul throughout much of the 20th century."
Colombian Workers Launch General Strike: "Colombia's workers, students, and rural, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities [joined] together in a national general strike Nov. 21. Unlike the strikes many of America's workers have participated in increasingly in the past five years, Colombians are not striking against any single employer or industry."
Work Doesn't Hurt: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup: "In addition to the AFL-CIO's own 'State of the Unions,' there are a lot of other podcasts out there that have their own approach to discussing labor issues and the rights of working people. Here are the latest podcasts from across the labor movement in the United States."
Protect Survivors: What Working People Are Doing This Week: "Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week."
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: National Nurses United: "Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is National Nurses United."
Building the Battleground Bench: Union Members Elected to Office Across the Great Lakes Region: "While the labor movement was busy helping to elect pro-worker candidates in important elections in Kentucky and Virginia this week, union members themselves were on the ballot, and they were elected to local offices across the country at an impressive rate. This result was especially pronounced in the battleground states in the Great Lakes region, where an energized union candidates program helped carry union members to victory."
Trump’s SEC Chairman Proposes to Disenfranchise Investors and Reduce Shareholder Democracy: "In a partisan 3-2 vote, the Trump administration’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed to curtail the rights of investors to file proposals for a vote at company annual meetings. If adopted, these changes will hinder shareholder proposals by union members and their pension plans to hold corporate management accountable."
Support Labor Notes: The Strike is Back!
Labor Notes is in the midst of our year-end fundraising drive. Below is the text of our fundraising letter, which will hit supporters' mailboxes in the first half of December. Donate to support our ongoing efforts to put the movement back in the labor movement at labornotes.org/donate.
This year workers hit the picket lines all over the country. Here’s what Labor Notes means to them and why we're asking for your support:
How Supporters of the Green New Deal Are Showing Up for Workers
Trade Unions Demand Governments Address Gender-based Violence in the World of Work
Amplified Advantage: Why Education Is Not the Answer to Our Class Problems
Film Review: Nothing But a Man
You’ve probably noticed that Hollywood doesn’t turn out many movies about unions. But, says film buff and labor historian Toni Gilpin, there are some overlooked movies out there that depict working people and their lives on the job even though they might lack scenes with picket lines. This is her latest installment in an occasional series of viewing suggestions.
The Hard Fight at Amazon
Amazon is today’s most high-profile corporate villain. It’s the devil incarnate to activists concerned with labor standards, climate change, public subsidies, and the deportation machine.
But for all the condemnation of CEO Jeff Bezos, why have no U.S. Amazon workers managed to unionize?
Much like Uber, Amazon grew under labor's inattentive eye. By the time unions and worker centers saw the threat it posed, it was already a formidable opponent. It now threatens union bastions like supermarkets, UPS, and the Postal Service.
Trade Unions Demand Governments Address Gender-based Violence in the World of Work
This week marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and trade unions around the world are demanding governments ratify and implement International Labor Organization Convention 190 (C190), on ending violence and harassment in the world of work.
Read the statement from the International Trade Union Confederation in English, Spanish or French.
C190 was adopted last June at the International Labor Organization. The AFL-CIO and trade unions around the world campaigned for more than a decade to win this important new global standard, and now are leading the fight to see its framework adopted by governments and employers.
Gender-based violence and harassment is a particular threat to women, LGBTQ workers and other marginalized groups. Homicide is one of the leading causes of death on the job among women in the United States, accounting for almost a quarter of workplace deaths among women, while it accounts for only 8% of workplace deaths among men. It is also a particular threat to workers in low-wage, precarious working arrangements, as poverty and marginalization can prevent workers from escaping or challenging dangerous conditions.
The C190 framework emphasizes that everyone has the fundamental right to be free from violence and harassment at work, and requires governments adopt an inclusive, integrated and gender-responsive approach to end it. C190 requires governments and employers address the root causes of gender-based violence at work, including discrimination and unequal power relationships. Violence is a tool that both reflects and reinforces a gendered power hierarchy at work and in society, and ending violence requires allowing women workers to take collective action to confront this hierarchy directly.
C190 also calls for investigating sectors and occupations that are more likely to experience violence and harassment. In the United States, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation to adopt specific violence protections for nurses, medical assistants, emergency responders and social workers. These workers are predominantly women, and they face extremely high rates of violence on the job. The law would require employers to develop an enforceable, comprehensive violence protection program in U.S. workplaces.
Learn more about the global C190 ratification campaign. Learn more about the law on workplace violence.
‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: A Future Where People Will Have Jobs
On the latest episode of “State of the Unions,” podcast co-host Tim Schlittner talks to Guy Ryder, the director-general of the International Labor Organization, about the international labor movement, the idea of "decent labor" and the future of work.
Listen to our previous episodes:
- A discussion with Union Veterans Council Executive Director Will Attig about his work connecting the labor movement and the veterans community.
- A conversation with union member and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (Wis.) about strikes, trade, health care, LGBTQ equality and the freedom to form a union.
- A chat with Maine Senate President Troy Jackson (IUPAT, IAM) about his path to power and the experiences that have shaped his life and career.
- Talking to Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) about worker power, automation, trade and his decision to stay in the U.S. Senate.
- Checking in with AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council Executive Director Brad Markell about the UAW strike at General Motors and interviewing Veena Dubal, an associate law professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, whose work helped pave the way for passage of A.B. 5, the landmark pro-worker legislation in California.
- SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris discussing the future of work, sexual harassment and her journey from young actor to labor leader.
“State of the Unions” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you can find podcasts.
Teachers and Public Workers in Argentina: Four Months of Strikes and Pickets
Teachers and public workers in an Argentinian province have been striking, blockading roads, marching by the thousands, occupying buildings, and even attacking and burning the provincial parliament building, in a fight to defend their contracts and their bargained wage increase.
For the last four months, these workers in Chubut province battled their provincial government, which is supported by transnational corporations and by the national leadership of the oil workers union—a key political player in the country’s main oil region.
Bay Area T-Mobile Retail Employees Vote to Join Communications Workers of America
Workers at a Bay Area T-Mobile retail store in Pinole, Calif., voted last week to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The vote was 7-2 in favor of union representation.
Native American Heritage Month Pathway to Progress: Ojibwe Women Transform Working Life in Minneapolis
History has long been portrayed as a series of "great men" taking great action to shape the world we live in. In recent decades, however, social historians have focused more on looking at history "from the bottom up," studying the vital role that working people played in our heritage. Working people built, and continue to build, the United States. In our series, Pathway to Progress, we'll take a look at various people, places and events where working people played a key role in the progress our country has made, including those who are making history right now. In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we will take a look at a group of Ojibwe women who helped transform the world of work in Minneapolis-St. Paul throughout much of the 20th century.
In the early 1960s, activism among Native American populations was on the rise. The goal of federal "termination" policy was to integrate Native American tribe members into mainstream American culture with a heavy emphasis on assimilation. With little to no help coming from Washington, the struggle for Native American rights shifted to state and local fights. Those smaller fights would culminate in a wave of activism that stopped bad legislation, won legal protections and ended the termination policy. One of the key battlegrounds was Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The Ojibwe people lived in various places throughout the upper Midwest, but the combination of the termination policy, economic troubles and job opportunities opened up by American foreign policy led them to move in large numbers to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The twin cities were established in the Dakota homeland and tribal people from the prairies and northern lake country began moving into Minneapolis-St. Paul in large numbers, leading to the region housing one of the largest Indigenous populations in the U.S.
Ojibwe women generally arrived in the twin cities with families and friends although some came to search for employment on their own. Life in the city was drastically different than life on the reservation and there were intense pressures to reject their cultural ideas about work to fit in with the white population. In order to survive and prosper, they had to develop new ideas about labor, but they wanted to maintain their link to the values of the traditional Ojibwe economy.
Prior to moving to the city, many of the Ojibwe women, such as Gertrude Howard Buckanaga, worked in agriculture, such as blueberry picking or wild rice harvesting. In the early days, Howard Buckanaga and others would work in the city and travel home for the wild rice harvest. Ojibwe women, for the most part, only had high school degrees or a boarding school education. Neither prepared them for working in the city, but they found ways to transition skills they had used in agriculture to work in the city.
The longer they lived in urban areas, Ojibwe women began to attend community meetings, participate in activism and attend college to obtain higher degrees. The earliest work they found were office jobs, in the Indian Service or as teachers at government boarding schools. Those schools began training Ojibwe girls to be nurses, which led to other job opportunities. Outside that, employers often viewed Ojibwe women as only suited for domestic or factory work and discrimination against them was widespread. De facto segregation was the norm in Minneapolis-St. Paul at the time.
Low-paying jobs, discrimination and segregation put up significant road blocks and the Ojibwe women came in at the lowest rung of the economic ladder in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Social services were few and far between and often didn't serve Native Americans. This isolation forced Ojibwe women (and men) to create new patterns of participation in the workforce and other organizations and agencies to fill in where U.S. government services didn't.
One of the most important leaders to emerge from the community was Emily Peake. Peake's family included French, English and Ojibwe ancestry, and she moved to Minneapolis from the White Earth reservation. Peake signed up for the Works Projects Administration, leading her to jobs in the Minneapolis Public Library and making parachutes for Honeywell. After serving in the Women's Coast Guard, she moved back to Minneapolis and began working as a community organizer during the years of the federal termination policy.
As the Indian population in the Twin Cities grew, Peake worked together with a group of Ojibwe and Dakota sisters and brothers to create the Upper Midwest Indian Center, for which she would serve time as the executive director. The center provided social service programs for Indian workers and their families and would operate solely off of money Peake and her colleagues raised until War on Poverty grants were made available. The community center idea would soon spread to other cities and these centers not only provided social services, but they interwove Indian values and spiritual beliefs. Other community institutions would be created by Indian activists in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
These efforts would not only lead to increased community and more employment, it set the ground for larger activism as well. The Ojibwe and other Indian women active in the Twin Cities are credited as creating the opening for which the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act would be passed. Other legislation followed. Ojibwe women took leadership positions throughout Minneapolis' community life, and they pursued meaningful jobs, cared for family and children, mentored other women, and continued to grow the services that were offered. The Minneapolis American Indian Center, for example, has served more than 14,000 American Indians since it opened in 1975.
Women held the majority of the sustained leadership roles in in the Ojibwe community of Minneapolis and their visionary body of work can still be seen today in schools, Indian centers, academic curricula, social services and legislation. Their work not only increased well-being for the Ojibwe and other Indians in Minneapolis, it was instrumental in leading to greater sovereignty for Indian people across the country.
Women like Peake, Howard Buckanaga, Rose Robinson, Frances Fairbanks, Ona Kingbird, Norby Blake, Pat Bellanger, Vikki Howard and others laid a foundation for the institutions and laws that increased the quality of life for many Indians, not only in politics, but in the economy as well. As Bellanger said, "'Ojibwe women have been strong throughout everything' and 'we have kept our ways,' acknowledging the significance of the women’s work like harvesting wild rice, which 'has always gone through the women.'"
Source: Brenda J. Child, Politically Purposeful Work: Ojibwe Women’s Labor and Leadership in Postwar Minneapolis
Re-Placing Class: Community, Politics, Work, and Labor in a Changing World
Twenty Years Later, Remembering the Battle in Seattle
The morning of November 30, 1999, was unseasonably warm as I jumped in my car to meet up with my fellow members of the Inlandboatmen’s Union at our headquarters in Seattle. At the time I was a business agent for tugboat workers and running for national president of the IBU, the marine division of the Longshore union (ILWU).
Red for Ed: In the States Roundup
It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter.
Alaska AFL-CIO:
0-3, @GovDunleavy.#akleg #akgov
— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) November 8, 2019
Read more here —> https://t.co/4p4mZKBHaM pic.twitter.com/WuUDvVjr84
Arizona AFL-CIO:
We’re spending Veteran’s Day on the #ASARCOStrikeLine @UNITEHERE11 @UFCW99 @USWLocal937 @ibtlu104 #IUOE428 pic.twitter.com/FNuTIoGC94
— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) November 11, 2019
Arkansas AFL-CIO:
We love it when Union members run for public office! Brother Matthew Stallings is running for State House District 38. Check out his new… https://t.co/36BkVRXxRM
— Arkansas AFL-CIO (@ArkansasAFLCIO) November 7, 2019
California Labor Federation:
*NEW* Report from @UCBLaborCenter --> California’s Steps to Expand Health Coverage and Improve Affordability: Who Gains and Who Will Be Uninsured? https://t.co/8zW35WivMu
— California Labor Federation (@CaliforniaLabor) November 19, 2019
Connecticut AFL-CIO:
We were saddened to learn that Mel Olsson, former President of @UAW Local 571, passed away earlier this week. Even after he retired, he continued to fight every day for working people in Connecticut. You will be missed, brother. @UAWRegion9A https://t.co/f23kmZl1wN pic.twitter.com/jSnHdgstkg
— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) November 15, 2019
Florida AFL-CIO:
Last week, over a hundred new Union members were elected to public office. This website shows you what union members are currently serving and how you can get involved in helping elect more members of Organized Labor to represent working people.https://t.co/0p30RiAmbC
— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) November 15, 2019
Georgia AFL-CIO:
Today we also met UAW retiree George, who’s 94 years old, who started working in 1947, when the plant first opened, and retired in 1987. #1u pic.twitter.com/NBSzBRRgM2
— AFL-CIO Georgia (@AFLCIOGeorgia) November 19, 2019
Idaho AFL-CIO:
I just added my name to stand with @The_AFM musicians! #1u #BandTogether Add your name and write one here: https://t.co/HhC6lOvenn
— Idaho State AFL-CIO (@IdahoAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
Indiana State AFL-CIO:
Thousands of teachers are at the Indiana Statehouse!
— Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
They’re joining together to demand the public schools our students deserve. #RedForEd pic.twitter.com/liCXdwxBb5
Iowa Federation of Labor:
Inside IBEW’s Efforts To Help Hotel Workers Unionize In Dubuque https://t.co/XUDGk4KavF pic.twitter.com/rRwerRICe2
— Iowa AFL-CIO (@IowaAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
Kentucky State AFL-CIO:
“Hoover emphasized a concern that several legislators of both parties have about the bill — that it will likely diminish the retirement... https://t.co/sGobvVaB40
— Kentucky AFL-CIO (@aflcioky) May 7, 2019
Maine AFL-CIO:
Congrats to the operating technicians at @WABI_TV5 on their new contract! https://t.co/QgGvGZfb6H #mepolitics
— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
Metro Washington (D.C.) Council AFL-CIO:
‘MD/DC AFL-CIO president Donna Edwards: "We are at one moment in time"’ on #SoundCloud #np https://t.co/0auguUHwuM
— MetroDCLaborCouncil (@DCLabor) November 18, 2019
Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Hennepin County’s first labor-trafficking case ends in guilty plea https://t.co/O3NvJSPr9J Welcome news for workers. #1u
— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
Missouri AFL-CIO:
A more cooperative relationship between workers and management would result in a more sustainable system for supporting the middle class. https://t.co/oR7dzver4x
— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) November 17, 2019
Montana AFL-CIO:
Mary Munger was a nurse by trade and an activist by calling. Her advocacy gave nurses in Montana the right to collectively bargain and improved working conditions for the profession statewide. She will be missed. https://t.co/fJ1naQiZBC
— Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) November 18, 2019
New Hampshire AFL-CIO:
From Pres. Glenn Brackett: Congratulations on a successful Election Day! video at https://t.co/CxERWrlKfN
— NewHampshire AFL-CIO (@NHAFLCIO) November 7, 2019
New Mexico Federation of Labor:
Wow! So surprising that fair wages don’t kill businesses!
— NMFL (@NMFLaflcio) November 14, 2019
Time for the excuses to stop, and #FightFor15 @INAFLCIO @AFLCIO https://t.co/J9PIA2M1qY
New York State AFL-CIO:
The #UnionStrong podcast Episode 23: The @wrkingTheater explores how plays about bus drivers and baristas, postal workers and police officers help amplify the voice of workers in NYC @IBEWLocal3 @DC37 @32BJ Episode 23: The Working Theater https://t.co/JefNpn3ik5
— NYSAFLCIO (@NYSAFLCIO) November 13, 2019
North Carolina State AFL-CIO:
The GOP’s latest gerrymander ought to be the last straw for NC https://t.co/oMIum4Q1S8 #ncpol via @ncpolicywatch #ncpol #fairmaps
— NC State AFL-CIO (@NCStateAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
North Dakota AFL-CIO:
#LegacyFund #UniversalSchoolLunch @NBCNightlyNews @LesterHoltNBC https://t.co/YF2NQ3HRh4
— North Dakota AFL-CIO (@NDAFLCIO) November 17, 2019
Ohio AFL-CIO:
Take time to enjoy the huge win for working people! https://t.co/jlDLOUp5OS pic.twitter.com/6ONxuaahwU
— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) November 18, 2019
Oklahoma State AFL-CIO:
Great turnout for the OK Building and Construction Trades Apprenticeship open house! pic.twitter.com/4T8Gv9gDWZ
— Oklahoma AFL-CIO (@OK_AFL_CIO) November 15, 2019
Oregon AFL-CIO:
Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor writes in the NW Labor Press about the importance of recognizing graduate employees’ work and why grads at universities around the state are fighting for a fair contract. #1u #UnionStrong https://t.co/GV0icFeaRB
— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) November 19, 2019
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
Equal Pay is a central foundation of workers’ rights and we are proud to be joined by @RepSims and his legislation to support equal pay! pic.twitter.com/Ju8izeaHRD
— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) November 19, 2019
Rhode Island AFL-CIO:
#1U #Apprenticeship #apprenticeships #apprentices #Labor https://t.co/m9P8Rw11sS
— Rhode Island AFL-CIO (@riaflcio) November 19, 2019
Texas AFL-CIO:
.@UAW sister Pauline sharing her story and how her union organized during the #UAWStrike in Dallas @AFLCIO @TexasAFLCIO #1u pic.twitter.com/qbkPMlC0Ez
— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) November 16, 2019
Virginia AFL-CIO:
Virginia Democrats could repeal right-to-work. It shows how America is changing. - The Washington Post https://t.co/EvdddLhHVN
— Virginia AFL-CIO (@Virginia_AFLCIO) November 19, 2019
Washington State Labor Council:
"(This) is an egregious attack on one state’s employment law and states’ rights generally." https://t.co/OO9CWftV50
— WA State AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) November 11, 2019
West Virginia AFL-CIO:
“W/1 of the biggest organizing victories since WV became a RTW state, nurses are sending a resounding message to working people across WV that forming a Union is the best way to shift the balance of power away from corporations & toward the people.” #wvpol https://t.co/vyertUROO4
— West Virginia AFLCIO (@WestVirginiaAFL) November 14, 2019
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
What to know about the legal fight over who should be on Wisconsin's voter rolls, https://t.co/w2KlEGf7g6
— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) November 19, 2019
Gary Jones Just Resigned as UAW President—Now Questions Arise about Acting President Rory Gamble
As news broke yesterday that United Auto Workers President Gary Jones was resigning over allegations of corruption, questions arose whether Acting President Rory Gamble was also mired in the unsavory culture that has become a way of life in the upper reaches of the union.
CWA and Dominican Union FEDOTRAZONAS Announce New Solidarity Alliance Agreement
The new agreement between CWA and FEDOTRAZONAS demonstrates CWA’s belief that strengthening relationships between the union’s members and workers in countries that serve as centers for offshored global call center work is critical to reversing the global race to the bottom in the industry.
UAW Official Demoted After Saying Locals That Voted Against Ford Agreement Should Lose Jobs
As voting on the Auto Workers’ agreement with Ford came to a close last week, a union official publicly expressed his contempt for locals that had voted against the pact.
Management should move production to locals that voted yes, wrote Michael Robison, an assistant director in the union’s National Ford Department.
“Everyone of them Locals should lose there product now and in the future. $1 Billion dollar investment in KTP [Kentucky Truck Plant] really. Ship Lima Engine to Dearborn Engine. Ship Chicago Assy’s work to Flat Rock,” Robison wrote Friday on Facebook.
Colombian Workers Launch General Strike
Colombia's workers, students, and rural, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities will join together in a national general strike tomorrow, Nov. 21. Unlike the strikes many of America's workers have participated in increasingly in the past five years, Colombians are not striking against any single employer or industry.
Since the Colombian labor movement convened the strike some seven weeks ago, this broad alliance of social justice organizations have come together to express their belief that the government of President Iván Duque is taking the country in the wrong direction: suggesting reforms that would reduce even further workers' access to decent work, labor rights and social security, increasing repression and violence against the most vulnerable Colombians and refusing to move forward with the peace process negotiated three years ago. Along with other human rights and social justice organizations based in the United States, the AFL-CIO and some affiliates are sharing with Congress a joint letter of support for this strike and the right to strike and protest as fundamental to building and sustaining democracy.
Unfortunately, some elected leaders, right-wing parties and Colombia's former president Álvaro Uribe and his supporters have described the strike as illegal and unpatriotic. Even worse, the government has conducted raids into the homes and offices of groups organizing the strike and militarized many likely sites of citizen mobilization. Given Colombia's history of violent repression of legal and peaceful protest, the international community has expressed deep concern about Colombia's capacity and will to protect and respect the rights of its citizens exercising those rights and commitment to the peace process.
We stand with Colombian workers, their unions and their communities in demanding respect for fundamental human rights before, during and after the national strike.
National Labor Relations Board Twists the Knife in the Heart of Unions and Workers
GM Workers Shocked to Learn New Hires Will Still Take Eight Years to Reach Top Pay
After six weeks on the picket line, General Motors workers ratified an agreement that left many major areas unchanged, but one provision stood out as a true gain: the time it took to “grow in” to the top wage would be cut from eight years down to four.
Chile in Revolt: ‘It’s Not about 30 Pesos, It’s about 30 Years’
In October, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, an entrepreneur and right-wing politician, proclaimed that “in the midst of this turbulent Latin America, our country is a true oasis.”
Six days later, high school students in the capital city, Santiago, began a protest against the rising cost of public transit through mass fare evasions.