New Proposal Would Keep Millions of Working People from Getting Overtime
The Donald Trump administration is proposing a new overtime regulation that would protect at least 2.8 million fewer workers than the overtime regulation proposed by the Barack Obama administration in 2016.
The AFL-CIO and other overtime advocates had urged the Trump administration to implement the Obama administration’s overtime rule and defend it against a court challenge by business trade associations and Republican state governments, but the Trump administration has refused to do so.
The 2016 Obama administration’s proposal would raise the overtime threshold from $23,660 to $47,476. However, because the Obama rule provided for automatic updates of the threshold to keep overtime protections from being eroded by inflation, the threshold under the Obama rule would be $51,064 today and $55,000 in 2022.
By contrast, the Trump administration’s proposal sets the overtime threshold at $35,308 and does not provide for automatic updates. By the administration’s own estimates, 2.8 million fewer workers would be newly eligible for overtime in the first year of the new rule.
The way the overtime regulations work is like this: Salaried workers who make less than the threshold are automatically eligible for overtime protection, whereas salaried workers who make more than the threshold may or may not be eligible for overtime protection, depending on their job duties. The higher the overtime threshold, the more workers are under the threshold, the more workers are automatically protected, and the better it is for workers.
In 2016, it was estimated that the Obama overtime rule would extend overtime eligibility to 4.9 million workers and bring another 7.6 million workers who already are eligible for overtime below the threshold, thus making it harder for employers to deny them overtime protection. According to the Economic Policy Institute, under the Trump administration’s proposal less than half as many workers would be either newly eligible or brought below the threshold.
The Trump administration proposal is especially troubling because the Obama administration’s proposal was not overly generous to workers. Back in 1975, the administration of President Gerald Ford set the overtime salary threshold at more than $55,000 in today’s dollars. The erosion of overtime protections over the past few decades is one of the ways the rules of our economy have been rewritten to favor corporations over working people.
Working people desperately need a pay raise. We need overtime protection to ensure we get paid for all the hours we work and that we can spend more time with our families away from work.
As we have before, the AFL-CIO will again urge the Trump administration to implement the Obama overtime rule and defend it in court. The Labor Department does not need to propose a new overtime rule; it just needs to defend the Obama administration’s 2016 proposal.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/08/2019 - 09:52Tags: Overtime
AFL-CIO Is Profiling Labor Leaders and Activists for Women's History Month
For Women's History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various women who were leaders and activists working at the intersection of civil and labor rights. First, let's take a look back at women we've profiled in the past:
- Arlene Holt Baker
- Ella Josephine Baker
- Rachel Bryan
- Hattie Canty
- Charlene Carruthers
- Dora Cervantes
- Linda Chavez-Thompson
- May Chen
- Septima Poinsette Clark
- Miriam Frank
- Fannie Lou Hamer
- Elle Hearns
- Velma Hopkins
- Josette Jaramillo
- Marsha P. Johnson
- Mara Keisling
- Theresa King
- Sue Ko Lee and the Dollar Store Strikers
- Esther López
- Bree Newsome
- Lucy Gonzales Parsons
- Ai-jen Poo
- Kara Sheehan
- Augusta Thomas
- Rosina Tucker
- Velma Veloria
- Sue Cowan Williams
- Diann Woodard
Check back throughout March as we add even more names to this prestigious list.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/07/2019 - 12:37Tags: Labor History
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: School Administrators
Next up in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the School Administrators (AFSA). The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates.
Name of Union: American Federation of School Administrators
Mission: To promote the professional, occupational and economic interests of its members and fight for the highest quality public school education for all pupils.
Current Leadership of Union: Ernest A. Logan began serving as president in July 2018, succeeding the late Diann Woodard. Leonard Pugliese serves as executive vice president and Lauran Waters-Cherry serves as secretary-treasurer.
Current Number of Members: 20,000
Members Work As: Principals, assistant principals, administrators, supervisors and other school leaders
Industries Represented: Public schools across the United States.
History: The origins of AFSA begin in 1962 when the Council of Supervisory Associations (CSA) was formed in New York city to fight for collective bargaining rights. By 1968, CSA formally became a union and changed its name to the Council of Supervisors and Administrators. In 1971, CSA was granted a charter by the AFL-CIO and CSA became Local 1 of the School Administrators and Supervisors Organizing Committee (SASOC), a national union. SASOC held its first convention in 1976 and changed its name to the American Federation of School Administrators.
Current Campaigns: Build a Coalition helps administrators build community partnerships to help support their schools and students. AFSA's Action Center is the home to resolutions passed by AFSA in support of its mission and provides members and allies opportunities to help out. AFSA is committed to providing support to all of its locals, working to support the organizing efforts of its existing locals and increase efforts to organize unaffiliated school leader associations.
Community Efforts: The School Leadership Forum helps principals and other school leaders by underwriting research, resources and training needed to improve the learning environment in classrooms across the country. The Student Grief Support Resource provides tools to help administrators address grief among students. The School Leadership Forum also supports funding for the Diann Woodard AFSA Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to children of AFSA members.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, Twitter.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/04/2019 - 09:55Black History Month Labor Profiles: William Burrus
For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is William Burrus.
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, William Burrus attended West Virginia State College after graduating high school with honors. Betwen 1954–1957, he served in the 101st Airborne Division and the 4th Armored Tank Division of the U.S. Army. After his time in the Army ended, he began his employment with the U.S. Postal Service, working as a distribution clerk and maintenance employee in Cleveland.
A participant in the Great Postal Strike of 1970, Burrus was elected president of the Cleveland local of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). He served in that role until 1980. While president of his local, Burrus became the founder and first president of the APWU National Presidents Conference. He also was a leader in the fight to reject a collective bargaining agreement proposed in 1978 that would've limited cost-of-living increases for postal workers.
In 1980, Burrus began a 21-year run as APWU's executive vice president, working alongside APWU President Moe Biller. During this time, he led the APWU negotiations in securing four collective bargaining agreements with the U.S. Postal Service. He was directly involved with every national negotiation between the APWU and USPS from 1980 to 2006. His leadership helped win substantial gains for members over and over again, including countless arbitration settlements and memorandums of understanding with postal management that greatly enhanced the rights, benefits and safety of postal workers.
His dedication and hard work on behalf of his fellow postal workers led to him being elected national president of APWU in 2001, the first African American of any national union to win the top office by a direct ballot of the membership. During his time as president, he successfully fought back against Bush administration efforts to reverse the gains achieved through the Great Postal Strike of 1970. He also successfully advocated for better working conditions after two postal workers and one customer died in the anthrax attacks in 2001.
In 2010, Burrus retired after 10 years of leadership at APWU. Numerous times during his career of service, Burrus was named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans by Ebony magazine. Upon his passing last year, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) said Burrus was "an unabashed advocate for his fellow postal workers and an unwavering fighter in the struggle for social and economic justice."
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/28/2019 - 13:05Tags: Black History Month
AFSCME Member Elected to Connecticut State Legislature
Anthony Nolan, a New London, Connecticut, city councilman and member of AFSCME Local 724, won his race yesterday in a special election to fill an open seat in the state legislature.
Nolan will continue to serve as a New London patrol officer in addition to his new role as state representative.
"The union is a brotherhood and sisterhood that stands up and fights for you," Nolan said of his labor backing in the race. "It means a great deal to have the support of the people who stand with you every day."
The Connecticut AFL-CIO proudly endorsed Nolan. "Because of his experiences, Anthony understands how important it is to be a voice for working families," Connecticut AFL-CIO President Sal Luciano (AFSCME) said. "He pledges to fight for labor’s priorities, including an increase in the minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, a more progressive income tax and limiting the practice of captive audience meetings during organizing drives."
The state federation and affiliates organized labor-to-labor activities for their union brother during the short special election time frame. Nolan joins 19 other union members who serve in the Connecticut state legislature.
Connecticut AFL-CIO Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/28/2019 - 09:48Caring for Our Caregivers: Workplace Violence Hearing Highlights Job-Related Assaults for Health Care and Social Service Workers
Workplace violence is a serious and growing problem for working people in the United States: It causes more than 450 homicides and 28,000 serious injuries each year. Workplace homicide now is responsible for more workplace deaths than equipment, fires and explosions. Two of every three workplace violence injuries are suffered by women.
Health care and social service workers are at greatest risk of violence on the job because of their direct contact with patients and clients. They are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury as workers in other occupations.
Violence against health care and social service workers is foreseeable and preventable but the Trump administration has refused to act. That is why Rep. Joe Courtney (Conn.) introduced legislation last week that would require the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue a standard to protect these workers. The standard would reduce violence by requiring employers to develop workplace violence prevention programs that identify and control hazards, improve reporting and training, evaluate procedures and strengthen whistlebower protections for those who speak up, which lead to safer staffing levels, improved lighting and better surveillance systems.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, held a hearing to highlight this severe and growing problem and the need for an OSHA standard to protect working people. Patt, an AFT member from Wisconsin, testified about her traumatic experience of assault as a registered nurse. She and her colleagues had tried to speak to management and press for improvements, but their voices were not heard. Then she was attacked by a teenage patient with a history of aggression at a county mental health facility. He kicked her in the throat, collapsing her trachea, requiring intubation and surgery. She suffers severe post-traumatic stress disorder and can no longer work in her dream job as a nurse. It was not a random event, but a predictable scenario that could have been prevented with a clear plan and better-trained staff.
Here are other union members’ experiences of violence on the job that could have been prevented with an enforceable OSHA standard:
Helene: An AFT member and psychiatric nurse in Connecticut for 16 years in an acute care hospital who attempted to hand a patient his pain medication when he punched her in her jaw, knocking her to the floor and breaking her pelvis. Helene was unable to return to work for six and a half months, had to go through rehabilitation and physical therapy, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. This patient had a history of violence, including previously attacking a social worker, but there was no system in place to alert her.
Brandy: A National Nurses United (NNU) member and registered nurse in California for 18 years in general pediatrics who was assigned to a 14-year-old patient with a diagnosis of aggressive behavior. When Brandy entered the patient’s room, the patient had his mother pressed against the closet door with his hands around her neck. Brandy called for security and additional staff assistance. They were able to safely remove the patient’s mother, but the patient threw a chair at Brandy, who was trapped between a wall and a bed. Brandy suffers from tendonitis in her right elbow, which makes it difficult to do simple everyday tasks such as opening jars, typing and hanging bags of fluids at work. Appropriate violence-prevention controls include ensuring that large furniture and other items that can be used as weapons are affixed to the floor in rooms with aggressive patients.
Eric: An AFSCME member and security counselor at a Minnesota hospital who has administered treatment to the mentally ill for nearly a decade. Eric was assigned to monitor a highly assaultive patient who continually attacked his fellow patients. The patient then turned his assaultive behavior on Eric and punched him in the right eye, causing him to instantly lose sight in the impacted eye. Eric managed to restrain the patient until his co-workers arrived to assist. Eric was rushed to the emergency room via ambulance where they discovered he had a blow-out fracture of his orbital bone and a popped sinus. He received 17 stitches, and his eye socket has never fully recovered. The hospital did not have a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program that would have prevented this.
John: A United Steelworkers (USW) member and certified nursing assistant in California for 18 years who tried to change a male veteran’s wet bed when the patient became agitated and attacked John, breaking his arm. He was out of work for four weeks. John didn’t know the patient was prone to violence. At his facility, workplace violence comes from patients, visitors and other employees. There is at least one incident every week, ranging from slapping to breaking arms or punching. After John’s incident, the employer began requiring a note on the patients’ charts when they are prone to agitation or violence. Sometime later, the employer also began using red blankets on the beds to denote a combative patient so all employees would know when they interacted with the patient.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/27/2019 - 14:00Tags: Workplace Violence
The Key to Genuine Equality? A Union Card
Whenever I face adversity—when my faith is shaken or my confidence falters—I turn to a woman I carry in my heart every day. Too often forgotten in Dr. King’s shadow, Coretta Scott King embodied everything at the core of an intersectional fight for justice. Above all, she recognized that the movement for civil rights could not stop at the voting booth. It had to be a fight for dignity in every facet of our lives—the right to stand tall at work and to live with security at home.
The day before she buried her husband, King had flown to Memphis to lead 50,000 people marching in solidarity with striking sanitation workers, bolstering their fight to win just wages, safety on the job and recognition of their union. It was no accident; recognizing the strike’s significance, Dr. King had spent his final hours in Memphis.
“Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality,” he had told the strikers. “For we know, that it isn’t enough to integrate lunch counters. What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t have enough money to buy a hamburger?”
Those striking workers’ fight pointed to the broader struggle ahead, one that we are still waging half a century later. Coretta understood that truth, and she spent decades advancing what she called Phase Two—the fight for our right to a good job and economic security.
Whether we’re securing just pay or eliminating discrimination on the job, there’s still one unparalleled vehicle for winning that progress: joining together in a strong labor union.
The movements for civil rights and labor rights have always been powered by the same principle. We draw strength by standing together and fighting alongside each other. And that’s because these two great efforts are integrally tied to one another.
A fight for social justice can’t ignore the economic suffering of the oppressed, and a struggle against economic oppression will fail if it turns a blind eye to bigotry and social inequality.
The Memphis sanitation strike was about more than a demand for higher paychecks. It was about coming together in an age-old struggle to demand the dignity inalienably endowed to us.
Step by step, that struggle has borne fruit. Unionized public-sector jobs continue to offer one of the best paths to prosperity for people of color. Union contracts enforce fair hiring practices. They provide us with just wages today and a secure retirement tomorrow. They ensure that we can walk with our heads held high, knowing that our value is recognized.
And above all, they offer us hope for a better future. “Struggle is a never ending process,” King warned in her memoir. “Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.”
We might not reach the end of the path our ancestors set out on. But joining together in strong unions is the surest way to reach ever closer.
This Black History Month, we should remember the bloody, painstakingly-secured victories our community has won through the labor movement. And even more importantly, we should boldly secure the desperately-needed progress yet to be won by organizing, marching and fighting together.
This post originally appeared at The Root.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 02/26/2019 - 11:00Tags: Black History Month
Union Politicians Helped Achieve Labor’s Progressive New Jersey Policy Goals
Today’s progressive, pro-worker victories in the halls of Trenton were born more than 20 years ago at the New Jersey State AFL-CIO headquarters on State Street, only a couple hundred or so yards from the capitol building. The passage of a $15 minimum wage, a landmark paid family leave program and other legislation to lift up New Jersey’s working families are the culmination of an idea we had in 1997. Tired of politicians who took our money and turned their backs, we asked this simple question: Instead of hoping for our leaders to do right by union members, what if we elected union members themselves?
An idea that began on State Street in Trenton soon grew to every corner of our state. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program—a strategic, long-range campaign to make government more worker-friendly—was founded at the local level. Our inaugural class in 1997 featured 17 labor candidates. In the two decades since, we have helped union members achieve 1,025 election victories. This includes a member of Congress, the state Senate president, the chairs of several legislative committees and representatives on county freeholder boards and city councils from Bergen to Cape May County. New Jersey is one of the most pro-worker states in the entire country.
It wasn’t always this way. In the same year that our program was founded, New Jersey had a governor, legislature and congressional delegation openly hostile to working people. We set out to change that, one precinct at a time. Our affiliated unions and local labor bodies began aggressively recruiting and training rank-and-file union members on the basics of running for elected office. Now, the national AFL-CIO is modeling our program to the other 49 states.
While we increasingly rely on cutting-edge data and analytics, our success is still driven by old-fashioned grassroots organizing. Not a day goes by that we aren’t mobilizing and engaging union members through voter registration, political education or get-out-the-vote drives. As a result, the proportion of the electorate from union households has surged. In 2012, the last year exit polling was available on labor turnout, an incredible 38% of all votes cast in New Jersey came from union households—the highest in the nation. Why the record numbers? Union members were coming out to vote for one of their own.
With pro-labor, progressive-minded policymakers came pro-labor, progressive laws. Two of the most significant examples are the recently enacted $15 minimum wage and New Jersey’s enhanced paid family leave program, the latter of which Gov. Phil Murphy will sign shortly.
The paid leave expansion was originally pushed by Assemblyman Nelson Albano, a union shop steward with United Food and Commercial Workers 152, and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a card-carrying member of the Ironworkers. Sweeney also was the prime sponsor of a law this year that significantly reformed and increased the benefit rates for paid leave. He was joined by Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, a longtime labor supporter; Assemblyman Thomas Giblin, business manager of Operating Engineers 68; and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, a SAG-AFTRA member.
The minimum wage bump started in 2013 with a referendum that increased New Jersey’s rate to $8.25 an hour and included an automatic annual cost-of-living-adjustment. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO and its affiliates went all in to secure passage of the increase, which former Gov. Chris Christie had vetoed. Sweeney was the prime sponsor of the ballot measure and is now the driving force, along with Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, behind the passage of legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2024. Several other sponsors, including Assemblyman Joseph Egan, business manager of Electrical Workers 456, joined them. This time around, Murphy, who strongly advocated for the raise, signed the bill immediately. Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, IBEW 269, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, Carpenters 254, and Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling, IBEW 400, also voted in favor of the bill.
We haven’t done this alone. From the beginning, we were made stronger by other community partners that shared our policy goals. Together, we created Working Families United for New Jersey, a progressive powerhouse focused on doing what’s right for working people, regardless of whether or not they have a union card. Experience has shown us that real social and economic progress is possible when union members hold office. And with more labor candidates interested in running than ever before, I am confident the best is yet to come.
This guest post from Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, originally appeared at The Press of Atlantic City.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/25/2019 - 13:04Support Public Education: 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.
Arizona AFL-CIO:
Thank you to @teranforazhouse and those in the Arizona House of Representatives that recognized the Arizona AFL-CIO this afternoon in the House Gallery and for giving attention to our programs and outreach done... https://t.co/AiwCPPVkXr
— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) February 18, 2019California Labor Federation:
"This is just another way that companies shift burdens onto workers and taxpayers." - @ssmith_calabor on how the gig economy cheats employees out of wages, tips and benefits. #YesOnAB5 #DisruptInequality https://t.co/siXLGiogYm
— California Labor Federation (@CaliforniaLabor) February 22, 2019Connecticut AFL-CIO:
Our teachers, firefighters, nurses, corrections officers, and other state workers have already made concessions worth tens of billions of dollars, and to continue to go after these public service workers is patently unfair. #CTBudget https://t.co/ixXVPt0rOS
— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) February 21, 2019Florida AFL-CIO:
“I don’t believe voters in one part of the state should be able to change the basic structure of local government in another part of the state," said @rtemplin with the Florida AFL-CIO. https://t.co/gDJ4pXbU0x
— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) February 21, 2019Georgia AFL-CIO:
— AFL-CIO Georgia (@AFLCIOGeorgia) February 15, 2019Idaho State AFL-CIO:
House Minority Leader @erpforidaho spoke with BSU Radio & TV about the Wage Claim Bill and protecting working Idahoan's pay. https://t.co/aRiOZMU2A4 #idpol #idleg
— Idaho State AFL-CIO (@IdahoAFLCIO) February 21, 2019Illinois AFL-CIO:
Members of @IATSE_Local_2 brave the cold to inform @jeffreygoldbIum fans at @ParkWestChicago that @JamUSA should bargain with their union! pic.twitter.com/fD64YrskLd
— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) February 16, 2019Indiana State AFL-CIO:
Indiana teacher pay raise proposal dies as House GOP budget plan advances #inlegis https://t.co/GoCVTcXZlc
— Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) February 21, 2019Iowa Federation of Labor:
Why courts matter. We need a fair and impartial judicial selection system, like the one we have. Political activism from the bench, from either side is not acceptable. Just ask these workers and retirees. https://t.co/gOi2WaU3tF
— Iowa AFL-CIO (@IowaAFLCIO) February 18, 2019Kansas State AFL-CIO:
Take 2 Min. to see why the Kansas tax bill is a cut that benefits BIG BUSINESS. https://t.co/hGfGUWKbCv
— Kansas AFL-CIO (@KansasAFLCIO) February 19, 2019Kentucky State AFL-CIO:
"GOP Lawmaker, Once Unemployed, Seeks To Reduce Benefits"
Have you called or emailed today? HB 317 is poised to see a full House vote on Monday, so we need your help today!
Contact your... https://t.co/J4lfMvxe6b
Maine AFL-CIO:
Members of @CWAUnion Local 1400 came to the State House today to support LD 201 to prevent outsourcing & protect good Maine jobs! #mepolitics pic.twitter.com/T2Yzkmj1t3
— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) February 20, 2019Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
"The greatest check and balance that we have on corporations is you, is the labor movement." #1u @LoriTrahanMA pic.twitter.com/TG3IxKUKPd
— Massachusetts AFLCIO (@massaflcio) February 21, 2019Metropolitan Washington (D.C.) Council AFL-CIO:
.@NationalNurses DC political dir @kennethzinn explains how Medicare for All would work to provide healthcare for all Americans @busboysandpoets Takoma #dclabor pic.twitter.com/UpIqLVNggY
— MetroDCLaborCouncil (@DCLabor) February 20, 2019Michigan AFL-CIO:
Because of your hard work last November, Michigan voters can now cast an absentee ballot without giving a reason.https://t.co/tNWdDEe8mx
— Michigan AFL-CIO (@MIAFLCIO) February 22, 2019Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Unions and Allies Respond to @GovTimWalz's Budget Proposal https://t.co/l6sGHsn1Mr (via @workdaymn) #1u #mnleg #OneMinnesota pic.twitter.com/XE830dS2Zp
— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) February 20, 2019Missouri AFL-CIO:
This type of solidarity is very much appreciated and we need more people with a large platform to speak out in favor of unions. https://t.co/jgwr4Ne9aM
— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) February 22, 2019Nevada State AFL-CIO:
“I’m wearing #RedforEd because I want to be in this fight with you” Thank you @RepSusieLee for supporting public education! pic.twitter.com/yle8H9e1SB
— Nevada State AFL-CIO (@NVAFLCIO) February 18, 2019New Hampshire AFL-CIO:
Thanks to everyone who joined us today in support of SB271. With your continued support, we'll restore prevailing wage protections to NH workers. https://t.co/DvVwkmDV04
— NewHampshire AFL-CIO (@NHAFLCIO) February 13, 2019New Mexico Federation of Labor:
One affiliate president on why we need to be present for our communities.#NMleg #Nmpol pic.twitter.com/wEV6SFSvEB
— NMFL (@NMFLaflcio) February 19, 2019New York State AFL-CIO:
Many warned a Supreme Court ruling would cripple unions. NY's remain #UnionStrong https://t.co/LNBfFJK6WQ via @DandC
— NYSAFLCIO (@NYSAFLCIO) February 22, 2019North Carolina State AFL-CIO:
More U.S. Workers Went on Strike in 2018 Than in Any Year in Three Decades https://t.co/uwvuFH12XK
— NC State AFL-CIO (@NCStateAFLCIO) February 18, 2019North Dakota AFL-CIO:
The ND House passed HB 1193 which bans political subdivisions (cities, counties, ect) from setting living wage standards in their communities. Rep. Karla Rose Hanson voted for keeping local control. Thank you! #ndleg #ndpol #1u pic.twitter.com/rrNnW00coO
— North Dakota AFL-CIO (@NDAFLCIO) February 21, 2019Ohio AFL-CIO:
We are proud of @MLB_PLAYERS @whatwouldDOOdo for standing with his @AFLCIO sisters and brothers! No matter our salaries, working people need to stand in #Solidarity with each other for a stronger #MiddleClass https://t.co/XleVW0UcLb
— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) February 22, 2019Oklahoma State AFL-CIO:
Sheet Metal Workers reaching apprentices of the futurehttps://t.co/pEG2TBdvqY
— Oklahoma AFL-CIO (@OK_AFL_CIO) February 21, 2019Oregon AFL-CIO:
Educators, students, and parents from across Oregon gathered Monday at the state Capitol to show support for public education.https://t.co/baz559JKi5
— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) February 22, 2019Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
Rich Stanizzo, Jr. is rightfully honored tonight after spending half a century dedicated to advancing the union movement throughout Western Pennsylvania. 500 of his union Brothers, Sisters, family, elected... https://t.co/bggU4vkeYC
— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) February 22, 2019Rhode Island AFL-CIO:
#HelpASisterOutPeriod https://t.co/o1XBJOd4j2 #1U @cluwri #CLUW
— Rhode Island AFL-CIO (@riaflcio) February 22, 2019South Carolina AFL-CIO:
The IAM Remembers Victims of the Aurora, IL Henry Pratt Shooting - IAMAW https://t.co/d9KeYTbYHJ
— SC AFL-CIO (@SCAFLCIO) February 20, 2019Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council:
Yet another reason (to add to an already lengthy list) of why vouchers do not work. https://t.co/H5zTIM6rsE
— Tennessee AFL-CIO (@tnaflcio) February 20, 2019Texas AFL-CIO:
More than 30 progressive groups today called for Senate to reject David Whitley as TX Secretary of State amid bogus state claims of mass illegal voting. Some had never opposed any nomination before. @RickTxAFLCIO explains @TxAFLCIO opposition. #1u #WorkersDefense pic.twitter.com/0TL9tpdJqY
— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) February 21, 2019Virginia AFL-CIO:
Virginia to essentially get early voting in 2020 | WTOP https://t.co/SkGsHm0ppY
— Virginia AFL-CIO (@Virginia_AFLCIO) February 22, 2019Washington State Labor Council:
When we fight, we win. https://t.co/E3hlzj70M4
— WA State AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) February 22, 2019West Virginia AFL-CIO:
Despite Republican leaders like @WVGovernor and @SenCarmichaelWV “guaranteeing” a pay raise for teachers, school service personnel & state troopers this session, @WVGOP Chair @MelodyWVGOP just spoke against it at a public hearing this morning. #wvpol #wvlegis #shockedandconfused
— West Virginia AFLCIO (@WestVirginiaAFL) February 22, 2019Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
Evers Sides With Unions In Lame-Duck Lawsuit, https://t.co/5oBJS1R0uH
— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) February 22, 2019 Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/25/2019 - 12:50Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: American Federation of Musicians
Next up in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates.
Name of Union: American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada
Mission: Professional musicians uniting so that they can live and work in dignity; with work that is fulfilling and compensated fairly; have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them; have opportunities to develop their talents and skills; use their collective voice and power through a democratic and progressive union; and oppose the forces of exploitation through union solidarity.
Current Leadership of Union: Ray Hair is the 12th international president of AFM. Bruce Fife serves as international vice president while Alan Willaert serves as vice president from Canada. Jay Blumenthal is the secretary-treasurer and the executive officers consist of: John Acosta, Tino Gagliardi, Tina Morrison, Joe Parente and Dave Pomeroy.
Current Number of Members: 80,000.
Members Work As: Musicians in orchestras, backup bands, festivals, clubs, theaters, films, TV, commercials and sound recordings.
Industries Represented: Members work on Broadway, musical tours and as studio musicians for music, movies, television and commercials.
History: AFM formed in 1896 when musicians gathered in Indianapolis to form an organization to represent "any musician who receives pay" for musical services. Soon after, the American Federation of Labor granted a charter to AFM, which by then represented 3,000 members. Organizing efforts were pursued anywhere there were musicians, from theaters and restaurants to symphonies and operas. Within two years of the release of the first film that included sound in 1927, 20,000 musicians lost their jobs playing in the theater pits where the music originated to accompany silent films.
But these and other technological advances wouldn't deter the musicians. In the next few decades, they won minimum wage scales for recording and secured their first contract with the film companies. Technology continued to push organizing among AFM members, including a strike in 1942 that shut down the U.S. recording market for two years. Musicians won that strike and forced the recording industry to pay musicians who performed at live shows when recordings of those shows were sold. Out of that strike came the Music Performance Trust Fund, which continues to sponsor free live performances throughout the United States and Canada today.
Over time, AFM continued adapting to technological advances. Whether it was television, cable, video games or the digital transmission of performances, AFM stood strong in making sure that musicians won contracts that gave them royalties for their performances that were used in these new media. After 120 years, AFM is stronger than ever, and its members continue to play in wide range of venues and platforms. Thanks to all those years of organizing and collective bargaining, they get paid for their work.
Current Campaigns: Respect the Band calls upon the broadcast television networks to pay musicians when clips of live shows appear on YouTube and other revenue-generating platforms. Fair Trade Music is a grassroots effort to raise standards for freelance musicians. Tempo supports candidates who support music and musicians. AFM also offers information and assistance for musicians traveling with Instruments Containing Ivory or Endangered Species.
Community Efforts: AFM offers assistance to members impacted by hurricanes and other emergencies.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, Twitter.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/25/2019 - 11:03What Workers Want to See: 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.
Now that Government Is Funded, Here Is What Workers Want to See: "Last year, in communities all across the country, millions of Americans mobilized and called for an economy that works for all of us. From state houses and governors' mansions to Capitol Hill, we elected advocates who committed themselves to advancing that cause. That election was defined by a movement of hardworking people who stood together to reject the meager crumbs we are being handed and reclaim what is rightfully ours."
An Open Letter to Game Developers from America's Largest Labor Organization: "If an investor was searching for the country’s most explosively successful commodity, they might look to the ground for natural resources or to Wall Street for some new financial instrument. But the most meteoric success story can be found virtually all around us—in the booming video game industry. Growing by double digits, U.S. video game sales reached $43 billion in 2018, some 3.6 times greater than the film industry’s record-breaking box office."
Black History Month Labor Profiles: Isaac Myers: "For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is Isaac Myers."
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: AFGE: "Next up in our new series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the AFGE. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates."
AFL-CIO President to Trump: Your Emergency Is Fake News: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka took President Donald Trump to task again. This time, it’s over his declaration of a national emergency to secure funding for his border wall. 'The scapegoating and political brinkmanship of the past few months is not the way to govern,' stated Trumka. 'From missed paychecks to economic uncertainty, more than 1 million hardworking federal employees and contractors have carried the burden of politicians’ mess. We may have avoided another shutdown, but political tactics of this administration persist and Congress still must provide back pay to federal contractors.'"
Amid Game Industry Layoffs, AFL-CIO Says It’s Time for Workers to Organize: "On Feb. 15, just days after massive layoffs at Activision Blizzard, the AFL-CIO issued a powerful public statement of support to game developers in the United States. Also known as the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the AFL-CIO represents more than 12 million workers in 50 different labor unions, including a unit here within Vox Media. Its message, published in an open letter at Kotaku, was both simple and profound. 'This is a moment for change,' wrote AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler. 'It won’t come from CEOs. It won’t come from corporate boards. And, it won’t come from any one person....You have the power,' she continued, 'to demand a stake in your industry and a say in your economic future. What’s more, you have millions of brothers and sisters across the country standing with you.'"
AFL-CIO Opposes Johns Hopkins Bayview Expansion: "The AFL-CIO is opposing an expansion of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center that would add another building to its campus and renovate existing structures. In a 25-page letter, the union organization called on the Maryland Health Care Commission to reject a certificate of need for the expansion for the project, which is required under state law to move forward. The group cited a number of problems it claims Bayview has, including a failure to comply with charity care requirements for low-income patients, proposed rate hikes to support the project and quality of care issues. The AFL-CIO said Hopkins brought thousands of lawsuits against patients to collect medical debts."
Unions Not Done with the Government Shutdown Just Yet: "Washington is breathing a sigh of relief as it averts a second government shutdown in 2019. But the labor movement isn’t backing off its public awareness and political pressure campaigns just yet. Unions are instead joining forces with contractors to secure the pay they didn’t receive during the 35-day government shutdown that ended last month. 'The fight isn’t over,' AFL-CIO spokesman John Weber said in a statement to Bloomberg Law.
NM Unions Distribute 3,750 Pounds of Groceries to Families Recovering from Government Shutdown: "More than 100 government workers received 3,750 pounds of donated groceries today from a pop-up food bank organized by the New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the New Mexico Alliance for Retired Americans and the RoadRunner Food Bank. NMFL President Vince Alvarado said, 'As the shutdown dragged on—and as contractors are still not paid lost wages—working people stepped up to care for each other in a time of forced hardship. By standing together, working people got each other through this shutdown. We mobilized, organized and proved the indispensable value of our labor to those who tried to ignore us. Now we demand a long-term government funding bill and legislation to guarantee that all workers impacted by the shutdown are made whole.'"
A Record Number of U.S. Workers Went on Strike in 2018: "Last year’s labor unrest started with a teachers strike in West Virginia and ended with Marriott workers picketing across four states. A record number of U.S. workers went on strike or stopped working in 2018 because of labor disputes with employers, according to new data released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A total of 485,000 employees were involved in major work stoppages last year—the highest number since 1986, when flight attendants, garbage collectors, and steelworkers walked off the job. The increasing number of workers involved in labor strikes suggests that average Americans are not experiencing the 'economic miracle' that President Donald Trump has described. They see the economy expanding and profits growing, but this doesn’t extend to their paychecks."
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/25/2019 - 10:58Black History Month Labor Profiles: Diann Woodard
For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is Diann Woodard.
Woodard was born in 1951 and grew up in Michigan, a member of a UAW family. After graduating from Michigan State University, she began a career as a classroom teacher, guidance counselor and assistant principal in Detroit's public school system.
By the late 1990s, Woodard was an active member of the Organization of School Administrators and Supervisors, Local 28 of the School Administrators (AFSA). In 1998, she was appointed vice president of the local to complete the term of a retiring officer. She won election to the position in 1999, and in 2000, she was elected to the first of three consecutive terms as president.
In 2009, after 16 years serving on AFSA's General Executive Board, Woodard was elected national president of AFSA. She served in that role until her passing in 2018. As president of AFSA, she was instrumental in forging an alliance with the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary School Principals that helped secure new funding for the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015.
Woodard also sat on the AFL-CIO Executive Council, serving as vice chair of the federation's Committee on Women Workers and tirelessly advocating for increasing the roles of women and people of color in the labor movement.
At the time of her passing in 2018, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) said: "America's school administrators have lost a champion. And I've lost a friend. From her days growing up in a UAW household in Detroit to her nearly four decades of public service, Diann Woodard always put workers, students and families first."
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/25/2019 - 08:44Tags: Black History Month
Black History Month Labor Profiles: Kenneth Rigmaiden
For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. On the latest edition of "State of the Unions" podcast, we talk with Kenneth Rigmaiden, the general president of the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).
He details his journey from a floor covering installer in San Jose, California, to the highest ranks of the labor movement. He reflects back on his experience with racism and discrimination while also uplifting the many opportunities he's been given. Above all, he stresses his commitment to opening the door for the next generation of union members, activists and leaders.
Listen to the full episode here.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/22/2019 - 11:05Tags: Black History Month
Now That Government Is Funded, Here Is What Workers Want to See
Last year, in communities all across the country, millions of Americans mobilized and called for an economy that works for all of us. From state houses and governors mansions to Capitol Hill, we elected advocates who committed themselves to advancing that cause. That election was defined by a movement of hard working people who stood together to reject the meager crumbs we are being handed and reclaim what is rightfully ours.
In electing more than 900 union members to office, we secured a great opportunity to right the structural wrongs of our economy. Our mission was not simply to rack up victories on election night last November. We changed the rulemakers. Now it is time for them to change the rules. As legislators move past the manufactured crisis that defined the first weeks of the 116th Congress, working people are ready to fight for that change.
Above all, that means affirming our ability to have a real voice on the job. A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that half of all nonunion workers, or more than 60 million Americans, would choose to join a union if they were given the chance, yet aspiring union members continue to face countless obstacles. The power of working people must be unleashed. Whether we work for private companies or public employers, in an office or a mine or a factory, all of us have the right to freely negotiate higher wages and better working conditions.
Congress should modernize the badly outdated National Labor Relations Act to truly protect our freedom to organize and mobilize together. Top lawmakers have put forth promising proposals that would ensure workers can organize a union without facing scorched earth tactics and hostile campaigns from corporations. If workers sign up for a union, they deserve to know their decision is protected by law. It is not the job of executives, governors or right wing operatives to make those decisions for them.
However, our fight will not end with one piece of legislation. An agenda for working families means building a fairer economy and a more just society for everyone in our country, whether you are in a union or not. That means achieving full employment where every American is able to access a good job, passing a $15 federal minimum wage, and refusing to approve any trade agreement that lacks enforceable labor protections.
It means providing a secure and prosperous future for all our families by expanding Social Security, strengthening our pensions, and making a serious federal investment in our infrastructure. It means defending the health and lives of working people by shoring up the Affordable Care Act, removing onerous taxes on health insurance plans negotiated by workers, expanding Medicare coverage to more people, and lowering prescription drug costs. It means passing laws that ensure paid sick and family leave.
All of these guarantees are long overdue for working people, but there is arguably no task so vital as defending our right to safety and dignity on the job. Congress should also extend comprehensive federal protections, including the Equality Act, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status, to LGBTQ and immigrant workers, whose livelihoods and families too often rest on the whims of their employers.
As one of a handful of men in my family to survive the scourge of black lung in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, I cannot overstate the dire need for broadly strengthened safety regulations, including the expansion of Occupational Safety and Health Administration coverage to all workers, toughened federal enforcement, and ironclad whistleblower protections.
Corporations and right wing interests continue to try their best to deny working people our fair share of the enormous wealth that we produce every day. In November, we stood up to change that twisted status quo. We made our voices heard at the ballot box, and we intend to hold the people we elected accountable to an economic agenda that will raise wages, move our country forward, and lead to better lives for all of us.
This post originally appeared in The Hill.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:57An Open Letter to Game Developers from America's Largest Labor Organization
If an investor was searching for the country’s most explosively successful commodity, they might look to the ground for natural resources or to Wall Street for some new financial instrument. But the most meteoric success story can be found virtually all around us—in the booming video game industry. Growing by double digits, U.S. video game sales reached $43 billion in 2018, some 3.6 times greater than the film industry’s record-breaking box office.
It’s a stunning accomplishment—one built by legions of tireless game developers. There’s nothing more powerful than throwing yourself into your craft, putting in day after day of passionate, hard work.
Through the fog of sleepless nights that fade into morning, piles of crumpled Red Bull cans and incessant pressure from management, you have accomplished the unthinkable. You’ve built new worlds, designed new challenges and ushered in a new era of entertainment.
Now it’s time for industry bosses to start treating you with hard-earned dignity and respect.
Executives are always quick to brag about your work. It’s the talk of every industry corner office and boardroom. They pay tribute to the games that capture our imaginations and seem to defy economic gravity. They talk up the latest innovations in virtual reality and celebrate record-smashing releases, as your creations reach unparalleled new heights.
My question is this: What have you gotten in return? While you’re putting in crunch time, your bosses are ringing the opening bell on Wall Street. While you’re creating some of the most groundbreaking products of our time, they’re pocketing billions. While you’re fighting through exhaustion and putting your soul into a game, Bobby Kotick and Andrew Wilson are toasting to “their” success.
They get rich. They get notoriety. They get to be crowned visionaries and regarded as pioneers.
What do you get?
Outrageous hours and inadequate paychecks. Stressful, toxic work conditions that push you to your physical and mental limits. The fear that asking for better means risking your dream job.
We’ve heard the painful stories of those willing to come forward, including one developer who visited the emergency room three times before taking off from work. Developers at Rockstar Games recently shared stories of crunch time that lasted for months and even years in order to satisfy outrageous demands from management, delivering a game that banked their bosses $725 million in its first three days.
This is a moment for change. It won’t come from CEOs. It won’t come from corporate boards. And it won’t come from any one person.
Change will happen when you gain leverage by joining together in a strong union. And it will happen when you use your collective voice to bargain for a fair share of the wealth you create every day.
No matter where you work, bosses will only offer fair treatment when you stand together and demand it. Fortunately, the groundwork is already being laid as grassroots groups like Game Workers Unite embrace the power of solidarity and prove that you don’t have to accept a broken, twisted status quo.
You have the power to demand a stake in your industry and a say in your economic future. What’s more, you have millions of brothers and sisters across the country standing with you.
Your fight is our fight, and we look forward to welcoming you into our union family. Whether we’re mainlining caffeine in Santa Monica, clearing tables in Chicago or mining coal in West Virginia, we deserve to collect nothing less than the full value of our work.
This post originally appeared at Kotaku.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/21/2019 - 12:09Tags: Organizing
Black History Month Labor Profiles: Isaac Myers
For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is Isaac Myers.
Isaac Myers was born in Baltimore in 1835 to free parents. The city's schools excluded African American children, so Myers had to learn to read and write from his minister. At 16, Myers took an apprenticeship with Thomas Jackson, an African American ship caulker who was well-known in the city. Myers learned quickly, and by the time he was 20, he had been placed in charge of a crew that caulked large clipper ships. Myers stayed in the trade for nearly a decade before moving on to open a grocery business in the early 1860s.
The Baltimore shipyards of the time employed both free blacks and slaves leased to the shipyard owners, including Frederick Douglass, who worked as a caulker in the few years leading up to his escape to freedom. In 1838, African American workers formed the Caulkers Association, one of the first African American trade unions in the United States. By the 1850s, black caulkers were paid well—well enough, in fact, that white workers and immigrants who also worked in the shipyards began speaking out against the African American workers. In 1858, riots began. Some shipyard owners, wary of the conflict, stopped hiring black caulkers. In 1865, white workers engaged in a strike that forced shipyards to fire African American workers, leading to more than 1,000 dock workers being fired.
Myers had stayed in contact with his friends who worked in the shipyards during the conflict. He worked his way up to be a high-ranking clerk in a wholesale grocery business. In response to the strike by white workers who targeted black shipyard workers, Myers organized a group of both African American and white business owners to create a new shipyard that would function as a cooperative. The new Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company employed more than 300 African American workers and the pay was good. The new shipyard was successful until 1884, when they lost the lease. Myers served as a board member for the company and an unofficial spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Myers focused most of his time on helping expand the black trade unionist movement. By 1868, he was president of the Colored Caulkers' Trade Union Society of Baltimore. He used that position to reach out to African American union members in other trades and cities in an effort to bring organizations that allowed African Americans to join into the National Labor Union, a new national federation of local unions. At the NLU's 1869 national convention, Myers and a delegation of African American union leaders addressed the gathering, making the case for equal treatment and acceptance of black leaders by the white leaders of organized labor. Myers said:
I speak today for the colored men of the whole country...when I tell you that all they ask for themselves is a fair chance; that you shall be no worse off by giving them that chance....The white men of the country have nothing to fear....We desire to have the highest rate of wages that our labor is worth.
The NLU rejected Myers plea, but they offered him and others the opportunity for African American unionists to join an affiliated, but separate, organization. Myers and other leaders formed the Colored National Labor Union. Over the next several years, Douglass had become the most well-recognized leader in the CNLU, which was hit hard by the depression of 1873. Both the NLU and CNLU folded because of the depression.
That didn't slow down Myers' organizing efforts. He launched a new organization, the Colored Men's Progressive and Cooperative Union, which was open to members of all occupational backgrounds. The new union not only allowed both white and black members, it was one of the few unions of the day to also welcome women.
In the 1870s, Myers became pretty heavily involved in politics and worked as a Customs Service agent and postal inspector. He continued to help organize in the South before returning to Baltimore in 1880 to run a coal yard. He stayed active in African American community organizations and edited the Colored Citizen, a weekly newspaper up until his death in 1891 at 56.
Check out all of our Black History Month labor profiles.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/21/2019 - 09:45Tags: Black History Month
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: AFGE
Next up in our new series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the AFGE. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates.
Name of Union: American Federation of Government Employees
Mission: The union exists for the purpose of promoting unity of action in all matters affecting the mutual interests of government civilian employees in general, all other persons providing their personal service indirectly to the United States Government and for the improvement of government service.
Current Leadership of Union: J. David Cox Sr. is currently serving his third term as AFGE's national president. Cox, who is from North Carolina, began working in health care in 1970 and became a registered nurse in 1983. That launched a public sector career with the Veterans' Administration that lasted until 2006, when he became AFGE's national secretary-treasurer. Everett Kelley serves as national secretary-treasurer and Jeremy Lannan serves as national vice president for women and fair practices.
Current Number of Members: 315,000.
Members Work As: Food inspectors, nurses, correctional officers, lawyers, police officers, census workers, scientists, doctors, park rangers, border patrol agents, transportation security officers, mechanics, computer programmers and more.
Industries Represented: Members work for the federal government or the government of the District of Columbia.
History: AFGE formed in 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression. Federal employees were refused most of the rights they have today. Politicians had crippled the civil service, and AFGE's founding members came together in opposition to these attacks. In the decades leading up to World War II, new chapters of the union began to form across the country. In the 1940s and 50s, AFGE fought for and won a pay raise of nearly 16%, the largest increase for the federal government workforce in the country's history. They also won within-grade pay increases, transportation allowances and payment for accrued annual leave, overtime, and night and holiday work. Finally, in 1962, federal workers secured the right to collectively bargain when President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10988. Since then, AFGE has continued to fight for government workers and has won real bargaining rights and extended the dignity of a union contract to hundreds of thousands of Americans. Check out AFGE's Labor History Timeline to learn more.
Current Campaigns: Stop the Shutdown seeks to end the unfair and unnecessary shutdown of the federal government. AFGE is also fighting to protect the rights for TSA workers; protect correctional officers; protect official time for federal employees and to fully fund and resource the Veterans Administration. AFGE's Use Your Voice empowers young workers to engage their fellow AFGE members, friends and family to register to vote and turn out to the polls on Election Day. Family First is a campaign to pass paid parental leave for all working families.
Community Efforts: Each One, Teach One is a mentorship program for AFGE members. AFGE is part of AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council whose mission is to inform, organize and mobilize union veterans. AFGE Y.O.U.N.G. seeks to mobilize young union members to become leaders for social change. AFGE's Pride program supports the union's LGBTQ membership and allies. HISCO supports professional advancement, leadership development and education opportunity for AFGE members of Hispanic origin.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 02/19/2019 - 09:50Collective Action Continues to Rise: 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.
Number of Workers Striking Across the U.S. Jumped in 2018: "Almost 500,000 workers participated in work stoppages last year, driven primarily by protests in the education, health-care and social-assistance industries, the Labor Department said. Overall, there were more such disputes than in any year since 2007, and more people on strike or lockout than any year going back to 1987. 'If you think that neither the political system nor the economy is working for you, you turn to each other, knowing it’s the only way you can make change,' said Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, which represents 12.5 million unionized workers."
Let’s Not Forget Unions and Collective Action When Discussing Victories on Workers’ Rights: "Too often in our public discourse about workplace issues, the crucial role of labor unions and the legal right of workers to join together in collective action to improve their working conditions is forgotten or ignored."
Trump Wrong to Scapegoat Immigrants, AFL-CIO President Says: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka discusses the trade war between the U.S. and China and the implications for the U.S. labor force with Bloomberg's Jason Kelly on "Bloomberg Markets: Balance of Power."
Was It Worth It? Many Suffered in Trump’s Wall Budget Loss: "Wall or no wall, that wasn’t the question during a silent demonstration in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building. For 35 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, members of the American Federation of Government Employees and others held their fists high to mark the number of days in the longest shutdown that ended three weeks ago. In solemn fashion, they declared not to tolerate such an assault on the government and its workforce. Arms were raised. At the sound of triangle chimes and a small bell rung on each minute, individuals lowered one arm and then raised the other. Each minute was displayed on a paper plate, so the demonstrators would know how much they had to endure."
Congress’s Spending Deal Doesn’t Include Back Pay for Federal Contractors: "Democratic lawmakers led by Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith wanted to attach a bill guaranteeing back pay for federal contractors to a final spending package in an effort to provide some financial relief for as many as 580,000 workers who may have missed out on wages during the recent shutdown. Contractors say they struggled with everything from covering medications to buying baby formula. The legislation, which would have been the first law of its kind to grant contractors back pay after a government shutdown, had been caught up in spending negotiations and faced Republican pushback, according to multiple Democratic sources. As Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) told reporters pointedly on Wednesday, 'I’ve been told the president won’t sign that....I guess federal contractors are different in his view than federal employees.'"
Working People Rally to Protect Dreamers and Workers with TPS: "More than 1,000 of our union brothers and sisters from across the country marched on Capitol Hill Tuesday to call on Congress to save the temporary protected status (TPS) program and allow the workers who depend on it to continue to pursue their dreams in America."
Painters Lend Helping Hand in the Construction Trades: "Work in the construction trades is very physically and mentally demanding. For some workers, those conditions, combined with other factors, can lead to the need for support from the community. The Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) union is stepping up to provide that support for workers who are dealing with depression or substance abuse with IUPAT Helping Hand, a new program designed to raise awareness and provide resources for working people who are struggling."
No More Shutdowns: 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."
U.S. Unions Bring Solidarity to Striking Mexican Workers: "A delegation of union leaders from the national AFL-CIO, the Texas AFL-CIO, the UAW and the United Steelworkers (USW) traveled to Matamoros, Mexico, last week to support tens of thousands of factory workers who have launched a wave of strikes to demand wage increases and democratic control of their unions."
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Amalgamated Transit Union: "Next up in our new series of taking a deeper look at each of our affiliates is Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates."
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/15/2019 - 10:57Working People Rally to Protect Dreamers and Workers with TPS
More than 1,000 of our union brothers and sisters from across the country marched on Capitol Hill Tuesday to call on Congress to save the temporary protected status (TPS) program and allow the workers who depend on it to continue to pursue their dreams in America.
Despite the wind and rain, workers from UNITE HERE, the Laborers (LIUNA), the Bricklayers (BAC), the Ironworkers, the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) rallied at the U.S. Capitol, demanding #TPSJustice.
TPS provides people from countries experiencing crises such as war, natural disaster or ongoing violence the opportunity to build a life in the United States. TPS holders are major contributors to our workplaces, economy and communities. They deserve a stable future, but the Trump administration has terminated the program for the 400,000 who have 275,000 U.S. citizen children.
Here is what people said on Twitter from the rally:
Our big day is here, join us starting at 9 am, at the White House, as we march for the Justice of the TPS Community ??✊?. #TPSMarch #TPSJustice #ResidencyNow #ProtectTPSFamilies #TpsPeoplesSummit pic.twitter.com/KIrsBiXBHP
— Nat’l TPS Alliance (@TPS_Alliance) February 12, 2019“Everything I do is for them. I can’t imagine what I would do if I lost them.” TPS recipient Doris talks about her 3 US citizen children and the nightmare she faces if Congress doesn’t act quickly to #ProtectTPS. Join us in fighting for #TPSjustice: https://t.co/YLAlU3HeBF pic.twitter.com/fqol6uXF9Q
— iAmerica Action (@iAmericaAction) February 12, 2019CALL IN DAY: Has your Representative committed to preventing the termination of TPS and providing permanent protections for people whose lives are in limbo? Call and find out: 202-335-9949 #TPSJustice #SaveTPS pic.twitter.com/4J18UQzZwA
— Working Families United (@wfucoalition) February 12, 2019It is cold and rainy at the White House today, but that won't stop us from fighting for #TPSJustice - we're out here to fight for our brothers and sisters who are TPS holders because they too deserve a pathway to become permanent residents. pic.twitter.com/cQWlcOdYGR
— APALA (@APALAnational) February 12, 2019RIGHT NOW: A crowd led by @TPS_Alliance and other ntl. orgs has gathered outside the White House to demand #TPSJustice pic.twitter.com/5HD9FXvK41
— Juan Escalante (@JuanSaaa) February 12, 2019“No lluvia, ni viento, detiene el movimiento!”
“Rain & wind can stop the movement”#tps #savetps #TPSJustice pic.twitter.com/5X833PehRp
“We are not standing in the rain because we like to stand in the rain. We are here for a cause. We are here because we don’t know what is coming next!” - Cristina Wilson #TPSjustice pic.twitter.com/7zGVr0i6Hx
— Nat’l TPS Alliance (@TPS_Alliance) February 12, 2019We're at the #TPSMarch march today in Washington, where thousands have shown up to defend this humanitarian program.
Find out more about Trump’s attacks against the TPS community and what’s at stake: https://t.co/jcJ5REuPXY#TPSJustice #ResidencyNow #ProtectTPSFamilies pic.twitter.com/lT7mR8mGBh
Our march to Capitol Hill is about to begin!
Nuestra marcha hacia el Capitolio ya empieza! #TPSJustice pic.twitter.com/qo163uAIO4
For Haiti, for 13 countries. We march for #tpsjustice. pic.twitter.com/XuuucwfuNT
— Working Families United (@wfucoalition) February 12, 2019Lots of signs
Lots of enthusiasm
Lots of determination
ALL FOR #TPSJUSTICE pic.twitter.com/8SOl3wZqaD
I had the privilege of sponsoring “The Last Dream: Stories Created & Performed by the Children of TPS” by the #Boston Experimental Theatre to create space for these children, children of #TPS recipients, to tell their stories & demand #TPSJUSTICE. pic.twitter.com/ey4I3cLUOC
— Rep Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) February 12, 2019Lobbying our Texas legislators to #ProtectTPSfamilies #TPSJustice #SaveTPS @GoIUPAT @TexasAFLCIO @unitehere @AFLCIO @wfucoalition @IUBAC pic.twitter.com/l0PgJvgwNE
— Montserrat Garibay (@MontseTXAFLCIO) February 12, 2019Rain or shine, we're proud to stand with our partners who are fighting for TPS recipients — immigrants who have built careers and made their lives here for decades now. #SaveTPS #TPSJustice pic.twitter.com/k8DcQRiXrU
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) February 12, 2019Ana has lived & worked here for nearly two decades with #TPS. Today she is taking her mssg to Congress to advocate for a permanent solution for her & over 300,000 TPS holders who work hard for this country & deserve a pathway to citizenship. #SaveTPS #TPSjustice @WorkersUnitedWS pic.twitter.com/ysPfl4Dj6C
— iAmerica Action (@iAmericaAction) February 12, 2019America’s mothers call on Congress to enact legislation that affirms the dignity of immigrant women & children and of our nation. We stand with TPS holders and their fight to stay with their families and continue building their lives in the U.S. #SaveTPS #TPSJustice pic.twitter.com/YyZAqkm4oI
— MomsRising (@MomsRising) February 12, 2019“I came here in 1985 w/ dreams & am now a US citizen. I’m here to ask my sen @marcorubio to help us pass legislation to provide a permanent solution for #TPS recipients. If they’re forced to leave, there’s gonna be a big hole in this country.” -Javier, @WorkersUnited #tpsjustice pic.twitter.com/6n3XdDW5J6
— iAmerica Action (@iAmericaAction) February 12, 2019Ending TPS would put more than 400,000 TPS holders and their families at risk for deportation. Advocates took to the streets of D.C. today to demand permanent protection for these workers and families. #TPSJustice #SaveTPS #ResidencyNow pic.twitter.com/PeDcrBE7Ut
— Advancing Justice | AAJC (@AAAJ_AAJC) February 12, 2019Thank you Rep. @DonnaShalala staff for hearing our #TPS stories! Our Florida families need your support! #ResidencyNOW #TPSJustice @TPS_Alliance @afsc_org pic.twitter.com/LULYFTZMhC
— AFSC South Region (@AFSCSouthRegion) February 12, 2019In DC fighting for TPS and DACA. Fighting with Working Families United. A group of about 15 international Unions who are fighting for our people. Thank you Congressman Ro Khanna for meetings with us.#SaveTPS #TPSJustice @wfucoalition pic.twitter.com/pHkNzprrdg
— IUPAT DC5 ORG (@IUPAT_DC5) February 12, 2019Threatening #TPS families is just another form of family separation. Govt should lead with compassion, not cruelty and chaos. TY to everyone for sharing your story today. Together, we're going to #SaveTPS. #protectTPS #TPSJustice @fams2gether @MIRACoalition @TPS_Alliance pic.twitter.com/hlldi53DAj
— Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) February 12, 2019This is what union solidarity looks like. Workers from 12+ states and eight+ unions pushing Congress to pass permanent protections for #TPSJustice NOW! pic.twitter.com/Rt7MhZ93Po
— Working Families United (@wfucoalition) February 13, 2019 Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/14/2019 - 12:52Young Active Labor Leaders Chart the Future of the Labor Movement in Texas
Last week, the Texas Young Active Labor Leaders (YALL) hosted its second biennial YALL Summit in Austin. Nearly 250 young labor leaders, union activists and community allies joined together to chart the course of the labor movement in Texas and beyond.
Attendees heard from other young labor and political leaders such as Josette Jaramillo, president of the Colorado AFL-CIO, and Greg Casar, Austin City Council member. Panels and workshops covered topics ranging from union organizing sweeping through "right to work" states like Texas and Oklahoma, advancing racial justice and immigrant rights in the labor movement, facilitating collaboration between unions and environmental justice groups, connecting fights for workers' rights with community activism, and more. The 2019 Texas YALL Summit offered a venue where young workers could connect with one another and strategize to address the issues that impact them at the workplace, in their unions and in their communities.
Two 2019 YALL Summit attendees have taken the time to share their experiences at the gathering in their own words. First up is Erica Scarlett, a 32-year-old office professional from Waco who also attended the first YALL Summit in 2017.
My name is Erica Scarlett, and I am a young active labor leader in my community. I work at American Income Life, one of the few unionized companies in my hometown of Waco. I am a union steward at my job, have been for the past three years. I am part of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 277 based in Fort Worth.
My local was invited to the first YALL Summit in 2017, which was the start of a life-changing movement, as well as a breathtaking experience. This particular YALL conference was held in Houston during the weekend of the presidential inauguration. That experience was amazing as we all came together from all cultural backgrounds with one goal in mind: "Unity for the minority." You could only imagine my excitement when I was told our local was invited to the 2019 YALL Summit: "Ignite the fight." I was ecstatic and pumped to see what our young labor leaders were going to bring to the table this year.
I really enjoyed traveling to Austin, the capital of our great state, and being a part of the "solidarity movement." There was a great panel of speakers who spoke volumes and motivated us to do more in our communities, as well as promise to stand together in solidarity. There were a variety of workshops that we had the option to choose from. I chose to go to the racial injustice in the workplace and common sense social economics workshops. I must say, the speakers in each of the workshops did an outstanding job, not just providing expertise on the subject matter, but making it hands on, interactive and interesting.
There were moments where we had breaks and kickbacks; a fun way to engage and get to know each other, as well as networking opportunities. I believe that by coming to these summits, our young labor leaders understand they are not alone. They have support, and we are able to recharge, refuel and reunite. Every time I have attended a YALL Summit it gets better and better. I am stoked to see what it will be in 2021. I must say, coming together again this year has motivated me to try and bring YALL to Waco. I have received tremendous support and guidance.
The future is NOW, and I leave you with this chant: "I said YALL, baby! YALL, baby! YALL, baby! YALL!" (repeat after me)/"You have to be an active leader or you gots to go! #BeTheChangeYouWantToSee"
Angel Silvestre Avila, a 24-year-old electrical apprentice with Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 583 in El Paso, also shared his reflections on the YALL Summit:
Hello to everyone who will be reading this blog. This is my first time writing a blog, as well as my first time attending this type of seminar or conference. I was nominated by my union to represent IBEW Local 583 at the 2019 YALL Summit. The business manager of my union, Leticia Marcum, nominated me and my union members passed a motion in order for me to attend. I would like to thank my fellow union members—especially Letty, our business manager—for this wonderful opportunity and seeing me as a young union leader for my local.
Before attending the summit, I had different expectations. I thought it was going to be a formal event where everyone is there to learn but not necessarily to communicate with each other, where everyone is judging you on your appearance, how you speak, your ethnicity, the way you hold yourself and if you come from a blue- or white-collar background. What I got was a completely different experience; it was actually quite shocking to me. On the contrary, everyone there was very respectful, friendly and accepted you for who you were—not just the people who hosted the summit but also the ones attending: the LGBTQ community, teachers, building trades, social workers, local Democratic Socialists of America groups, government employees, the Sierra Club and the Progressive Workers Union, stagehands, transport workers, many different IBEW locals and much more. The reason I mention so many of these associations and people is because each one had an impact on my experience, whether it was union issues, different takes and perspectives on the things going on in our nation and how young active labor leaders can make a difference.
A big thing that I learned going to the workshops and listening to the guest speakers and featured panels is that it doesn't matter anymore if you are in the blue- or white-collar industry, or if you obtained your career through a university or trade school. I learned that everyone who attended the conference had a common interest; that interest being a livable wage for everyone in our communities. Some of the main issues that I came to be more aware of are immigration issues in the workplace, people in the LGBTQ community and the struggles they deal with on a daily basis in the workforce. I also learned about women's rights, issues affecting Hispanics and African Americans, and public school teachers. I will not get into detail of everything that was discussed, but what I would like to say is although there were many issues brought to the table, there were also many solutions that were given in order to better these issues.
One thing that really stuck with me was when one young man said something to the effect of, "I'm glad to see so many people here, and I would like to say many of us are fighting for these same issues. People don't see the struggles we face on a daily basis: trying to put food on the table, living paycheck to paycheck and staying out of poverty. We all came here not just for ourselves but to ensure that we can fight for our communities and our neighbors, to obtain a livable wage and be able to provide for our families comfortably. We are not just fighting for ourselves but for our community as well." (This is not verbatim, but how I interpreted his speech).
Once again, I would like to thank my local union members for this amazing opportunity and learning experience, especially the YALL team for hosting an amazing conference. I'd also like to thank my union brothers and sisters from different locals that made me feel very welcome and proud to be part of IBEW.
Finally, one last thing I would like to say and something I took from this experience is this:
These are my hands, I can build America from the ground up. These are my hands, but they do not just build America. I could also use them to fight, not with my fist, but simply with a pen and paper.
Estas son mis manos, puedo construir a los Estados Unidos desde lo mas bajo, estas son mis manos, no solamente para construir si no tambien para pelear, no con puños si no con papel y lapiz.
This post originally appeared at Texas AFL-CIO.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/14/2019 - 10:44Tags: Future of Work
