Time for Solidarity: 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.

A. Philip Randolph Institute:

Happy Black History Month https://t.co/3U1gi7I6nM

— APRI National (DC) (@APRI_National) February 12, 2018

AFGE:

Privatizing the TSA workforce would be disastrous to the safety of the flying public and local economy. Tell @MCO to keep TSA Officers on the job: (407) 825-2032. #1u #SaveTSA pic.twitter.com/5mzILrUzpR

— AFGE (@AFGENational) February 20, 2018

AFSCME:

Working people will be coming together and standing shoulder to shoulder in cities across the country on Saturday, February 24. Find a march, rally or other event near you at https://t.co/y2wt6yFd9j. pic.twitter.com/5MB0mMYAI1

— AFSCME (@AFSCME) February 15, 2018

AFT:

Solidarity with these incredible students. Our country must value their lives over guns. https://t.co/SR6PlmpAbL

— AFT (@AFTunion) February 19, 2018

Air Line Pilots Association:

Martin Becomes First African-American Pilot for Major U.S. Airline: https://t.co/0sLg80LlCK #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/Ejg4n7Z2h5

— ALPA (@WeAreALPA) February 16, 2018

Alliance for Retired Americans:

ATTENTION, seniors: despite President Trump's campaign trail promises, his proposed budget will wreak havoc on your Medicare. https://t.co/ogMGe3stU8 pic.twitter.com/0x50OkXYqX

— Alliance Retirees (@ActiveRetirees) February 20, 2018

Amalgamated Transit Union:

Nashville: Honoring Elizabeth Duff, MTA’s first African American female bus driver https://t.co/OYp6NQnZWU #1u #BlackHistoryMonth #transit #publictransit

— ATU, Transit Union (@ATUComm) February 16, 2018

American Federation of Musicians:

“These are professional musicians — the best of the best,” Wheeler
says of the American Federation of Musicians union players.
https://t.co/DAS6Apj5FT via @variety

— Amer. Fed. Musicians (@The_AFM) February 16, 2018

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance:

On Feb 26, #SCOTUS will hear arguments in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31, a case brought by wealthy interests to further rig the economy against working people. Join thousands on Feb 24 to demand an end to the rigged economy & defend our freedoms. #UnrigtheSystem #ItsAboutFreedom

— APALA (@APALAnational) February 20, 2018

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA:

Robert "Bingo" Bingochea represents the best of us! And gave the public a good view into those early AM departures. "You make a big difference when you interact with people. People will remember you, either by what you did or what you didn't do." https://t.co/07xvf6k8MJ

— AFA-CWA (@afa_cwa) February 17, 2018

Coalition of Black Trade Unionists:

#BlackPantherMovie https://t.co/C27vkitTWO

— CBTU (@CBTU72) February 18, 2018

Coalition of Labor Union Women:

And a member of @CLUWNational - @JoanneMSanders is a true pioneer for women’s rights and a fearless leader in the labor movement! We are proud to call her a sister in labor ✊

Time to Go on Offense: The Working People Weekly List AFL-CIO

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s this week’s Working People Weekly List.

AFL-CIO President Trumka Tells Unions It’s Time To Go on Offense: "All that came just after Trumka told the UAW 'It’s time to drop our shield, pick up our sword and go on offense for a while,' to campaign for protecting pensions, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, to rebuild infrastructure and to 'protect our water from becoming poisoned like it was in Flint, Mich.'"

Is Trump Joking About ‘Strengthening the Federal Workforce’?: "At an AFGE rally Tuesday outside the AFL-CIO headquarters, just across Lafayette Square from the White House, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) warmed the crowd by saying, 'You are here today not only on behalf of hundreds of thousands of federal workers who want decent pay and decent working conditions, but you are here today on behalf of 300 million Americans who understand that what this country is about is providing quality care for veterans, to the elderly, to the children, to the poor and to the sick. That’s what you do. Thank you very much for doing it.'"

German Union's Big Win Shows U.S. Labor the Path Forward: "Last week the German metalworkers’ union, IG Metall, arguably one of the world’s most powerful unions, showed that unions have the power to shape their future workplaces.  IG Metall negotiated a precedent-setting collective-bargaining agreement that privileges working conditions over wages. It won its key demand that workers have the right to reduce their working week from 35 to 28 hours for a period of up to two years in order to care for family members."

Labor Chiefs Make Their Pitch to CEOs Studying Connecticut's Competitiveness: "'Simply put, union workers empowered by the freedom to negotiate with their employers do better on every single economic benchmark,' said Lori Pelletier, president of the state AFL-CIO."

Empowering Working People in the West: AFL-CIO Holds Third Regional Meeting of 2018: "AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre welcomed nearly 400 labor leaders and activists to his home state of California for the AFL-CIO Western District meeting this week. Gebre emphasized the importance of the actions attendees are taking to empower working people in the West, saying, 'Our movement is at its best when we work from the grassroots up, not from D.C. down.'"

Trump Administration Should Rescind Proposal That Allows Bosses to Pocket Working People's Tips: "As we previously reported, President Donald Trump’s Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced a new proposed regulation to allow restaurant owners to pocket the tips of millions of tipped workers. This would result in an estimated $5.8 billion in lost wages for workers each year―wages that they rightfully earned."

Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act Would Strip Working People of Freedoms: "Congress should protect worker freedom and uphold the sovereignty of Native American tribes, not pit the two against each other. Working people must have a legally enforceable right to form unions and negotiate together with the tribal enterprises that employ them. It’s fair, it’s democratic and it’s one important step toward an economy that works for all working people."

SAG-AFTRA Releases Sexual Harassment Code of Conduct: "SAG-AFTRA recently released a code of conduct on sexual harassment as part of a broader program to protect its members, confront harassment and advance equity in the workplace."

We Don't Play 'Chicken' with Safety: Worker Wins: "Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with poultry workers coming together to preserve safe line speeds and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life."

Taking the Wheel: A New Generation Is Driving the Future of the Labor Movement: "Building on the achievements of the past, newly elected union leaders and young workers are spreading optimism across the country. Inspired by the history and mission of the labor movement, a new generation of workers and activists are assuming leadership roles as the ranks of young union workers continue to grow."

Unions Are Fighting for Families by Supporting Women and Rejecting the Status Quo: "Women in the workplace have made major strides. Women currently make up 48% of the workforce and are the sole or primary breadwinner for 40% of families in the United States. Yet most family responsibilities still rest on women’s shoulders and, too often, women put in a full day’s work only to come home and clock in for a second shift."

6 Activist Women You Need to Know About for Black History Month: "As we celebrate Black History Month, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the women who have made history in the realm of fighting for the rights of working people. The battles they fought at the intersection of the rights of African Americans, women and working people should have made these women household names. Women continue to be at the forefront of battles for the rights of African Americans today, building on the work of these women and many others. Here is an introduction to a group of amazing women who did some amazing things."

Shuler: ‘What Unites Us Is Work and the Desire for a Better Life': "'Our movement is made up of working people of all parties and ideologies,' AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler told a crowd of more than 300 labor leaders and activists gathered at the AFL-CIO Northeast District Meeting in Silver Spring, Md. 'What unites us is work and the desire for a better life. Improving the lives of union members and all working people must be our guiding light in politics.'"

Working People Stand Together Against Sexual Harassment: "The AFL-CIO brought allies and union leaders together yesterday with the aim of ending sexual harassment in the workplace. When working people join together in union, we can listen to each other, mobilize our co-workers, speak with a unified voice and fight together to win justice in the workplace."

A Wave of Worker Activism: 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 and central labor councils on Twitter."

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/16/2018 - 14:47

Empowering Working People in the West: AFL-CIO Holds Third Regional Meeting of 2018 AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre welcomed nearly 400 labor leaders and activists to his home state of California for the AFL-CIO Western District meeting this week. Gebre emphasized the importance of the actions attendees are taking to empower working people in the West, saying, "Our movement is at its best when we work from the grassroots up, not from D.C. down."

Representatives from state federations, central labor councils and affiliate unions from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming joined together at the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324 hall in Buena Park, California, for a full day of strategizing to win for working people. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka acknowledged the latest achievements of the union movement out West, including the successful union election at the Los Angeles Times and the election of labor leaders to local government positions in Washington and Utah.

Other recent examples of workers out West turning the tide include:

• Cafeteria workers at Facebook’s campuses in California and Washington who voted to join UNITE HERE.

• Baggage handlers in Seattle and aircraft fuelers in Anchorage, Alaska, who won strong new union contracts with the Machinists (IAM).

• Newsroom staff at the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming who filed for a National Labor Relations Board election.

• United Steelworkers (USW) members in Idaho who are bravely out on strike at the Lucky Friday Mine.

• Montana’s two largest public employee unions, MEA-MFT and the Montana Public Employees Association, who merged to form a larger, stronger affiliate in preparation for legal attacks in the Supreme Court’s Janus v. AFSCME case.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka urged everyone in the room to keep growing that momentum. "The test of 2018 and beyond will be to build on these successes. Each election, each organizing drive, each legislative battle will showcase our growing clout," Trumka said.

A series of breakout sessions and a panel of state federation presidents from Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming conveyed a key theme of the meeting: engaging union members and empowering them to be active and take ownership of their unions. Participants left the meeting energized and ready to turn anti-worker attacks into opportunities to strengthen the labor movement in 2018.

This was the third of several regional meetings the AFL-CIO is organizing for early 2018. The others are in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; New Orleans; and Las Vegas.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/16/2018 - 13:04

A Rising Tide of Buyer's Remorse Even in the Red States?

Donald Trump carried all but two of Kentucky’s 120 counties, and he collected a whopping 62.5% of the vote.

Kentucky is among only a dozen states where the president’s popularity is 50% or higher. He’s at 51 in the Red State Bluegrass State.

Nationwide, Trump received votes from 43% of union households, according to a poll by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. The survey didn’t break down the results state by state. The president probably did as well or better among Kentucky union households.

Anyway, go ahead and call it whistling past the graveyard. But the 51% number suggests that buyer’s remorse is creeping up in the border state I’ve called home for all my 68 years.

I’ve packed a union card for about two dozen years. Most of us in organized labor voted for Hillary Clinton, the AFL-CIO-endorsed Democrat. But I’m hearing about rumblings of regret in union ranks.

We said Trump was—and still is—a fraud and a con man. He ran on a standard Wall Street Republican platform with planks supporting:

• "Right to work" (On the campaign trail, Trump said he preferred right to work states to non-right to work states.)
• Repeal of the prevailing wage on federal construction projects.
• Deep cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
• Sharp rollbacks in federal regulations that safeguard worker safety and health on the job, protect consumers and shield the environment from polluters.
• Hefty tax breaks for corporations and rich people and tax crumbs for the rest of us.

The Trump-Republican Robin-in-reverse tax bill came up at this month's meeting of the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council, where I’m recording secretary.  

"We’ve always preached that what’s good for the union is good for everybody, and it has been historically," said delegate Jimmy Evans, Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 816 business manager.

He cited as proof the tax legislation, which AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called in a statement "nothing but an attack on America’s workers." He added, "We will pay more, corporations and billionaires will pay less. It’s a job killer. It gives billions of tax giveaways to big corporations that outsource jobs and profits."

The devil is always in the details. Under the tax bill, corporations can deduct payments to union-busting lawyers, but union members can’t deduct their union dues, according to the United Steelworkers (USW).

"Previously, employees could potentially write off work-related expenses that added up to more than 2% of their gross income, and for which an employer didn't reimburse them," explained CNBC's Annie Nova. 

Nova also wrote that the axing of "miscellaneous itemized deductions" for a lot of taxpayers might not sound like a big deal, but she cautioned that their disappearance "will leave a hole in many workers' pockets, experts say."

The end of those deductions "was a shot across the bow of union members,” Evans said. "But it also affects a lot of nonunion members that work construction, just like it does our construction members."

Nova also said workers can no longer deduct "work-related legal fees...medical examinations required by an employer, union dues and licenses."

She quoted Seth Harris, a deputy labor secretary under President Barack Obama: "The really big story of the tax bill is that it favors capital over labor. It's heavily skewed to benefit people who get money without working, as opposed to those who labor for a living."

Harris also told her that many workers who itemize have a lot of different expenses—including mortgages—that would still make itemizing worth their while. He added that deductions for corporations are still abundant.

In addition, Nova quoted David Kamin, a law professor at New York University who was an economic policy adviser in the Obama administration: "While people can say there's a doubling of the standard deduction, those who have significant unreimbursed business expenses will not do as well."

She also interviewed Martin Davidoff, a New Jersey CPA and tax attorney who said it's unfair that companies can still deduct the "so-called cost of doing business."  

"Take a look at McDonald's," he told Nova. "They spend $50 million on a Superbowl ad, and they get to deduct it."

Tax attorney Paul Drizner said that under the tax bill, many teachers will be forced to choose between spending less on their classrooms or taking home less from their salaries. (Teachers can still can claim a $250 above-the-line deduction on unreimbursed workplace expenses if they itemize or not, according to Nova). "Teachers shouldn't be paying out of their own pocket to put their lessons together," said Drizner in the story. 

Evans said it’s not just the tax bill that has union members rethinking the ballots they cast for Trump and other Republicans. "Now they’re wanting to get back on board and be on our side again. They see that those things we fought for is what helped them."

I carry AFT and National Education Association/Kentucky Education Association retiree cards. More than a few community college and public-school teachers not only voted for Trump in 2016, they also cast ballots for GOP Gov. Matt Bevin the year before. (Most of us in AFT and KEA also voted for Jack Conway, the KEA- and Kentucky State AFL-CIO-endorsed Democratic gubernatorial hopeful.

The fact that the president's popularity rating in Kentucky is 11.5 percentage points lower that his victory margin suggests that many Trump backers regret their votes. We'll know more in a Feb. 20 special House election in Bullitt County.

The incumbent, Republican Dan Johnson, took his own life. His widow, Republican Rebecca Johnson, who shares her late husband's ultra-conservative views, wants to replace him. Her opponent is state AFL-CIO and KEA-endorsed Democrat Linda Belcher, whom Dan Johnson unseated in 2016.  

KEA warned that the Tea Party-tilting Bevin could turn out to be the worst governor for public education in a long time, if not ever. Unions warned he was a union-buster to boot.

In 2017, he and his GOP-majority legislature pushed through a bill authorizing charter schools, which drain much-needed funds from public schools. (With Bevin cheering them on, GOP lawmakers also passed a right to work law and repealed the prevailing wage on state construction jobs.

Bevin’s proposed 2018 budget takes a meat-axe to education spending from kindergarten through higher education, including community colleges and state universities. He also wants to gut the workers' compensation program. 

Too, in the phony name of pension "reform," Bevin has proposed a measure that would curb some benefits for current employees and retirees and force most new hires onto risky 401(a) programs.

Teachers are up in arms over the pension bill. (The GOP-majority House has been devising its own pension bill behind closed doors but has yet to release it.)

"It’s great to see all the educators getting involved," Evans said. "But you know what it took to get them involved? Somebody is dipping his hand into their wallets."

Evans hates to say, "We told you so," but he reminded the delegates at our meeting that, all along, organized labor has been telling union members what politicians like Trump and Trump fan Bevin "want to do to them. It’s the same in our ranks. It’s taken politicians dipping into their wallets to get a lot of people re-engaged."

This post originally appeared at Kentucky State AFL-CIO.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/15/2018 - 14:05

Trump Administration Should Rescind Proposal That Allows Bosses to Pocket Working People's Tips

As we previously reported, President Donald Trump’s Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced a new proposed regulation to allow restaurant owners to pocket the tips of millions of tipped workers. This would result in an estimated $5.8 billion in lost wages for workers each year―wages that they rightfully earned.

And most of that would come from women’s pockets. Nearly 70% of tipped workers are women, and a majority of them work in the restaurant industry, which suffers from some of the highest rates of sexual harassment in the entire labor market. This rule would exacerbate sexual harassment because workers will now depend on the whims of owners to get their tips back.

In a letter to Congress, the AFL-CIO opposed the rule change in the strongest possible terms, calling for the proposal to be rescinded:

Just days before the comment period for this [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking] closed, an extremely disturbing report appeared indicating that analysis of the costs and benefits in fact occurred, but was discarded. On Feb. 1, 2018, Bloomberg/BNA reported that the Department of Labor "scrubbed an unfavorable internal analysis from a new tip pooling proposal, shielding the public from estimates that potentially billions of dollars in gratuities could be transferred from workers to their employer." Assuming these reports are correct, the Department of Labor should immediately make the underlying data (and the analyses that the Department conducted) available to the public. We call on the Department of Labor to do so immediately and to withdraw the related Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

The AFL-CIO strongly urges the Department to withdraw the proposed rule, and instead focus its energies on promoting policies that will improve economic security for people working in low-wage jobs and empower all working people with the resources they need to combat sexual harassment in their workplaces.

The Department of Labor must provide an estimate of its proposed rules’ economic impact. However, while suspiciously claiming that such an analysis was impossible, it turns out that this wasn't true:

Senior department political officials—faced with a government analysis showing that workers could lose billions of dollars in tips as a result of the proposal—ordered staff to revise the data methodology to lessen the expected impact, several of the sources said. Although later calculations showed progressively reduced tip losses, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta and his team are said to have still been uncomfortable with including the data in the proposal. The officials disagreed with assumptions in the analysis that employers would retain their employees’ gratuities, rather than redistribute the money to other hourly workers. They wound up receiving approval from the White House to publish a proposal Dec. 5 that removed the economic transfer data altogether, the sources said.

The move to drop the analysis means workers, businesses, advocacy groups and others who want to weigh in on the tip pool proposal will have to do so without seeing the government’s estimate first.

Democrats in Congress quickly responded that the rule change should be abandoned, as the new rule would authorize employers to engage in wage theft against their workers. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said:

You have been a proponent of more transparency and economic analysis in the rulemaking process. But if DOL hid a key economic analysis of this proposed rule—and if [Office of Management and Budget] officials were aware of and complicit in doing so—that would raise serious questions about the integrity of the rule itself, and about your role and the role of other OMB officials in the rulemaking.

Take action today and send a letter to Congress asking it to stop Trump's tip theft rule.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/15/2018 - 09:58

Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act Would Strip Working People of Freedoms

Congress should protect worker freedom and uphold the sovereignty of Native American tribes, not pit the two against each other. Working people must have a legally enforceable right to form unions and negotiate together with the tribal enterprises that employ them. It’s fair, it’s democratic and it’s one important step toward an economy that works for all working people.

Corporate-backed politicians and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have a new disguise to cut back worker freedoms, the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (S. 63, H.R. 986), which would deny National Labor Relations Act protection to more than 600,000 workers.

It’s the classic strategy of divide and conquer. The AFL-CIO supports tribal sovereignty and workers’ freedoms. The two should never be pitted against each other.

Tribal governments and labor unions share a host of basic values, including a desire for broad prosperity, good jobs and thriving communities.

America’s working people want new economic rules so we can raise pay and expand worker freedom, and that means rejecting the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act.

Read more from our letter to representatives opposing the act:

The AFL-CIO supports the principle of sovereignty for tribal governments but does not believe that employers should use this principle to deny workers their collective bargaining rights and freedom of association. While the AFL-CIO continues to support the concept of tribal sovereignty in truly internal, self-governance matters, it is in no position to repudiate fundamental human rights that belong to every worker in every nation. Workers cannot be left without any legally enforceable right to form unions and bargain collectively in instances where they are working for a tribal enterprise, which is simply a commercial operation competing with non-tribal businesses....

The AFL-CIO opposes any effort to exempt on an across-the-board basis all tribal enterprises from the NLRA, without undertaking a specific review of all the circumstances—as current NLRB standards provide. Where the enterprise employs mainly Native American employees with mainly Native American customers, and involves self-governance or intramural affairs, leaving the matter to tribal governments may be appropriate. However, where the business employs primarily non-Native American employees and caters to primarily non-Native American customers, there is no basis for depriving employees of their rights and protections under the National Labor Relations Act.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/14/2018 - 13:00

SAG-AFTRA Releases Sexual Harassment Code of Conduct

SAG-AFTRA recently released a code of conduct on sexual harassment as part of a broader program to protect its members, confront harassment and advance equity in the workplace.

Leading with a call to action to its 160,000 members and the entertainment, music and media industries, the code defines sexual harassment and details what constitutes a hostile work environment, retaliation, and other types of prohibited conduct.

The code sets forth employers’ legal obligations under both the union’s contracts and the law, including the need to provide reporting mechanisms through which members can report instances of sexual harassment.

The code also sets forth clear expectations that SAG-AFTRA members will refrain from engaging in harassing conduct.

"To truly change the culture we must be courageous and willing. At its most basic, this code will ultimately help better define what harassment is, and what members’ rights are in real world situations," said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. "We are going further, however, with the launch of our Four Pillars of Change initiative to achieve safe workplaces and advance equity."

"This initiative provides a critical framework for our collective efforts to further strengthen protections for SAG-AFTRA members who experience harassment in the workplace," said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White. "Our comprehensive approach ensures that we stay focused on providing members with clear information, making training available that is relevant and practical, and working with industry partners to expand our tools to intervene and support victims of workplace harassment and assault. We are very excited to engage in this effort."

SAG-AFTRA’s Four Pillars of Change initiative represents the union’s overall approach to combat harassment, empower members to support each other, expand intervention efforts, and pursue solutions for victims and survivors of harassment and assault.

The union also is working on additional documents to provide practical guidance in both work and non-work settings in which harassment is known to frequently occur.

The Four Pillars of Change include sections on rules and guidelines, empowerment through education, expanded intervention efforts, and building bridges and safety nets. Together, these programs form a collective approach that provides a comprehensive set of tools and information to confront harassment and advance equity in the workplace.

Carteris added, "This initiative gives members a clear understanding of their workplace rights and provides reliable guidance for members to navigate the unique environments of the entertainment, music and media industries."

To read the Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment, click here.

To read the Call to Action Ensuring Safe and Equitable Workplaces, click here.

This post originally appeared at SAG-AFTRA.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/14/2018 - 10:48

We Don't Play 'Chicken' with Safety: Worker Wins Unite Here

Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with poultry workers coming together to preserve safe line speeds and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

Poultry Workers Defeat Dangerous Speed-Up Proposal: The National Chicken Council submitted a proposal to the USDA to increase the legally allowable speed that working people on poultry lines can be held to. Across the South, members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU/UFCW) leafletted workplaces, called members and went door to door to defeat the proposal, which would have put poultry workers and the general public at increased risk.

Micro-Clean Workers Join Local 19 of SMART After Long Battle: Workers at Micro Clean, a cleanroom certification company, finally won representation and a union contract after an 18-year battle. Employees at Micro-Clean, who work around some of the most dangerous chemical and biological hazards possible, succeeded in winning improved safety and better pay and benefits.

AT&T Wireless Workers Set Precedent for Wireless Industry: After a contentious battle that included the largest national retail strike in U.S. history, AT&T Wireless workers approved a contract that sets a new standard for the wireless industry. The contract covers more than 21,000 workers and rolls back the offshoring and outsourcing of jobs at the company.

California Hospitality Workers Win Safety and Health Upgrade: After six years, hospitality workers have finally won improvements to their workplace safety, as Cal/OSHA approved new rules. The rules are designed to lessen the dangers of common injuries and experiences hotel housekeepers commonly experience and reduce sexual harassment and assault.

Massachusetts Bus Workers Save Jobs with New Contract: Working people at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, represented by Machinists (IAM) Local 264, voted to ratify an agreement with management that will last through 2021. The new contract ensures that all bus maintenance facilities will remain public, after a proposal suggested privatizing up to 20% of existing jobs. The proposal also will increase wages, maintain fleet size, health benefits and pensions.

Albany Hotel Workers Win Fair Contract: After a battle that included a boycott and picket lines, hotel workers in Albany, New York, have secured a fair contract that safeguards important benefits for their members and families.

California Nurses Continue String of Organizing Victories: Nurses in San Bernandino and Ventura County became the latest successes in a string of organizing wins for the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United (NNU). The agreements reached by the nurses, who work at multiple hospitals, will improve patient safety and the work environment for employees.

Linden, New Jersey, Electrical Workers Approve Their First Contract: Members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) at the NAES co-generation plant in Linden, New Jersey, that runs six natural gas-fired turbines, approved their first union contract nine months after their vote to join together in union succeeded by one vote.

Big Win for Drivers and Tour Guides at Big Bus: Working people at Big Bus New York voted decisively in favor of their first contract with the company. Represented by Transport Workers (TWU) Local 100, the members won a contract that provides for immediate raises, improvements to health insurance and numerous other benefit gains. The contract also puts in place full due process guidelines for discipline and grievances.

Idaho Democratic Party Staff Join IBEW: The staff at the Idaho Democratic Party has joined IBEW Local 291 in Boise. Idaho's Democrats become the second state party to come together in union, after Vermont's party staff joined the United Steelworkers (USW) last year.

Staff Earn Voluntary Recognition of Union at the Century Foundation: After a 10-month bargaining process, staff at the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, signed their first-ever collective bargaining agreement. The Century Foundation voluntarily recognized the union last year, and management and employees worked together to reach an agreement that "recognizes the important work and critical value of TCF's staff, and builds on a mutual deep commitment to collective bargaining rights, fairness, and respect in the workplace."

Jacobin Staff Win First Union Contract: Members of The NewsGuild of New York/CWA who work at the socialist magazine Jacobin overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first union contact at the publication. Jacobin management voluntarily recognized the union in October 2016, and the new contract is the result of a year of work between management and working people.

 

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 02/13/2018 - 14:26

Make Your Valentine's Day Union-Made!

Are you looking for last-minute gifts for Valentine's Day? Why not give your valentine some union-made sweets this Feb. 14, toast your love with champagne that carries a union label or touch up your pheromones a bit with some smell-good union-made scents.

Sweets

• Ghirardelli Chocolate
• Hershey’s Chocolate
• Russell Stover
• See’s Candies
• Sweethearts Conversation Hearts

Spirits

• Almaden
• André
• C.K. Mondavi
• Charles Krug
• Chateau Ste. Michelle
• Franzia
• Gallo of Sonoma
• JFJ
• Livingston Cellars
• Turning Leaf
• Tott’s
• Weibel
• Wycliff

Flowers

• Albertsons
• Costco
• Gelson’s
• Pavillions
• Ralph’s
• Safeway
• Vons

You can also check out union-made Valentine's Day movies. And, remember that Trojans and Durex are both union made.

Want info on more union-made products? Text MADE to 235246 (standard data and message rates may apply). 

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 02/13/2018 - 10:28

Taking the Wheel: A New Generation Is Driving the Future of the Labor Movement AFL-CIO

Building on the achievements of the past, newly elected union leaders and young workers are spreading optimism across the country. Inspired by the history and mission of the labor movement, a new generation of workers and activists are assuming leadership roles as the ranks of young union workers continue to grow.

Kooper Caraway became the youngest president ever elected at the Sioux Falls Central Labor Council. Even at the age of 27, Caraway already has a lot of union activism under his belt. He is the lead organizer for AFSCME Council 65 for South Dakota and represents nearly 2,000 public employees across the state. He has a strong track record of standing up for the working people of Sioux Falls and has worked tirelessly to improve marginalized communities.

Labor history is not lost on Caraway, and his outlook for the union movement is bright. He maintains a clear vision of his own role moving forward. "The generations of labor leaders that came before us have given us all of the tools and opportunities that we have today," Caraway said. "It’s time for millennials to take the torch, hold it firmly and build a better world for the generations of workers that will come after us."

In La Crosse, Wisconsin, another young leader has emerged. Tyler Tubbs was elected as president of the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO last month. Tubbs, 26, is a locomotive engineer for BNSF Railway and is an active member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 13.

Tubbs is committed to bringing more young workers into the same labor movement that his family has embraced for generations. "For too long, younger folks have distanced themselves from unions, and I feel it is my job to show them the union advantage and help people understand how unions improve the lives of working people and the community at-large," he said. "I am now in a position to apply all that I have learned from those that went before me to help take the labor movement into what I know is a bright and essential future," Tubbs said.

Josette Jaramillo, 36, was elected president of the Colorado AFL-CIO after getting her early start as a member of AFSCME at the Pueblo County Department of Social Services. "Young workers are the future of our movement," Jaramillo said. "By investing in their leadership, we are investing in the longevity of our movement."

The fact that younger activists are taking on leadership roles is reflective of a larger trend in America's labor movement. Young workers continue to drive union growth and, since 2012, union membership among working people under 35 has continued to rise. Last year, they made up 75% of new members, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

One such worker is Keith Cloutier who is employed at American Roots, an all American-made apparel manufacturer in Portland, Maine. At 23, Cloutier is new to the workforce and new to the union movement. He joined United Steelworkers (USW) Local 366 last year. "Becoming a member of USW 366 has given me the opportunity to come together with my brothers and sisters to fight and work toward a better life for more than just myself," he said. "Young workers’ involvement in the labor movement is important because it brings new ideas and new energy, and I am able to learn and grow from those who have walked through the fire."

The AFL-CIO continues to build our Next Up Young Worker Program, which is a place for young people and their unions, progressive allies, students and community groups to join together and work toward social and economic justice. Young worker groups all over the country focus on everything from organizing to policy to politics to change the rules and fight for a better future for all working people.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/12/2018 - 15:33

What Working People Want to See in Trump's Infrastructure Plan

In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump proposed $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending, and on Monday, he will unveil the details of the proposal. Investing in our infrastructure is a critical need for the United States. Working people have long advocated for more federal investment in infrastructure, as a way to maintain high safety standards, to create jobs and to boost the economy. In order to achieve these goals, any infrastructure plan must contain certain key components.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

The labor movement is ready to fight, here in Washington and across our great nation, to see a transformative, inclusive infrastructure program enacted. We need to bring 21st century technology and good jobs to our entire country—to places as diverse as West Baltimore and my rural hometown of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania. And once that investment is made, the labor movement stands ready with the most highly skilled and well-trained workforce to get the job done.

One trillion dollars in new infrastructure investment would make a big difference to working Americans and put our nation on the path to sustainable prosperity. How we invest matters, it must be real investment and create good jobs.

Let me be clear: If we want good jobs, we must have high labor standards and protections for the people who build, maintain and operate our infrastructure. That’s not all. We need to make sure public money is used to support American jobs, American resources and American products. Finally, it is imperative that we invest at the lowest cost of capital to the public—anything else simply sacrifices jobs to Wall Street.

At our convention last year, we passed a resolution on infrastructure, noting the key parts of any good infrastructure proposal. It should:

• Comprehensively invest in our nation's future, to not only fund existing needs and invest in new infrastructure.
• Lift up working people, grow the economy, create high-road jobs and provide increased opportunity for people of color and women.
• Show a commitment to long-term federal funding.
• Avoid irresponsible experiments that devolve federal responsibilities to cities and states.
• Reject misguided proposals to sell public assets to pay for infrastructure.
• Maintain longstanding federal policies that protect working people with high labor standards to ensure that infrastructure investments create good jobs.
• Support fundamental labor standards, including: Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wages, section 13(c) transit protections and applicable rail labor standards.
• Support collective bargaining agreements, and family-supporting wages and benefits, instead of gutting them with low-wage bids.
• Protect public-sector employees’ pay, rights and benefits, when special interests push privatization and contracting-out schemes.
• Advocate for public procurement strategies for goods and products that are inclusive, create opportunity for all Americans, strengthen and extend Buy American requirements, and help revive domestic manufacturing.
• Reward employers that pay family-sustaining wages, train employees, hire from disadvantaged communities, and help people of color and women secure good jobs.
• Reach into our communities—urban, suburban and rural—to help more Americans obtain workforce development opportunities that lead to middle-class careers, which our failure to invest has left out of reach for too many.

Working people will be watching Monday to see what Trump proposes, and we will judge any proposal on its merits. How will this plan create jobs and raise wages for working people? We want to know.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/12/2018 - 09:41

Unions are Fighting for Families by Supporting Women and Rejecting the Status Quo New America

Women in the workplace have made major strides. Women currently make up 48% of the workforce and are the sole or primary breadwinner for 40% of families in the United States. Yet most family responsibilities still rest on women’s shoulders and, too often, women put in a full day’s work only to come home and clock in for a second shift.

As Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, I am constantly in awe of the powerful work the 6.8 million women of the labor movement do to advance issues that matter. Consider this: In the past decade, there has been tremendous momentum at the state and local level, with millions of working people winning the freedom to take time off to care for family, and labor unions have been at the center of these wins. Which might explain why states with higher union density are more likely to have paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave laws. And, when unions are strong, women are strong. Unions make a difference for women in dollars and cents—$222, to be exact. That’s how much more the typical woman in a union job makes in a week compared with a woman in a non-union job.

Beyond supporting working women, the labor movement has always advocated for policies that promote a full-employment economy at wages high enough to allow working people to support their families. We work to combat policies that erode the rights of working people, and make sure they’re rewarded for the wealth they help create. To achieve this, we support a broad range of policies, including restoring the minimum wage to a living wage, restoring overtime protections, prevailing wage standards, and putting an end to wage theft and the rampant misclassification of employees as independent contractors. The AFL-CIO adopted this working people’s Bill of Rights at our recent convention to demand that all working people have the right to:

• A Good Job with Fair Wages: Everyone who wants to work has the right to a good job where we earn wages that allow us to support ourselves and our families.
• Quality Health Care: Regardless of income, job or a pre-existing condition.
• A Safe Job: Free from harassment and violence.
• Paid Time Off and Flexible, Predictable Scheduling: To spend time with family or care for ourselves or a loved one.
• Freedom from Discrimination: In hiring, firing, and promotions.
• Retire with Dignity: And financial security.
• Education: Public K-12, higher education and career training that advances our knowledge and skills without leaving us in debt.
• Freedom to Join Together: With our co-workers for better wages and working conditions, whether we are in a union or not.
• A Voice in Democracy: To freely exercise our democratic voice through voting and civic participation.

Building on recent victories, state legislators have demonstrated that they are #FightingForFamilies in 2018 by introducing legislation to advance some of these policies in states across the country, and union members have been advocating alongside them. Sixteen states have bills pending for paid family and medical leave in 2018. Thirteen states are considering bills for equal pay, and 13 states are considering paid sick days. Sixteen states are considering measures to prevent employment discrimination against LGBT workers. Ten states have bills to ensure pregnant workers’ rights. And that’s just the beginning.

Young workers, immigrants, women, LGBT people and communities of color are coming together to advance changes that will improve our lives. When we join in union, we are a formidable force, a political force. Together, we can make equal pay, paid leave, and fair scheduling the law of the land. Together, we can lead a movement to change the world and build an economy that works for us all. Together, we can reject quiet acceptance and build an America where all working women can sustain their families and realize their dreams.

Women fight and win battles every day. By standing and negotiating together, we will continue to make the world a better place for all of us. Unions are rejecting the status quo and are working to build an America where all working people can sustain their families and realize their dreams.

This post originally appeared at Six.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/09/2018 - 10:48

6 Activist Women You Need to Know About for Black History Month

As we celebrate Black History Month, we thought we'd take a look back at some of the women who have made history in the realm of fighting for the rights of working people. The battles they fought at the intersection of the rights of African Americans, women and working people should have made these women household names. Women continue to be at the forefront of battles for the rights of African Americans today, building on the work of these women and many others. Here is an introduction to a group of amazing women who did some amazing things.

Culinary Union 226 Hattie Canty

Hattie Canty grew up near Mobile, Alabama, before eventually settling in Las Vegas with her family. In 1972, she began working various jobs as a maid and janitor. She became active in the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and was elected to the local's executive board in 1984, the year they staged a 75-day walkout to improve health insurance for casino workers. In 1990, she became the president of the union, and in 1991, the Culinary Workers began the longest labor strike in American history, with a walk off from the Frontier Hotel over unfair labor practices. Six years later, the hotel's new owner settled with the union. Canty not only fought to make sure that working people got paid the living wages they earned, she helped integrate the union, helped people of color obtain better jobs and established the Culinary Training Academy, which teaches job skills necessary for employment in the hospitality industry.

Key Quote: "Coming from Alabama, this seemed like the civil rights struggle….The labor movement and the civil rights movement, you cannot separate the two of them."

Watch this video (below) to learn more from Canty.

Velma Hopkins

In the 1940s, Velma Hopkins, a member of Local 22 of the Food, Tobacco, Agricultural and Allied Workers of America-CIO, led a fight for better conditions for African American workers in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The union challenged R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. to improve conditions for black workers, who endured segregated work areas permeated by oppressive heat and dangerous tobacco dust. A series of strikes and campaigns led to job security, wage increases and other benefits. The work Hopkins did in leading the fight inspired many North Carolinians and helped establish what would become Winston-Salem's black middle class.

Key Quote: "I know my limitations, and I surround myself with people who I can designate to be sure it’s carried out. If you can’t do that, you’re not an organizer."

Wikimedia Commons Lucy Gonzales Parsons

Lucy Gonzales was born a slave in Texas. After emancipation, she married Albert Parsons, and white supremacists drove the activist couple from their home state. Settling in Chicago, Lucy and her husband began organizing on behalf of the city's industrial unions. In 1886, the couple helped lead 80,000 working people in the world's first May Day parade, which demanded the eight-hour day. After her husband was arrested, along with seven immigrant leaders, during the Haymarket Riot, Parsons became active in the campaign to free the men. She soon became known by anti-union forces as "more dangerous than a thousand rioters." Her activism in the following years would lead her to become the only woman to speak at the founding convention of the Industrial Workers of the World. She actively fought for working people until she died in a fire in 1942.

Key Quote: "Governments never lead; they follow progress. When the prison, stake or scaffold can no longer silence the voice of the protesting minority, progress moves on a step, but not until then."

Rosina Tucker

The daughter of former slaves, Rosina Tucker was born in Washington, D.C., in 1881. A talented musician, she pursued a career as a file clerk with the federal government. She married Berthea J. Tucker, a Pullman car porter, in 1918. When the porters began to organize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters under the leadership of A. Philip Randolph, Tucker joined in the membership drive and not only helped recruit many of the union's members, but also helped found the organization's women's auxilliary. As the union grew, the auxilliary did as well, eventually gathering more than 1,500 dues-paying members. She passed in 1987, after years of activism for civil rights and labor causes. The span of her years of dedication was so broad that she was both a mourner at the 1895 funeral of Frederick Douglass, and an organizer at the 1963 March on Washington.

Key Quote: "Once a young man asked me, 'What was it like in your day?' 'My day?' I said, 'This is my day!'"

Sue Cowan Williams

In 1910, Sue Cowan was born in a small town in Arkansas. After college, she became a teacher in Little Rock and married her first husband. In 1942, she became the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that sought to eliminate the pay disparity between black and white teachers. After a weeklong trial, she lost the trial. In 1945, though, an appeals court decided to overturn the ruling, but not before the school district had fired her, along with the principal of her school and the president of the City Teachers Association of Little Rock. In 1952, Williams would get her teaching job back and remained active in her community until she passed in 1994.

Wikimedia Commons Septima Poinsette Clark

Septima Poinsette Clark was born in 1898 to a laundrywoman and a former slave in Charleston, South Carolina. By the time she was 20, she began a teaching career that lasted more than 40 years. While teaching, she pursued higher education and activism. She participated in a class-action lawsuit that led to pay equity for black and white teachers. In 1956, she was fired after the state passed a statute prohibiting city and state workers from belonging to civil rights organizations, when she refused to resign from the NAACP. From that point forward, she was an active participant in the civil rights movement, including teaching many workshops and classes that empowered and inspired activists, including Rosa Parks, who took one of her workshops just months before the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott. In 1975, she was elected to the Charleston School Board; and the next year, the governor of South Carolina reinstated the teacher's pension that had been unjustly taken from her 20 years earlier.

Key Quote: "My philosophy is such that I am not going to vote against the oppressed. I have been oppressed, and so I am always going to have a vote for the oppressed, regardless of whether that oppressed is black or white or yellow or the people of the Middle East, or what."

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/08/2018 - 23:24

Shuler: ‘What Unites Us Is Work and the Desire for a Better Life' AFL-CIO

"Our movement is made up of working people of all parties and ideologies," AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler told a crowd of more than 300 labor leaders and activists gathered at the AFL-CIO Northeast District Meeting in Silver Spring, Md. "What unites us is work and the desire for a better life. Improving the lives of union members and all working people must be our guiding light in politics."

Representatives from state federations, central labor councils and affiliate unions across the Northeast region discussed the stakes of the 2018 elections and how the labor movement can win for working people. Participants at the conference heard from their counterparts in other states on how to achieve those victories, including analysis of the current political landscape, member engagement strategies and campaign planning.

Two panels of state federation presidents reviewed their own unique challenges and opportunities in their respective states. The first panel included representatives from Puerto Rico, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia, who explained how the labor movement can grow amid challenges such as natural disasters and unrelenting legislative attacks on working people.

The second panel included state federation presidents from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maine. Common themes in this discussion were the need for political independence, the need to hold politicians of both parties accountable and the need to increase the movement’s power through organizing.

A series of breakout sessions offered participants the chance to get up to speed on important emerging trends in the labor movement, including the use of Common Sense Economics, member engagement strategies, internal organizing, and establishing new paths to power in developing a state federation-based union member candidate program. Special thanks to Charlie Wowkanech, who shared insights on how the New Jersey AFL-CIO has been able to elect thousands of union members to public office. As he said, "You can’t go through a town in New Jersey without running into one of us."

This was the second of several regional meetings the AFL-CIO is organizing for early 2018. The others are in Chicago; Buena Park, Calif.; Detroit; New Orleans and Las Vegas.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/08/2018 - 13:30

Working People Stand Together Against Sexual Harassment AFL-CIO

The AFL-CIO brought allies and union leaders together yesterday with the aim of ending sexual harassment in the workplace. When working people join together in union, we can listen to each other, mobilize our co-workers, speak with a unified voice and fight together to win justice in the workplace.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler said, "Unions have an important role to play in ending sexual harassment because fighting for dignity and respect on the job is fundamental to the work we do in the labor movement."

The breadth and depth of today’s national focus gives us a new opportunity to fight for justice. Gender equity has been a labor issue for generations, but our movement acknowledges that we, too, have been part of the problem. Our union movement is determined to be part of the solution, which is why the AFL-CIO Executive Council and the AFL-CIO Working Women’s Committee came together with representatives from allied organizations for a real conversation about solutions.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:

Together, we can create an America where every single person can work free from sexual harassment.

This meeting is so important. We need men and women working together to end sexual harassment in the workplace. And some of us are in positions of power to influence the culture in our organizations and workplaces. That’s right. I want to acknowledge my privilege.

I came from humble beginnings. And I’ve worked hard to get where I am today. But there is no denying I am a white man in a position of power. Social and cultural norms have been specifically enforced to benefit people like me.

When I go to work, I don’t have to worry about someone touching me inappropriately or judging me by what I’m wearing. I don’t have to live in fear of harassment or reprisal. When I speak with passion and conviction, no one calls me bossy.

Let me assert another hard truth.

Labor has been part of the problem.

The sexism and misogyny in our ranks has been tolerated for far too long. Some of you have personally experienced it. The looks. The comments. The innuendo.

This old boys’ club mentality must die, and it must die today.

Here is the good news: Labor is part of the solution.  

We are still the greatest force for social change in America.

We can combat sexism with solidarity. We can tear down misogyny with movement building. We can use our contracts to discourage bad behavior and punish bad actors....

No worker should be treated like a piece of property.

No one should be touched, bullied, harassed, assaulted or discriminated against on the job.

We must do everything in our power to protect working people from sexism, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, transphobia and homophobia. And we must hold abusers accountable.

Every single person who lives and works in America has the right to do so safely.

And we have a special responsibility to make that happen.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/07/2018 - 11:56

A Wave of Worker Activism: 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 and central labor councils on Twitter.

Alaska AFL-CIO:

It’s the 25th anniversary of FMLA, allowing workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave without the fear of being fired. We still have a long way to go to get paid leave for working people. #FMLA25 pic.twitter.com/CWsdVIKj4F

— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

Arizona AFL-CIO:

Yup..that's Governor Doug Ducey in the Washington Post welcoming the Political Dirty Money machine run by the... https://t.co/ZsO4qSaJPF

— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) January 30, 2018

California Labor Federation:

This #BlackHistoryMonth we're honored to celebrate and remember A. Philip Randolph - a true labor & civil rights hero. He was at the center of organizing the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and championed racial and economic justice #1u #UnionStrong pic.twitter.com/5LY1HyTmhN

— California Labor (@CaliforniaLabor) February 5, 2018

Connecticut AFL-CIO:

Want fiscal stability & economic growth? Make significant investments in the state's deteriorating infrastructure, invest in education, debar employers that misclassify their workers, and enact a low wage employer fee. Not helpful? CEOs attacking workers https://t.co/3hMmuV8DkW

— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

Florida AFL-CIO:

Labor stands in solidarity with the powerful Latina voices in Florida demanding accessible healthcare and economic justice from our state legislature. #WeAreFlorida pic.twitter.com/7hNjuE5Wv9

— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) February 1, 2018

Illinois AFL-CIO:

Re: Arthur Jones, Holocaust denier, neo-nazi on the verge of becoming the GOP nominee in the 3rd congressional district. The Blues Brothers said it best. pic.twitter.com/u6drqDxJTR

— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

Indiana State AFL-CIO:

ICYMI: Study finds Indiana common construction wage repeal reduced worker pay, didn't save money on public works projects via @nwi https://t.co/rYJoOHeMLA

— Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) February 3, 2018

Iowa Federation of Labor:

Message of the Day—America Needs Paid Leave https://t.co/q1s3ecsZxb

— Iowa AFL-CIO (@IowaAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

Kansas State AFL-CIO:

Union leader responsibly speaks out to serve the interests of ALL! https://t.co/Id5VxNXD0h

— Kansas AFL-CIO (@KansasAFLCIO) January 30, 2018

Kentucky State AFL-CIO:

James DeWeese files to run for Kentucky State House District 50

"It was a great day in Frankfort yesterday,"... https://t.co/LLpXcxGnH0

— Kentucky AFL-CIO (@aflcioky) January 31, 2018

Maine AFL-CIO:

Amazing group of union members and allies at our 2018 Worker Candidate Training! Learning skills to run, win, and lead. #1u @AFLCIO #mepolitics pic.twitter.com/4avDaAxitA

— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) January 27, 2018

Massachusetts AFL-CIO:

Freedom of state and local employees, retirees, and their families to select their health insurance provider has been reinstated! The #GICFail has been reversed. Thanks to everyone who raised their voices! #1u #WhenWeFightWeWin

— Massachusetts AFLCIO (@massaflcio) February 2, 2018

Michigan AFL-CIO:

"It's a falsehood the president has peddled a few times in recent weeks." https://t.co/qblPQTATKt

— Michigan AFL-CIO (@MIAFLCIO) January 31, 2018

Minnesota AFL-CIO:

Great @workdaymn video from last night’s #TasteofJustice Thank you to all who attended! https://t.co/1UAxrauEwE #KickHunger starts at home! #1u @FSB_Workers @BCTGM @NFLPA

— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) February 4, 2018

Missouri AFL-CIO:

If #Trump is serious about bringing jobs back to this country, he needs to show it. So far, corporate America is still winning in the latest round of talks. #NAFTA https://t.co/9MlMJtR8xu

— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) February 2, 2018

Montana AFL-CIO:

The maker of Huggies and Kleenex is firing up to 5,500 workers — and it's using Trump tax cuts to pay for the layoffs https://t.co/IettsZo37u via

— Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) January 29, 2018

New Jersey State AFL-CIO:

Be there on February 24th to stand up for our middle class values, a living wage, and the right to collectively bargain. Remember to wear your union colors and show your union pride. https://t.co/yq1P4Fd8ey pic.twitter.com/014YbJFqfA

— New Jersey AFL-CIO (@NJAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

New York State AFL-CIO:

Mario Cilento, pres. @NYSAFLCIO “Now, more than ever, getting a college education is key to reaching our full potential which will ultimately make our state even stronger. It is time we ensure this opportunity is available to all children and pass the DREAM Act." pic.twitter.com/GX3xzMSC5o

— NYSAFLCIO (@NYSAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

North Carolina State AFL-CIO:

"Amidst rising inequality, our freedom to join together in unions is more important than ever." - @marybemcmillan. Union membership holds steady in the South https://t.co/oLzhvAm6WR @facingsouth #1u #organizethesouth

— NC State AFL-CIO (@NCStateAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

Ohio AFL-CIO:

Just another example of President siding with corporate interests over working people. It’s not bad enough he wants business owners to own tips workers earn, now he wants to hurt them even more when they need money for rent or groceries for their kids! https://t.co/CbMzuMFI8x

— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) February 5, 2018

Oregon AFL-CIO:

The unions of the Oregon AFL-CIO are proud to stand behind @KateBrownForOR , whose remarks today were an example of the leadership and values our state needs now, more than ever. https://t.co/byxMIMMp0B #ORpol #ORleg #SOTS

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) February 5, 2018

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:

Take it from this @Steelworker: Stop outsourcing our jobs! https://t.co/mb3wQaYYA0

— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) February 5, 2018

Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council:

If it affects one of us, it affects all of us. https://t.co/IIXozezQu9

— Tennessee AFL-CIO (@tnaflcio) January 31, 2018

Texas AFL-CIO:

.@MontseTXAFLCIO proud support and blockwalk for @RepMaryGonzalez #TxLabor2018 pic.twitter.com/gGJsDKN7UR

— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) February 3, 2018

Virginia AFL-CIO:

Via @TheAtlantic There's a Sexual-Harassment Epidemic on America’s Farms https://t.co/KyDFGMpzLu

— Virginia AFL-CIO (@Virginia_AFLCIO) January 31, 2018

Washington State Labor Council:

WSLC Executive Board honors Memphis AFSCME strikers with a moment of silence at 2:20 pm #IAM2018 pic.twitter.com/KXEV54pvvU

— WA State AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) February 1, 2018

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:

Kimberly-Clark Uses GOP Tax Break to Sucker Punch Wisconsin Workers, https://t.co/ZuzcQC8Aoe

— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) February 5, 2018 Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 02/06/2018 - 14:00

Brews and Bites for the Super Bowl Labor 411

Whether you're going for the New England Patriots or the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, you’ll need the fridge to be stocked for the big game. This list of brews and munchies will both satisfy your cravings and help boost our country’s middle class. With more than 250 ethically made beers and a ton of game-day snacks to choose from, you’ll be set to host a killer ultimate playoff-watching party that also supports good employers who treat their workers fairly.

Enjoy the games, and together we’ll eat, drink and party our way to a stronger America.

Beers

• Bass
• Beck’s
• Blue Moon
• Budweiser
• Coors
• Dundee
• Goose Island
• Hamm’s
• Henry Weinhard’s
• Keystone
• Kirin Ichiban
• Land Shark Lager
• Leinenkugel’s
• Mad River
• Mendocino Brewing
• Michelob
• Miller
• Natural Ice
• O’Doul’s
• Pabst
• Rolling Rock
• Sam Adams
• Schlitz
• Shock Top

Snacks

• Act II Popcorn
• Andy Boy Fruits and Vegetables
• Bagel Bites
• Chex Mix
• Doritos
• Fig Newtons
• Keebler Cookies
• Lay’s Potato Chips
• Orville Redenbacher Popcorn
• Ritz Crackers
• Rold Gold Pretzels
• Ruffles
• Tostitos
• Triscuit
• Wheat Thins

This post originally appeared at Labor 411.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/02/2018 - 14:46

The State of Our Union: 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 this week’s Working People Weekly List.

AFL-CIO  President Richard Trumka Responds to State of the Union Address (log in required): "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka's response to State of the Union address, 'I really appreciated the president's optimism, and I'm sure that for his friends, that's the America they live in. But the people that I deal with, working people, aren't seeing that same America.'"

Wages in Mexico Key Factor in NAFTA Negotiations: "NAFTA talks need to take a look at Mexico keeping wages down to compete with the U.S. and Canada. The AFL-CIO's Celeste Drake discusses the latest as the sixth round of talks wrap up in Montreal."

AFL-CIO Chief: 93,000 Jobs Were Outsourced Under Trump, Most in Years: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement that Trump painted an optimistic picture of America, but that’s not the reality for most Americans."

Knight: Remembering Black Labor Leader on Black History Month: "This week begins Black History Month, when labor may once more appreciate its role in the Civil Rights movement but also realize that the best strategy for social change has for decades been coalition building, and one of the most effective people at this approach was African American union leader A. Philip Randolph."

NAFTA Talks That Were Supposed to End Last Year Might Continue into 2019: "'They’re not near resolution stage,' says Celeste Drake, the AFL-CIO’s trade and globalization policy specialist. 'If you rush, that’s when you get bad outcomes.'"

Why We Need the 'I AM 2018' Moment of Silence: Remembering Echol Cole and Robert Walker: "Today, we are taking a moment of silence in honor of the two men, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, whose tragic deaths 50 years ago led to the Memphis sanitation strike and the historic involvement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As part of 'I AM 2018,' we are reposting the following article by historian Michael Honey, which originally ran on the AFL-CIO website 10 years ago. It tells the story of Cole and Walker and of King's involvement in the strike."

Trump's State of the Union Not Reality for Most Americans: "Last night, President Donald Trump gave his first State of the Union address. Working people were quick to point out that most of us don't live in the reality described in the president's speech and when it comes to the issues we care about, actions speak louder than words."

Making Infrastructure Work for the Middle Class: "On the campaign trail and as president, Donald Trump has continually shined a spotlight on America’s growing transportation and broader infrastructure crisis—and promised to do something about it. Now, as he prepares for his first State of the Union address, the president is expected to once again push his vision for rebuilding America."

Chuck Jones Is Still Taking Trump to Task: "When Ronald Reagan ran for president in 1980, the Republicans put out a TV commercial in which a union guy said Reagan was for working stiffs like him. Unions warned that the far-right-wing Reagan was notoriously anti-union. 'A union member voting for Ronald Reagan would be like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders,' said a sign in a Paducah, Kentucky, union hall."

Nine Years Later: Why We're Still Fighting Pay Discrimination: "Nine years ago today, then-President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, restoring working women’s right to sue over pay discrimination. It was the first piece of legislation enacted during his presidency, and he noted the significance of the moment: 'It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign...we are upholding one of this nation’s first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.'"

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/02/2018 - 11:17

Economy Gains 200,000 Jobs in January, Unemployment Unchanged at 4.1%

The U.S. economy gained 200,000 jobs in January, and unemployment was unchanged at 4.1%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This continues the recovery of the labor market at a tempered rate, which means the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee should continue to let the economy grow and not raise interest rates.

In response to the January jobs numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs said: "When you look at these unemployment gaps and these earnings gaps, blacks have to have more education to make the same amount of money or get the same unemployment rate of whites who are less educated."

Last month's biggest job gains were in construction (36,000), food services and drinking places (31,000), health care (21,000), and manufacturing (15,000). Employment in other major industries, including mining, wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, professional and business services, and government, changed little over the month.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for blacks increased (7.7%), while it decreased for whites (3.5%). The jobless rates for teenagers (13.9%), Hispanics (5.0%), adult men (3.9%), adult women (3.6%) and Asians (3.0%) showed little change.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed in January and accounted for 21.5% of the unemployed.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/02/2018 - 10:59

Why We Need the 'I AM 2018' Moment of Silence: Remembering Echol Cole and Robert Walker

Today, we are taking a moment of silence in honor of the two men, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, whose tragic deaths 50 years ago led to the Memphis sanitation strike and the historic involvement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As part of "I AM 2018," we are reposting the following article by historian Michael Honey, which originally ran on the AFL-CIO website 10 years ago. It tells the story of Cole and Walker and of King's involvement in the strike.

On Feb. 1, 1968, two sanitation workers in Memphis, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, rode out a driving rainstorm by climbing inside one of the Sanitation Division’s old "wiener barrel" trucks. The walls inside the packer were caked with putrefying garbage of all sorts—yard waste, dead chickens, moldy food.

Cole and Walker’s soiled, worn-out clothes smelled of garbage. The city did not provide them with gloves, uniforms or a place to shower. They did hard, heavy work, lifting garbage tubs and carrying them on their shoulders or heads or pushcarts to dump their contents into outmoded trucks.

As crew chief, Willie Crain drove the loaded garbage packer along Colonial Street, he heard the hydraulic ram go into action, apparently set off by an electrical malfunction. He pulled the truck over to the curb immediately but the ram was already jamming Cole and Walker back into the compactor.

The men were crushed like so much garbage.

They were black like nearly everyone else working in sanitation—except the white bosses. Memphis assigned hauling garbage to blacks only and relied on cheap wages and the dictatorial rule of white supervisors to win its awards as one of the nation’s cleanest cities.

These avoidable deaths rubbed raw long-existing frustrations. The sanitation workers had no rights and could do nothing about it.

But on Feb. 12, Lincoln's birthday, they did something about it. Nearly 1,300 black men in the Memphis Department of Public Works, giving no notice to anyone, went on strike. For nearly two months, these men marched every day. They endured beatings, arrests and tremendous economic hardship in the dead of winter. With the help of Martin Luther King Jr., they eventually won.

What the nation mostly remembers about Memphis in 1968 is King’s death there, but few seem to know that he died in the midst of a struggle for the right to belong to a union, which the mayor and the City Council resisted at all costs. Unionization, they feared, would open up the floodgates of demands by African Americans, who constituted nearly 40 percent of the local population of 500,000 in the mid-1960s.

In fact, no one needed unions more than black workers in Memphis. The constant danger of getting fired forced them to take what the white man dished out. Segregation denied them adequate education, training, and promotion ladders. They routinely endured police brutality and unjust incarceration. The strike of black sanitation workers in 1968 thus embodied a larger struggle for the human rights of all black workers in their community.

King knew these problems intimately. He had grown up and led campaigns with poor black people across the South for much of his adult life. "All labor has dignity," he declared in a remarkable impromptu speech to an overflowing crowd of more than 10,000 people at Memphis' Mason Temple on March 18, the largest indoor mass rally of the civil rights era in the South. "You are reminding, not only Memphis, but you are reminding the nation that it is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages. And I need not remind you that this is our plight as a people all over America." The best anti-poverty program for a worker, King often said, is a union.

"With Selma and the voting rights bill one era of our struggle came to a close and a new era came into being," he told strikers. "Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality. For now 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 earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?"

Within days, an assassin cut him down.

Forty years have now passed. Today, we should remember King not only for his "I Have a Dream" speech and his leadership of the civil rights revolution from 1955 to 1965, but for what he called "Phase Two," the movement for economic equality.

In Memphis, he called for America to "be true" to itself by upholding civil liberties and rights, including the right to join a union. That challenge is still with us. Every day, workers in America are routinely denied that basic right. Most who organize unions are subject to firings, blacklisting and economic intimidation. Reformers are now calling for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act to restore the right to form a union we had won in the 1935 Wagner Act during the New Deal.

Perhaps no one remembers this part of King's legacy better than the black sanitation workers in Memphis. Because of their own courage and King’s support, they gained their union. And by doing that, they changed themselves and their relationship to whites. The old ways of white supremacy and black subservience have never been the same.

Five years after King’s death, an African American TV news reporter asked an unnamed sanitation worker for his reflections on what had happened. "I don’t think we can show enough appreciation for what Dr. King give," he said. "See, when he was here in the strike, every man wanted to stand up and be a man. And that was the whole story. We wasn’t counted as men before then. Every man be counted as a man now. It’s no more 'boy'.... It’s no more of that Uncle Tom now.... You be treated like a man."

This was the message of the 1968 strike: dignity and respect for the individual, the demand for a living wage and the right to belong to a union. So it is that 40 years after Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed in the back of a garbage truck and Martin Luther King was assassinated, sanitation workers keep their own memory of King and the Movement alive by bringing out the old picket signs reading, "Honor King: End Racism," and "I Am A Man."

It is a history that should never be forgotten, and never will be.

Michael Honey is a history professor at the University of Washington, Tacoma, and author of Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign. He is president of the Labor and Working-Class History Association.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/01/2018 - 21:00