Trumka: The Politicians Screaming About a Trade War Are Beholden to Wall Street

Wall Street’s hair is on fire about steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by President Trump, because closing mills and factories in the United States and moving them overseas is how investors enrich themselves.

And those wealthy investors reap even fatter profits when offshore mills and factories violate trade laws. Wall Street doesn’t care about the social and economic costs of unfair trade, because working people and our communities pay the price.

We care about working people and our jobs, and we care about holding bad actors accountable. That’s why the AFL-CIO has consistently made the case for the use of tariffs to crack down on trade law violations. In the case of steel and aluminum, it’s not just about unfair trade practices, it’s also about national security.

This isn’t about Trump. And it certainly isn’t about partisan politics. Many in both parties have failed working people on the issue of trade. The politicians who are screaming about a trade war have one thing in common: They are beholden to Wall Street.

The real trade war is being waged directly on working people — our jobs, our communities, our way of life. We’ve been getting our butts kicked for decades because the rules allow global companies to profit at our expense rather letting us rise together. It’s a rigged game. Just take a drive through my small coal-mining town in southwestern Pennsylvania if you want proof.

When American workers compete on a level playing field, we win. Tariffs are one important step to help us do exactly that.

How does that work? To understand, you first have to recognize these basic facts:

Read the full op-ed in the Washington Post.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/20/2018 - 09:55

It's About Dignity and Humanity: Worker Wins CWA

Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with a group of production assistants voting unanimously for a voice on the job and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

New York Parking Production Assistants Unanimously Vote to Join CWA: Nearly 600 parking production assistants who secure parking in the New York City area for film and television productions voted unanimously to be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The PPAs usually arrive 12–24 hours prior to production and work to secure parking spaces for production vehicles and equipment, usually working long hours alone, overnight, in conditions that are potentially dangerous. "This vote was about dignity, about humanity," said Lanere Rollins, one of the PPAs who voted to join CWA. "Film and TV productions couldn't happen without us, but PPAs have been on the bottom rung of the entertainment industry for a long time. Not one PPA in the city voted 'no' for the union, because we're stepping up to demand the respect and fair treatment that we deserve."

Another Victory for CWA at AT&T: More than 12,000 AT&T wireless workers represented by CWA in nine southeastern states and the Virgin Islands won a tentative contract that provides increased wages, improved job security, and rollbacks of offshoring and outsourcing. "I am proud of our bargaining committee and the CWA members from across the country who supported their efforts with rallies and picketing events," said Richard Honeycutt, vice president of CWA District 3. "We are continuing to set new standards in the wireless industry and we are demonstrating that the best way for working people to achieve better pay and fair treatment on the job is by joining together in a union." The agreement comes on the heels of a similar agreement, which was ratified last month by AT&T wireless workers in 36 additional states and Washington, D.C.

Majority of Mic Editorial Staff Vote to Join The NewsGuild of New York/CWA: The overwhelming majority of the editorial staff at digital news outlet Mic voted to be represented by The NewsGuild of New York/CWA Local 31003. The employees are now requesting that management voluntarily recognize their union. "I am so proud that the overwhelming majority of Mic reporters, editors, correspondents, social media editors, producers and copy editors have come together as a collective voice to improve Mic’s workplace," said Kelsey Sutton, Mic political reporter.

Food Service Workers at Airbnb Join UAW: Nearly 150 Bon Appétit Management Co. employees working at Airbnb ratified their first union contract with UAW. The agreement covers workers in San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon, who work in food service for Airbnb. "The contract raises the bar for working people up and down the West Coast," said Gary Jones, the Western Regional Director for the UAW. "We believe the dishwashers, servers and chefs working for Bon Appétit and serving Airbnb employees are now among the highest paid food service workers in California. This contract includes first-class language that protects workers’ rights and ensures excellent health benefits."

Kaiser Permanente Nurses in California Win Tentative Agreement: Registered nurses and nurse practitioners at 21 Kaiser Permanente medical centers and offices in Northern and Central California won a tentative agreement on a five-year contract that protects existing standards and improves protections for patients. The nurses, who are represented by National Nurses United (NNU), will begin voting on ratification of the contract on March 26. 

Alaska Airlines' Flight Attendants Reach Agreement on Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement: Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines agreed to a joint collective bargaining agreement that covers more than 5,400 working people. The agreement improves upon the previous contract and includes pay increases. "We worked hard to achieve improvements for the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants while simultaneously balancing the need to quickly address the disparity for the former Virgin America Flight Attendants working under their current pay and work rules. The JCBA accomplishes those goals and provides for a smooth path to combine the two Flight Attendant groups," said Jeffrey Peterson, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) president at Alaska Airlines.

Piedmont Passenger Service Agents Win Major Improvements in Tentative New Contract: More than a year of bargaining and mobilization by Piedmont Airlines' passenger service agents has resulted in a tentative new contract that includes major raises, improved benefits and other gains. "Courageous passenger service agents have been standing up for family-sustaining jobs at American Airlines, and it's because of their determination and commitment to winning a fair contract that thousands of hardworking agents at Piedmont will see big improvements in pay and benefits after this long and tough fight," said CWA President Chris Shelton. "Working people joining together in unions to negotiate collectively remains the best way to achieve the fair return on their work that they deserve."

Seattle NPR Staff Vote to Join SAG-AFTRA: Staff at KUOW-FM 94.9 overwhelmingly voted to be represented by SAG-AFTRA. The bargaining unit will cover public media professionals who create content for the NPR- and University of Washington-affiliated station. Next, the unit will begin negotiations toward their first contract.

Frontier Communications Employees Prove Even Home-Based Workers Can Organize: More than 160 home-based customer service representatives in Texas who work for Frontier Communications won a mail ballot election to be represented by CWA. The organizing committee set up a network to share information on a daily basis, using both traditional organizing methods, as well as text and social media.

Fire Fighters Win Safety Improvements: In response to dwindling resources and dangerous work conditions, firefighters across the country are stepping up to win improvements on the job. In Portsmouth, Virginia, Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 539 members helped elect a city council that increased resources. In Ohio, IAFF Local 334 members fought to establish a "cancer presumption law" that assumes that firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer contracted the disease on the job and are therefore eligible for workers' compensation and pension benefits. And in Henry County, Georgia, members of IAFF Local 4052 persuaded the Board of Commissioners to accept a SAFER Grant that improves safety for firefighters and local residents.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/20/2018 - 08:50

Today's Working Women Honor Their Courageous Foremothers

Nearly two centuries ago, a group of women and girls — some as young as 12 — decided they'd had enough. Laboring in the textile mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, they faced exhausting 14-hour days, abusive supervisors and dangerous working conditions. When threatened with a pay cut, they finally put their foot down.

The mill workers organized, went on strike and formed America's first union of working women. They shocked their bosses, captured the attention of a young nation and blazed a trail for the nascent labor movement that would follow.

As we celebrate Women's History Month, working women are proudly living up to that example—organizing, taking to the streets and running for office in unprecedented numbers. It is a reminder that the movements for worker and women’s rights always have been interwoven.

But even as we rally together, our opponents are proving to be as relentless as ever. It’s been 184 years since that first strike in Lowell, and our rights still are being threatened by the rich and powerful. The Janus v. AFSCME case currently before the Supreme Court is one of the most egregious examples.

Janus is specifically designed to undermine public-sector unions’ ability to advocate for working people and negotiate fair contracts. More than that, it is a direct attack on working women. The right to organize and bargain together is our single best ticket to equal pay, paid time off and protection from harassment and discrimination.

Women of color would be particularly hurt by a bad decision in this case. Some 1.5 million public employees are African-American women, more than 17 percent of the public-sector workforce. Weaker collective bargaining rights would leave these workers with even less of a voice on the job.

This only would add insult to injury as black women already face a double pay gap based on race and gender, earning only 67 cents on the dollar compared to white men.

This is a moment for working women to take our fight to the next level. For generations, in the face of powerful opposition, we have stood up for the idea that protecting the dignity and rights of working people is a cause in which everyone has a stake.

Read the full op-ed at The Hill.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/19/2018 - 15:47

Drake: 'Tariffs to Protect U.S. National and Economic Security Are Overdue'

Celeste Drake, trade policy specialist at the AFL-CIO, participated in a discussion last week about trade and tariffs at The Dialogue. The following question was submitted to Drake and other experts:

U.S. President Donald Trump on March 8 signed into law new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum despite anxious warnings from leading members of his own party, global trading partners and liberal economists. At the same time, he announced that Canada and Mexico would be exempt from the tariffs, pending the outcome of the re-negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The tariffs have support from a diverse coalition of interests, ranging from the largest labor union in the United States to right-wing advocates of Trump’s 'America First' political ideology. What would the tariffs mean for Latin American and Caribbean countries? Which players stand to gain or lose the most? How will concerns about a global trade war come to bear on the current talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement? 

Drake responded:

For years, firms and workers in both the developed and developing world have supported action against unfair trade practices. In this century, China, in particular, has engaged in currency manipulation, denial of labor rights and overproduction—trade issues that the WTO and other multilateral forums have failed to address. The tariffs to protect U.S. national and economic security are overdue. They are a good step toward strengthening firms and protecting workers in the steel and aluminum industries, providing they are targeted to the countries that caused the problem, such as China. It is important to distinguish between trade enforcement and a trade war. Wall Street’s 'chicken little' rhetoric comparing this action to the Smoot-Hawley tariff has no basis in fact. More important, however, is that the global trading system needs comprehensive changes to prevent the kind of game-playing we have seen in global steel markets. Unions across the Americas are united in calling for sustainable, equitable trade rules that strengthen economies and create wage-led growth. In our globalized economy, workers are always better off with international—not unilateral—solutions. Since the United States, Canada and Mexico are already working to fix NAFTA, the three countries should develop a coordinated response to global economic challenges like dumping, overcapacity, tax avoidance and currency misalignment—even as they work on improving existing NAFTA labor and investment regimes. Just as inaction in the face of illegal trade practices harms working people, so will a go-it-alone strategy. If President Trump has an interest in hemispheric shared prosperity, he should abandon the nationalist rhetoric that plays into the hands of Wall Street critics of trade enforcement. Now is the time for the countries of the Americas to come together to address beggar-thy-neighbor trade strategies, abandon the race to the bottom and build economies that work for ordinary families, not just the global investor class.

Read the other responses.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/19/2018 - 11:12

The Path to Power: 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.

 

Victory in Pennsylvania Shows Path to Power Is Through the Labor Movement: "Democrat Conor Lamb won a close special election for Congress in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, a massive turnaround in a district that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump won in 2016 by 20%. Rep.-elect Lamb embraced working people and stood up for the issues that are important to us, and we helped propel him to victory."

Local Union Leaders in the Midwest Strategize to Win in 2018 and Beyond: "'We are the only ones who can deliver the massive economic and social change working people are hungry for,' said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) to more than 300 union leaders gathered in Chicago this week. Local union leaders from state federations, labor councils and affiliate unions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota joined together for the AFL-CIO Midwest District meeting to spend the day building a strategy to empower working people for victories in 2018 and beyond."

What Are Tariffs, Anyway?: "The word 'tariff' is popping up in the news a lot lately. Check out this short video that helps you understand what tariffs are and what impact they have on working people."

Inslee Signs Law ‘Banning the Box’ in Washington State: "Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on Tuesday signed into law the Fair Chance Act (H.B. 1298), sponsored by state Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D), extending 'ban the box' job-seeker protections to cover the state’s public and private employers."

Study Shows Quality New Member Orientation Programs Lead to Greater Commitment and Participation: "The strength of any union depends on the degree to which its members support the union and show that support by getting involved in union activities. Convincing members to support the union, and participate in its work, is one of the central challenges that every local union leader and activist faces. New research, released by the Labor School at Penn State University and Jobs With Justice Education Fund, provides strong evidence that leaders and activists can strengthen support for the union among new members and increase the degree to which they get involved in the union, through effective new member orientation (NMO) programs."

Make Your St. Patrick’s Day Union-Made in America: "Many people will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by going green and grabbing a frosty brew, and Labor 411 has more than a few great options. Its union-made beer list has topped 250 choices, and if you’re putting a meal together, it’s got some delicious savory accompaniments."

Legislation from DeLauro and Clark Would Strengthen Protections for Tipped Workers: "As we reported in January, President Donald Trump’s Department of Labor is proposing a rule change that would mean restaurant servers and bartenders could lose a large portion of their earnings. The rule would overturn one put in place by the Barack Obama administration, which prevents workers in tipped industries from having their tips taken by their employers. Under the new rule, business owners could pay their waitstaff and bartenders as little as $7.25 per hour and keep all tips above that amount without having to tell customers what happened."

Enforcing Trade Rules Is Not a 'Trade War': "The recent tariffs on steel and aluminum have been characterized as trade war. This is weird because countries often enforce trade rules with targeted tariffs and sanctions, and markets adjust. What’s the real issue?"

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/16/2018 - 13:23

Strengthening Working People's Power: AFL-CIO Holds Southwest District Meeting AFL-CIO

The fifth AFL-CIO District Meeting of the year kicked off in Las Vegas with a discussion about the potential for growing power for working people in the Southwest. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler gave the crowd of nearly 300 union leaders and activists one number to think about: 8.8 million.

That’s the number of immigrants eligible to get naturalized and on the path to citizenship.

Shuler explained: "That could mean 8.8 million workers empowered to exercise their rights on the job because they have the ultimate protection from deportation. 8.8 million new voters. And 8.8 million families that are more stable and secure."

The Southwest District states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas are home to approximately 1.5 million working people who are eligible for citizenship today. The labor movement in the Southwest is actively organizing union members to pursue naturalization. This will strengthen worker power to gain concrete protections on the job, expand and diversify the electorate, and help win the sweeping changes that working people expect and deserve.

Panel participants from Culinary Union Local 226, Laborers (LIUNA) Locals 169 and 872, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 99, and the Texas AFL-CIO shared best practices around arranging citizenship clinics, partnering with community organizations to reach a wider range of potential citizens, and empowering new citizens to vote.

Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre closed the panel discussion by asking attendees to move forward similar programs through their unions. He said: "This is work for all of us. We want unions to become the center of all activity on immigration in their communities. We want workers to know that it was the union who helped them to become a citizen. It is up to us if we want 8.8 million workers to join our ranks."

A series of breakout sessions and a panel of state federation leaders from Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas focused on building upon the achievements and growth of the labor movement in the Southwest. Although labor leaders in the district have to fight against “right to work” laws and well-funded anti-worker groups, their recent victories include:

• Organizing new workers at Station Casinos and Trump International Hotel in Nevada.
• Adding 80,000 new union members in Texas.
• Stopping right to work laws in the Colorado and New Mexico legislatures.
• Electing Nevada’s first Latina senator and ousting Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the 2016 elections.

In a video message, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka encouraged attendees to keep up the momentum in 2018: 

When more union members fill the halls of power, when wages go up and inequality shrinks, when we have more pro-labor Republicans and fewer corporate-beholden Democrats, when a growing number of young people see the value of democracy, when we stop defining victory as simply not losing, and most of all, when more workers realize their own value and power, that’s when you’ll know unions are on the rise.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/16/2018 - 11:27

Local Union Leaders in the Midwest Strategize to Win in 2018 and Beyond AFL-CIO

"We are the only ones who can deliver the massive economic and social change working people are hungry for," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) to more than 300 union leaders gathered in Chicago this week. Local union leaders from state federations, labor councils and affiliate unions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota joined together for the AFL-CIO Midwest District meeting to spend the day building a strategy to empower working people for victories in 2018 and beyond.

“When more workers realize their own value and power, that’s when you’ll know the labor moment is on the rise. That moment is close. I feel it in every union hall I visit and every picket line I stand on.” @RichardTrumka #1u pic.twitter.com/iQfeNcYnCs

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) March 13, 2018

President Trumka reflected on the latest successes in the Midwest and the importance of building on that momentum. Recent victories include:

• When anti-worker legislators passed "right to work" in Missouri, working people pounded the pavement, collecting more than three times the signatures necessary to put that law on the ballot this fall, when they plan to defeat it.

• Hotel workers secured a major victory when the Chicago City Council passed the "Hands Off, Pants On" ordinance, thanks to a massive campaign by the Chicago Federation of Labor and UNITE HERE Local 1. The legislation mandates that housekeepers be given panic buttons so they can alert hotel security when they feel threatened and prohibits hotel employers from retaliating against a hotel worker for reporting sexual harassment or assault by a guest.

• South Dakota is investing in young leaders, like the newly elected president of the Sioux Falls Central Labor Council, Kooper Caraway (AFSCME). At 27 years old, Caraway is the youngest elected AFL-CIO president in the history of South Dakota and one of the youngest labor council presidents in the country.

• In Minnesota, labor led the charge to raise the wage in Minneapolis and secure paid sick leave in St. Paul.

• When anti-labor politicians passed sweeping legislation requiring public-sector unions to hold recertification elections before negotiating new contracts, unions dug deep and focused on internal organizing, recertifying more than 93% of Iowa's public-sector bargaining units.

"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. Two panels at the Midwest District meeting dove further into the achievements and challenges we face in the states and featured state federation presidents from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. They discussed the importance of listening to union members and engaging them on issues and the value of solidarity across the labor movement. AFL-CIO Vice President Tefere Gebre (UFCW) echoed their sentiment when he said: "We’re here to say if you mess with one of us, you have to deal with all of us."

Union leaders from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Illinois have a strategy to empower working people for important victories in 2018! #1u pic.twitter.com/MEHdNFlYmu

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) March 13, 2018

 

Union leaders from Indiana, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska are talking about the opportunities for working people to win in 2018! #1u pic.twitter.com/vVznK5ykM4

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) March 13, 2018

Breakout sessions gave participants the tools they need to build a stronger labor movement in the Midwest. Sessions focused on internal organizing, using issues to engage our members and allies, building a program to elect union members to political office, and using data and technology to break new ground in politics and organizing.

Participants left feeling energized and ready to increase worker power. Michael Matejka, director of government affairs for the Great Plains Laborers’ District Council, said: "Too often we can get stuck in our own world and our own issues. Meetings like this are critical to understanding the challenges and opportunities that we have as a labor movement."

This is the fourth district meeting that’s taken place in 2018, with two more meetings to be held in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Check out the photo album on Facebook.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/15/2018 - 13:22

What Are Tariffs, Anyway?

The word "tariff" is popping up in the news a lot lately. Check out this short video that helps you understand what tariffs are and what impact they have on working people.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/15/2018 - 12:46

Inslee Signs Law 'Banning the Box' in Washington State The Stand

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on Tuesday signed into law the Fair Chance Act (H.B. 1298), sponsored by state Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self (D), extending "ban the box" job-seeker protections to cover the state’s public and private employers.

Washington becomes the 11th state (and the first in 2018) to require both public- and private-sector employers to delay background checks and inquiries about job applicants’ conviction records until the individual has first had an opportunity to present his or her qualifications for the job.

More than one in five adults in Washington state—disproportionately people of color—have a conviction or arrest record that can show up on a routine criminal background check for employment. The Fair Chance Act will help ensure that these 1.2 million people are judged by their qualifications and work experience and not reflexively rejected by employers at the start of the hiring process.

Fair-chance reforms allow people with records to get their foot in the door and have been shown to increase the number of people with records interviewed and hired. H.B. 1298 delays the criminal background check until the applicant meets the basic criteria for the job and precludes employers from automatically or categorically excluding individuals with a criminal record from consideration prior to an initial determination that the applicant is otherwise qualified for the position.

The Washington Fair Chance Act was backed by a broad coalition of business, labor and community groups, led by the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Washington Defender Association. The Washington Fair Chance Coalition has been working since 2015 to promote adoption of the law. The Washington State Labor Council also strongly backed the legislation.

"Years of policies have unfairly and disproportionately targeted communities of color—in sentencing, through the criminalization of public health epidemics, and the underfunding of public resources made available to them," said Eric González Alfaro, WSLC's legislative and policy director. "The Fair Chance Act is one of several criminal justice reform strategies we strongly supported this legislative session to help end mass incarceration in our state and instead put us on a pathway to mass employment."

Civil Survival, an advocacy organization in Washington led and staffed by directly impacted people, was actively involved in supporting the policy. According to Tarra Simmons, the organization’s executive director, who recently graduated from law school and was ruled eligible to take the bar examination by the Washington Supreme Court, "As a formerly incarcerated woman and mother who struggled with finding employment upon re-entry, I am proud to be a part of the coalition effort that led to this successful outcome. We still have a lot of work to do, but this is a first step for many of us to be judged on our current qualifications instead of banned outright because of our past mistakes."

"H.B. 1298 represents a major step forward for Washington state’s business community and economy, while providing hope and opportunity to all those qualified workers who have struggled to find work with a conviction record but who are ready to give back to their communities," said Maurice Emsellem, program director with the National Employment Law Project.

With the addition of Washington state, roughly one in three adults now live in a state or locality where private employers are governed by a "ban the box" law. Nationwide, 31 states and more than 150 cities and counties have adopted a ban-the-box law regulating either public or private employers.

A fair chance to work for people with records also means a better chance at success for the next generation of Washington residents, as nearly half of all U.S. children have at least one parent with a record. What’s more, research demonstrates that employment of people with conviction histories can improve the economy and benefit public safety through decreased recidivism.

This post originally appeared at The Stand.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/15/2018 - 11:42

Study Shows Quality New Member Orientation Programs Lead to Greater Commitment and Participation

The strength of any union depends on the degree to which its members support the union and show that support by getting involved in union activities. Convincing members to support the union, and participate in its work, is one of the central challenges that every local union leader and activist faces. New research, released by the Labor School at Penn State University and Jobs With Justice Education Fund, provides strong evidence that leaders and activists can strengthen support for the union among new members and increase the degree to which they get involved in the union, through effective new member orientation (NMO) programs.

In workplaces where a new hire is not required to join the union or pay fees, it is critically important that the union makes sure the new hire understands the significant role they play and how they and their family will benefit from membership. Providing a positive introduction to the union will greatly increase the chances that the new hire will join the union in the short run and get involved in the long run.

The survey Penn State conducted looked at the interaction that nearly 500 new members of a large national union from across the country had with their union during their first year on the job. The results indicated that members who participated in a NMO program that they found helpful had significantly higher commitment to the union than those who did not participate in a NMO. It also found that new members with higher levels of commitment were more likely to participate in the work of the union than members with lower levels of commitment.

The clear conclusion from this research is that high-quality NMO programs have a positive impact on members’ level of commitment to the union, and the more committed new members are to the union, the more likely they are to participate in union activities.

An important part of the findings is that for NMO programs to have a positive impact, the programs themselves have to be viewed as helpful by new members. NMOs that are sufficiently long to communicate the information new members need to know about the union and that provide high-quality informational material are viewed by new members as more helpful than shorter, less informative programs.

This new study confirms the principle that first impressions make a lasting difference. At a point in time when many union leaders and activists worry that the next generation of workers do not understand or value the important role unions have played, they can help make sure they do by putting every new hire through a high-quality NMO program. The result will be a higher level of commitment and participation among new members and a stronger union.

Learn more about the study and best practices in creating an effective NMO program.

 

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/15/2018 - 10:35

Make Your St. Patrick's Day Union-Made in America AFL-CIO

Many people will celebrate St. Patrick's Day by going green and grabbing a frosty brew, and Labor 411 has more than a few great options. Its union-made beer list has topped 250 choices; and if you’re putting a meal together, it's got some delicious savory accompaniments.

Corned Beef

•  Saag’s
•  Thumann’s
•  Winter’s Premium Deli

Potatoes and Cabbage

• Dole fresh potatoes
• Purchase cabbage at a union grocery store like Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC, Albertsons, Haggen and many smaller stores like PCC Community Markets (see UFCW21.org, UFCW367.org or UFCW1439.org for more info).

Beer

• Bass, Beck’s, Blue Moon, Budweiser, Busch, Butte Creek, Coors, Dundee, Duquesne, Genesee, Goose Island, Hamm’s, Henry Weinhard’s, Iron City, Jamaica Red Ale, Keystone, George Killian’s, Landshark Lager, Lionshead, Mad River, Mendocino Brewing, Michelob, Mickey’s, Miller Genuine Draft, Milwaukee’s Best, Natural Ice, O’Doul’s (nonalcoholic), Pabst Blue Ribbon, Red Stripe, Red Tail Ale, Rolling Rock, Samuel Adams, Schlitz, Shock Top, Steelhead, Third Shift

This list of options for your St. Patrick's Day is courtesy of Labor 411.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/14/2018 - 14:55

Victory in Pennsylvania Shows Path to Power Is Through the Labor Movement AFL-CIO

Democrat Conor Lamb won a close special election for Congress in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, a massive turnaround in a district that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump won in 2016 by 20%. Rep.-elect Lamb embraced working people and stood up for the issues that are important to us, and we helped propel him to victory.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:

Conor won this race because he proudly stood with unions, shared our agenda and spoke out for our members. He didn’t just ask for our support—he earned it by opposing unnecessary “right to work” laws, backing protections for coal miners’ pensions and supporting commonsense trade enforcement.

His victory proves that the path to power runs through the labor movement.

Union members used our passion and resources to help elect Lamb. Now we are going to use that same energy to hold him accountable in office. Winning elections is only the first step. Winning pro-worker policies is the ultimate goal.

Tonight’s result is a wake-up call for every single politician. Earning the support of working people is a high bar that must be cleared with meaningful words and actions—not blind deference to party operatives or corporate interests.

Working people are ready to move heaven and earth to help a genuine ally. But we won’t waste a dime or a door knock on fair weather friends. If you want working people to rally around you, then you need to rally around us.

The Mine Workers noted the importance of Lamb's victory for pensions:

As political observers across the nation try to parse the results of last night’s special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District for clues to upcoming midterm contests, one issue that clearly stands out is solving the multi-employer pension crisis. PA-18 demonstrates that voters who fear for retirement security will blur partisan lines to support candidates they believe have their backs.

News accounts have documented a sharp division between the winner in the PA-18 contest, Conor Lamb, and his opponent, Rep. Rick Saccone, on addressing the pension crisis. Saccone ducked the issue when asked to address it by reporters, preferring to eat ice cream rather than answer whether he supported the American Miners’ Protection Act. Lamb and his surrogates, including United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil Roberts, by contrast, have made solving the pension crisis a central issue.

“You elect this man to Congress, and you won’t have to lobby him one minute,” said Roberts at a recent campaign rally for Lamb. “He’s for your pensions, he’s for your union, he’s for your health care. This is a ‘yes’ vote.”

In the wake of Lamb’s victory last night, Roberts noted that “a lot of our members who didn’t vote in the last election or voted for President Trump came out and voted for the one candidate who was clear about standing up for their pensions and their retirement security. They may still agree with the President about a lot of things, but they know that if they lose their pension they will be scrambling just to survive. All the other things any politician is doing or saying fall by the wayside when a person is in survival mode.”

The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO said:

“For weeks union members have held thousands of conversations across southwestern Pennsylvania on the issues that affect working families and their jobs. This election is proof that when working people come together in a united labor movement, we can achieve outstanding results. In living rooms, on telephones, and at work sites, our brothers and sisters mobilized to elect a candidate who stands up for working people and the issues that matter in their daily lives. Conor Lamb has demonstrated that honesty, integrity and support for a fair economy for all is the future of American democracy,” stated President Rick Bloomingdale.  

“Election Day, even a special election, is only the first step in our determined effort to win economic justice for all. Our activism and mobilization will continue throughout 2018. Our work to lift-up candidates who will fight for working people, their rights to collectively bargain, and work to unrig the system, is far from finished. On March 13th we ran through the finish line in the race for the 18th district, but the marathon continues,” added Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder.

Allegheny County Union Veterans Council Chair Craig Romanovich said: 

The Union Veterans Council is proud to have been part of Rep.-elect Conor Lamb’s victory. Because of the hard work put in by union veterans and the working people of the 18th Congressional District, we are sending our champion, our voice, to Washington, D.C.

.@ConorLambPA won this race because he proudly stood with unions, shared our agenda and spoke out for our members. #1u pic.twitter.com/mBwVSsDbcb

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) March 14, 2018 Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/14/2018 - 11:15

Legislation from DeLauro and Clark Would Strengthen Protections for Tipped Workers

As we reported in January, President Donald Trump's Department of Labor is proposing a rule change that would mean restaurant servers and bartenders could lose a large portion of their earnings. The rule would overturn one put in place by the Barack Obama administration, which prevents workers in tipped industries from having their tips taken by their employers. Under the new rule, business owners could pay their waitstaff and bartenders as little as $7.25 per hour and keep all tips above that amount without having to tell customers what happened.

An independent analysis estimates this rule would steal $5.8 billion from the pockets of workers each year. A whopping $4.6 billion of that would come out of the pockets of working women. This is bigger than simply the well-deserved tips of restaurant workers. This is another example of extreme legislators, greedy CEOs and corporate lobbyists uniting in opposition to working people. They want to further rig the economic playing field against workers, people of color and women. 

Last week, Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) offered up legislation that will strengthen protections for tipped workers and secure tips as the property of the workers who earn them. Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta indicated that he will support Congress’ legislative efforts to stop companies from claiming ownership over tips instead of the workers who earn them. 

Hundreds of thousands of you already have spoken out, sending comments of opposition to the rule straight to the Labor Department. It’s time for us to take the next step together. We can hold Trump’s Department of Labor accountable and make sure that Congress hears our opposition to this ridiculous and unfair change. Take action, and tell Acosta to support amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act that will secure tips as the property of workers and oppose Trump’s rule legalizing wage theft.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/13/2018 - 13:36

Enforcing Trade Rules Is Not a ‘Trade War’ The Stand

The recent tariffs on steel and aluminum have been characterized as trade war. This is weird because countries often enforce trade rules with targeted tariffs and sanctions, and markets adjust. What’s the real issue?

In the orthodoxy of free trade, tariffs are heresy. Any tariff suggests that the neoliberal free trade approach has failed and government intervention is required. Also, if we protect steel, then the “protectionist barbarians” all rush in and want import restrictions, too.

This begs the question, “Why have rules for globalization at all, if we won’t enforce them?”

The context for the recent steel and aluminum tariffs should start with a central message from the 2016 presidential campaign. Millions of workers and communities around the country feel left behind by our approach to globalization. We can do something about that…or not.

President Donald Trump speaks in terms of win-lose or “everyone is out to get us.” But he is doing something. The advice from free-trade establishment experts seems to be:

• We can’t do anything;
• Don’t worry about large chronic trade deficits, de-industrialization, stagnant wages and growing inequality; and
• At some point in the future, China will realize that our approach is right and theirs is wrong.

This is a tough message in communities that have lost jobs in aluminum, logging and other industries that had sustained those communities for many years.

A better leadership message for tariffs would give more context for these tariffs.

First, China has built historic overcapacity in steel and aluminum. Chinese leaders recognize they should close some plants, particularly those that are most polluting. Multi-national talks have tried to address this for years. China has slow-walked that process. Their dumping has continued, holding the price of steel below the fair market level. This damages our steel and aluminum industries, which have closed facilities and laid off tens of thousands of workers.

It should not be our public policy to let China distort markets and take production from the United States to China. Our economy already has lost electronics, home appliances, textiles, solar panels and many other manufacturing industries. If China displaces our steel and aluminum, they could repeat that process with cars and airplanes.

Tariffs are rough tools, but legitimate and appropriate in cases where dumping has been identified. Economist Rob Scott proposed a refinement to Trump’s tariffs. Any country that also has a tariff on steel from China would be exempted from our tariff. This would reverse Trump’s fascination with trade war, by calling for a multilateral defense of appropriate rules for globalization.

Second, China, Japan, South Korea and other countries have well-designed industrial policies that serve their national interests and have raised their living standards. For decades, we have followed a particularly weak industrial strategy, which diverts gains to those at the top, while de-industrializing our economy, worsening inequality, and eroding confidence in social and political institutions.

Our approach works very well for investors and global companies but leaves most people behind. Our neoliberal free-trade approach to globalization is exhausted socially, politically and economically. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump all said we need a new approach to globalization. Well-targeted tariffs would be part of that. We also should stop China’s misalignment of currency, which encourages companies to move production from the U.S. to China. Renegotiating NAFTA gives us an opportunity to strengthen labor rights, help the environment and change other rules that have encouraged production to move offshore.

In general, we need more effective national strategies that recognize our national interests and make our economy fairer and stronger. We have done that in our past. Other countries do that for themselves now.

Side note #1: We should recognize social dumping as a legitimate trigger for “border adjustments,” which would have the same general effect as tariffs. From that perspective, the recently shelved Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal (TPP) should never have included five countries that fail to meet global standards in fighting human trafficking. Even worse was inclusion of Malaysia, a sixth TPP country that was ranked by our State Department as being among the worst in the world for human trafficking.

Side note #2: Nothing in economics or trade theory says we need maximum possible trade. There is an optimum level of trade, which may be less than what we have now.

Neoliberal free trade is the philosophical opposite of industrial strategy. Our free trade approach blurs national boundaries and national identities. It puts interests of global investors above public interests. It thwarts national policies.

Many of our major trading partners have effective industrial strategies. This is not about trade war. It’s game theory. Countries with effective strategies will prosper while those with ineffective strategies will fall behind.

This post originally appeared at The Stand.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/13/2018 - 10:54

A Chance to Fight Back: 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.

Trumka: Tariffs Are a Chance for American Workers to Fight Back: "Ali Velshi talks to Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, the largest organization of labor unions. Trumka says the president’s tariffs will not start a trade war, but instead give American workers a chance to fight back."

Trump Imposes Steel, Aluminum Tariffs with Few Exceptions: "'Wall Street’s hair is on fire over these tariffs because wealthy investors enrich themselves by closing mills and factories in the United States and moving them overseas,' AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. 'Using tariffs isn’t going to start a trade war. There’s been a war on working people for decades, and we have been getting our butts kicked. Just look at southwestern Pennsylvania if you want proof.'"

Enforcement: The Forgotten Piece of U.S. Trade Policy: "Through tariffs on imported steel and aluminum announced last week, President Trump may inadvertently begin to restore the balance we last saw in U.S. trade policy five decades ago. When John F. Kennedy signed the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, he heaped praise upon AFL-CIO President George Meany for labor’s support of the sweeping trade law. It would be one of the final instances in which a president and unions stood together on trade policy, and with good reason."

Women Deserve a Raise: "Today is International Women’s Day, and there is no better time to lift up the role unions play in achieving economic equality for women. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research recently released a brief, titled The Union Advantage for Women, which quantifies the benefits of union membership for working women, and the numbers don’t lie!"

Remembering Memphis: "February marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, a unionization attempt by public-sector workers that drew support from civil and labor rights leaders across the nation. Martin Luther King Jr., in town to organize a march in support of those strikers, was assassinated on April 4 of that year. This post commemorates these anniversaries and the historic links between civil rights and workers' rights, especially at a time when the right of public-sector workers to unionize is being argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. This post is excerpted from a forthcoming memoir, Climbing Up the Rough Side of the Mountain, by civil rights and labor activists Norman Hill and Velma Murphy Hill."

A Change Is Coming: In the States Roundup: "It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states."

Trumka Celebrates Pope Francis' Fifth Anniversary: "Ahead of the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' election, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka praised the pontiff’s leadership and legacy, in an event at Seton Hall University. He was joined by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark; Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey; and Mary Meehan, Ph.D., interim president of Seton Hall, each of whom delivered remarks to commemorate the Holy Father's leadership of the Roman Catholic Church."

Don’t Let Wall Street Profiteers Scare You: Trade Enforcement ≠ Trade War: "The steel and aluminum industries have been under attack by predatory trade practices. For too long, elected official have talked about the problem, but taken little action. Now that the president has announced he plans to support U.S. producers and their employees, Wall Street, multinational corporations and the elected officials who do their bidding around the world are freaking out. Should you be worried? Here is what you need to know."

The 15th Annual WILD Conference: Bridging the Divide for Workplace Safety: "The 15th annual Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Conference in New Jersey brought together more than 300 union sisters from all sectors of organized labor, demonstrating the strength of our sisterhood and labor unity. From March 2–3, 2018, participants joined in discussions critical to ensuring respect, dignity and safety at the workplace. Of course, WILD wouldn’t be complete without providing the latest insights into building leadership skills and applying those strategies and tools to strengthen our collective voice."

The Awesomeness of 'Black Panther': Union Made: "Wow, the 'Black Panther' movie was awesome, wasn't it? And while we could spend hours about how great an action movie it is or how beautiful it looks or the social implications of the themes and representation of African culture, let's take a few minutes to look behind the scenes at the work it took to bring a movie like 'Black Panther' to life, work done by union members."

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/12/2018 - 12:13

Economy Gains 313,000 Jobs in February, Unemployment Unchanged at 4.1%

The U.S. economy gained 313,000 jobs in February, 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 February jobs numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:

Payroll employment jumps by 313,000 in February, but unemployment rate flat at 4.1% . Labor force participation near flat from last year. But, white and Black labor force participation are now virtually equal at 63.0% for whites and 62.9% for Blacks. @AFLCIO @APRI_National

— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) March 9, 2018

Before Fed hawks start sharpening their talons for their interest rate hikes, nominal wages only rose by 2.6% over last year. This makes January's wage hike an anomalous blip, not a trend. @AFLCIO #JobsReport

— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) March 9, 2018

The broadest measure of unemployment (including involuntary part-time and discouraged workers) stops it fall toward reaching its low in 2000. Another reason the Fed can slow up on rate hikes. @AFLCIO #JobsReport pic.twitter.com/2jUIt5IDFr

— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) March 9, 2018

Reasons for Fed caution: part time for Economic reason jumped 293,000 in February because of slack work at the job; over the year Temp Service employment up 120,500 over the year--workers still searching for stability. @AFLCIO #jobsreport

— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) March 9, 2018

Because Black and white Labor force participation rates are now equal, it means the unemployment rates are now fully comparable. Black unemployment is 6.9% compared to 3.7% for whites. So, this gap characterizes inequality in the job market. https://t.co/GItSmrOHtr

— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) March 9, 2018

Last month's biggest job gains were in construction (61,000), retail trade employment (50,000), professional and business services (50,000), manufacturing (31,000), financial activities (28,000), health care (19,000) and mining (9,000). Employment in other major industries, including wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, leisure and hospitality, and government, showed little change over the month.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for blacks decreased (6.9%). The jobless rates for teenagers (14.4%), Hispanics (4.9%), adult women (3.8%), adult men (3.7%), whites (3.7%) and Asians (2.9%) showed little change.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed in February and accounted for 20.7% of the unemployed.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/09/2018 - 11:43

West Virginia: When We Fight Together, We Win Together #55 Strong

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed legislation Tuesday giving all state employees a 5% pay raise, the direct result of a heroic teacher strike that lasted nearly two weeks and highlighted the plight of low pay and rising health care costs in the Mountain State.

The victory for teachers and public employees in West Virginia is a true testament to their activism and an important reminder of the power of working people to improve the lives of everyone. Whether it is raising pay, providing quality health care or making our jobs safer, all workers know that when we join together and fight together, we will win together.

Nothing is more important to our future than the quality of our children’s education. Teachers are the backbone of the education system and deserve the resources needed to inspire the next generation. A top-tier education, in West Virginia and across America, requires top-tier talent—and that requires an investment in our teachers. That is why the AFL-CIO’s 12.5 million working men and women and the entire labor movement are proud to stand with the brave teachers in West Virginia.

AFT-West Virginia President Christine Campbell said:

This is a huge victory and symbol of respect for every teacher and school support staff member in the state of West Virginia. Thousands of educators and their supporters came to the state Capitol for the last week to ensure the public and the legislature understand how important their jobs are and that they have been underpaid and undervalued. The strike and its strong outcome should be seen as a shot across the bow to every lawmaker who may underestimate the support teachers have, the hard job they do and their willingness to stand up for what they deserve as they educate the next generation.

National AFT President Randi Weingarten said:

West Virginia has a long history of labor activism—where right often met might. Today, right beat might in the truest tradition of Mother Jones. That victory is a testament to the voice and determination, the resilience and compassion, and the collective power and organizing of the educators of this state. The governor and the Legislature heard, finally, and acted, we are grateful for that. 

While the strike has been front-page news for days, what was missed was that, for months, educators and school personnel were having conversations with one another—on Facebook, in-person—about the issues they were facing and what to do about them. By the time the decision to strike was made, workers were united in their demand for action, the unions were together in solidarity, and parents and community members were there to support them. Teachers and their unions even ensured that our strike and disaster relief funds could be used to feed the students in the state who get breakfast and lunch at school.

Make no mistake, the attacks on working people aren’t just happening in the classroom or on the job, they’re happening in the Supreme Court and in the state legislatures around the country. But teachers and support personnel in West Virginia showed that, as corporate and right-wing interests try to thwart our voice even more, we will rise up. If you push us to the brink, we will fight for ourselves, our families and our students. We want to teach. We want to do this job, and we proved it during this strike. This isn’t the end of the battle; teachers are still not paid well enough, and they still don’t have enough resources. But in West Virginia, lawmakers were put on notice that they needed to act in the best interests of kids and workers, not for special interests. And if they didn’t learn that lesson through this strike, workers will make sure they do in November.

Here are some other key tweets from the strike and the teachers' victory:

Statement from @RichardTrumka regarding public school teachers striking in WV. #55strong pic.twitter.com/HN4EnyxB1h

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) March 6, 2018

 

This feels like a big moment because it is a big moment. The entire country watched as WV showed the power of a union. #55Strong #55United pic.twitter.com/rcOMdRpxWa

— AFT (@AFTunion) March 6, 2018

Day 3 of the West Virginia teachers strike, looking stronger than ever. #55strong @AFTWV @unionveterans pic.twitter.com/5kx674KlFA

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) February 26, 2018

So the teachers of West Virginia just got the state to give ALL state employees a 5% raise. Not just teachers, but everyone. #55Strong #55United

— Asher Huey (@asherhuey) March 6, 2018

 

Update: a student-organized rally on the Capitol steps has drawn another huge crowd. They’re planning to march #55Strong #55strong #wvteachers pic.twitter.com/huaTtcJMHx

— Scott Heins (@scottheins) March 2, 2018

Every teacher I know works a second or third job besides teaching. #55strong teachers on strike in West Virginia today. pic.twitter.com/gKZRn00y8s

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) February 26, 2018

 

I miss my students. I was ready to go back tomorrow. But, we are #55united, #55strong. We are staying out so we can keep teaching and stay in WV, so we don't have to leave the profession or the state to make enough to get by. I'll see my students on the picket line!

— Emily Helton (@MsHeltonReads) March 1, 2018

 

For those who still think our teachers don’t care, this was sent to me during the work stoppage. Just another example of the selflessness and dedication our teachers put in. Thank you Mrs. Loughman and all teachers/ faculty members as JMHS. #55strong @JMHSMonarchs pic.twitter.com/vxbh1pcpby

— Jenni Whitfield (@whitfield_jenni) March 1, 2018

The line to the WV state capitol is half a mile long this morning as teachers show up for dignity. #1u @AFTunion @AFTWV pic.twitter.com/S3GgYD4LTO

— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) February 23, 2018

 

Teachers, we are with you. We love you, we appreciate you. We are PROUD of you. We are watching your strength and taking notes. You are not selfish. You deserve more. This is long overdue, and you are demonstrating absolute grace.
With love and support, hang in there #55strong

— Jillian Cheek (@jillian_cheek) February 27, 2018

 

I have never been more proud than I am today after this incredible victory. So humbled to be a part of @AFTWV. In awe of this uprising. It turned into a movement that America is taking notice of. We will always win when we are united. #55Strong

— Bob Brown (@bob_brown9838) March 7, 2018 Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/09/2018 - 10:02

Women Deserve a Raise IWPR

Today is International Women’s Day, and there is no better time to lift up the role unions play in achieving economic equality for women. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research recently released a brief titled The Union Advantage for Women, which quantifies the benefits of union membership for working women, and the numbers don’t lie!

IWPR estimates that the typical union woman makes a whopping 30% more per week than her nonunion sister. The benefits of unions are greatest for women of color, who otherwise face stronger economic barriers than their white counterparts. Latina union members make an estimated 47% more than Latinas who are not union members, and the union wage premium for black women is about 28%. For comparison, the union difference for men overall is not as large; union men make about 20% more than nonunion men.

So what’s behind the union advantage? When working women come together (and with our male allies), we are able to bargain for the wages we deserve, robust benefits, and respect and dignity on the job. Outside of the workplace, unions fight for state and local policies such as paid sick leave, family and medical leave insurance, fair schedules, and raising the minimum wage—all which disproportionately benefit women and their families.

Ladies, we deserve a raise! And it starts with a voice and power on the job.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/08/2018 - 11:57

Remembering Memphis AFL-CIO

February marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, a unionization attempt by public-sector workers that drew support from civil and labor rights leaders across the nation. Martin Luther King Jr., in town to organize a march in support of those strikers, was assassinated on April 4 of that year. This post commemorates these anniversaries and the historic links between civil rights and workers' rights, especially at a time when the right of public-sector workers to unionize is being argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. This post is excerpted from a forthcoming memoir, Climbing Up the Rough Side of the Mountain, by civil rights and labor activists Norman Hill and Velma Murphy Hill.

Even as a young man, A. Philip Randolph understood that the economic well-being of workers and the political rights of African Americans were inextricably linked. It is one of the reasons why, in the 1920s, he agreed to organize and operate the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first black-led labor union to receive a charter from the American Federation of Labor.

It was his recognition of this coalescence of black economic and political interests that led him to threaten the first march on Washington in the 1940s; which was only preempted when President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed to issue Executive Order 8802, banning discrimination in civil service and World War II defense industries. And it was why he named the iconic 1963 march on Washington, which he organized and led, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The complete title wasn't an accident. Randolph understood that the economic component was essential in obtaining freedom and equality for black people.

It was, therefore, clearly logical that in 1968, as the new associate director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, APRI, I was sent to Tennessee to help the workers, most of them black, engaged in the Memphis Sanitation Strike. It was a classic nexus of the promise of the civil rights movement and the American labor movement; a logical co-mingling of race and work in the context of a democratic nation.

At the 1961 AFL-CIO convention, King warned that black people should be skeptical of anti-union forces, noting that the "labor-hater and race-baiter is virtually always a twin-headed creature spewing anti-Negro epithets from one mouth and anti-labor propaganda from the other."

On Feb. 11, 1968, a group of 1,300 almost exclusively black sanitation workers walked off of their jobs. For years, they had suffered through low pay and horrendously dangerous, racially-tainted working conditions. When two sanitation workers were crushed to death by a malfunctioning garbage truck that month, the workers had enough. They launched boycotts and protests with placards that are preserved in the Smithsonian Institution, declaring that "I Am A Man."

I was sent to assist the staff of AFSCME as it tried to organize these beleaguered sanitation workers. The city’s mayor had refused to speak with the workers, calling their strike illegal. In the meantime, thousands of tons of garbage piled up on the streets of Memphis—despite scab workers who crossed the picket lines.

I was not the only outside help to gather in Memphis in those early months of 1968. Bayard Rustin (Randolph’s right hand and executive director of APRI), Roy Wilkins (the executive secretary of the NAACP) and James Lawson Jr. (a leading civil rights movement theoretician and tactician) were also there. Each visibly supporting the strikers as the national media swooped in and splashed this struggle all over America’s newspapers; the coverage seemed to crackle over radio and television everywhere.

Then, on March 18 (against the counsel of his inner circle), King famously arrived in Memphis to offer his support to the strikers. That evening, he addressed an enormous gathering of 25,000 strike supporters. Ten days later, he led a demonstration that went terribly wrong when some protesters turned to violence, smashing store windows, looting and inviting city police to respond with billy clubs and tear gas. A black 16-year-old, Larry Payne, was shot and killed by police during the melee. City officials estimated that more than 20,000 students skipped school that day.

I was there. That march started at a black church, the Clayborn Temple at Hernando Street and Pontotoc Avenue. King was at the head of the march and I was close behind him. As we marched through the black community, we could see people lining the streets in support. The white people we saw at that time seemed neutral to our cause. I can’t say I sensed any hostility toward any of us. Then suddenly I smelled the bite of tear gas. I turned quickly and looked back. I could see young black men throwing stones at the storefronts we were passing. At first, the police seemed to be focused on these violent youth. But in short order, they were spraying tear gas indiscriminately at all of us.

The gas was suffocating. It burned the rims of my eyes and was reaching down my throat. I could taste it and, with it, I could taste defeat. It was a crushing setback. At first, King was hurried into a car and taken to a nearby hotel. But eventually, he and other march leaders decided to turn the march around and head back to Clayborn Temple. It was the right thing to do. I could see that King was very upset, distraught and depressed. He seemed so disappointed, saying that he had experienced tear gas before, but never as a result of demonstrators losing their resolve and self-discipline.

Once we returned to the church, King joined us and practically fell silent. When he did speak it was to urge the protesters to be peaceful and non-violent. Before long, he told the demonstrators that the march was over and that everyone should leave quickly and in an orderly fashion.

But some of us stayed, mostly members of AFSCME and staffers from King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). We urged King to lead a second march, one in early April. We argued that the strike was part of a larger trade union struggle and that national labor leaders could be recruited to help maintain discipline for the second march.

King was hesitant; you could see it in his eyes and read it in his manner. He wanted to explore other ways to support the sanitation workers, but eventually he came around. He left Memphis. I, along with the AFSCME and SCLC staff members, including Bill Lucy, Jesse Epps and P.J. Champa, went to the city’s black ministers to solicit their support for the second march. The ministers embraced the plan right away and pledged to urge their congregations to do the same.

We organized an outreach effort, creating and passing out leaflets supporting the new march wherever we knew black people gathered, like supermarkets and barbershops. We were also able to enlist the support of the black members of the Memphis City Council.

On April 3, King returned to the city. Despite the fact that he was not feeling well, he got out of bed to speak to a gathering at Clayborn Temple. And while history remembers well that this would be his last public speech, the one in which he spoke of reaching "the mountaintop" and being able to see "the promised land," but, like Moses, being fearful that he would not be allowed to reach it. He also spoke directly to the striking sanitation workers: "We’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end," he said. "Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through."

It was a magnificent moment. It was the old King again. I had worked with him before, going back, of course, to helping Randolph and Rustin organize the March on Washington in 1963, and Velma and I meeting with him and other civil rights leaders trying to help King decide whether to take on segregation in the Midwest in the summer of 1965. And there was his six-city, get-out-the-vote tour in 1964 that I helped to coordinate for him through the Midwest and Northeast when I worked for the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Department.

So, I was in Memphis on April 4, about to attend an early evening meeting of strike supporters when I got word that King had been shot. Like millions around the world who would learn of this searing tragedy, I was stunned. I rushed by car to the Lorraine Motel where I knew he and his aides were staying.

All I found were police, sobbing activists and onlookers, and steps where King’s blood trailed from the balcony where the nation’s prophet of peace had been slain. I saw that balcony where King fell, it was still stained with his blood that had pooled and ran off of the side like a crimson rain.

Velma!

I had to talk to my wife Velma. I found a phone and called her. There was no one else in this world I could truly turn to, to help me make sense of this staggering act of horrific violence, of sickening hatred—not simply for one man, but for an entire race. My race.

In less than two weeks, the strike was over. The second march, with Rustin playing a role in its coordination, did take place on April 8. In the wake of King’s assassination, the march played a dual role, becoming a memorial to the monumental man, as well as a show of continued support for the striking sanitation workers. Some 40,000 people participated, including King’s brave widow, Coretta Scott King. There were no incidents.

While Memphis Mayor Henry Loeb continued to oppose the unionization of the sanitation workers, in the end, his opposition was overridden by the city council that felt the pressure from mounting constituent complaints about tons of garbage reeking in their streets.

Success.

Yet, on the 50th anniversary of the Memphis sanitation workers' strike, organized labor faces new and powerful challenges. For example, the case of Janus v. AFSCME, which the U.S. Supreme Court is taking up, raises whether unions have the fundamental right to expect public workers they represent to pay union dues. The matter is likely to be decided this year. The implications of a decision, for obvious reasons, could be profound regarding public sector unions like, for instance, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Teachers, affecting millions of workers.

In response to a White House and far right that appears determined to not only turn back the clock—but break it—regarding organized labor in America, arises a new necessity. We must, following the example of Randolph and King, harness an emerging coalition of progressive forces that today must include not only traditional civil rights and labor groups, but also Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo and related women’s movements.

At the same time, demonstrations of this collective power must be felt at the ballot box nationwide, especially as midterm elections draw near.

Randolph left us an indelible blueprint for action when he said: "At the banquet table of nature, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take, and you keep what you can hold. If you can't take anything, you won't get anything, and if you can't hold anything, you won't keep anything. And you can't take anything without organization."

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/07/2018 - 17:39

A Change Is Coming: In the States Roundup North Carolina AFL-CIO

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.

Arizona AFL-CIO:

Looking forward to seeing you all at the AZ AFL-CIO Day of Action on Monday March 12th! Come and join us for... https://t.co/sTiNgYfQnU

— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) March 6, 2018

Arkansas AFL-CIO:

https://t.co/XNmGWLXU24
The plaintiffs argue Act 10 violates free speech and free association under the First Amendment. #1u #organize #southhasmovednorth #iuoe

— Arkansas AFL-CIO (@ArkansasAFLCIO) March 6, 2018

California Labor Federation:

Today is the beginning of #WomensHistoryMonth. We wouldn't have a movement if it were not for women of yesterday, women of today, and women of tomorrow. Our struggle for equality marches on and we celebrate and honor women who fought for what we have today✊