Safe Jobs Now: What Working People Are Doing This Week
Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week.
Actors' Equity:
2025 marks A Chorus Year - a yearlong commemoration honoring the invaluable work of the chorus!
What seems to be a common through line between many of the longest running musicals on Broadway? The chorus! pic.twitter.com/xTJHvJbm0H
— Actors' Equity (@ActorsEquity) April 29, 2025
AFGE:
AFGE members are taking ownership of their union membership in record numbers by switching from payroll dues deduction to E-Dues.
Here's why enrolling in AFGE E-Dues so important ⬇https://t.co/V93R26pge6
— AFGE (@AFGENational) April 29, 2025
AFSCME:
.@unacuhcp member and registered nurse Kadi Gonzalez was on Capitol Hill today to advocate against cuts to Medicaid. Cuts would impact both the care she provides to patients and her son who has disabilities and needs Medicaid to thrive. pic.twitter.com/odK0qXUqbJ
— AFSCME (@AFSCME) April 30, 2025
Alliance for Retired Americans:
Proposed cuts to food assistance will squeeze already financially strapped low-income Americans, including seniors, and retailers. https://t.co/1qVhTvMaF2
— Alliance for Retired Americans (@ActiveRetirees) April 28, 2025
Amalgamated Transit Union:
Our Local 726-Staten Island, NY, calls on the #MTA to open another bus depot to address the congestion for the sake of the community and riders. #ATUStrongerTogether #1u #UnionStrong https://t.co/Ub7JqIoA6u
— ATU, Transit Union (@ATUComm) April 30, 2025
American Federation of Teachers:
Good morning from Washington DC! AFT showed out for Leader @RepJeffries's address on Trump's first 100 days in office. We're ready to stand up for what kids and communities need across the country. pic.twitter.com/Abgt4GVaLO
— AFT (@AFTunion) April 30, 2025
American Postal Workers Union:
May Day, the annual holiday recognizing the international working class, will be celebrated around the world on May 1. We encourage APWU members to join labor allies at events happening nationwide to combat attacks on the working class & public services: https://t.co/YjIfyaqyQA
— The American Postal Workers Union - APWU (@APWUnational) April 29, 2025
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA:
The REAL ID deadline is fast approaching. Make sure you’re ready by 5/7. A passport is REAL ID compliant. Guidelines here: https://t.co/e0U3q1Zkoo
While you may be REAL ID ready, friends & family on your benefits may not be. Remind them of the deadline to ensure smooth travels. pic.twitter.com/K6RYIpxeVo
— AFA-CWA (@afa_cwa) April 29, 2025
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers:
039: BCTGM Sugar Locals on Milling, Refining and Having a Voice at the Table https://t.co/oLUReY4CnN
— BCTGM International (@BCTGM) April 27, 2025
Boilermakers:
Today is Workers Memorial Day. The AFL-CIO has released its annual “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” report on workplace mortality. Health and Safety for ALL! https://t.co/o319DGrpZp pic.twitter.com/JJYJzC4mUZ
— Boilermakers Union (@boilermakernews) April 28, 2025
Bricklayers:
This #WorkersMemorialDay, we invite you to join us for a moment of silence as we grieve those we have lost from unsafe working conditions.
Fight for our lives. Safe jobs now! https://t.co/uUiVByTaIH #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/pCdkR59VjR
— Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Union (@IUBAC) April 28, 2025
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists:
Big shoutout to the #CBTU chapters that made #goodtrouble yesterday on Good Friday in solidarity with #federal workers who are being viciously attacked by the to rogue #Trump regime. From #Detroit to #DC to #Hampton, CBTU rose up! @AFGENational @AFSCME @CentralLaborNYC#1u pic.twitter.com/rCEVs3WKxV
— CBTU (@CBTU72) April 19, 2025
Coalition of Labor Union Women:
Every four years, CLUW elects officers. Interested in running? Email info@CLUW.org
President
Executive Vice President
Treasurer
Corresponding Secretary
Recording Secretary pic.twitter.com/4NNq0jveJn
— CLUW National (@CLUWNational) April 19, 2025
Communications Workers of America:
Every year on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, we take time to remember workers who have died on the job from work-related accidents and illnesses, and we commit to fighting for safe work conditions and protections.
— CWA (@CWAUnion) April 28, 2025
Department for Professional Employees:
Congress needs to hear from YOU as it makes decisions about next year’s funding for the NEA and NEH. Contact your Rep and ask them to sign both the NEA and NEH appropriations request letters that support increased funding circulating in the House. https://t.co/AK3Y4Ro3am pic.twitter.com/ZXNzNKhfFY
— Department for Professional Employees (@DPEaflcio) April 29, 2025
Electrical Workers:
This #NationalApprenticeshipDay find out for yourself what an #IBEW apprenticeship can mean for your future. https://t.co/MM3OecAotc pic.twitter.com/cb4Gs6LPNC
— IBEW (@IBEW) April 30, 2025
Fire Fighters:
🔥How could investigators determine that the New Jersey Pine Barrens #wildfire was arson?
Joe Ten Eyck, #IAFF Wildfire Programs Director, explains for @CBSNewYork viewers. https://t.co/fPqkpO27nC
— International Association of Fire Fighters (@IAFFofficial) April 30, 2025
Heat and Frost Insulators:
Read Now 📖
Our Spring Journal is available wherever you go — read the full stories on our website & in the app!
Spring Insulators Journal: https://t.co/mEiaJSlmwy#InsulatorsUnion #Insulators #InsulatorPride pic.twitter.com/GJbhHRWZGv
— Insulators Union 🦎 (@InsulatorsUnion) April 17, 2025
International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers:
"If one person is denied their right to due process, any of us can be denied that same right."
SMART continues to fight for Kilmar Abrego Garcia's return home and right to due process. Watch coverage of the case + SMART's efforts to support the family: https://t.co/MNX3bm1wRh
— SMART Union (@smartunionworks) April 30, 2025
International Labor Communications Association:
Have you submitted your union’s 2024 work to the 2025 Labor Media Awards yet? Submit before May 30 to pay a $60 fee per entry (after May 30, the fee goes up to $80 per entry for the remainder of the contest.)
Submit now so you can do a happy dance too: https://t.co/9YGKIYB22P pic.twitter.com/MUAISPcE5X
— International Labor Communications Association (@ILCAonline) April 29, 2025
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement:
In 100 days, the Trump Admin. militarized the border, ended safe zones, targeted birthright citizenship, and used the Alien Enemies Act to deport innocents.
Stand with immigrants—demand due process!
Act now: https://t.co/39bSeTqpNU@ACLU #100Days #ImmigrantsBuildNations pic.twitter.com/I1dUiAAAPz
— LCLAA (@LCLAA) April 30, 2025
Laborers:
On #NationalApprenticeshipDay, we’re saluting every #LIUNA apprentice out there grinding, learning, and earning — no student loans required.
Real skills. Real pay. Real benefits. #LIUNABuilds #UnionMoney #BlueCollarMoney #Apprenticeship
👉Start building your future today:… pic.twitter.com/v79VbbwlOu
— LIUNA (@LIUNA) April 30, 2025
Major League Baseball Players Association:
And the award for the first Most Valuable Philanthropist of the 2025 season goes to... Zach McKinstry! 👏👏👏
The Players Trust will award a $10,000 grant in McKinstry’s honor to support his work with BBQ Mission, a Phoenix-area nonprofit that feeds unhoused members of the… pic.twitter.com/bh4F3IllQk
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) April 29, 2025
Major League Soccer Players Association:
The entire MLSPA is saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Aaron Boupendza. Our hearts are with all who knew and loved him. pic.twitter.com/ALxyzPNnDn
— MLSPA (@MLSPA) April 16, 2025
Metal Trades Department:
Trump Sued by Labor Unions Over Workforce Reduction Efforts https://t.co/whU0Pa8feD
— Metal Trades Dept. (@metaltradesafl) April 29, 2025
Mine Workers:
The 111th year anniversary of the Ludlow Masacre which commemorates the men, women, and children who died on that sacred ground in 1914. Today we remember their sacrifices in order to ensure safety and better work conditions for coal miners. pic.twitter.com/HKCLwwql1A
— United Mine Workers (@MineWorkers) April 20, 2025
Musical Artists:
Today is Workers Memorial Day: https://t.co/W6c2YdcIZm pic.twitter.com/mkyvFvyxNc
— AGMA (@AGMusicalArtist) April 28, 2025
National Air Traffic Controllers Association:
As we get ready to gather in San Francisco for NATCA’s 20th Biennial Convention, May 9–11, 2025, we’re reflecting on how far we’ve come since our founding Convention in Chicago in 1986: https://t.co/h4jvlQvUSc pic.twitter.com/4R1Bf0DpEd
— NATCA (@NATCA) April 29, 2025
National Association of Letter Carriers:
Thank you for your support and for meeting with our members! 💪 https://t.co/kiLX2Z9F4j
— Letter Carriers (@NALC_National) April 30, 2025
National Domestic Workers Alliance:
One of the most essential jobs in our economy is not paying a living wage.
Home care workers in Nevada are now fighting for $20/hour after starting at just $12/hr in 2023.
The people who care for us must be able to care for themselves. https://t.co/2UVT5jriv1
— Domestic Workers (@domesticworkers) April 29, 2025
National Hockey League Players’ Association:
As voted on by their fellow players, former recipients Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon join first-time finalist Cale Makar as the 2024-25 finalists for the #TedLindsayAward.
More: https://t.co/3Ia8FV5Mbr #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/mJqCJqTpVd
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) April 30, 2025
National Nurses United:
This moment requires collective power — we must come together at the bedsides, in the streets, and in the halls of Congress.
"We have to make courage infectious. We need this courage to get to a world we deserve," said @repdeliaramirez. pic.twitter.com/PWxkAEJGMF
— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNurses) April 30, 2025
NFL Players Association:
Offseason break? Not for @PatrickMahomes 👏
The @Chiefs QB hosted 3,000 kids at a reading rally & challenged them to Read for 15 through his @15andMahomies foundation 📚
Stay tuned each week for our offseason #CommunityMVP Fridays, spotlighting players making a difference! 💪 pic.twitter.com/UBDrhD6ufE
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) April 25, 2025
North America's Building Trades Unions:
Today, North America’s Building Trades Unions pauses to honor every worker who lost their life, was injured, or became ill simply doing their job — including far too many in construction.
Full statement: https://t.co/wSHVFrNrB7 pic.twitter.com/9EptlnkN2l
— The Building Trades (@NABTU) April 28, 2025
Painters and Allied Trades:
Our workers at SureBuilt fear for their safety daily– from recent fires to severed fingers from unsafe machinery. This must stop!
Take action now and ask SureBuilt to recognize our workers' union and commit to bargaining in good faith: https://t.co/VF1XXKC1Pd pic.twitter.com/5wPwJXLgVm
— IUPAT (@GoIUPAT) March 28, 2025
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists:
Today is #WorkersMemorialDay. Everyone is entitled to a safe and hazard free workplace. #aviationsafety #publicservice #unionsolidarity https://t.co/2eVvOHtqyP
— PASS (@PASSNational) April 28, 2025
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union:
As #ArabAmericanHeritageMonth comes to a close, we’re finishing up our spotlights of Arab American labor history that often goes untold! Next up: Yemeni farmworkers organizing with @UFWupdates in 1970s California!
Learn more: https://t.co/uKbjx4p95X pic.twitter.com/aUUDWHwzgY
— RWDSU (@RWDSU) April 30, 2025
Roofers and Waterproofers:
Let’s hear what makes this trade special to YOU! Drop your answer below. #UnionStrong#UnionPride#RooferLife#SkilledTrades pic.twitter.com/cE368Nf9UF
— Roofers Union (@roofersunion) April 29, 2025
SAG-AFTRA:
Happy #InternationalDanceDay choreographer & dancer Dacía James Lewis! 🪩 Dacía has choreographed for Netflix's 'The Piano Lesson' & shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Tracee Ellis Ross & more! She serves on the SAG-AFTRA Nat'l Board and as Vice Chair of the Nat'l Dancers Cmte. pic.twitter.com/sUAxkwdmBb
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) April 30, 2025
Service Employees International Union:
Tipped workers are getting squeezed from every side:
Prices are soaring. Tips are shrinking.
And wages? Still stuck in the past.
NY must end the subminimum wage. Let’s make full, fair pay for all workers the standard — no exceptions. https://t.co/cxdl54zSwG
— SEIU (@SEIU) April 30, 2025
Solidarity Center:
As part of the Cotton Campaign, we helped end state-sanctioned forced labor in Uzbekistan's cotton sector. Now, without our grant from the DOL, we are at risk of losing that progress. #SaveILAB #Solidarity https://t.co/In913FyG8j
— Solidarity Center (@SolidarityCntr) April 27, 2025
The NewsGuild-CWA:
We're live and getting set up! https://t.co/pcSEzbenBD https://t.co/TBtAnLg0xI
— The NewsGuild-CWA (@newsguild) April 23, 2025
Theatrical Stage Employees:
🎉 Historic win in Seattle! Stagehands at Showbox Market & Showbox SoDo just ratified their first union contract with IATSE Local 15 — becoming the first nightclub stage crew to unionize in the city's history!
Better wages, benefits, and safety are on the way! ✊ pic.twitter.com/PeIhIcMuf8
— IATSE // #IASolidarity (@IATSE) April 24, 2025
Transport Workers Union:
.@PSAAirlinesInc Flight Dispatchers ratify new agreement that locks in a 15% wage increase! The 2.5 year deal helps TWU members who will relocate from Ohio to Charlotte and makes PSA Flight Dispatchers the second highest paid in the regional airline industry.
— TWU (@transportworker) April 29, 2025
Transportation Trades Department:
In the first 100 days of the new Congress and administration, TTD has been on the move advocating for transportation workers through Congressional hearings, union rallies, meetings with members of Congress, and pro-worker policies. https://t.co/rFiyPjDFwv pic.twitter.com/dE3TFnRcEq
— TTD | America's Transportation Unions (@TTDAFLCIO) April 29, 2025
UAW:
NEW REPORT: The U.S. has the infrastructure and skilled workforce to build millions more vehicles and create up to 90,000 auto manufacturing jobs just by utilizing unused capacity at existing plants.
It's time for auto companies to invest at home instead of offshoring production… pic.twitter.com/a69TMUBbvn
— UAW (@UAW) April 30, 2025
Union Veterans Council:
On June 6, we rally in D.C. 🇺🇸 Unite for Veterans, Unite for America – The Bonus Army 2025
Join us as we fight back against the attacks on vets’ jobs & benefits.
✊ Sign up: https://t.co/LU1zIPHTmx#Unite4Vets #BonusArmy2025 #VeteransRise #UnionStrong
— Union Veterans Council🪖✊ (@unionveterans) April 23, 2025
UNITE HERE:
On this Workers Memorial Day, we honor and remember those who have suffered due to unsafe work conditions—including those who lost their lives or health due to COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/09OoAWuOuw
— UNITE HERE (@unitehere) April 28, 2025
United Food and Commercial Workers:
By an overwhelming margin, WholesomeCo workers and @UFCW99 members have ratified their first union contract, becoming the FIRST in Utah’s cannabis industry to do so!
Congratulations!
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/UkxLVj6mix pic.twitter.com/tzC3SKtvFd
— UFCW (@UFCW) April 29, 2025
United Steelworkers:
Silica exposure can be deadly. A rule to protect miners was set to take effect—until Trump delayed it and gutted the agency meant to enforce it.
USW Local 13214’s Marshal Cummings is worried for 700 members in Green River, WY. Read more: https://t.co/Gk2AQ8xaTo pic.twitter.com/sobSivmtEF
— United Steelworkers Union (@steelworkers) April 30, 2025
Writers Guild of America East:
We work hard because we care about our work - it’s time for management to care about us.
Stand with the @NowThisUnion in demanding @NowThisImpact deliver a fair contract. Send a letter ➡️ https://t.co/f0CbQWMUXO pic.twitter.com/lylYMH1iIP
— Writers Guild of America East (@WGAEast) April 30, 2025
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/30/2025 - 10:14Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living: In the States Roundup
It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on X.
Alaska AFL-CIO:
On Workers Memorial Day, we remember those who have tragically died on the job and reflect on the state of safety and health protections in our country.
A safe workplace is a fundamental right, and we’ll keep fighting until that’s a reality for EVERY worker. #1u #UnionStrong https://t.co/VrShgNhMG1
— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Arizona AFL-CIO:
🚨 Happening NOW in Tucson!
We’re holding a public hearing on the devastating impact of Trump admin cuts to essential services. AZ’s future is on the line—from Medicare to Social Security. @DeptOfWorkers pic.twitter.com/x6TlKPQ20K
— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) April 26, 2025
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:
Today marks Workers Memorial Day, honoring workers who were killed on the job in the past year. We must continue to fight to ensure our workers have the strongest possible protections on the job. As Mother Jones said, “Let us pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” pic.twitter.com/58bkt6Y1Ad
— California Federation of Labor Unions (@CaliforniaLabor) April 28, 2025
Colorado AFL-CIO:
This Workers Memorial Day, we mourn for the dead, and we recommit to the constant fight for the safety and protection of all working people.
Every single worker should come home to their families, safely, every single day. pic.twitter.com/oTVjiiwV7r
— Colorado AFL-CIO ✊ (@AFLCIOCO) April 28, 2025
Connecticut AFL-CIO:
Connecticut must protect working people from Trump's anti-worker policies. That's why Executive Board members of the Connecticut AFL-CIO delivered a letter, signed by every member, to Gov. Lamont this afternoon urging him to support unemployment insurance for striking workers. pic.twitter.com/qi4FHQku1B
— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Florida AFL-CIO:
"This legislation is not necessary, not at all...Unless you’re an unscrupulous employer..."https://t.co/dMVlcBN2wC
— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) April 22, 2025
Georgia State AFL-CIO:
Our @DeptOfWorkers public hearing in Warner Robins is kicking off! Working people are gathering to share their stories of how federal funding and job cuts have impacted them and their families. @AustinScottGA08 didn’t show up to hear from workers but we got a cut-out! pic.twitter.com/R7HpAQS32S
— Georgia AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOGeorgia) April 16, 2025
Illinois AFL-CIO:
Here’s the truth: a safe job isn’t a luxury. It’s a right. And when that right is stripped away, working people die. Illinois can lead the nation by saying no to dangerous deregulation and yes to real, enforceable worker protections.https://t.co/57iH5PgNFJ pic.twitter.com/rP8ufMhbHy
— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Maine AFL-CIO:
Long before they were granted collective rights in the 1960s, civilian workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard had a proud history of fighting for dignity & fair treatment. https://t.co/uJcFvWI9gV
— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
We pray for those we have lost in the last year and for their families.
This Workers' Memorial Day, and every day, in the spirit of the Mother Jones, we mourn for the dead and fight for the living.
Thank you to @MassCOSH and all who came out to support this powerful event. pic.twitter.com/SBFQLCrjJN
— Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) April 28, 2025
Michigan State AFL-CIO:
Yesterday, on #WorkersMemorialDay, we mourned the fallen and fought like hell for the living in events across the state. In Jackson, we delivered a coffin to Rep. Tim Walberg's office to commemorate the loss of worker lives and worker rights while he allows Trump to attack OSHA,… pic.twitter.com/HEwgvawIg9
— Michigan AFL-CIO ✊ (@MIAFLCIO) April 29, 2025
Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Minnesotans are standing up against Donald Trump's and Elon Musk's radical attacks on workers & our collective bargaining rights, public services and our communities. On May 13, working people are standing up to stop attacks on workers. #BetterInAUnion https://t.co/wDOhFw9192 pic.twitter.com/GUYMHrUeCZ
— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Missouri AFL-CIO:
Please keep the entire Hoffman family, the KCFD and the Greater KC Fire Fighters L-42 in your thoughts & prayers upon the line of duty death of firefighter paramedic Graham Hoffman. @IAFFofficial @KCMOFireDept pic.twitter.com/N2vxx2T0M4
— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Nevada State AFL-CIO:
On Workers Memorial Day, we honored the workers who have died, been injured, or fallen ill because of their jobs.
Every worker deserves to return home safe and healthy at the end of the day, and we will continue to fight tirelessly to make that a reality for all. pic.twitter.com/4lUI3tRql0
— Nevada State AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@NVAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
New York State AFL-CIO:
No worker should lose their life or become ill on the job, and no family should have to grieve the loss of a loved one due to preventable and avoidable hazardous working conditions. Read the #WorkersMemorialDay statement by President Mario Cilento: https://t.co/z4Pz4cfJqa
— NYS AFL-CIO // #UnionStrong (@NYSAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
North Carolina State AFL-CIO:
Thank you for joining us today at #WorkersMemorialDay pic.twitter.com/pQatrBUp7F
— NC State AFL-CIO (@ncstateaflcio.bsky.social) (@NCStateAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Oregon AFL-CIO:
Thank you to all who attended our Workers Memorial Day services today in Portland and Salem.
A special thanks to @GovTinaKotek, @LisaFragala24, State Senator Kathleen Taylor, Portland City Council Pres. Elana Pirtle-Guiney, BOLI, the Oregon Fire Fighters Council, @Ironworkers29,… pic.twitter.com/4XuzZ4iqTz
— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
Workers Memorial Day is a day to honor workers killed, injured, or made ill on the job—and to renew our fight for strong safety and health protections.
Together, we’ll continue to fight like hell to protect all workers, defend our rights, and demand safe workplaces for everyone. pic.twitter.com/hl3wnfzo5v
— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) April 28, 2025
Texas AFL-CIO:
🚨 URGENT: As soon as this week, the Texas Senate could vote on a bad bill that threatens workers’ abilities to spend their paychecks how they see fit.
Send your State Senator a letter NOW to tell them: Don't touch my paycheck! 💸 #txlege #SB2330 https://t.co/fa4PfLhDZ0
— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) April 29, 2025
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:
On Workers Memorial Day, we mourn the dead and recommit to fight for the living. We all deserve a safe workplace and to come home to our families at the end of the day pic.twitter.com/Fu4hZqfIRj
— Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) April 28, 2025
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO: Workers and community members mark Workers’ Memorial Day pledge to keep fighting https://t.co/wM6FErDuOG via @WisBusiness
— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) April 28, 2025
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/29/2025 - 11:30Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Martz Gold Line Workers Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 members who work for the Martz Gold Line, a fixed-route commuter bus service in Maryland, went on strike late last week over unfair labor practices (ULPs) and the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith.
ATU began contract negotiations in mid-December of last year—bus operators, mechanics, and service technicians have been working under an expired contract since Jan. 20. Members have been trying to reach an agreement that provides them with the fair wages, working conditions and benefits, but Martz has repeatedly rejected their concerns while attempting to strongarm the union into accepting its subpar offers. After workers walked off the job, the company tried to declare an impasse in negotiations so management could forcibly implement the proposals that ATU members have already rejected.
“Throughout the negotiations there has been only one party, the Union, that’s been operating in good faith and actually wants to reach a deal,” said Local 689 President Raymond Jackson in a press release. “Martz Gold Line’s labor law violations are unacceptable, and now is the time for workers to fight back.”
“Our Union and our members at Local 689 are fed up with the disrespect Martz has shown them. We’ve been down this road before in the DC area with strikes. Our members will again stand strong and united,” added ATU International President John Costa. “This is about securing a future where every transit worker is valued, heard, and treated with the dignity they deserve for the service they provide every single day. It’s time for Martz to get back to the table to give these workers a contract that treats them like the heroes they are.”
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/29/2025 - 08:16Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: American Federation of Musicians
This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 63 of our affiliates. Next up is the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
Name of Union: American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.
Mission: The AFM brings together professional musicians across the United States and Canada, enabling them to live and work with dignity, receive fair compensation for their labor and have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them. Members accomplish this by adhering to collective standards, participating democratically, organizing, bargaining collectively, building political power, encouraging member involvement, fostering mutual respect and developing diverse leadership. AFM uses their collective voice and power through a democratic and progressive union to promote social and economic justice and oppose the forces of exploitation through union solidarity.
Current Leadership of Union: Tino Gagliardi was elected AFM international president in 2023. An accomplished trumpet player with a deep-rooted performance history in New York City’s clubs, recording studios and Broadway theater pits, his commitment to the musicians’ union is further exemplified by his multiple terms as president of AFM Local 802 (New York City), from 2010 to 2018 and again in 2022. He is a trustee and co-chair of the AFM-Employers’ Pension Fund, trustee and co-chair of the AFM and SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, and executive committee member of the International Federation of Musicians, and serves on the executive board of SoundExchange.
Other members of the AFM International Executive Board are International Vice President Dave Pomeroy; Vice President from Canada Allistair Elliott; International Secretary-Treasurer Ken Shirk; and Executive Officers Tina Morrison, John Acosta, Ed Malaga, Luc Fortin and Dusty Kelly.
Current Number of Members: 70,000
Members Work in: All fields and genres, including freelance gigging and session musicians, touring, recording artists, DJs and composers/arrangers—performing all styles of music from rock to classical to reggae to country and everything in between.
Industries Represented: AFM’s agreements cover live performances, feature film scores, television programs, cable television, independent films, video games, streaming music, Broadway, theater, symphonic performances and more.
History: AFM was formed in 1896 when musicians gathered in Indianapolis to create an organization to represent “any musician who receives pay” for musical services. Soon after, the American Federation of Labor granted a charter to AFM, which by then represented 3,000 members. Organizing efforts were pursued anywhere there were musicians, from theaters and restaurants to symphonies and operas.
Within two years of the release of the first film that included sound in 1927, 20,000 musicians lost their jobs playing in the theater pits where the music to accompany silent films originated. But these and other technological advances wouldn’t deter the musicians. In the next few decades, they won minimum wage scales for recording and secured their first contract with the film companies.
Technology continued to push organizing among AFM members, including a strike in 1942 that shut down the U.S. recording market for two years. Musicians won that strike and forced the recording industry to pay musicians who performed at live shows when recordings of those shows were sold. Out of that strike came the creation of the first residual payments and the Music Performance Trust Fund, which continues to sponsor free live performances throughout the United States and Canada today.
Since its inception more than 129 years ago, the AFM has had one goal: to elevate, protect and advance the interests of all musicians who receive payment for their musical services. While technology and the music industry have evolved, the AFM’s mission has remained constant. It continues to focus on safeguarding musicians’ rights in the face of artificial intelligence and declining revenue from recording and streaming services. Along the way, there have been many challenges and even some setbacks, but the AFM has been unwavering in its dedication to working musicians everywhere.
Current Campaigns: The AFM is currently focused on expanding agreements with major production companies, increasing AFM representation among employees at chain music schools, and organizing musicians involved in video game scoring. By partnering with local officers, the organizing department empowers bargaining units to achieve majority membership, paving the way for stronger collective bargaining agreements. Other key initiatives include lobbying for copyright protections that safeguard musicians’ intellectual property, the Fair Trade Music campaign to assist gigging musicians, the Venuology website that helps musicians share information about music venues, along with outreach efforts for artists performing at music festivals, and educating aspiring professional musicians through presentations at music schools and conservatories. The AFM International Unfair List informs members about employers engaged in primary labor disputes. AFM supports the American Music Fairness Act and the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
Community Efforts: AFM provides members with resources for traveling with instruments and visa assistance. AFM offers assistance to members impacted by hurricanes and other emergencies. AFM provides the following member-exclusive benefits: AFM Entertainment, an online booking and referral service for AFM members that accepts solo artists, bands and ensembles from all music genres; GoPro Hosting, affordable website hosting services that enable musicians to build an online presence without needing technical expertise; GoPro Tunes, a digital music store that offers music from AFM members, allowing artists to set their own prices and retain 100% of sales revenue (minus credit card fees); equipment and business insurance, with policies tailored for musicians, including coverage for musical instruments and equipment, general liability, business owner’s policy, errors and omissions, cyber insurance and additional options.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, X, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/28/2025 - 12:52The Fundamental Right to Come Home Safe: The Working People Weekly List
Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
Ahead of Workers Memorial Day, AFL-CIO Releases Death on the Job Report: “‘Every worker has the fundamental right to come home safe at the end of their workday,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an April 23 press release. ‘But for too many workers, that basic right is under attack. Workers fought and died for generations for the health and safety laws and protections we have today, and this year’s report shows we need to do even more.’”
AFL-CIO, Unions Sue Trump Administration Over Cuts to Key Labor Relations Agency: “The AFL-CIO and unions representing workers across private and public sector industries filed suit against the Trump administration April 14 over its dismantling of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), including firing mediators and staff, and closing field offices across the country. FMCS is a small but important independent federal agency that is integral to the government’s Labor relations infrastructure. Among the critical services FMCS provides, it helps resolve contract negotiations between workers and employers to protect both the economy and workers’ rights, generating over $500 million in national economic savings each year, even by conservative estimates. But DOGE cuts have decimated the agency: 93% of FMCS staff have been placed on leave, the mediation workforce has been taken down from the 80-100 needed for the agency’s work to just five, and all of the field offices have been closed.”
AFL-CIO Organizes New Free Federal Workers Legal Defense Network: “With federal workers across the country under attack, the AFL-CIO has organized a new legal defense network to help those workers who have been targeted. The free program is called Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. Tens of thousands of hardworking people who run the programs and services that working families rely on have been mistreated or abruptly fired by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.”
Chicago: Union Leaders Say Capitalism Doesn’t Like Worker Safety: “AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond opened the session by stressing the importance of putting ‘a human face’ to job cuts with these public discussions. ‘It’s workers who wake this country up every morning and tuck this country to sleep at night. And we run programs and services with dedication and pride,’ Redmond said.”
The AFGE Union and Allies Rally in Support of Federal Environmental Workers: “The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) held a rally in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, calling for community support for federal environmental workers. Tuesday marked the 55th anniversary of Earth Day. Following its founding, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established. Tricia Paff is the AFGE Union President at Local 3907 for the EPA laboratory in Ann Arbor. She says if 20 million people successfully rallied for environmental reforms 55 years ago, then today's citizens can organize local rallies, building on the momentum of AFGE’s recent rally to raise awareness about climate change.”
Federal Workers Speak Out at North Carolina Labor Forum: “The signs made it easy for attendees to find a forum April 17 in support of federal workers and funding. ‘Nobody elected billionaires,’ read a navy blue poster taped to the door of Ferguson Auditorium at A-B Tech. ‘Stop the billionaire takeover’ was another, along with ‘Workers over billionaires’ and ‘Billionaires out, workers in.’ The event was part of a series of nationwide forums held by the labor union AFL-CIO as part of its Department of People Who Work for a Living campaign to fight threats to federal workers.”
Field Hearing Held in Davenport Discusses Trump Administration’s Cuts to Federal Agencies: “‘What we’re doing is really getting interviews from people being affected,’ Fred Redmond, secretary treasurer with the national AFL-CIO, said. ‘People who’s being affected by the cuts and government service, the people that’s being affected by being released from their jobs for no apparent reason and we’re really trying to capture in the impact.’”
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Returns May 10: “The largest single day food collection event in the country is returning for its 33rd year. The National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association are again hosting the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. It’s easy to participate. Postal customers are asked to leave a bag of nonperishable food items near their mailbox on May 10th. Letter carriers will pick up the bags during regular mail delivery times. Every item collected stays local.”
Punching In: A 1,000-Lawyer Battalion to Help Federal Workers: “With mass reductions in force across the federal government on the horizon, the AFL-CIO, federal workers’ unions, and advocacy groups have mobilized a network of more than 1,000 volunteer attorneys to provide legal services to laid off federal employees. Leaders behind the new Federal Workers Legal Defense Network launched last week say they saw a need for more federal-sector labor law resources based on the sheer number of federal workers being let go and the Trump administration’s response to lawsuits seeking to restore these jobs. More than 100,000 federal workers have left or been fired from the federal government so far. Craig Becker, general counsel at the AFL-CIO, said advocates recognized the need for more individual legal representation because ‘the administration is arguing that cases have to be brought before the agencies and therefore can’t proceed on a class action basis in federal court.’”
Inside a Union’s Fight Against Trump’s Federal Job Cuts: “‘I can’t compare this to any other time in my career,’ the union’s national president, Everett Kelley, said in an interview. ‘We’ve seen some tough fights, but never have we seen any president’ try to ‘put the federal government into mission failure.’ Mr. Kelley said he saw the administration’s effort as a prelude to privatizing vast swaths of the federal work force. ‘At the same time, I think not only are federal workers realizing the urgency of our mission, I think the American people are realizing it,’ he said.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/28/2025 - 12:41Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Road Crew for ‘Chicago: The Musical’ Win Voluntary Recognition
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Ten stage and wardrobe professionals, members of the Theatrical Stage Employees’ (IATSE) Associated Crafts and Technicians (ACT) Local, who work on Chicago Razzle Dazzle II LLC’s production of “Chicago: The Musical,” won voluntary recognition of their union.
The voluntary recognition is part of a growing trend within North America’s live‑events sector. In recent years, the owners of concert tours, festivals and theatrical productions have recognized the tangible benefits of a unionized workforce.
“We are elated to be joining the IATSE after longing for representation and a voice on the job,” the crew members said in a statement. “We are proud to finally be a part of this organization that stands for fair labor practices [and] worker representation and provides community in an ever-growing profession. We hope to be an example of the strength that comes from a united front in the fight for workers’ rights and are excited to return to the ‘Chicago’ tour with a union contract.”
“Chicago: The Musical” debuted on Broadway in 1975 and remains one of the longest-running musicals in history, and these IATSE ACT members are part of the revival that first opened in 1996.
“It’s an honor to welcome these workers into the IATSE family and provide a path for collective representation,” said IATSE Assistant Director of Stagecraft Stasia Savage. “While the workers on this production are overall quite happy, we standby to provide training, advocacy and protections.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/28/2025 - 10:12Worker Wins: Respect, Safety and Having a Real Voice in the Workplace
Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
After Long Wait, Rochester ATU Members Accept First Contract: After more than a year of negotiations, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1005 members who work at Rochester, Minnesota, Public Transit’s Zumbro Independent Passenger Service (ZIPS) paratransit line have accepted a contract offer. The ATU members have been waiting on a final contract offer from Sun Transit since March 2024, when they voted unanimously to join the ATU. This first contract provides medical coverage, job security and an immediate pay bump with retroactive payments going back to January 2025. “It’s a good foundation with where we are at now with this contract and us accepting it,” said Demassion Ware, a ZIPS driver and ATU Local 1005 representative. “That way when we do go back to the table again we can ask for something much higher, something more comfortable and more on queue with what other companies are paying their drivers.”
Hotel Workers in Toronto Ratify New Contract with Wage Increases and Other Improvements: Approximately 60 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1006A who work at the Radisson Blu hotel in Toronto, Canada, ratified a new three-year contract. The contract includes wage increases of $1.50 per hour on ratification for nongratuity employees and increases of 20 cents per hour to $1.20 per hour for gratuity employees, an additional 12% in wage increases over the remainder of the contract for all employees in the bargaining unit, new lead hand premium for several departments and new evening premium for housekeeping, improved bereavement leave, improved sick leave, shoe allowance for part-time employees, reduction in the room assignment for housekeepers, increases to benefit and pension plan contributions, and higher retirement allowance for certain age groups. “We were happy with what we accomplished,” said Jemal Mousa, who works at the Radisson Blu and served as a member of the negotiating committee. “We did fairly well—we did good with pensions, benefits, sick leave, and improved the retirement package. Everybody was happy.” “As a member of UFCW 1006A, you are part of a union and a movement which is advocating and achieving fairness, respect and dignity for workers across Ontario,” said UFCW Local 1006A President Wayne Hanley. “I’m proud of our exceptional negotiating committee for being a strong and relentless voice for our members at this hotel and helping achieve significant improvements.”
IBEW Members at National Grid Approve Contract with 4% Annual Wage Increase: Some 1,200 National Grid employees, members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1049, who work in Long Island’s natural gas and power plants, voted 590–90 to approve a new contract. The successful vote ends a monthslong contract negotiation period during which workers were on the verge of a strike multiple times. The new four-year contract includes a 4% yearly wage increase across the length of the contract, a reduction in out-of-pocket health care costs, and improvements in 401(k) and life insurance policies. “This is an agreement that I have been able to endorse. The negotiating committee as a whole has endorsed this new agreement,” said Pat Guidice, the union’s business manager. “It’s a good agreement.” “From the moment negotiations started, our membership’s well-being was our foremost priority,” Guidice said. “We’re pleased to see that our membership voted in favor of the new deal.”
AFA-CWA Flight Attendants at Hawaiian Airlines Ratify Contract Extension: Hawaiian flight attendants, members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), voted to ratify a contract extension through February 2028 that includes continued pay increases, retirement improvements and better profit sharing. The extension will provide a strong foundation to build upon as flight attendants at Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines continue negotiations for a joint collective bargaining agreement as part of the companies’ merger. The extension was ratified with 88% voting for the agreement. It includes three pay raises, inclusion in the Alaska Air Group profit-sharing program and scheduling improvements. “This contract extension provides Hawaiian Flight Attendants with certainty and guaranteed economic and work rule improvements as we work towards our joint contract,” said Joni Kashiwai, AFA Hawaiian negotiations chair.
American Red Cross Workers in Oklahoma Join UFCW Local 1000: Approximately 19 workers who work in the Product Release and Component Labs Division of the American Red Cross in Tulsa, Oklahoma, joined United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1000. These workers process blood products after the units have been received from donors, and pack and ship blood products and samples for hospital orders. The workers joined UFCW because they wanted better wages and benefits and were concerned about workplace safety issues. The organizing campaign was successful, in part, because UFCW Local 1000 showed the workers how to form an organizing committee and reach out to their fellow workers to get their voices heard. “Forming our union wasn’t just about better wages—it was about respect, safety, and having a real voice in the workplace,” said Murphy Moua, one of the workers. “Now, we stand together to make sure our hard work is valued, and that every task we perform is done with the care and dignity it deserves.”
Nurses at Hawaii’s Wilcox Medical Center Ratify New Contract that Raises Pay, Includes Safer Staffing Levels: After nearly a year of negotiations and a three-day strike in January, nurses who work at Wilcox Medical Center in Hawaii voted to approve a new three-year contract that went into effect this week. The new agreement covers about 160 Wilcox nurses, members of the Hawaii Nurses’ Association (HNA), and increases pay and improves staffing levels at the medical center. HNA is affiliated with Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 50. Negotiations began May 6, 2024, and the nurses have worked since August without a contract. In February, the Kauai County Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the state legislature to implement safe nurse-to-patient ratios at hospitals. “It has been a relentless battle for almost a year,” said HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yuu. “After countless hours of organizing over 35 bargaining sessions, a three-day strike, and a Kauai County resolution, we are finally seeing a breakthrough.” The agreement includes pay increases that provide a 6% pay increase this year and 4% each in the second and third years of the contract. It also includes longevity pay increases. Staffing guidelines have been set up that align with national professional nursing organizations. The agreement also features a new Staffing Council made up of Wilcox nurses and nurse leaders who will meet regularly about staffing issues and needs.
SEIU In-Home Caregivers in Fresno County to Receive Pay Increase: After two years of negotiations, thousands of Fresno County in-home care workers, members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015, are poised to secure pay raises and increased medical benefits. The union, which represents more than 500,000 caregivers across California, announced a tentative contract agreement. The contract must still be approved by SEIU members and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. If approved, the new contract will provide hourly wage increases that will bring wages to $18.35 an hour by September. The contract also will increase the employer health insurance contributions. The previous contract expired in December 2022, and negotiations for a new contract began in 2023. The union confirmed that members have until May 15 to vote on the contract. Then the board is expected to vote on the contract at its May 20 meeting. “We have fought the good fight for all our fellow SEIU 2015 members. We are happy that we have come to an agreement on our wages for all Fresno County care providers. It’s amazing to build collective power together and win for our communities to thrive,” said Fresno In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provider Olga Valle. California’s IHSS program provides individuals with in-home services, such as bathing, feeding, grocery shopping, as well as mobility and restroom assistance, so they can keep living safely in their homes. There are some 24,000 IHSS workers who provide long-term care in Fresno County.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 04/25/2025 - 12:19Tags: Organizing
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler Listens to Charlotte Workers Who Are Ready to Fight Back Against Attacks on Working Families
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Wednesday, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler attended a public hearing in Charlotte, North Carolina, where local workers testified about how cuts to essential federal services and jobs have affected their lives. The hearing is one of a series of nationwide events being held as part of the AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living (DPWL), a labor movement–driven campaign to counter attacks on workers and essential social programs by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“When you think about these cuts we’ve seen the past few months—whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent—the common thread is, they touch every single one of our lives, don’t they?” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
North Carolina State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan spoke about veterans and how they will suffer greatly from the cuts. Maryann Ruiz, community organizer with the Carolina Migrant Network, talked about how immigrants deserve dignity and explained that immigrants want nothing more than a fair shot and a voice that’s heard. Jacqueline Sandle, a retired letter carrier, discussed how DOGE is threatening 7.9 million U.S. Postal Service jobs. Numerous other workers spoke about how the Trump administration’s attacks will harm them, but the overall theme was that Charlotte is ready to fight back and won’t put up with attacks on its communities and union contracts.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 04/25/2025 - 10:04Top 14 Things You Should Know from the Death on the Job 2025 Report
Ahead of Workers Memorial Day, the AFL-CIO released its 34th annual “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” report, a comprehensive analysis of the state of workers’ health and safety at the national and state levels. Workers are dying and being injured on the job, and the Trump administration and DOGE are putting them at greater risk by enacting policies that will create deplorable working conditions, according to the report.
“Every worker has the fundamental right to come home safe at the end of their workday. But for too many workers, that basic right is under attack,” said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. “Workers fought and died for generations for the health and safety laws and protections we have today, and this year’s report shows we need to do even more. The Trump administration and DOGE are gutting the federal agencies that hold bosses accountable for endangering workers, firing the federal workers who monitor and research health hazards, indicating that they will repeal crucial worker safety regulations, and giving billionaires like Elon Musk the power to access and even manipulate OSHA whistleblower records. We can’t bring back the thousands of workers lost each year, but we can fight to prevent more devastation to working families across this country and demand that the Trump administration reverse course.”
“This year’s ‘Death on the Job’ report once again shows that, as in every crisis, the crisis of worker mortality is hitting Black and Latino workers the hardest,” said Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. “It is unacceptable that employers are continuing to fail all workers, and especially Black and Latino workers, by not providing them the safety measures and resources they need to stay safe on the job. Enough is enough. The AFL-CIO is fighting the scourge of workplace mortality, and we will not rest until the number of workers who die on the job is zero.”
Here are 14 things you need to know from the 2025 Death on the Job report:
385 workers died each day from hazardous working conditions.
5,283 workers were killed on the job in the United States.
An estimated 135,304 workers died from occupational diseases.
The overall job fatality rate decreased to 3.5 per 100,000 workers.
Workers of color die on the job at a higher rate: Black and Latino worker job fatality rates are disproportionate compared with all other workers and they continue to remain high.
Employers reported nearly 3.2 million work-related injuries and illnesses, a decrease from the previous year.
At least 55 workers died from heat on the job, a 28% increase from 2022; fatal and nonfatal data are an undercount of the real problem.
Workplace homicides continue to be a significant problem, even though they decreased 12.6% since 2022; workplace suicides increased 5.2% from 2022.
Separately, unintentional overdoses at work decreased nearly 5% from 2022 to 2023, due to increased attention paid to and efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
The rate of serious workplace violence injuries has increased to 4.3 per 10,000 workers.
Musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motion injuries continue to be a major problem, accounting for approximately 28% of all serious work-related injuries and illnesses in private industry.
Underreporting of all workplace injuries and illnesses is widespread—the true toll of work-related injuries and illnesses is 5.2 million to 7.8 million each year in private industry.
Chemical exposures continue to plague working people, leading to debilitating, life-threatening diseases that are totally preventable.
The cost of job injuries and illnesses is enormous, estimated at $174 billion to $348 billion a year—an undercount of the real impact on society, families and communities.
The report also suggests solutions to these problems—actions that can be taken to improve these numbers.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/23/2025 - 15:43Service & Solidarity Spotlight: IBEW Members at National Grid Approve Contract with 4% Annual Wage Increase
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Some 1,200 National Grid employees, members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1049, who work in Long Island’s natural gas and power plants, voted 590–90 to approve a new contract.
The successful vote ends a monthslong contract negotiation period during which workers were on the verge of a strike multiple times.
The new four-year contract includes a 4% yearly wage increase across the length of the contract, a reduction in out-of-pocket health care costs, and improvements in 401(k) and life insurance policies.
“This is an agreement that I have been able to endorse. The negotiating committee as a whole has endorsed this new agreement,” said Pat Guidice, the union’s business manager. “It’s a good agreement.”
“From the moment negotiations started, our membership’s well-being was our foremost priority,” Guidice said. “We’re pleased to see that our membership voted in favor of the new deal.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/23/2025 - 08:59Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers in Georgia and North Carolina Speak Out at DPWL Public Hearings
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
As part of a nationwide series of Department of People Who Work for a Living (DPWL) events taking place this month, the Georgia State AFL-CIO and North Carolina State AFL-CIO held public hearings last week to discuss how cuts to federal funding and jobs have impacted local residents.
Workers in Warner Robins, Georgia, and Asheville, North Carolina, bravely spoke out about how attacks on federal agencies by Elon Musk’s DOGE are threatening their local economy, jeopardizing critical funding for important social services we all rely on, and putting the most vulnerable in danger. Local lawmakers and union leaders attended the events to hear this powerful testimony and speak about what we can do to fight back. Rep. Austin Scott (Ga.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) were both invited to listen to the concerns of constituents from their respective states, but both failed to make an appearance.
“Those patients that I get up and take care of every day, that's what's important to me,” said Lori Hedrick, a nurse at Mission Hospital in Asheville. “These Medicaid cuts that are being proposed [are] going to be devastating to so many of them. We're just going to experience an overload, a much worse staffing crisis. Emergency room wait times, that's going to become even worse.”
“It’s not a political job that I do,” said Abby Tighe, a former probationary worker at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who spoke at the Warner Robins hearing. “It’s not a political job that anyone at the CDC does. We are here to serve the American people, and we should be supported by the executive branch and by the legislative branch to do that work.”
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/22/2025 - 09:59Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Amalgamated Transit Union
This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 63 of our affiliates. Next up is the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
Name of Union: Amalgamated Transit Union
Mission: To fight for the rights of transit workers and promote mass transit.
Current Leadership of Union: John A. Costa is the current international president of ATU. After the tragic death of ATU International President Larry Hanley in May 2019, Costa was elected by the ATU General Executive Board. He was elected international president in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 by delegates at the ATU International Convention. He had served as an international vice president since 2010. Previously he was chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council from 2008–2010. A native of Newark, New Jersey, Costa launched his career in organized labor at NJ Transit in 1981, joining ATU Local 819. In 2001, after serving his local in various capacities, he was elected president—a position he held for three consecutive terms before moving on to become chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council and then ultimately ATU international vice president. He also previously served as vice president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and vice president of the Essex-West Hudson Labor Council. He lives in Monmouth County, New Jersey, with his wife and has two daughters and three grandchildren.
Yvette Trujillo serves as international executive vice president, and Kenneth R. Kirk serves as international secretary-treasurer.
Current Number of Members: Over 200,000.
Members Work as: Metropolitan, interstate and school bus drivers; paratransit, light rail, subway, streetcar and ferry boat operators; mechanics and other maintenance workers; clerks, baggage handlers, municipal employees and other occupations.
Industries Represented: Transit and allied workers in the United States and Canada.
History: As industrialization advanced in the United States in the late 1800s, more and more workers needed transportation and workers to run that transportation. Mass transit workers in the early days largely worked with horses that pulled streetcars. The drivers often worked 18-hour days while the horses worked four hours a day or less. The harsh treatment, lack of benefits and low pay planted the seeds for the rise of ATU.
Early on, there were numerous attempts to form a union of transit workers, but efforts had little success until 1888, when Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, led efforts to organize the streetcar workers. In 1892, the first convention of what would become ATU was held in Indianapolis.
Although the year after the first convention was challenging, the union became a beacon of hope for transit workers. Within that first year, 28 local divisions were formed and the first Canadian local was chartered in 1893. Seven years later, membership had reached 8,000.
In the years that followed, ATU continued to expand rapidly amid an era of strikes and violence. The stronger the organization became, the more impact it had. ATU not only pushed for labor reforms such as the six-day workweek and the eight-hour day, but championed technology and rules that made mass transit safer for both workers and riders.
Current Campaigns: The ATU-COPE political action committee is the voice of transit workers, school bus employees and over-the-road bus workers at all levels of government. The Government Affairs Department is dedicated to protecting the jobs and working conditions of all ATU members; it monitors legislation impacting transit, school bus and intercity bus transportation at the federal and state levels.
Community Efforts: In pursuit of its values and mission, ATU has community partnerships with a wide variety of organizations, including the AFL-CIO; BlueGreen Alliance; Coalition for Smarter Growth; Good Jobs First; Industrial Areas Foundation; International Transportation Learning Center; Jobs to Move America; Jobs With Justice; People’s Action; PowerSwitch Action; Sierra Club; Transportation Equity Network/Gamaliel; Transportation for America; Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; Transit Riders for Public Transit; Transit Workforce Center; U.S. PIRG; and Working America. The Black Caucus is dedicated to the empowerment of all working men and women within ATU. The Women’s Caucus takes on the issues that women face daily, finding collective solutions. The Latino Caucus upholds the rights of Latinos and others to fully develop their cultural traditions. The International PRIDE Caucus serves as a gathering place for members who identify as LGBTQIA+ and allies, providing networking and team building across different properties, roles, levels, races, abilities and ethnic backgrounds. ATU publishes a blog, the ATU Dispatch member newsletter, and In Transit, a quarterly magazine covering labor and transit news from the United States and Canada, the activities of the international union, and feature stories about local unions and members. ATU provides training and education for members. The ATU Disaster Relief Fund helps members affected by tragedies. ATU sells merchandise in its online store.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/21/2025 - 12:00You Made This Possible: The Working People Weekly List
Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
Unions Form Pro Bono Legal Network for Federal Workers Targeted by Trump: “‘We are still operating as though there is a rule of law,’ Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said of the network’s intent to bring individual cases through the administrative board process. ‘We are suing when things go awry, but we are watching closely to see that the rule of law holds.’”
AFL-CIO Plans Nearly 400 Events to Protest Government Overhaul: “The AFL-CIO will launch nearly 400 events nationwide over the next two weeks in an effort to push back on the administration’s changes to the federal government. The events are organized under the AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living campaign—a shot at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Some of the events, beginning during this two-week congressional recess and going until April 28, will be rallies outside federal agencies and protests outside lawmakers' offices. But the centerpiece will be 19 ‘field hearings,’ according to Eddie Vale, who is consulting with the AFL-CIO. Workers from across different unions and sectors will be able to share their stories and solutions to the Trump administration's cuts.”
‘You Made This Possible’: Labor Organizers Submit Twice the Signatures Needed to Put Bargaining Ban to Voters: “Labor groups submitted some 320,000 signatures Wednesday, more than double the number required, in their effort to repeal an anti-union bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature this year. The overwhelming number makes the union’s Protect Utah Workers campaign the largest signature-gathering campaign in state history. Union members lined up Wednesday morning to unload and deliver about 20 bankers boxes of signature packets to the Salt Lake County Clerk’s office before gathering outside and singing ‘Solidarity Forever,’ a popular anthem of trade unions.”
U.S. Labor Groups Sue Over ‘Ignorant’ Cuts of Programs Fighting Child Labor Abroad: “Shawna Bader-Blau, the executive director of the Solidarity Center, a non-profit working in more than 90 countries to improve worker standards and conditions, said the cuts reduced the organization’s budget by 20%, in addition to 30% cuts through USAID cuts. ‘It’s a devastating, huge impact. The Solidarity Center is very often in countries where they are the only external support for trade union organizing and the advancement of worker rights. If we have to leave, we’re not replaced,’ said Bader-Blau. ‘It’s critical to the American economy that American workers not be forced to compete with extremely exploited workers in other countries, up to and including forced and child labor in supply chains.’”
Unions Sue to Reverse Trump’s Dismantling of Labor Mediation Agency: “The AFL-CIO, the United Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Government Employees and nearly a dozen other unions joined in the suit, saying cuts to the agency endanger both workers and the economy. The cuts stem from a March 14 executive order that calls for a near-elimination of the agency and six others in the interest of the president’s government-slashing agenda led by the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
SMART Union Demands Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Worker Illegally Deported by Trump: “The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART) is calling on Americans to contact their representatives and senators to demand the Trump administration facilitate the immediate return of a Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian national legally living in the U.S. with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents in Baltimore last month on accusations of being an MS-13 gang member. Abrego Garcia, who hasn’t been charged or convicted of any crime, has since been detained at the Center for Terrorism Confinement, a maximum-security prison accused by human rights groups of torture and due process violations.”
Chicago Teachers Reach Contract Deal for First Time in More Than Decade Without Strike: “For the first time in over a decade, Chicago’s public school teachers have a new contract without a strike or threat of a walkout. The four-year agreement includes pay hikes, hiring more teachers and class size limits. While negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and the district didn’t escalate this time, there was unprecedented turmoil surrounding the unusual yearlong talks. The drama included the school superintendent’s firing, the entire board resigning and historic elections that tested the union’s power.”
Commercial Actors Union Reaches Agreement on New Labor Contract: “The labor union representing around 133,000 commercial actors and singers reached a tentative agreement with advertisers and advertising agencies for a new collective bargaining agreement. SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Police Committee announced their tentative deal April 12 after the union extended its contract deadline several times. SAG-AFTRA said in its statement that the agreement would go up to the union’s national board for review and then to a ratification vote for members.”
Over 200 Hennepin County Physicians Certified as First to Unionize in Minnesota: “Around 250 doctors at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) have been certified as the first unionized resident and fellow physicians in Minnesota, according to union officials. The physicians are represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local of the Service Employees International Union (CIR/SEIU), who said the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services made the certification on April 3.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/21/2025 - 11:41Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses at Hawaii’s Wilcox Medical Center Ratify New Contract that Raises Pay, Includes Safer Staffing Levels
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After nearly a year of negotiations and a three-day strike in January, nurses who work at Wilcox Medical Center in Hawaii voted to approve a new three-year contract that went into effect this week. The new agreement covers about 160 Wilcox nurses, members of the Hawaii Nurses’ Association (HNA), and increases pay and improves staffing levels at the medical center. HNA is affiliated with Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 50.
Negotiations began May 6, 2024, and the nurses have worked since August without a contract. In February, the Kauai County Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the state legislature to implement safe nurse-to-patient ratios at hospitals.
“It has been a relentless battle for almost a year,” said HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yuu. “After countless hours of organizing over 35 bargaining sessions, a three-day strike, and a Kauai County resolution, we are finally seeing a breakthrough.”
The agreement includes pay increases that provide a 6% pay increase this year and 4% each in the second and third years of the contract. It also includes longevity pay increases. Staffing guidelines have been set up that align with national professional nursing organizations. The agreement also features a new Staffing Council made up of Wilcox nurses and nurse leaders who will meet regularly about staffing issues and needs.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/21/2025 - 08:54Worker Wins: Good Union Jobs Strengthen Communities
Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
New York Alamo Drafthouse Strike Ends After Workers Secure New Contract: After 58 days on strike, workers at two New York City Alamo Drafthouse locations will return to work. UAW Local 2179 reached a deal with management over layoffs that the union claimed violated labor law, and the union approved the agreement. The agreement will reinstate the 70-odd staffers who were cut at the theaters as well as restore their previously accrued paid time off, sick time, seniority and hire dates. The union will return to negotiating its first union contract. “Strike won! All jobs are back!” the union announced on social media. “We will be returning to work officially on April 18 but feel free to start patronizing the Alamos in [Brooklyn] and Manhattan as soon as today.”
Crew Members of Spiegelworld’s ‘Atomic Saloon Show’ Organize with IATSE and Ratify First Contract: Forty-six production crew members at Spiegelworld’s “Atomic Saloon Show” organized with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 720 and ratified their first contract. The unit includes specialized roles across audio, lighting, wardrobe, wigs, props, rigging, automation and more, with members who work at both the “Atomic Saloon Show” at The Venetian hotel and the now-closed show “OPM” at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Spiegelworld is known for its eccentric and adult-oriented Las Vegas productions, including “Absinthe,” “DiscoShow,” and “Atomic Saloon Show.” The unionization effort began when several on-call workers were denied cost-of-living raises and the crew members were further subjected to anti-union “captive audience” meetings held by management. The contract includes significant wins, including full health care coverage, retirement savings access extended to all employees, wage parity across roles, minimum call guarantees and a structured process to resolve concerns collaboratively with management. “Now that these workers are union, on-call crewmembers can access additional jobs through our dispatch system, helping them get the hours they need to make a decent living,” said IATSE Local 720 Representative Cliff Paschall. “And as always, good union jobs strengthen communities by putting more money into the hands of working people, which supports local businesses and economic growth.”
SMART-TD Yardmasters Reach Tentative Contract Agreement with BNSF: The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Yardmasters and BNSF Railway reached a tentative, five-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement covers more than 320 yardmasters and provides a 3.5% average wage increase per year over the next five years, more vacation time earlier in yardmasters’ careers and improved health care benefits. “This tentative agreement provides paid sick leave, rest days for the extra board, improvements to healthcare, and a compensation package,” said Yardmasters General Chairman Matthew Burkart. “This is the first time the yardmaster craft has seen significant quality of life advancements since 1997.” This latest tentative agreement follows the recently announced national tentative agreement with the Machinists (IAM).
IAM Local Lodge 2003 Members Ratify Strong Tentative Agreement at Fort Novosel: Approximately 3,400 members of IAM Local Lodge 2003 ratified a robust new agreement with M1 Support Services and its subcontractors at Fort Novosel, Alabama. The five-year agreement covers workers performing aircraft maintenance and flight support. Highlights include annual general wage increases of 4%, 3.5%, 3.5% and 3%; improvements to overtime polling/scheduling; recognition of Juneteenth as an additional holiday; enhanced vacation scheduling; maintenance of leading medical coverage while managing costs; preservation of the current IAM pension along with increased contributions to 401(k) plans; and successful efforts to fend off several job descriptions that threatened to undermine seniority rights. “We are the heart of what keeps Fort Novosel running smoothly,” said Local Lodge 2003 Negotiating Committee Chairman Chris Kelley. “Through hard work, unity, and a commitment to the process, we’ve negotiated a deal that reflects the value our members bring to the table, ensuring our voices were heard and concerns addressed.”
Equator Coffees Workers in California Join UFCW: Workers at Equator Coffees in Los Angeles voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770. The workers are employed as baristas, shift leads and prep cooks. Workers organized because they were concerned about insufficient pay and scheduling and wanted a voice in the workplace. They look forward to negotiating their first union contract. “Upon the win of our union election, I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my co-workers as we come together to address our needs for steady hours, work meals, and a livable wage,” said UFCW member Nicole Territo. “This victory is a step toward a stronger, more supportive workplace, and I’m looking forward to working together to make meaningful changes for all of us. Let’s elevate the specialty coffee narrative from social justice buzzwords to bold actions that honor both coffee quality and the fight for justice.”
SEIU Members at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus Secure Fair Contract Through Historic Arbitration Decision: Members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa who work at the Mayo Clinic-Saint Marys Campus in Minnesota are celebrating the news of huge gains for 1,600 front-line health care workers following a long fight that ended with the process heading to a three-person arbitration board. The arbiters spent months hearing testimony before issuing the binding decision. Highlights of the contract include wage increases of between 16.5% and 41% over the term of the new contract; a new minimum wage of $20 per hour that will increase to $21.74 per hour minimum in Year 3 of the contract; retroactive pay of up to $10,000 for raises back to April 23, 2024; and a cap on mandatory overtime hours. “It has been a long time coming, but these amazing results showcase the power of our union and move us towards the pay and respect we deserve for our critical work,” said Kirsten Schultz, a patient care assistant and SEIU member at Mayo. “These wage increases are so amazing and I’m so proud we stood strong to win this contract. These wage increases are some of the biggest we’ve ever seen and the back pay is going to be amazing for so many people. We’re proud of the work we did and all the work we continue to do. We’re thankful for all of the public support we have and continue to receive to make sure the workers who make Mayo run are treated with the respect we deserve.”
Avelo Flight Dispatchers Vote to Join the TWU: On Wednesday, flight dispatchers at Avelo Airlines voted to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU). With their successful vote, workers at the ultra-low-cost airline based out of Houston, Texas, are joining the ranks of their peers at Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and other airlines who are already represented by TWU. The newly minted union members are looking forward to negotiating a contract that will address quality-of-life issues and correct pay imbalances. “Our immediate next step is to win that all-important first contract that will significantly improve the quality of life for Avelo Flight Dispatchers and their families,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “The TWU’s strength in organizing new work groups and bargaining game-changing contracts continues to pay off as more workers vote to join the TWU.”
Illinois State University Faculty Union Secures Tentative Agreement: On Friday, members of the United Faculty of Illinois State University (UFISU), which is affiliated with University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100 and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), reached a tentative agreement and averted a strike. The union represents tenured and tenure-track faculty at the institution, and this is their first collective bargaining agreement since securing recognition. Members held nearly 50 negotiation sessions with administrators to reach this deal, with details around pay being one of the remaining sticking points ahead of the final round of discussions on Friday. “This agreement is going to be transformative for the way that our members take on their jobs,” said Keith Pluymers, an associate professor of history at Illinois State University (ISU) and a member of the bargaining team. “We have clarified and solidified a lot of the conditions of work that we have. In places where there was uncertainty, this contract is gonna provide certainty. We’ve worked to address a number of really longstanding issues at ISU. And we think this contract—it’s not gonna take care of everything, but we think this is a great start that’s gonna do a lot to ensure ISU is a great place to work moving forward.”
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 04/17/2025 - 10:13Service & Solidarity Spotlight: SMART-TD Yardmasters Reach Tentative Contract Agreement with BNSF
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Yardmasters and BNSF Railway reached a tentative, five-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement covers more than 320 yardmasters and provides a 3.5% average wage increase per year over the next five years, more vacation time earlier in yardmasters’ careers and improved health care benefits.
“This tentative agreement provides paid sick leave, rest days for the extra board, improvements to healthcare, and a compensation package,” said Yardmasters General Chairman Matthew Burkart. “This is the first time the yardmaster craft has seen significant quality of life advancements since 1997.”
This latest tentative agreement follows the recently announced national tentative agreement with the Machinists (IAM).
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 04/17/2025 - 09:52Introducing Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network
Federal workers all across the country are under attack.
Tens of thousands of hardworking people who run the programs and services that working families rely on have been mistreated or abruptly fired by Elon Musk and the DOGE.
People are rising up—but the federal workers who are being targeted need help. That’s why we’re proud to announce Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network.
We’ve organized this new network with federal worker unions and groups like We the Action and Democracy Forward, among others, to connect federal workers to a network of thousands of lawyers helping to get workers the free legal support they need.
Here’s how you can help:
- Are you a current or former federal worker who needs legal help? Fill out our confidential form to get connected with our network of lawyers.
- Are you a lawyer who can help our federal workers? Get trained and join the Federal Workers Legal Defense Network to provide free legal support to federal workers and help them understand their rights. (Our first webinar explaining how you can help is tonight—RSVP here.)
- Can you tell your friends, family and networks about this new resource? Share this email so as many people as possible can find out about our work.
- Can you chip in $25—or anything you can afford—to support the network’s work? Your donation will help federal workers across the country get connected to the free legal help they need.
Federal workers power critical programs like Medicare and Social Security, run our national parks, inspect our food and medicine, and keep us safe from accidents and disasters.
As taxpayers and Americans, we must demand justice for these workers. Thank you for helping us rise up.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/16/2025 - 15:54Service & Solidarity Spotlight: IAM Local Lodge 2003 Members Ratify Strong Tentative Agreement at Fort Novosel
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Approximately 3,400 members of IAM Local Lodge 2003 ratified a robust new agreement with M1 Support Services and its subcontractors at Fort Novosel, Alabama.
The five-year agreement covers workers performing aircraft maintenance and flight support. Highlights include annual general wage increases of 4%, 3.5%, 3.5% and 3%; improvements to overtime polling/scheduling; recognition of Juneteenth as an additional holiday; enhanced vacation scheduling; maintenance of leading medical coverage while managing costs; preservation of the current IAM pension along with increased contributions to 401(k) plans; and successful efforts to fend off several job descriptions that threatened to undermine seniority rights.
“We are the heart of what keeps Fort Novosel running smoothly,” said Local Lodge 2003 Negotiating Committee Chairman Chris Kelley. “Through hard work, unity, and a commitment to the process, we’ve negotiated a deal that reflects the value our members bring to the table, ensuring our voices were heard and concerns addressed.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/16/2025 - 10:22Service & Solidarity SpotlightEquator Coffees Workers in California Join UFCW
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Workers at Equator Coffees in Los Angeles voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770. The workers are employed as baristas, shift leads and prep cooks.
Workers organized because they were concerned about insufficient pay and scheduling and wanted a voice in the workplace. They look forward to negotiating their first union contract.
“Upon the win of our union election, I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my co-workers as we come together to address our needs for steady hours, work meals, and a livable wage,” said UFCW member Nicole Territo. “This victory is a step toward a stronger, more supportive workplace, and I’m looking forward to working together to make meaningful changes for all of us. Let’s elevate the specialty coffee narrative from social justice buzzwords to bold actions that honor both coffee quality and the fight for justice.”
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/15/2025 - 10:15MAKE A CALL: Tell Congress to Stop the Cuts to NIOSH in Washington and beyond!
You’ve probably never heard of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH—but this federal agency plays a critical role in keeping America’s workers safe.
And last week, Elon Musk and the DOGE gutted it.
More than one thousand workers in six states and Washington, D.C.—including Washington—have lost their jobs at the federal job safety research agency. Every single NIOSH research center is being closed, and the few staff remaining no longer have the resources to do their jobs.
Congress created NIOSH on a broad, bipartisan basis during the Nixon administration, and workers and employers throughout the world rely on NIOSH’s research and recommendations.
NIOSH conducted key research for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) so that we could have regulations on asbestos, cotton dust, lead, bloodborne pathogens, silica and black lung, which have saved hundreds of thousands of workers’ lives.
The agency researches worker exposures to heat and wildfire smoke, workplace violence, back injuries and other chronic diseases, and state-of-the-art technologies that keep workers safe in mines. It also approves all respirators and combats fraud from imported counterfeit products.
This agency even oversees the World Trade Center Health Program to provide 9/11 responders and survivors with medical monitoring and treatment, and a program to compensate energy workers exposed to deadly hazards from manufacturing, testing and cleaning up nuclear weapons.
The DOGE cuts to NIOSH are making workplaces more dangerous. MSHA announced this week it is pausing the implementation of a new rule to protect mineworkers from deadly silica dust exposure because of “the unforeseen NIOSH restructuring.” Make no mistake: the DOGE’s actions will jeopardize the safety of all American workers.
Our message to Congress is simple: Stop the cuts to NIOSH and reinstate the workers.
Right now each year, more than 5,000 workers die from job injuries and 135,000 workers die from chronic occupational diseases. Millions more workers are injured. America’s working families need NIOSH to make jobs safer and keep workers healthier.
Thank you for speaking out for worker safety.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/14/2025 - 13:04
