National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Laurita Curley

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Laurita Curley, an airway transportation system specialist at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and member of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS).

Laurita Curley began her career at the FAA as an intern in 2001 and currently works as a radar/communications technician in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has been a PASS member for 20 years. A member of the FAA’s Native American Alaska Native Coalition, Curley participates in STEM career fairs that cater to students who are Native American. “PASS has allowed me to be part of a union that cares about disadvantaged groups and minorities,” Curley said.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/25/2022 - 11:00

National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Delores “Dede” Lone Wolf

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Delores “Dede” Lone Wolf, recording secretary for the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2366.

Dede Lone Wolf has served as recording secretary for IBEW Local 2366 in Lincoln, Nebraska, for three terms. She is also the union steward on the factory floor at Schneider Electric, where Square D circuit breakers are manufactured. In her free time, she enjoys attending her grandchildren's sporting events.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/23/2022 - 11:00

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Rest in Power, Fred Ross Jr. (1947–2022)

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

On Sunday, we lost an enthusiastic union leader and friend of many in the labor movement. Fred Ross Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father, who campaigned alongside César Chávez and the United Farm Workers (UFW). Ross began his organizing career with UFW and went on to serve in several other unions, focusing many of his efforts on defending the rights of immigrant workers. Earlier this year, he retired from his position as lead organizer for Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1245 in California—a role he had held for 12 years and one in which he re-energized the union’s organizing efforts.

Ross’s career in organizing teaches us many valuable lessons, including the need to prioritize in-person conversations, build powerful coalitions and always make sure our campaigns are fun and optimistic. We share our gratitude to Brother Ross for his decades of service to the labor movement and his legacy of hopeful organizing. May his family and loved ones take comfort knowing that we are stronger because of his lifetime of dedication and service to working people.

In lieu of flowers, his family is inviting donations to the Fred Ross Project for those who are so inclined.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/23/2022 - 09:36

Take Action: NFL Players Need Safer Fields

All employees are entitled to the safest working environment possible—including NFL players. NFL Players Association (NFLPA) members should not have to work on fields that cause a higher rate of injuries. If you stand in solidarity with our union brothers, please take 30 seconds to add your name and urge the NFL to replace slit-film surfaces.

Just as there are different types of grass, there are also different types of turf (monofilament, dual fiber and slit film). 

The slit-film playing surface has statistically higher in-game injury rates compared to all other surfaces. The NFL and its experts have agreed with the data and acknowledged that slit-film fields are less safe. 

There are currently seven teams that use slit film in their stadiums: the New York Giants, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.

The NFL has refused to ban and remove these fields and won’t commit to making any future change.

NFL players are doing their job and going to work, just like everyone else. And they deserve safe working conditions, too!

Please take 30 seconds to add your name and tell the NFL that players need safer fields.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/22/2022 - 12:51

National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Alex Osif

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Alex Osif of the Mine Workers (UMWA).

Alex Osif worked for Peabody Coal Company for more than 30 years at the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines on the Navajo and Hopi reservations. He has served his union in numerous positions, including as a member of the Health and Safety Committee, recording secretary and, currently, president. Osif is also very active in helping miners with black lung issues.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/22/2022 - 11:00

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Equity Takes to Times Square for ‘It’s About Time Broadway’ Rally

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Some 200 members of Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) and their supporters came together on Thursday in Times Square to chant, raise their voices and share their stories of why ongoing contract negotiations with the Broadway League are so important. Equity’s actors and stage managers on Broadway are fighting for a new contract that enhances work coverage rules, scheduling and safety on the job. The union has been negotiating with the Broadway League since September. Click here to see photos and video from the rally.

Join Equity’s campaign and stand with the workers of Broadway.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/22/2022 - 10:10

Alliance for Retired Americans Hosts 2022 Retirement Security Symposium

More than a dozen speakers from unions, government agencies, young workers and other groups shared strategies to address the continuing retirement security emergency in the United States at the Alliance for Retired Americans' Retirement Security Symposium: An Intergenerational Seminar. Attendees discussed pensions as well as other cornerstones of retirement security, including Social Security and Medicare. Several dozen attendees attended in person at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C., and scores more participated virtually.

Alliance President Robert Roach Jr., convened the event and made opening and closing remarks. Alliance Executive Director Richard Fiesta gave a presentation on Social Security and Medicare.

“Strengthening and expanding Social Security and educating younger workers about the value of traditional pensions are essential for both policymakers and union organizers,” Roach said. “We are building an intergenerational movement that includes more young workers joining the fight to defend our pensions. It is a key part of the effort to improve the retirement security of all Americans.”

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler gave the opening remarks in a special video about labor’s role in the passage of the American Rescue Plan, which included the Butch Lewis Act.

Rep. John Larson of Connecticut, chair of the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, spoke about the need to protect and expand Social Security now. 

“Social Security is the nation’s number one insurance program, the number one anti-poverty program for the elderly and children, and Republicans are talking about holding the debt ceiling hostage to make cuts at a time when the program needs to be enhanced,” he said. “It needs to be enhanced because people are getting below-poverty-level checks; there hasn’t been an increase in more than 50 years.” 

You can watch Larson’s full remarks here. Other highlights included the following:

• Senior officials from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) spoke about the PBGC’s Pension Insurance programs, Special Financial Assistance Program for multiemployer plans under the American Rescue Plan and PBGC reports.
• Meghan Rozarie, senior associate with the Retirees Organization and Field Services Department of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), offered a presentation that detailed how the retirement crisis had affected her own family.
• Mike Walden, incorporator and former president of National United Committee to Protect Pensions (NUCPPTM), and Ken Stribling, current NUCPPTM president, represented pension warrior Rita Lewis. 
• Ilana Boivie, senior economist for the Strategic Resources Department with the Machinists (IAM), presented “Trends in Retirement Bargaining: What Do (Young) Workers Want?”
• Sisto Campana, labor advocate with AFSCME, updated participants on the status of public pension plans.

Videos of the presentations and additional material are available here.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/21/2022 - 15:03

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Register for AFL-CIO’s 2023 MLK Conference

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

The 2023 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference will be held in January in Washington, D.C. As we’ve seen over the past few years, there is so much work left to be done to advance civil and human rights, both across the country and inside our own labor movement. We hope you will join us for this engaging, inspiring and educational experience.

Visit TheMLKConference.org for more information and to register.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/21/2022 - 10:12

AFL-CIO Partners with Permission to Dream to Offer Apprenticeships

Economic uncertainty is one of the major concerns young people face. They are often forced to fight for underpaid jobs with stagnant wages, meager benefits and low job stability. Student debt and the high cost of living have put the American dream out of reach for too many young people. 

To address this crisis, the AFL-CIO is partnering with the Chris Gardner Foundation and the Permission to Dream program to put students with limited economic opportunities on an early path to the middle class. The new partnership will give students from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to enter paid, registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades. 

The program recently launched in two Detroit schools and will be piloted in select schools across the country. Funding will be provided for infrastructure and development projects. Students will complete the apprenticeship readiness program set by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). Once they graduate, students will have the opportunity to be placed in a registered apprenticeship program with an affiliate union. They also will be given a stipend to cover the cost of required tools and equipment. The program even provides assistance with transportation to and from training locations.

Founding partners of the Permission to Dream collaboration also include NABTU; the American Federation of Teachers (AFT); the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); the School Administrators (AFSA); the NFL Players Association (NFLPA); SAG-AFTRA; and Ullico, labor’s insurance and investment company. 

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/18/2022 - 14:03

National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Marty Bowman

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Marty Bowman, a shop steward with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7019.

CWA Local 7019 shop steward Marty Bowman lives in Window Rock, Arizona, and has worked for Navajo Communications and Frontier Communications for 30 years, currently as a services and sales technician. Bowman was instrumental in organizing his co-workers in the self-contained bargaining unit on the Navajo Nation. Bowman lives and speaks the Navajo tradition every day of his work and family life. He was elected to the first bargaining committee for CWA at Frontier during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and initially engaged in virtual bargaining with the company and negotiated all the way through ratification on June 2, 2021. Bowman exemplifies the spirit of the Navajo tradition on the reservation and currently serves on the local school board, as well as coaches and assists with Native Youth Sports, including football, baseball and basketball.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/18/2022 - 10:30

Behold! Medieval Times Workers Score Second Organizing Victory Bilgin Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

After months of delays and union-busting tactics from their employer, the workers at the Medieval Times castle in Buena Park, California, voted decisively last week to form a union with the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).

This is the second group of workers to form a union at the dinner theater company after their counterparts in New Jersey successfully organized with AGVA in July. Medieval Times workers said they were motivated to organize in order to work under the protection of a collective bargaining agreement, which will achieve better working conditions, a safer work environment and wages commensurate with their skills.

“There was a dismissiveness and feeling that the company views us as replaceable and having a union really sets us apart and shows that...we take our jobs seriously and we want to be treated with the same respect,” Erin Zapcic (not pictured), a union organizer who performs as a queen in Buena Park, told NPR.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/18/2022 - 10:28

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: NABTU Highlights America’s Registered Apprenticeship System During National Apprenticeship Week

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

This week is National Apprenticeship Week, and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) is promoting an American success story: the registered apprenticeship system. NABTU President Sean McGarvey (IUPAT) emphasized how registered apprenticeship programs are crucial to massive federal investments in infrastructure and high-tech manufacturing.

“As our system expands to meet the demands for new workers in these critical infrastructure jobs, we are committed to recruiting more women, communities of color, indigenous people, veterans and the justice involved for these new opportunities in the unionized construction industry,” McGarvey pledged. “That is why we are pleased to be part of [the Labor Department’s] efforts like National Apprenticeship Week and look forward to helping continue to elevate and showcase this proven model to other industries and the American public.”

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/18/2022 - 10:00

National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Rudy Roybal

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Rudy Roybal, an organizer with the Bartenders Union-UNITE HERE Local 165.

“My father always told me stories about our Native American heritage. Navajo and Abajo tribes have a strong presence in New Mexico, as we are from the Pojoaque Pueblo and are considered descendants of Tewa people. I taught my kids that unions give a voice to people with the least amount of power and shared how the Bartenders Union Local 165 in Las Vegas helped me to be able to raise my family with dignity.”

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 11/17/2022 - 12:14

Working People Key in Driving Midterm Wins—and We’re Just Getting Started

The pundits had it all figured out. All the polling data and conventional wisdom pointed to a shift in power in both the House and the Senate. A red wave was coming. As we look at the midterm election results as they stand today, it’s clear that conventional wisdom was wrong. But why?

As with any election, there’s no one explanation. Abortion rights was a huge factor in the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned. Young people turned out and voted for pro-worker candidates by large margins. Latinos and Black voters heavily favored Democrats. But one key storyline that remains largely untold is the role working people played in securing these victories—specifically, the role of union voters. 

In state after state, union households provided critical votes that put pro-worker candidates over the top. Our approach to politics is simple: Organize. Face to face. Cut through the noise with real conversations about the issues that matter. It’s a feedback loop. Organizers talk with workers. Workers share their concerns, which informs future conversations.

As any organizer knows, the key to good communication isn’t just what you say. It’s how intently you listen. And we got an earful. 

Corporate profits are now at a 70-year high. While Big Oil has had a run of record-breaking profits, such as Exxon’s $20 billion haul and Shell’s eye-popping $9.45 billion in the third quarter, working people continued to pull up to the gas tank with a lump in their throats. Any wage increases workers have earned are eaten up by rising prices. In those conversations, we heard over and over again, “Something doesn’t add up.” Workers and their families know when they’re being hoodwinked. 

Many didn’t yet know about the Biden administration’s efforts to give workers a boost through infrastructure jobs, student debt relief or prescription drug price cuts. And there was deep anxiety over the threats to our basic freedoms, including the freedom to have a union on the job, the freedom to control our own bodies and the freedom to participate in democracy. Over time, these conversations shifted to the stakes in this election. 

Union voters comprise nearly a quarter of all votes in Michigan. In the key battlegrounds of Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio, one in five voters is from a union household. That’s a lot of voters to reach. 

We left the air wars to others while union volunteers spent countless days, evenings and weekends hitting the doors. Workers talked with one another on their lunch breaks at the worksite and in front of the plant gate on cool fall mornings. All told, the union program, which featured 100,000 volunteers and reached 7.7 million voters, provided the ground game that was impossible for extremist, anti-worker Republican candidates to replicate. 

In Nevada, UNITE HERE’s formidable Culinary Union led a program that knocked on 1 million doors, and UNITE HERE canvassers played a big role in reaching workers in other battleground states. The American Federation of Teachers rallied workers with a bus tour through battleground states. In community after community, teachers, school aides, nurses, community groups, activists and vital members of our communities showed up to rally and then hit the doors and phones to make sure their communities knew what was at stake. 

North America’s Building Trades Unions members organized alongside AFSCME public-sector workers to turn out the vote. Electricians and plumbers, grad students and service workers, entertainment workers and laborers, and so many others stood shoulder to shoulder day after day to ensure that every union voter in America knew how important this election was to our collective future. 

I saw the energy grow as I criss-crossed the country to walk precincts with workers. With every labor walk and worksite visit, unions were breaking through the political noise created by $1 billion of TV ads and endless horse-race analysis from the chattering class. 

When workers have a voice in our elections, we deliver results: 

• In Georgia, union voters are responsible for roughly 50,000 net votes for Raphael Warnock, pushing him into the lead over extremist Herschel Walker. 
• In Michigan, union voters turned out in droves to deliver Gov. Gretchen Whitmer an estimated net 210,000 votes, propelling her to victory and boosting pro-worker candidates in the state legislature to give workers the opportunity to make huge gains in the coming two years. 
• In Minnesota, union voters gave Democratic-Farmer-LaborParty candidate Tim Walz an estimated net 110,000 votes, making unions responsible for roughly half of the vote margin. 
• In Nevada, the political organizing led by hospitality workers mobilized an army of workers to re-elect Catherine Cortez Masto, ensuring a pro-worker majority in the U.S. Senate.  
• In Pennsylvania, union voters gave Josh Shapiro an estimated net 185,000 votes in the governor’s race, providing approximately 28% of the vote margin. In the Senate race, union voters are similarly responsible for 26% of the margin for John Fetterman. 
• In Wisconsin’s race for governor, union voters netted Tony Evers an estimated 40,000 votes, or roughly half of his vote margin. 
• In Arizona, Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, ran the largest get-out-the-vote operation in the state with community partners. 
• In Ohio, Democrat Tim Ryan ran a competitive race fueled by a 14-point margin from union voters, outpacing other Dems in statewide races, and Democrats picked up key congressional districts, including holding labor champion Marcy Kaptur’s seat.  
• Nationally, union members made up an estimated 11% of the electorate and, with union households, 18%. Associated Press VoteCast results suggest union members voted 56 Democrats/38 Republicans.
• In state after state, working people rejected astroturf candidates trying to bring culture wars and book bans into our schools. 
• Unions are always on the frontlines of democracy struggles, and it should be no surprise that up and down the ballot—and in critical secretary of state races—union members stopped candidates who were 2020 election deniers and ran with the clear intention of ignoring the will of the people.

The 2022 midterms aren’t over just yet. Union volunteers will be out en masse every day between now and the Georgia primary on Dec. 6. But even that doesn’t mark the end of our political organizing. The AFL-CIO and affiliated unions built a 365-day-a-year operation that will engage voters through 2024 and beyond.  

Taking an organizing approach to politics may seem a little old school to some. And while we’ll continue to supplement the work on the ground with sophisticated political outreach through digital advertising, peer-to-peer texting, cutting-edge microtargeting and other tactics, the focus will always be the human interaction that voters want and need in these uncertain times. 

For far too long, big money in politics has drowned out the voices of everyday people. The lesson learned in 2022 is that democracy belongs to all of us, not just to the powerful few. When we organize to ensure that workers have a voice, democracy blossoms. 

The issue-based conversations that were the heart and soul of this effort will only intensify in the coming months as we head toward 2024. Soon, the midterm elections will be in the rearview mirror. But working people aren’t heading home. We’re staying in the fight to rebuild our economy, brick by brick, until America’s promise is fully realized. 

 

Caleb-Michael Files Wed, 11/16/2022 - 11:35

Tags: Elections 2022

What Are Apprenticeships?

The average starting salary after completing a registered apprenticeship is $77,000. Registered apprenticeships are a pathway to a career and financial stability. Today, the Department of Labor is launching National Apprenticeship Week. We’re sending Labor Secretary Marty Walsh a thank-you card for spreading the word about these good union jobs.

Registered apprenticeships are good for employers and good for working people. 

Employers develop a highly skilled workforce. And working people get paid work experience, classroom learning and a pathway to success.

There are registered apprenticeships across industries like hospitality, telecom, cybersecurity, construction and advanced manufacturing. The people working in these industries literally will build our future.

As the labor movement, we already know registered apprenticeships are valuable and are good union jobs.

But more people need to know. So let’s thank the Labor Department for spreading the word through National Apprenticeship Week.

Sign the thank-you card to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh now.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/15/2022 - 10:30

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Secretary-Treasurer Redmond Helps Kick Off National Apprenticeship Week

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

The labor movement’s world-class apprenticeship programs upskill working people, allowing more workers to take on good union jobs. This week, as we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we also recognize America’s apprentices and the unions that provide this pathway to the middle class.

“The labor movement has long championed registered apprenticeships because we know that they offer more than just a job—they offer hope and a path to life-changing careers,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond. “So, the AFL-CIO recently launched our partnership with the Permission to Dream program to expand access to apprenticeship opportunities for students and underserved communities.”

Click here to read the proclamation from President Biden.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/15/2022 - 10:10

Tags: Apprenticeships

Engaging Voters Every Day: 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.

Shuler: Labor’s Historic Political Effort Paid Off, Will Continue: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement Wednesday morning on the 2022 midterm elections: While it may be days or weeks until every vote is counted and we know the full results of this election, it’s clear the tireless organizing efforts of working people to engage voters in one-on-one discussions about the issues that matter made a critical difference this year in many races. No matter the outcome after all the votes are counted, working people know the fight isn’t over; in fact, it’s just getting started. The foundation that unions built through our 365-day-a-year political organizing campaign will engage voters every day through 2024 and beyond to create an economy that works for all of us.”

Facing a Wave, White House Plotted a One-Two Punch: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler credited the White House for recognizing that the economy was broader than simply jobs and gas prices. She said the president’s focus on retirement security and leaning into criticism of oil companies over high gas prices. ‘I think he saw the need to come out swinging because people wanted to see folks fighting for them,’ she said. ‘Companies are making record profits coming out of this pandemic, and not a lot of people are talking about that. And workers are still getting the short end of the stick.’”

Illinois Voters Approve Workers’ Rights Amendment to State Constitution: “Illinois voters decided issues in referendums on Election Day. They voted in favor of amending the Illinois constitution to guarantee workers' rights to bargain collectively. ‘From day one, the Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights campaign has been based on the simple idea that every Illinois worker deserves better,’ Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO and Vote Yes for Workers’ Rights chair, said. ‘Better pay, stronger benefits and safer workplaces don’t just help workers thrive; they strengthen our state and keep us all safe.’”

Alabama Power Volunteers Celebrate Dedication of Habitat for Humanity House: “Chandler said the project was a team effort, with members of the Electrical Workers (IBEW) and volunteers from Alabama Power’s Plant Miller joining forces with the APSO Magic City Chapter on the project. ‘Alabama Power management in Generation, Distribution and Transmission has been absolutely supportive and willing to allow employees to participate, and we really appreciate that,’ said Keith Gilliland, assistant business manager, IBEW System Council U-19. ‘We’re proud to work for a company that allows its employees to take time to volunteer in the community.’”

U.S. Steel, USW Reach Tentative Agreement on New 4-Year Deal: “U.S. Steel announced Tuesday it has reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) on a new four-year contract. The deal covers 11,000 USW-represented employees at the company’s domestic flat-rolled facilities, iron ore mining facilities and applicable tubular operations. The tentative agreement remains subject to ratification, which can take several weeks. According to USW, the deal includes wage increases, improvements to health care with no premiums, improved retirement benefits, an additional holiday, improved vacation, new parental leave and a $4,000 bonus.”

New York Firefighters Hand Out Nearly 200 Winter Coats: “Firefighters with the Syracuse Fire Department stopped by McKinley-Brighton Elementary School on Monday morning to make sure kids have the winter gear they need to stay warm. Having a warm winter hat and coat is a necessity many of us don’t think twice about, but for some families, a winter coat and hat are something they can’t afford. ‘Everybody knows in Syracuse there’s a need with cold weather. It’s one thing that will always come,’ Robert Brandt, Syracuse firefighter in the Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 280 told Localsyr.com. Syracuse IAFF Local 280 is working to change that, by partnering with Operation Warm, a national nonprofit whose mission is to help children who are in need. ‘Each kid will get to come down and pick a coat of their liking based on color, size things like that. They also pick a winter hat that may match the coat or another color that they might like,’ Brandt said.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/14/2022 - 13:01

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Records Biggest October Membership Growth Since 2015

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Federal government workers in Washington, D.C., and across the country are joining AFGE in droves, eager for the chance to be a part of our movement. These new members are powering some of the best growth the union has seen since 2015. Last month, AFGE added more new members than it has in any October in the past five years and had the most net growth—a gain of 677 members—since 2015.

“We are showing what’s possible when unions commit to an organization-wide organizing effort,” said AFGE Membership and Organization Director David Cann (not pictured). “Folks are out there doing exciting stuff at every level of the union, and the results are in the numbers.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/14/2022 - 11:03

I Drove the President's Motorcade in New Mexico

Mark Strand is the assistant business manager of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 611 and president of the Central New Mexico Labor Council.

I was asked to be part of President Joe Biden’s motorcade during his most recent visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a great honor to drive in the motorcade of the current president of the United States.

President Biden is a strong supporter of unions that fight for workers’ rights, better working conditions and a living wage for workers. Biden flew to Albuquerque to show support for our current governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham. Our governor has improved New Mexico by passing laws that give every worker in the state sick leave, our teachers a much-needed raise and law enforcement funding for recruitment to help fight crime. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Mayor Tim Keller were also a part of this great event to welcome the president to Albuquerque.

Unions are an important part of my life. I did not earn a college degree, yet was able to support my wife and our three children with the help of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Unions prevent corporate greed and give workers a voice. I never imagined being asked to be a part of such a monumental event, which I will remember for the rest of my life. Without great leaders like President Joe Biden and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers would not be able to protect the working class, ensure the rights that were fought for and be there for future generations.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/14/2022 - 10:35

National Native American Heritage Month Profiles: Charles Smith

Throughout National Native American Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Native Americans have made to the labor movement and toward expanding the rights of working people. Today's profile features Charles Smith, cemetery specialist and member of AFSCME Local 904.

Charles Smith is a member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe and works as a cemetary specialist at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island. His father, a veteran of three wars, is among those buried in the 125-acre cemetery. Smith leads the effort to erect the cemetery’s first monument to Native American veterans.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/11/2022 - 12:14