Women's History Month Profiles: Kathleen Carlson

This year, for Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Kathleen Carlson of AFSCME.

Kathy Carlson has been selected for induction into Michigan's Upper Peninsula Labor Hall of Fame for 2022 for recognition of over 30 years of service to the labor movement in numerous leadership roles. Carlson was the first woman to serve as president of AFSCME Local 1613.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/04/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Women's History Month

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Texas AFL-CIO President Says Election Results Show Voters Support Candidates Prepared to Fight for Change

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.

Texas held primary elections Wednesday, and candidates endorsed by the Texas AFL-CIO did well up and down the ballot. Led by Beto O’Rourke with nearly 92% of the vote, results show that Texans are united behind candidates “who will fight for more affordable and accessible health care, an education system that prepares children at a world-class level and honors the work of teachers, jobs of the future that can save the planet, and a fair shot for working families.”

Other endorsed candidates did well, too. Greg Casar won the multicandidate field outright for the 35th Congressional District. Jessica Cisneros (pictured above) advanced to a runoff against an entrenched incumbent in the 28th Congressional District. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo easily secured the nomination.

“The strong performances by Greg Casar, Jessica Cisneros and Lina Hidalgo are prime examples of working families sending a strong message that the time for change is now, and they want candidates who will fight with us to build a better Texas,” Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy (TSEU/CWA) said. “Voters made it clear they have little patience for more of the same from our current leadership: voter suppression highlighted in this very election by a vote-by-mail fiasco, censorship of books, subversion of academic freedom, neglect of the energy grid, scapegoating of immigrants, attacks on transgender children and our state’s constant invention of wedge issues that subvert the will of the majority.”

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/04/2022 - 09:37

Women's History Month Profiles: Tina Gonzalez

This year, for Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Tina Gonzalez of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Tina Gonzalez was elected president of the Sioux Falls AFL-CIO on Feb. 2, 2022, becoming the first woman and first Latina to serve as the labor council’s leader. A business representative for UFCW Local 304A and an experienced organizer, she has helped lead South Dakota workers in difficult times. And, at the age of 28, Gonzalez is the second youngest president ever elected by the Sioux Falls AFL-CIO.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/03/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Women's History Month

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Study Shows Unions Make Workplaces Safer

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.

A study from the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) shows what Electrical Workers (IBEW) have long known to be true, that union jobsites are safer than nonunion ones. The report shows that jobsites that were unionized have lost-time claims at a rate 31% lower than nonunionized sites.

OCS is a joint labor-management organization that represents more than 100,000 union members in the building and construction trades. It financed this study and an earlier version published in 2015. The new study covered worker data from 2012–2018, and showed that unionized jobsites had grown safer since the previous study.

“When our well-trained electrical tradesmen and women work smart and follow the proper safety rules and procedures, they help ensure that every worker on that jobsite gets to go home safe at the end of each working day,” said IBEW First District International Vice President Tom Reid. “We’re pleased to see this report back up our real-world experience, but it should really come as little surprise to the members of our union.”

Reid continued to explain that it was the high-quality training provided by IBEW and other unions that is a crucial part of keeping workers safe. “Preventable accidents harm workers, jobsite morale and a company’s bottom line,” he said, “to say nothing about how much it can harm the reputation of the unions that represent those workers.”

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 03/03/2022 - 09:30

Working People Respond to the State of the Union

After President Biden gave his first State of the Union address last night, working people from across the country responded. Here's what they said:

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler

• The state of our union is strong because America’s working people are strong.
• We were thrilled that President Biden again called for the passage of the PRO Act. He continues to send an incredible message to courageous workers everywhere that the president has their back.
• Under the president’s leadership, we are also done talking about infrastructure “weeks” and will now have an infrastructure “decade” to rebuild and transform America with good union jobs.
• Finally, the president again championed women and families when he called for the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act and paid leave, raising the minimum wage to $15, and expansionextension of the child tax credit. These measures would go a long way toward making sure that no one has to raise a family in poverty.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley

Without a doubt, the state of the federal government today is vastly improved from where we were before Joe Biden was elected president. As soon as he took office, President Biden took action to restore civil service protections, union rights, and the basic norms of our democratic government.

Under the Biden administration, federal agencies have been directed to restore full collective bargaining rights and negotiate with labor unions over policies regarding workplace health and safety, expansion of telework, and the safe return to worksites as the risks of the pandemic subside. Tens of thousands of federal employees who were receiving poverty wages working on military bases and VA hospitals and other agencies have received wage increases to a minimum of $15 an hour thanks to President Biden’s order. And through the newly established White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, federal agencies have a roadmap for making the ability to join a union easier for hundreds of thousands of currently unrepresented workers across the country and improving workers’ rights in both the public and private sectors.

AFGE looks forward to continuing to work with President Biden and his administration to strengthen the rights and protections of federal workers, ensure widespread implementation of the president’s executive orders and policy directions, and guarantee that all federal employees have the tools and support they need to do their jobs and deliver for the American public.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders

When President Joe Biden took office, COVID cases were soaring. Millions of Americans had lost their jobs. The unemployment rate was well above 6%, and states and local governing bodies were on the brink of budget crises.

America has seen a dramatic reversal. Today, we are diminishing COVID’s impact on our lives through science. America is hiring again. And best of all, working people have more power than ever, bolstered by an administration that supports their right to organize and strike to demand better pay, benefits and working conditions.

How did President Biden get America back on track? He listened to working people and then he delivered. When public service workers—the everyday heroes who have kept our communities running throughout the pandemic—had their jobs threatened by budget cuts, President Biden showed leadership. By signing the American Rescue Plan, he brought our public services back from the brink, saving jobs and preventing waves of layoffs.

He signed an infrastructure bill that is making historic investments in our roads, bridges, water systems and broadband. He has chosen Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a jurist with an indisputable record of standing with working people, as the first African American woman ever nominated to the Supreme Court. He has rebuilt the federal judiciary with a diversity never seen before, whether measured by professional background or by race and gender. And with a revamped and empowered National Labor Relations Board, workers can finally be confident that their rights will be safeguarded, following four years in which they were gutted or just ignored.

But the State of the Union can’t just be about achievements so far; tonight’s speech must answer the question of what comes next. We must advance the rights and freedoms of both public and private sector workers by passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. We must finally allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, invest in child care to support working families and providers alike, curb climate change before it’s too late and ensure that the ultra-wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes so we can make investments in strong communities.

And finally, our democracy is under attack. We must respond in kind by protecting the right of every citizen to cast a ballot and make it easier to vote. The foundation of our nation depends on it.

Working people want this administration to level the playing field and deliver more fundamental change. Now is the time to get it done.

Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)

       

 

 

Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President John Costa

Last night, President Biden laid out a clear vision to build a better America. With the help of the ATU, President Biden ran for office and won with the message of growing our economy “from the bottom up and middle out,” ensuring that nobody gets left behind. The Biden-Harris administration has done so by delivering historic results for the American people, including the fastest job growth in American history.

Moving forward, there is still so much work to do. As the President explained, part of ensuring a resilient and sustainable economy will be to eliminate barriers to good-paying jobs by building and buying in America. That also means every worker has the choice to organize and join a union and the right to collectively bargain without coercion or intimidation. We join the President in calling for Congress to immediately pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act to make certain that every worker who wants to join a union can.

The President also outlined the importance of expanding skills-based hiring and increasing access to registered apprenticeships and training. The ATU has been at the forefront of apprenticeships in the transit industry to prepare workers for the transition to zero-emission vehicles, including fighting for a historic investment in public transit, improving commutes for Americans across the country, and fighting climate change by reducing greenhouse emissions.

We applaud President Biden for restoring his commitment to creating pathways to the middle class for all Americans. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration to guarantee that working people, the backbone of our economy, are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

On the world’s stage, the ATU also stands with President Biden in condemning the senseless attacks by Russia on the Ukrainian people. We call for an end to this aggressive and unprovoked war. Every person deserves to be free from violence, and as a society, we must come together to safeguard against these kinds of assaults and condemn them in every way possible.

Thank you to President Biden for reestablishing our alliances around the world in the struggle for democracy and setting the course for our future.

Communications Workers of America (CWA)

In his first State of the Union address, President Biden made it clear that creating jobs through investment in our country’s infrastructure and empowering workers has been the foundation of his agenda to strengthen our country.

“When we invest in our workers, when we build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out together, we can do something we haven’t done in a long time: build a better America,” the President said.

Biden’s address highlighted the many ways that his administration has addressed the needs of working families in the first year of his presidency. When he says that we need to strengthen our supply chains by making more things in America it is not just empty rhetoric. He has already taken executive action to close loopholes in existing Made in America requirements. Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will facilitate economic development by improving our transportation capacity and bringing high-speed internet connections to communities across the country while creating good jobs in the industry.

CWA commends President Biden for presenting a clear plan to improve the lives of working families, boost our economy and address rising costs. We agree that Congress must pass legislation to reduce prescription drug, health care and child care costs and to make higher education more affordable and that this can be done by making sure that corporations and the wealthiest Americans start paying their fair share.

As union members, we know that overcoming the relentless and coordinated corporate attack on workers’ rights is a difficult task and there is much left to be done. President Biden left no doubt that he believes that every worker in every state must have a free and fair choice to organize or join a union, and the right to bargain collectively with their employer, without fear of intimidation, coercion, threats, and anti-union propaganda. He also pointed out the insufficiency of our current labor laws, calling on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.

CWA applauds President Biden’s focus on worker empowerment and we will continue to support the Administration in its effort to create more good union jobs, support workers’ organizing for better pay and working conditions and reform weak and outdated labor laws.

Marc Ellis, President of CWA Local 9413 in Nevada, attended the State of the Union address virtually as the guest of U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). Rosen, a co-sponsor of the PRO Act, was instrumental in attaching high labor standard requirements to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s broadband funding. “Experienced, trained telecommunications workers—like the union members of Communications Workers of America Local 9413—are going to play a critical role in building out and modernizing our broadband network in Northern Nevada and across the country, thanks to Senator Jacky Rosen’s work on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Ellis said.

Electrical Workers (IBEW) International President Lonnie Stephenson

When the American people overwhelmingly elected Joe Biden to be America’s 46th president, they sent him to Washington with a mandate that was simple and pure: get control of a raging pandemic; grow our economy from the bottom and middle out, not the top down; and make life better for working families. One year into his presidency, and so far, no president has done more for working families than Joe Biden.

Within days of taking office, President Biden signed dozens of executive orders that promote worker-friendly policies, including those that create good jobs in the energy sector. He appointed a union member to lead the Department of Labor, has been an outspoken proponent of the PRO Act, defended registered apprenticeships, and launched the first-ever White House Task force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment.

President Biden worked with Democrats and Republicans to sign into law the largest infrastructure investment in our nation’s history. To help stop the spread and curb the dangers of COVID-19, the Biden administration helped get more than two hundred million shots in arms in six months. And in the face of a deeply divided country and Congress, with a global pandemic raging that has caused unprecedented supply chain disruptions and massive job losses, President Biden worked with Democratic majorities to provide much-needed relief to the American people through the American Rescue Plan, saving our paychecks, pensions, and public services.

On the campaign trail and throughout his presidency, Joe Biden has promised to be the most pro-union, pro-worker president in history. When he talks about how unions built the middle class, it isn’t nostalgia. President Biden is actively creating an environment where unions—and by default, all working families—can flourish for generations to come.

Thanks to President Biden, the state of our union, the state of our economy, and the state of working families in America is strong. The IBEW and its 775,000 members applaud the Biden administration’s pro-worker, pro-union approach to governing, and look forward to working together to continue growing the economy in a way that works for everyone.

International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)

The first year of the Biden-Harris administration has produced historic results for working people across the United States. By governing with an economic vision focused on growing the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, President Biden has achieved much-needed victories for working families.

• Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the economy has rebounded from a disastrous two years and has achieved its fastest job growth in American history—including the addition of 375,000 manufacturing jobs in just one year.
• In the last year, companies announced nearly $200 billion in investments for semiconductor, electric vehicle battery, and critical mineral production and manufacturing in the United States.
• Intel recently announced a new $20 billion factory outside of Columbus, Ohio that will create 7,000 construction jobs and another 3,000 permanent jobs.
• President Biden is swiftly implementing the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure law (BIL), which will create jobs for SMART members improving indoor air quality in buildings, advance railroad safety and drive demand for the products and services provided by SMART sheet metal workers

This extraordinary progress is occurring during a long-overdue shift from an outdated and unfair trickle-down approach to one that centers workers, families and small businesses. Now, we call on Congress to support the legislative priorities President Biden outlined during the State of the Union. These include:

• Building upon the historic economic recovery of the last year by eliminating barriers to good-paying jobs for workers across America. President Biden specifically outlined his support for enacting the Protecting the Right to Organize Act; expanding skills-based hiring and increasing access to registered apprenticeships and training; creating a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program; and more. Such measures are vital for SMART members and all workers.
• Strengthening our supply chain, transporting goods faster and cheaper and prioritizing products that are made in America. The last year has already seen exceptional growth in American manufacturing production and employment. President Biden plans to build on the victories already won with the implementation of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding; we call on Congress to supplement those efforts with legislation that encourages competition, innovation and the creation of good, union jobs.
• Reducing everyday costs for working Americans. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan lowered the cost of health care, expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit and provided hard-earned tax relief for millions of middle-class families through an expanded Child Tax Credit. We echo President Biden’s call for legislation that further lowers everyday expenses for American workers and their families by ensuring that corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.
• Promoting fair competition to lower prices, protect consumers and help small businesses. In his State of the Union address, President Biden announced the Biden-Harris Administration’s intent to lower prices for Americans and businesses by combatting unfair ocean shipping practices—launching a new Federal Maritime Commission and Department of Justice initiative to promote competition in the ocean freight transportation system, increasing federal oversight of global ocean shipping and more.

Finally, SMART commends the president for pledging to address the ongoing health emergencies facing the American people. By committing to improving the safety of nursing homes and protecting residents and health care workers from bad actors, the Biden-Harris Administration again demonstrates its dedication to safeguarding the lives of our loved ones. And with his stated whole-of-government strategy to take on America’s national mental health crisis—which has had tragic consequences in the building trades—President Biden once again demonstrated his loyalty to SMART members, their families and all American workers.

Ironworkers

The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers salutes President Joe Biden’s message to Congress in his State of the Union address.

In his speech, President Biden did not shy away from the challenges and uncertainty that many Americans are living with. But his words remind us that our country has overcome challenges before through unity and determination.

The President highlighted his administration’s initiatives that meet the country’s challenges head-on and bring us together. The American Rescue Plan offered a lifeline to working people during the middle of the pandemic. The ARP kept state governments afloat and their infrastructure funds full, preserving and creating thousands of Ironworker jobs. The Rescue Plan’s investments powered the recovery that has kept unemployment low all the way to today.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is an historic investment that will transform our nation’s transportation, water and energy systems for the better. The ongoing rollout promises good union jobs and opportunity for every community in America. The bipartisan majorities that passed the law in both houses of Congress are proof that we can still work together.

President Biden emphasized his administration’s substantial focus on domestic manufacturing as an important tool to create jobs, secure supply chains, and lower costs. Since Biden entered office, our union has seen an explosion of investment in factories for semiconductors, electric vehicles, and other manufactured goods. The administration’s policies will foster and expand this manufacturing renaissance.

Our union supports these and other policies to help working-class Americans and will continue to work with the administration to help them succeed. This is an opportunity to reflect on the past year’s achievements and plan to meet the challenges of the present. If we are united, as a union and as a country, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

Machinists (IAM) International President Robert Martinez Jr.

The IAM was proud to endorse President Biden through a first-of-its-kind, rank-and-file membership vote. Through the activism of our members and so many worker-friendly allies, we now have a true ‘union man’ in the White House. For the first time in generations, we are witnessing an all-of-government approach to putting the interests of working families first.

We are emerging from the pandemic with historic job growth. Working people are finally able to tip the scales in their favor, demanding higher wages and better benefits from their employers. The President promised to rebuild America and expand Buy American—and he is delivering for the best workers in the world. American manufacturing is back, and the IAM and our allies in the labor movement are just getting started. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create even more good jobs, while investing in our aging airports, public transit systems and more.

But as the President said tonight, there is far more work to be done. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine makes even more clear, we must immediately strengthen our domestic supply chains, especially in the defense industry. We must take measures to lower consumer prices, broaden access to apprenticeship programs, create a national paid family and medical leave program, and protect our sacred right to vote. For the millions of Americans who want to join a union today, we also must pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.

These should not be partisan issues. This is about a better life for working families. We stand with the Biden administration and all allies of working people to create a brighter future for the generations to come.

Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU)

In his address to Congress tonight, President Biden outlined the challenging path toward recovery his administration has carved since taking office in January 2021.

President Biden's American Rescue Plan is injecting $1.3 trillion worth of federal funding into local economies to repair or rebuild roads, bridges, water systems, airports, buses, trains and schools. These important projects will have positive ripple effects through our communities as good-paying union jobs are created in the process which, research shows, raises living standards for all workers in the area, both union and non-union.

But OPEIU members, like most working Americans, are concerned: how rising wages due to a tight labor market are being nullified by inflation, driven in no small part by corporate greed; about the growing wage and health inequities exacerbated by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic; how corporate America continues to get away with union-busting, tax-dodging and destroying the planet; and how to cope with the ongoing student debt crisis that threatens to derail economic growth if the payment pause is ended.

That's why President Biden's call to pass the PRO Act—the most consequential labor law reform legislation in modern history—is so important. If signed into law, it can and will rebalance labor relations in the U.S., creating a more level playing field between disempowered workers and employers who regularly violate employees' rights without penalty. His promotion of apprenticeship programs serves this shared goal, as well, as these programs provide a meaningful and tangible path to the middle class for working families.

Raising the minimum wage, creating a national paid family and medical leave program, and enacting price controls on pharmaceutical and insurance premiums would go a long way toward easing the financial stresses faced by the American people and we applaud the president raising these issues. On many other important issues, however, the people cannot afford to wait for a broken Congress to provide desperately needed relief. With Republican leadership intent on stymieing any progress led by this administration, President Biden must use the powers of his office to do what he can on his own

President Biden can, with the stroke of his pen, unilaterally cancel all federal student loan debt, effectively ending the crisis that has prevented millions from attaining the financial security they need to buy homes and start families in their own communities. He can protect natural lands from corporate exploitation, preserving them for future generations, via executive order. And he can broadly expand the rights of public sector employees by taking executive action.

If ever there has been a time for President Biden to deliver on the bold, progressive leadership he promised when OPEIU members voted to endorse him in the 2020 presidential campaign, it is now. We look forward to working with him in the coming months to make these sensible pro-worker proposals a reality.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland

President Biden made clear tonight that a robust labor movement will make our economy stronger than ever. Employers have had far too much power for way too long. Passing the PRO Act law is an essential step for workers to ensure they share in the wealth they help to create, and allow them to build a better future for their families. The PRO Act will give workers the freedom to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain for safer working conditions and fair wages, ushering in a new golden age of labor and the middle class. SAG-AFTRA applauds President Biden for prioritizing this essential piece of legislation and will continue fighting to make the PRO Act the law.

This PRO Act would empower workers to exercise freedom to organize and negotiate for better wages and working conditions, remove archaic barriers to organizing, increase worker protections, and strengthen the institutions that hold corporations accountable. SAG-AFTRA played a leading role in advocating for the legislation. Last spring, SAG-AFTRA members participated in a PRO Act Day of Action with the AFL-CIO.

This legislation currently has the support of 214 members of the House of Representatives and 47 members of the Senate.

School Administrators (AFSA) President Ernest Logan

President Joe Biden’s focus on the mental health of students in his State of the Union address is a giant step forward for the country as we try to bring some level of normal back into the lives of the students we serve every day. This type of investment can have real returns for all of us as we move forward.

However, one of the missing ingredients in Biden’s plan is the lack of acknowledgment that educators across the country are also in great need of support. As a nation, we must take care of the people empowered to teach our children and lead our schools. If they don’t have a strong footing, it is hard for them to effectively educate our next generation. If they are not supported, they may exit the profession and deepen the already-large educator shortages we are enduring right now.

Let’s expand President Biden’s idea of more mental health professionals in our schools supporting students to include a larger, comprehensive, school district-wide effort that addresses the needs of all students, teachers, support staff and leaders within the school community.

Transport Workers Union (TWU)

UAW President Ray Curry

Under President Biden’s leadership, we have seen unprecedented job growth and rising wages.

The President has directly confronted the coronavirus pandemic that has taken the lives of almost nine hundred and fifty thousand of our fellow citizens. Through his leadership, we are now better protected, and the number of infections is declining.

Of course, challenges remain and there is more work to do. Congress must act on the President’s priorities. For starters, the Senate should pass the PRO Act and Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the highest court in the land.

Together with the Biden Administration, we are working to ensure that the transition to electric vehicles supports good union jobs by passing the Stabenow/Kildee electric vehicle tax credit and complementary policies into law.

We are working together to strengthen our supply chain, so we no longer face a crippling chip shortage that has hurt our members who build consumer vehicles, Heavy Truck vehicles and Agricultural and Construction Equipment.

By laying out this agenda, President Biden offers a clear path forward that builds America back better than ever. UAW and working families need lower prescription drug costs and more affordable quality healthcare, so no one is forced to choose between putting food on the table and affording life-saving drugs or going to the doctor. We must make childcare affordable, so parents can work knowing their children are safe.

Equally important to UAW members and working families are the attacks on our democracy occurring across our country as falsehoods about the 2020 election continue to spread, and dozens of states enact restrictive voting laws that threaten to disenfranchise lawful citizens from the ballot. It is troubling that legislation to protect our most fundamental democratic rights as voters was filibustered in the Senate. Make no mistake—these attacks do more than threaten an idea of democracy; they cripple the foundation that grants our members their right to organize and secure higher standards of living for themselves and their families.

Finally, President Biden addressed the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which is an affront to all democratic forms of government and all people of goodwill. We stand with President Biden and our allies in defending the hardworking families of Ukraine and their democracy.

It is long past time we unite to address these issues as a country. The UAW is prepared to work with Congress and the Biden Administration to meet this moment as we have throughout our history.

UNITE HERE International President D. Taylor

We are in a marker moment for organizing, and tonight’s State of the Union address shows us once again that the Biden administration is pro-worker and pro-union. We are just one-year into a four-year term, but this year has been a world of difference from the previous administration that blatantly prioritized the needs of rich corporations and billionaires over workers and families amid a global pandemic.

President Biden’s remarks tonight reflect his promise to put workers on the forefront of his priorities—from raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour to calling on Congress to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. We have seen swift action to ensure key cabinets and agencies are headed by pro-worker leadership—including an actual labor leader heading the Department of Labor—with the backing and direction to advance the policies that will change lives. We also saw the passage of one of the most transformational pieces of legislation via the American Rescue Plan that for months helped keep some cash in people’s pockets while allowing for tens of thousands of laid off workers to access free healthcare through 100% COBRA coverage. More recently, we’ve celebrated the nomination of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court with Biden’s strong pick in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who has a record of defending the right to organize and the right to vote.

Now, it is 2022—and Midterm elections are around the corner. Our members are going to be asking themselves if they are better off than they were before voting for this President. Looking ahead, this administration must do whatever it takes to fulfill critical campaign promises. But before anything, we need to win—and win big, so we can secure more seats for a real Democratic-majority. This can only happen if the progressive and labor movement come together to fight for the administration’s bold agenda. We can’t do it alone.

United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA)

Following President Biden’s State of the Union address, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) General President Mark McManus praised the important progress made by this Administration to create good-paying union jobs, protect the rights of workers everywhere, and give more American families a fair shot at the middle class. Two United Association members were also in attendance as virtual guests: Randy Lorge and Justin Pomerville.

“During this first year in office, President Biden has kept his promise of creating good-paying union jobs and helping more families succeed as we work to build back better. In his speech tonight, President Biden vowed to expand workers’ rights by passing the PRO Act and to ensure all Americans can earn fair wages and benefits,” said Mark McManus, General President of the United Association. “From replacing lead lines to modernizing our energy infrastructure, President Biden is committed to creating good-paying UA jobs. Tonight, he charted a clear path forward to continue to provide clean drinking water, to deliver efficient, reliable, and affordable energy to American consumers, and to strengthen our registered apprenticeship system.”

Randy Lorge, a third-generation plumber, lifelong member of UA Local 400 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, and the Director of Workforce Training and Development at the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), was the guest of Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI):

“President Biden and Senator Baldwin have worked tirelessly to create good-paying jobs for union members like me as we rebuild our infrastructure and replace lead lines across Wisconsin and the entire country. I was honored to join Senator Baldwin for the State of the Union address tonight,” said Randy Lorge. “President Biden and Senator Baldwin have delivered millions in funding to replace lead lines and to protect our clean water supply, to modernize our water infrastructure, and to eliminate dangerous and harmful contaminants like PFAS right here at home in Wisconsin—all with good-paying union jobs with fair benefits.”

Justin Pomerville, Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer of UA Local 85 in Saginaw, Michigan, and Secretary of the Michigan Pipe Trades Association was the guest of Senator Gary Peters (D-MI):

“Over the last year, President Biden and Senator Peters have delivered for working families like mine. From the strong labor protections included in the bipartisan infrastructure law to the executive order requiring project labor agreements on federal projects, President Biden is keeping his promise to build back better with union members leading the way,” said Pomerville. “I was honored to join Senator Peters tonight for the State of the Union to highlight the critical work United Association members do daily, like delivering clean water, providing reliable and affordable energy, and installing fire suppression systems. As they showed tonight, President Biden and Senator Peters will continue to ensure working families have a fair shot at success.”

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International President Marc Perrone

Working Americans are rightly concerned about the state of the world. While the country is thankfully emerging from the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it now faces another global crisis with Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. Tonight, President Biden laid out a clear plan to provide relief to hard-working Americans and their families by reducing costs and eliminating barriers to good jobs.

Currently, the U.S. is seeing one of the strongest labor markets in recent history but many workers still face hurdles when it comes to accessing good-paying jobs that can support a family. As the nation’s largest private sector union, UFCW strongly endorses President Biden’s initiatives to increase access to apprenticeships and training, support paycheck fairness, provide paid family and medical leave, and protect workers’ rights to join a union. We believe this—along with plans to protect consumers and reduce the cost of everyday expenses—will provide working families with the ability to build better lives they have earned and deserve.

UFCW calls on Congress to take immediate action to move these crucial initiatives forward.

United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway

Tonight, President Joe Biden articulated a vision for the United States that puts working families at the forefront of our nation’s economic future.

After two years of a global pandemic and economic crisis in which we have seen the rich get richer and too many workers continue to fall behind, the USW supports President Biden’s agenda and looks forward to working with him and others in Washington to put pro-worker, pro-family policies into action.

The president’s first year in office has already resulted in major victories, including the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the creation of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. These initiatives will help ensure good-paying union jobs for millions of American workers in the years to come.

While the recent events in Ukraine clearly highlight our need to focus on foreign as well as domestic priorities, we must remember that to be strong around the world, we must first be strong at home. That means bolstering domestic supply chains for vital goods, providing education and job training to ensure that manufacturers have the skilled workers they need, building up our healthcare system, passing labor protections like the PRO Act and extending benefits like paid family and medical leave to all workers.

The president today laid out an ambitious agenda that will make our nation more secure, provide good-paying jobs to millions of workers, support struggling families, keep rising prices under control and ensure that communities will continue to thrive for generations to come. We are eager to do everything we can to help him achieve these goals.

Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Richard Fiesta

President Biden had seniors’ interests at the top of his priorities list last night during his State of the Union address.

Noting that Americans pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, he continued to push for allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, as the Veterans Administration and Medicaid programs do. Capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month will also be a welcome and necessary change. Congress should direct Medicare to take the $450 billion in savings from drug negotiations savings and use it to expand benefits for vision, dental and hearing.

As of December 2021, legislators in 19 states have enacted 34 laws with provisions that severely restrict voting access. As President Biden said, Congress must pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to ensure that seniors’ voices are heard at the ballot box.

We also fully support President Biden’s call for higher standards for nursing homes, including providing a sufficient number of staff who are adequately trained to provide high-quality care, and withholding taxpayer dollars from poorly performing facilities that offer improper and unsafe care.

President Biden is all too aware that several measures have stalled in the Senate after House passage. That is why he called for passing the PRO Act, which will allow workers to join a union without facing corporations’ unnecessary impediments, and for increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour, which would mean higher Social Security benefits for seniors upon retirement.

The House has already passed bills that would lower prescription drug prices, protect voting rights, make the PRO Act the law of the land and raise the minimum wage. We call on the U.S. Senate to listen to President Biden and follow suit.

Pride At Work Executive Director Jerame Davis

President Biden’s words of support for the transgender community are heartening to hear, but the reality is that transgender and gender non-conforming folks need the protections of the Equality Act before they can fully, ‘reach (their) God-given potential.’

The President was right to call on Congress to pass this important bill. LGBTQ+ working people need the Equality Act on his desk as soon as possible. President Biden promised to pass the Equality Act in his first 100 days as president and even though it has bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, it is being held up in the Senate by threat of filibuster.

Similarly, the PRO Act is a vital piece of legislation to level the playing field for working people to come together and form a union in their workplace. LGBTQ+ working people are less vulnerable to discrimination and have more of a voice in their workplace when they are part of a union. In the absence of the explicit protections afforded by the Equality Act, LGBTQ+ working people’s best, most durable workplace protection is an inclusive union contract.

While these statements from the president are a positive departure from the previous administration’s open hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community, there is still much work to be done.

Pride at Work continues to be on the front lines fighting to pass the PRO Act and the Equality Act. We urge the Senate to heed the President’s call and pass both bills without further delay.

Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, Officers, President Greg Regan and Secretary-Treasurer Shari Semelsberger (OPEIU)

From the passage of the American Rescue Plan to the biggest investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history, the first year of the Biden Administration was a capstone year of legislative victories for transportation labor unions and working people.

Chief among these legislative victories is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), a once-in-a-generation investment across every sector of our transportation network—and an unprecedented investment in workers.

We proudly represent 36 labor unions whose members will be put to work during the implementation of this historic legislation, ushering in a new era of manufacturing, construction, and transportation job creation. We applaud President Biden for putting union job creation and worker empowerment at the center of his governing agenda.

We welcome the progress of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which recently released a report outlining 70 recommendations to empower workers, including an initiative to increase worker awareness of their federally protected rights to organize and establish a resource center for information on unions and collective bargaining.

We urge Congress to heed the President’s call to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would help workers collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

We look forward to continuing to work with President Biden and the Administration to create good union jobs, invest in America’s transportation infrastructure, and expand collective bargaining for every transportation worker in the nation.

Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director Fred Yamashita (UFCW)

In his first formal State of the Union Address, President Biden fervently advocated for working families. As President Biden has said for years, “when we build labor, we build the middle class.” The President understands that in order to rebuild the middle class and tackle America’s affordability crisis, we must make it easier for working people to join a union.

The President’s focus on increasing wages, not costs, by investing in American manufacturing is a testament to why working Arizonans mobilized in unprecedented numbers to elect him in 2020. Coupled with his commitment to championing the Richard L. Trumka PRO Act through the U.S. Senate, tonight’s address is a testament to Biden’s administration’s continued commitment to delivering good-paying, union jobs for working people and their families.

Now is the time for Senators Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Kelly and our leaders on Capitol Hill to support President Biden’s pro-worker, pro-family agenda by the PRO Act and the Build Back Better framework immediately.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman (TCU/IAM)

Last night, President Biden showed the country what we already know to be true. This is the most Pro-Labor administration in American History. From record job creation, to championing an economy built ‘from the bottom up and the middle out together,’ President Biden has proven to be the partner that the Labor Movement needs in the White House.

President Biden’s address was a passionate call to action for working people. A call to action to bring workers’ rights and social and economic justice to our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and the halls of government. A call to action to advocate for key legislation like the Richard Trumka PRO Act, the most significant legislation for working people in generations.

Missouri AFL-CIO President Jacob Hummel (IBEW)

President Biden showed once again that he is a champion for American workers. From his public support of the PRO Act to apprenticeship programs, from his calls to buy made in America to capping prescription drug costs; President Biden demonstrated he is in touch with the issues that matter to working families. Joe Biden promised to be a friend to the American worker, and he's proven to be a man who keeps his promise.

Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council President Billy Dycus (USW)

In Tennessee, the majority of our state leaders are quick to tout that they are proudly pro-business while pushing working families aside. Tonight, it was both inspiring and refreshing to hear President Joe Biden strike a notably different tone. Unions built the middle class and are directly responsible for creating good-paying, family-sustaining jobs—just like the ones that will be coming to the Memphis Regional Megasite in West Tennessee. The union difference is unquestionably real. 

At a time when union-busting is running rampant nationwide and happening in our own backyard after the firing of seven Memphis Starbucks workers last month, President Biden’s emphasis on the right to organize without fear of retaliation or other consequences is especially meaningful. That’s why we need to continue working to ensure that we pass pro-worker policies at all levels of government and fix our broken labor laws.

The President’s remarks were a celebration of how far the labor movement has come this past year and also a powerful reminder of the important tasks that still lie ahead. Together in solidarity with working families across the country, we are ready to get the job done.

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale (AFT)

President Biden understands that strong unions are the economic engine that fuel the strength of our American middle class. By leaving behind the failed, outdated trickle-down policies of yesteryear, President Biden and Vice President Harris have created the fastest job growth in American history and the fastest economic growth in generations.

In his first State of the Union, President Biden once again called on Congress to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to update our labor laws to better serve the American worker and remove barriers to good-paying jobs for all.

Empowering and supporting workers is the centerpiece of President Biden’s agenda. In tonight’s address, President Biden laid out a pathway to supporting workers’ rights, raising wages, making things in America again and investing in the American people.

We look forward to welcoming President Biden to Superior, Wisconsin, tomorrow to talk Wisconsin infrastructure needs and the many ways the President’s historic bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create and expand good jobs and economic opportunity for Wisconsin workers.

Milwaukee Area Labor Council

In discussing priorities on the federal level, let’s take a moment to celebrate the victory that President Biden worked with Congress to pass a massive infrastructure bill, fulfilling a major campaign promise in his first year in office.  To build on this investment in America’s future, we need the President to work with the Senate to come to agreement on the $550 billion landmark investments to address climate change, create a just transition from legacy to renewable energy, and improve equity in our communities.  We can rebuild manufacturing supply chains for a new era.  Climate investments will create new apprenticeship opportunities in the skilled trades and provide a life-line for new and diverse entrants seeking pathways to the middle class. The path to growth is before us.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/02/2022 - 14:02

Tags: State of the Union

President Biden Reaffirms Commitment to Working People During State of the Union Address

In his address to the nation on Tuesday, President Biden reiterated his commitment to improving the lives of working people across the country. After opening the speech with a rally of support for Ukraine in its ongoing conflict against Russia, Biden moved into how his administration has delivered on its promises for working families.

He emphasized the successes of his first year, such as signing the American Rescue Plan and the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. Biden also took the opportunity to lay out his strategy to lower costs for working families and build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out. In his words, he called on businesses to “Lower your costs, not your wages.” Here are some of the highlights: 

Remove Barriers to Good-Paying Jobs: The president promised to lead the most pro labor administration in history, and last night, he announced his plan to advance the strong labor market by ensuring that every worker has access to good-paying, family sustaining jobs. The plan includes:

• Calling on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to update our nation’s outdated labor laws and make it easier for workers in both the private and public sectors to organize or join a union.
• Creating more paths into the middle class by encouraging more skills-based hiring and connecting more workers to registered apprenticeships and labor-management partnership training programs.
• Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour to ensure that America's workers, particularly the front-line workers who kept our country running during the pandemic, are earning sufficient wages to take care of ourselves and our families.
• Passing the Paycheck Fairness Act to end pay discrimination and ensure that women are paid equally for their work.  

Invest in Infrastructure Projects: The president outlined goals for 2022 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, announcing that states, territories, tribes and local governments will begin work to improve 65,000 miles of roads and 1,500 bridges using federal funding. These projects will be powered by and executed using union labor, fulfilling the president’s promise to create thousands of good-paying jobs for working people nationwide. Over the next year, the Biden–Harris administration also will direct the following:

• The Federal Aviation Administration will invest in over 600 airport infrastructure projects.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will fund more than 400 new water projects, including replacing lead pipes and upgrading drinking water systems.
• Communities will allocate funding toward 15,000 new buses, ferries and subway cars to improve transportation access for working people.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will fund more than 500 projects in states and territories to decrease flooding, enhance waterways and reinforce supply chains.

Expand American Production: The president emphasized the need to Buy American and doubled down on his promise to revitalize American manufacturing. He touted the addition of more than 360,000 manufacturing jobs to the U.S. economy last year and highlighted major investments from companies like Intel, which will spend $100 billion building a semiconductor mega site in Columbus, Ohio. Strengthening the manufacturing sector means thousands of high-quality jobs for workers and families.

Lower Costs for Working Families: As working families continue to feel the squeeze from inflation brought on by the pandemic, the president laid out his plan to bring relief. His strategy will build on the successes of the American Rescue Plan and reduce costs of everyday expenses by:

• Capping the cost of lifesaving prescription drugs like insulin and closing the coverage gap by cutting health care premiums.
• Decreasing energy costs by $500 for families by increasing investments in the fight against climate change.
• Strengthening our nation’s care infrastructure by lowering the cost of child care, extending the child tax credit and ensuring that no family pays more than 7% of their income for care of young children.  
• Ensuring that no one making under $400,000 a year pays more in taxes and that wealthy corporations pay their fair share.

Create a Path to Citizenship: Biden also highlighted the economic imperative to fix our nation’s broken immigration system and finally guarantee a path to citizenship for "Dreamers," essential workers, farmworkers and workers on temporary status.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/02/2022 - 13:29

Tags: State of the Union

Women's History Month Profiles: Fallon Ager

This year, for Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Fallon Ager of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Fallon Ager is the first Black woman and one of the youngest to be appointed regional director at the UFCW. She also was recently appointed international vice president, a major distinction for the union. As a young leader under 40, she has dedicated over 20 years to labor—starting at RWDSU Local 338 and serving now in one of the top positions at the international.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/02/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Women's History Month

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: West Virginia Mine Workers Stand Up Against Attack on Their Safety

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.

Mine Workers (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts rejected the idea that West Virginia needs less safety enforcement in the coal mining industry, calling a proposal to cut mine safety regulation “outrageous.” West Virginia HB 4840 would eliminate the ability of the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety & Training to enforce the state’s mining safety laws.

“I cannot understand why any responsible legislator would believe the outright elimination of an entire state agency’s enforcement power would keep miners safer at work,” Roberts said in a statement. “Last year, West Virginia alone accounted for 50% of all coal mine fatalities in America. [On Monday] morning, we received a call that a miner in southern West Virginia, with twenty years of experience, died in a mining accident. The first agency on the scene this morning was not MSHA, it was the state. The state inspectors arrived on-site almost an hour before MSHA was able to get there. So, to say we need less protection from the state, less safety and less enforcement in the coal mining industry makes zero sense.”

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 03/02/2022 - 09:34

Women's History Month Profiles: Pam Fendt

This year, for Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Pam Fendt of the Laborers (LIUNA) and the Milwaukee Area Labor Council.

Pam Fendt has worked for the Laborers since 2010 and is a third-term president and delegate to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council (MALC). She also is a delegate to the Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council for LIUNA Local 113. Fendt is proud to help LIUNA’s organizers in their work to bring new members into the union, and she has had an innovative voice as president of MALC since 2017. She is a fierce supporter of women in labor and is a founding member of empowHER, an organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of construction tradeswomen.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/01/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Women's History Month

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFT Calls for Passage of African American History Act

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.

As Black History Month ends today, the need to celebrate and learn from the lived experience of Black Americans will never end. But some are working hard to erase Black history, with hundreds of bills being introduced across the country toward that end.

That’s why the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is calling on Congress to pass the African American History Act, and is asking members and allies to contact members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor the legislation.

“With the African American History Act, students, parents and educators will receive the support and resources they need to learn and teach full, honest American history,” Weingarten said. “Black history is American history. Not every piece of that history is pleasant to remember, and some events may spark difficult emotions and conversations, but we must still teach it to our students, in age-appropriate ways, to ensure we don’t repeat our mistakes.”

Contact your senators or representative today!

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/01/2022 - 09:35

Working People Support the Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

Last week, President Joe Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. Here is what working people across the country said about the nomination: 

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler:

We applaud the historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jackson has had a distinguished legal career, and she is eminently qualified for this critical lifetime position. Working people need a champion on the bench who will defend and protect our civil rights, including our right to organize in the workplace. Judge Jackson has a strong legal track record of fighting on behalf of working people, including during her tenure as an assistant federal public defender in Washington, D.C., and we are confident that she will bring that leadership to the highest court in the land. Representation matters and that is especially true in our nation’s legal system, which can disproportionately impact or lift up Black and Brown communities. Today’s nomination aligns with President Biden’s ongoing efforts to diversify the roster of individuals who are nominated and confirmed for the judiciary.

Being the first is never easy and Judge Jackson is doing what so many women have done before her, breaking barriers to ensure that she is not the last. We call on the U.S. Senate to deliver a speedy and fair confirmation process.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley:

We applaud President Biden for nominating Judge Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Her previous work as a public defender, as an advocate for reforming our criminal sentencing laws, and prior judicial rulings show she will affirm the rights of regular American workers and everyday citizens while holding accountable those who break the law—even the most powerful among us.

While serving as U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia circuit, Judge Jackson issued a deciding ruling in a lawsuit brought by AFGE and a dozen other unions challenging a set of executive orders issued by the Trump administration that illegally denied workers their right to representation. That single ruling safeguarded federal workers’ union rights and demonstrated the limits of a corrupt administration. Her reasoning demonstrated exactly the kind of principled, independent judicial thinking that should be a hallmark of the highest court in our land.

AFSCME President Lee Saunders:

Representation matters. There have been 115 Supreme Court justices in the nation’s history, and not a single one has been an African American woman. The nation’s highest court must reflect the backgrounds and experiences of all the people whose lives will be affected by its decisions. President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson corrects a historic injustice and makes a bold statement about the power of inclusion.

Working people have gotten a raw deal from the Supreme Court in recent years. The court has been part of a rigged system that has silenced our voices, rolling back our rights and freedoms while putting a thumb on the scale in favor of the super-wealthy and large corporations. At a moment when we must empower workers, making it easier to organize and stand together in strong unions, it is critical that the next Supreme Court justice interpret the law accordingly.

Judge Jackson has a deep commitment to public service as the daughter of two public school teachers and the niece of two uncles who served in law enforcement. As a public defender and during her time on the federal bench, Judge Jackson has built an extensive record of protecting the rights and freedoms of all people, including working people.

This includes issuing a 2018 ruling blocking an attempt by the Trump administration to decimate the collective bargaining rights of federal employees. As a consensus builder, just a few weeks ago, Judge Jackson authored a unanimous D.C. Circuit opinion overruling a new, heightened standard for federal employees that was improperly adopted and severely limited their collective bargaining rights.

Judge Jackson is a brilliant, fair-minded jurist committed to advancing civil rights and protecting equal justice under the law. Her lived experience and professional background reflect the nation’s diversity and show a deep understanding of the challenges facing everyday working families. She is uniquely qualified to serve on the highest court in the land, and we urge the Senate to move quickly on her nomination.

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten:

The work of the Supreme Court impacts all of our daily lives. In nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the bench, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have chosen an experienced, exceptionally qualified jurist who is devoted to the rule of law, the Constitution, and our country’s rich history of democracy and freedom. Her life story is the story of America.

During her 8 1/2 years as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Jackson presided over civil and criminal trials. She wrote nearly 600 opinions and was rated ‘unanimously qualified’ for the nomination by the American Bar Association (link is external). Judge Jackson has demonstrated an impressive judicial record and a particular understanding of the laws affecting working people. As the daughter of Florida public school teachers, a proud public school graduate and a former law clerk of Justice Stephen Breyer, Judge Jackson is uniquely qualified to serve on the bench and has been confirmed by the Senate several times already. She has deep experience across the judicial system: She comes from a family of police officers, worked as a public defender, and has been called ‘an unwavering voice for justice and fairness.’ We need justices on the Supreme Court who have a demonstrated commitment to equal justice under the law and who will ensure that our rights are protected, and Judge Jackson’s judicial record upholds that ideal.

Our country is eager for a Supreme Court justice who will not pick and choose whose rights they care about—a justice who will put justice first. Progress does not always move quickly, but with this nomination, we take an important step forward in building a court that looks more like America and serves us all.

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) International President Sara Nelson:

In nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, President Biden makes good on two major campaign promises.

As I wrote for the New York Times, 'America needs more judges who understand and support the rights of workers. For too long, the courts have sided with corporations over labor, fundamentally and perniciously reshaping American law, life and liberty.'

AFA first noticed Judge Brown Jackson in AFGE v. Trump when she ruled in favor of federal workers, issuing an injunction to halt three Trump executive orders that gutted collective bargaining rights, due process, and union rights.

Judge Brown Jackson has a long record of protecting the constitutional rights of workers and everyday people. We urge swift confirmation of this eminently qualified jurist.

Electrical Workers (IBEW) International President Lonnie Stephenson:

The IBEW and its 775,000 members congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on her historic nomination to the Supreme Court. As the first African American woman nominated to the highest court in the land, Judge Jackson is breaking barriers and giving a voice to an entire generation of Americans.

Judge Jackson has long stood with working people and is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Judge Jackson clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer before working as a public defender in Washington, D.C., where she won uncommon victories for her clients. She has served as Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission, as a judge for the United States district court for the District of Columbia, and as a United States circuit court judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. It was in this role that she invalidated a 2020 rule by the Federal Labor Relations Authority that had restricted the bargaining power of federal-sector labor unions. These exceptional credentials, combined with Judge Jackson’s unimpeachable character and unwavering dedication to the rule of law, will serve her well as she serves the American people on the highest court in the land.

For far too long, the makeup of our nation’s highest court has not accurately represented the vast diversity of America’s working families. America needs a Supreme Court justice that supports workers’ rights and collective bargaining. The IBEW encourages the Senate to quickly confirm Judge Jackson to the Supreme Court.

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Matthew Biggs: 

IFPTE joins union members and working families in enthusiastically applauding the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Having served for several years as a federal District judge, followed by her current position on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Brown Jackson is highly qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court.  As evidenced by her 2018 ruling of the Trump union-busting Executive Orders as illegal, she is a reasoned and thoughtful jurist who makes rulings based on the law, not ideologically biases.  IFPTE applauds President Biden for this nomination and the thoughtful consideration that he and his administration put into the selection of Judge Brown Jackson.  Numerous Senators, including Republican members, have stated their willingness to consider and support a qualified nominee.  Judge Brown Jackson clearly exceeds that standard.  IFPTE expects those Senators to live up to their word and looks forward to urging all Senators to vote to confirm her.

Ironworkers:

The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers applauds President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge Jackson has distinguished herself as a hard-working and tireless advocate for the American people. From her days working as an assistant federal public defender in Washington, D.C., to today, Judge Jackson has a long history of fighting on behalf of working people. She brings an exceptionally wide breadth of experience at all levels of the judicial system to the Court, as well as the energy and resolve needed to get the job done.

Our nation’s highest court ought to look like the citizens it is bound to protect. A diverse  combination of judges, from all walks of life and all areas of the country, is the best way to ensure our Supreme Court unwaveringly protects liberty and justice for all.

We urge the Senate to act swiftly and confirm Judge Jackson without delay.

Machinists (IAM) International President Robert Martinez Jr.:

President Biden promised to nominate an extremely qualified candidate to the U.S. Supreme Court, who will also move the Court toward a more accurate representation of the American people. The President has delivered on that promise.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of our nation’s brightest legal minds, is eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. As a federal judge and in both private and public practice, Judge Jackson has built a lifetime record of fighting for the freedoms of all people. IAM and NFFE-IAM members in the federal sector saw her stand with them to block the Trump administration’s campaign to gut their collective bargaining rights.

As the daughter of public school teachers, Judge Jackson knows what it means to serve and the challenges facing working people. She will help restore balance to the Supreme Court and ensure that working peoples’ voices are heard on the High Court. The IAM urges the Senate to move quickly on Judge Jackson’s nomination.

School Administrators (AFSA) President Ernest Logan:

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court offers our nation a jurist with great experience and extraordinary qualifications. It shows America is moving forward, expanding representation and adding the voices of those who have not had an opportunity to serve on the nation’s highest court. It is inspiring not only for me, but also for the next generation of children, who will understand they can do anything if the playing field is level.

Judge Jackson first shined as a high achiever in Miami-Dade public schools—the same place her parents worked as teachers and administrators offering her great insight on the challenges school leaders face every day in their jobs around fair funding, equity and inclusion. This experience and understanding will help in decision making on issues regarding schools and the children we serve.

Having served nearly nine years as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Jackson has an established record on civil rights, equality, fairness and rule of law, especially around topics tied to people who work every day to move this country forward— but who often are passed over in the judicial system.

International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART):

We commend President Biden’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. Her experience, credentials, dedication to public service and commitment to the rule of law illustrate that she will safeguard the rights and freedoms of working people. While serving as an appeals court judge, Judge Jackson issued a ruling ending a Trump administration policy that restricted collective bargaining rights of public-sector workers. The U.S. Supreme Court should reflect the diversity of the communities that it serves, and this nomination is an important step in helping achieve a fair judicial system. We urge the Senate to swiftly confirm her nomination.

UAW President Ray Curry:

Today’s historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court gives Americans a jurist with broad experience across the legal profession who has a strong understanding of the everyday lives of working families.

Judge Jackson played a key role in the U.S. Sentencing Commission on criminal justice reform and showed a keen understanding of the implications of the law on everyday lives. She has been a private Attorney and a public defender and is recognized as one of the bright legal minds of our generation.

It matters a great deal who serves on the most powerful court in the land. In recent years the Supreme Court allowed employers to terminate retiree health benefits at the expiration of the collective bargaining agreements and prevented public-sector unions from collecting fees from nonunion members they represent.

The United States Senate has confirmed Judge Jackson three previous times and we hope that the Senate will move swiftly on this historic nomination. And working families should sleep well knowing a respected jurist such as Judge Jackson will serve on our Nation’s highest court.

UNITE HERE International President D. Taylor: 

The Supreme Court is a crucial institution in the ongoing fight for a country where justice for all may prevail one day. The impact of the Court’s decisions on workers’ lives cannot be overstated, from immigrant justice to LGBTQ+ equality, to rights on the job, and more.

It’s more important than ever that the next appointee to the Highest Court be a person whose influence cannot be bought by corporate interests; someone who shares the vision of the Biden Administration’s pro-worker agency and cabinet appointees.

This is why we are excited by President Biden’s choice in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We knew that the President would first and foremost consider the everyday working families most impacted by the Supreme Court’s decisions when making his choice.

We also knew that he would fulfill his promise of nominating a Black woman, as it is past time for us to see a Supreme Court that reflects more of what America looks like—as well as what our own Union’s diverse membership looks like.

We call on the U.S. Senate to confirm Judge Jackson without delay.

United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway:

The USW is proud to support the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Throughout her legal career, as an attorney in private practice, as a federal public defender, and now as a federal jurist, Judge Jackson repeatedly demonstrated her deep commitment to the rule of law and to protecting our citizens’ most sacred Constitutional rights.

As union members, we know all too well the profound impact that Supreme Court decisions can have on the everyday lives of American workers and families. We look forward to having an even-handed justice in Judge Jackson who is committed to upholding the American ideals of democracy, liberty, and equal opportunity for all.

Judge Jackson has proven time and again that she has the credentials and the character to serve on our nation’s highest court. She has, for good reason, received bipartisan support for her two previous nominations. Senate leaders should move forward as soon as possible to make sure that her nomination to the Supreme Court receives the fair hearing and the swift confirmation that it deserves.

Alliance for Retired Americans President Robert Roach Jr.:

Judge Jackson is exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. We have every confidence that she will safeguard the civil rights of all Americans, including protecting older workers from discrimination and defending the right of every worker to join a union. We call on the Senate to confirm her quickly.

Jackson’s resume includes an extensive background in criminal defense and public interest law. President Biden elevated her in 2021 from the trial court bench to the appeals court, which is regarded as second in power only to the Supreme Court. The selection is also historic, since no other Black woman has ever been nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court.

A. Philip Randolph Institute Philadelphia Chapter President Thelma Clements (UFCW):

Today President Biden has selected Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court, to replace Justice Breyer. This decision sets in motion a historic confirmation process for the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation. Judge Jackson will bring a voice to the voiceless, protect the rights of all Americans including the vulnerable.

We congratulate Judge Jackson on her nomination. She will bring exceptional credentials and extensive litigation experience at every level of the federal court system. As a District Court judge, she ruled on over 550 cases and is renowned for her careful, methodical approach to ensuring equal justice under law on reproductive rights, disability rights, and workers’ rights. This historic nomination confirms an end to the omission of women, especially black women in our legal institutions.

The A. Philip Randolph Institute Philadelphia Chapter is hopeful this will be a bipartisan effort from the nominating committee to appoint President Biden’s selected nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson and not use any delays or blocking methods to support this selection as they have done with past nominees.

Democracy Initiative Executive Director Charly Carter:

President Biden's nomination of the U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court will bring an eminently qualified jurist to the nation’s highest court.

Judge Jackson will not only be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She will also be the first ever justice with a background as a public defender, bringing a vital perspective on individual rights to our nation’s judicial system. Her recent decision affirming the workplace rights of federal employees shows that Judge Brown Jackson is sensitive to the needs of working people, a welcome addition to a Court that has too often ignored the needs of working families.

Of the 115 people who have served on the Supreme Court in our nation’s history, 108—or 93.9 percent—have been white males. Judge Jackson was confirmed by the Senate to her current post on the U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, less than a year ago. Any senator who attempts to block swift approval of this highly qualified judge will have to explain why a Black woman is being held to a different standard than other nominees.

Michigan State AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber (UAW):

President Joe Biden is a true champion of the labor movement, and his historic nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court further proves that. The highest court in the land needs Justices that will advocate for our country’s working families. We need Supreme Court Justices who understand the importance of a union contract, who will defend our right to collectively bargain, and protect our right to organize our workplaces.

Judge Jackson has already proven her dedication to working families in the United States during her tenure on the U.S. Court of Appeals and as an assistant federal public defender. The Michigan AFL-CIO is confident that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will use her years of legal experience to fight for working people as our country’s next U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) President Sean McGarvey (IUPAT):

North America’s Building Trades Unions applauds President Biden’s historical nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the  Supreme Court.  Throughout her career, Judge Jackson has called balls and strikes fairly in our justice system, stood up for democracy and upheld the Constitution for the betterment of the American people.  Her record demonstrates a deep understanding and concern for economic justice, workers’ rights, and the right to collectively bargain. Judge Jackson’s remarkable reputation and impeccable experience will serve America well at the highest court, and we look forward to her swift and bipartisan Senate confirmation.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/28/2022 - 12:35

Black History Month Profiles: Belle Allen

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Belle Allen of the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

As the training director for the newly formed IATSE Local 480 Training Center, a 10,000-square-foot facility located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Belle Allen is a proud and active nine-year member of the local in New Mexico. Allen also currently serves as the co-chair of the local’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. “Our committee took to the streets, organizing and marching with Black Lives Matter and participating in ecumenical marches designed to bring knowledge and unity. We have so much more that unites than divides us. I’m also proud to share that this local and its leadership, are striving to lead the way toward equality and unity in their dedication to outreach and solidarity," she added.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/28/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Black History Month

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Oregon AFL-CIO Partners with Environmental Coalition to Strengthen Heat and Smoke Rules for Worker Safety

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.

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (Oregon OSHA) released final draft rules and opened a comment period on rules to protect workers from excessive heat and wildfire smoke. Comments can be submitted now, and there will be public hearings between now and March 18. The Oregon AFL-CIO has teamed up with Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Oregon Environmental Council, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project and Climate Jobs PDX to make sure the rules protect workers.

“We know that Oregon’s excessive heat and smoke problems will continue in the summer months, and workers must be protected,” said Graham Trainor (IBEW), president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “Oregon’s unions are firmly committed to making sure Oregon OSHA creates the strongest rules possible so that outdoor or indoor workers who are exposed to excessive heat and wildfire smoke are protected as best as possible. The stakes are too high for anything less.”

Excessive heat and smoke from wildfires have been shown to harm a variety of workers, including farmworkers, warehouse workers, people who work at hazardous waste facilities, bus drivers and more.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/28/2022 - 09:30

Black History Month Profiles: Yvonne Kinston

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Yvonne Kinston of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Yvonne Kinston is the executive vice president of CWA Local 3680 and for the past 18 years has been a sales and service agent at AT&T Mobility. Since November 2019, she also has been serving as the District 9 representative to the Fayetteville City Council. She serves as an executive board member of the North Carolina State AFL–CIO and plays a critical role in the Racial Justice and Political Planning committees. In recognition for her activism and passion for community service, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed her as a commissioner to the state's Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service in 2017. She was awarded the CWA District 3 Karen J. Murphy Woman of the Year Award.

Kenneth Quinnell Sun, 02/27/2022 - 11:00

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Wendy Webb

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Wendy Webb of the Laborers (LIUNA).

Wendy Webb is an Army veteran who became a member of LIUNA in 1988. She became her local’s first woman business agent and apprenticeship coordinator. For nearly 25 years, she has mentored and trained laborer apprentices in New York City, including many Black women and men who had little or no prior experience in construction or unions. In the past year Webb became the director of LIUNA Local 79’s Apprenticeship Program and the first woman on the executive board, holding the position of recording secretary.

Kenneth Quinnell Sun, 02/27/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Jeffrey Dukes

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Jeffrey Dukes of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters.

Jeffrey Dukes embodies everything great that's associated with organized labor. As an apprentice with UA Local 85, he has worked on the election committee and has been involved in community activities and events such as food drives and restoration of the Sanford Dam. As a delegate to the Mid-Michigan Area Labor Council, he not only attends meetings, but is an active participant who encourages others to get involved in food packaging, ramp builds and supporting our brothers, sisters and siblings from BCTGM on the picket line.

Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 02/26/2022 - 11:00

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Dawn Cook

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Dawn Cook of the Air Line Pilots (ALPA).

ALPA volunteer and First Officer Dawn Cook made history in 2017 as a pilot operating one of the first mainline flights with two Black women on the flight deck. In addition to working with the ALPA President’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, Cook is also an author and the president and co-founder of Female Aviators Sticking Together, a nonprofit founded to elevate, encourage and empower female aviators, and actively coach professional female pilots.

Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 02/26/2022 - 10:24

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Sybill Hyppolite

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Sybill Hyppolite of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU).

Sybill Hyppolite is a thoughtful and compassionate public health expert and advocate, dedicated to empowering and defending Black, Brown and Indigenous workers, and workers with disabilities. She was among the first labor leaders to sound the alarm on COVID-19 as it would impact workers, and her guidance and know-how have led Washington’s labor movement’s pandemic response, directly benefiting the lives of thousands of essential, at-risk working people and demonstrating the power of unions in crisis.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/25/2022 - 10:00

Tags: Black History Month

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: National Nurses United Fights for Safe Staffing Levels

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.

One of the many challenges nurses have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly unsafe levels of staffing. The evidence is quite clear that creating and enforcing valid RN-to-patient staffing ratios save lives, especially during a pandemic. The California Nurses Association/NNU successfully pushed for adequate safe staffing ratios, and both nurses and patients have benefited from the better level of care provided.

National Nurses United (NNU) is pushing for national RN-to-patient safe staffing ratios based on science: “Every patient deserves a single standard of high-quality care. Decades of research have documented how safe staffing reduces patient mortality, re-admission to the hospital post discharge and recovery. Ratios, coupled with nurses’ powerful voice of advocacy, and secured in federal law and regulation and in our union contracts, would protect our patients from complications that arise from missed care such as medical errors, health care disparities, infections and so much more.”

Learn more about safe staffing ratios.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/25/2022 - 09:29

Black History Month Profiles: Cedric Hogan

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Cedric Hogan of the Ironworkers.

Since the early 1990s, Cedric Hogan has played an important role in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, area labor movement. He served on his local union’s examining committee for nearly two decade. Hogan is known among his union siblings as Uncle Ced and he lovingly devotes time to his nieces and nephews.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/24/2022 - 10:07

Tags: Black History Month