AFL-CIO Blog

  • Workers Rise Up: The Working People Weekly List
    Workers Rise Up: The Working People Weekly List Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List. U.S. Workers Have Been Striking in Startling Numbers. Will That Continue?: “U.S. workers are doing something we haven’t seen much of in the last three decades: striking. Roughly 25,000 workers have recently walked off their jobs and joined picket lines, earning October 2021 the nickname #striketober. Are these strikes likely to spread? Our research on union activity over the past century has identified several major factors affecting union and strike dynamics. How today’s strikes develop will likely depend on these factors.” Infrastructure Bill Includes Billions for Broadband: “The infrastructure bill heading to President Biden's desk includes $65 billion to improve high-speed internet access and affordability. Why it matters: The pandemic proved the necessity of connectivity to participate in daily American life, and Biden's administration acknowledged that by including this funding in the infrastructure package. By the numbers: The funding is aimed towards building high-speed internet networks, helping low-income families pay for service and digital equity programs.” Meet the 18-Year Kellogg's Veteran Who's Leading Workers in a Monthlong Strike That's Still Going: 'What's at Stake Here Is the American Middle Class': “Dan Osborn has worked at Kellogg's for 18 years and he's on strike for the first time. Not only is he one of the 1,400 workers who have been on strike since October 5, he's president of the local union branch in Omaha, Nebraska. They're the latest group opting to stay on the picket line and demand equitable wages as thousands of workers across the country walk out, turning what the labor movement called #Striketober into #Strikesgiving. Just this week, John Deere union members voted down a tentative agreement, meaning that more than 10,000 workers will stay on strike. At Kellogg's, workers are demanding an end to what they see as an unfair wage system.” Yamashita: Working Families Go Beyond Negotiation Tables to Secure Democracy: “A strike database from Cornell University shows more than 250 strikes have taken place since the start of this year. All of these work stoppages are a testament to how critical of a time we are in to build a more equitable country. A country where our democracy is secured in the workplace, at the ballot box and where immigrants aren’t forced into the shadows but are given a clear path to citizenship. Workers cannot wait any longer.” Starbucks Has Cultivated a Progressive Brand—but It’s Urging Buffalo Employees to Reject a Union in This Week’s Landmark Vote: “On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board will mail ballots to employees at three Starbucks Corp. coffee shops in and around Buffalo, New York, who will vote over the next four weeks on whether to establish the first-ever unionized locations among the chain’s thousands of corporate-run U.S. stores.” Amid Wider Trends, Employers Should Expect More Worker-Led Movements for Better Benefits and Working Conditions: “With all of this attention on labor actions, Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman emphasized strikes are considered a last resort for union members. ‘Nobody wants to go on strike,’ Tolman said. Tolman, who is in his 11th year as president of labor organization, which is a national federation of labor unions maintaining state federations and local labor councils, said he’s hopeful increased support for unions, as well as national legislative efforts to codify increased organizing protections, like the proposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 in Congress, which passed in the House earlier this year but not the Senate, will result in more workplaces organizing.” Alabama Coal Miners Protest BlackRock in NYC: “Striking miners from Alabama protested outside BlackRock headquarters in New York on Thursday, demanding higher wages and better working conditions.” From Striketober to the Great Resignation: Pandemic Pushes Workers to Rise Up: “As the nation slowly recuperates from the brunt of the pandemic, American workers—many of whom were lauded as ‘essential’ only months ago—are making it clearer than ever that enough is enough. Corrina A. Christensen, Director of Public Relations & Communications of the BCTGM International Union, which represents workers at Frito-Lay, Kellogg, and Nabisco, told Salon that workers are capitalizing on a ‘newfound sense of leverage’ as the employers reckon with the consequences of the pandemic.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/16/2021 - 15:30 — Nov 16
  • Biden Signs Massive Infrastructure Investment Into Law
    Biden Signs Massive Infrastructure Investment Into Law After decades of neglect and decline, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Monday, marking a historic $1.2 trillion investment in the country's infrastructure. The legislation invests in roads, bridges, transit, rail, climate change mitigation, electric vehicles, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, resilient transmission lines and more, and is centered around the creation of good union jobs. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond and other advocates for working families were in attendance, representing the years of hard work that was put into the passage of this important bill and the importance of infrastructure investments for working people.  In addition to the economic investments that will boost the economy, make work and traveling to and from work safer and create jobs, the legislation does a lot to help make the economy more fair and equal for women and communities of color. The legislation addresses racial justice and gender equity through improving economic opportunity and providing pathways to increased equality. In addition to investments in closing the digital divide, expanding public transit, cleaning up hazardous waste sites, making infrastructure more resilient to climate change and extreme weather and clean drinking water, the legislation ensures that women and people of color will have access to the high-quality jobs the bill creates. People of color and women were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the act would help mediate those effects while working to shrink the persistent racial wealth gap and cycles of poverty that affect communities of color. The investments also will allow for activists and leaders like Judaline Cassidy, a member of United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 1, to pursue programs that benefit women and people of color in the workforce. Cassidy hails from Trinidad and Tobago and has more than 25 years as a tradeswoman under her belt. When she's not continuing to perfect her craft, she focuses on efforts to inspire women to join the building trades. Among her other projects is a podcast, "Tradeswomen Talk," that spotlights women in the building trades, "Tools and Tiaras," which introduces young girls to the building trades, and "Lean In Women in Trades," a partnership with author Sheryl Sandberg that helps women navigate the trades. This historic investment is a good starting point, but there is still work to be done. The next step is for Congress to pass the Build Back Better Act, which will knock down barriers and help so many workers, especially women and people of color, find high-quality sustainable jobs. Activists like Cassidy are working hard to improve the lives of those around them, and it's up to Congress to provide them with the support they need to not only succeed, but to expand their efforts to benefit even more working families. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/16/2021 - 09:44 — Nov 16
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Labor Movement Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Labor Movement Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. Today marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week, and the labor movement is celebrating the drive and success of thousands of union apprentices across the country. Apprenticeships offer workers the chance to earn while they learn, opening doors to the middle class as an alternative to traditional higher education. Click here to watch a new video from the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) about the value of union apprenticeships. “Our robust labor-management commitment to and private multi-billion dollar investment in craft training ensure workers of all backgrounds, including veterans, women and minority communities, can meet the demands of our competitive industry,” said Sean McGarvey (IUPAT), president of North America’s Building Trades Unions. “Every year, tens of thousands of the most highly-skilled construction workers complete our state-of-the-art Registered Apprenticeship programs not only meeting the demands of industry, but also fully equipped with portable skills for rewarding middle-class careers.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 11/16/2021 - 09:43 — Nov 16
  • ‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: Meeting the Moment for Working Families
    ‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: Meeting the Moment for Working Families Tim and Carolyn sit down with Jimmy Williams Jr., general president of the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), to discuss the ongoing membership work of the IUPAT. They also talk about the positive impact the Build Back Better legislative agenda, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act will have on working people across the country. “State of the Unions” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you can find podcasts. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/15/2021 - 10:00 Tags: Podcast — Nov 15
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Beats Back Anti-Union Tactics at Two Air Force Bases
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Beats Back Anti-Union Tactics at Two Air Force Bases 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. During the previous administration, federal government agencies felt empowered to pursue anti-union strategies that stripped federal workers of their right to bargain collectively. Management at March Air Reserve Base in California and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona showed their animus when they imposed contracts that took away grievance procedures and did not recognize union leaders. AFGE District 12 subsequently filed unfair labor practice complaints with the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) on behalf of its members and won. The judges who adjudicated the union’s complaints recently ordered the Air Force to immediately stop implementing the illegal contracts and return to the status quo. They also ordered the agency to go back to the bargaining table with the union and notify all employees regarding the violations. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 11/15/2021 - 09:32 — Nov 15