AFL-CIO Blog

  • ‘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
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Pennsylvania Labor Movement Hosts Community Service Campaign in Honor of Richard Trumka
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Pennsylvania Labor Movement Hosts Community Service Campaign in Honor of Richard Trumka 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. Throughout Richard Trumka’s (UMWA) life, he inspired and encouraged us to be active leaders in our communities. We’re proud to see his legacy continue in his home state of Pennsylvania, where the labor movement is holding a series of community service events in memory of our departed friend and brother who served as president of the AFL-CIO for nearly 12 years. Members of the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, under the leadership of President Darrin Kelly (IAFF), held a litter cleanup Monday morning in Pittsburgh. The Harrisburg Region Central Labor Council held a Labor Day of Action with different opportunities for volunteers, including writing thank you cards to veterans and helping out at a local food bank. The Montgomery County AFL-CIO Union Council held a food drive and the United Labor Council of Reading & Berks County fundraised $700 to tackle hunger There are further events planned in the coming weeks in Erie, Allentown, York, Johnstown, the Northern Tier region and Scranton. The labor movement salutes the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and its central labor councils for their dedication to their neighbors and for honoring the legacy of Brother Trumka. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/12/2021 - 10:35 — Nov 12
  • President Liz Shuler Honors the Service and Dedication of Our Nation’s Veterans
    President Liz Shuler Honors the Service and Dedication of Our Nation’s Veterans This Veterans Day, I join the entire country in thanking and recognizing America's servicemembers and their families. Coast to coast, from the mountains to the plains to small towns and major cities, our own labor family includes more than 1 million veterans. They’ve served our country and continue to serve so much more than themselves by raising their voices on the picket lines, leading negotiations at the collective bargaining table and defending democracy in America’s workplaces. That’s what the labor movement is all about. Unions put power behind workers' voices and having a say in our economic future is a cornerstone of American democracy. It’s patriotic. It’s why the labor movement will keep fighting for the rights of all working people, especially the freedom to stand together in unions without the fear of getting fired. I come from a union veteran family. My dad was a member of the electrical workers union, IBEW Local 125 and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He grew up poor, working in the orchards of Hood River Oregon where his family lived in a one room fruit picking shack. He and his four siblings often worried about keeping a roof over their head and food on the table. To help make ends meet, he started working at age 12, sandblasting tombstones. He signed up to join the Marine Corps right out of high school, and was deployed straight to Vietnam. When he returned, he faced the question most veterans do: now what? A union lineman apprenticeship program put him on the path to a good job at Portland General Electric. And that job put our family on the path to the middle class. Unions are transformational. In one generation, the union difference meant my sister and I didn’t have to worry about secure housing or having enough to eat. That’s what drives me every single day: Every working person in this country, especially our veterans and their families, should have the life-changing power of a good, union job. The labor movement has always engaged and supported veterans. And as we build a bold, dynamic and inclusive movement, our Union Veterans Council is taking it to the next level to shape the future of work and expand workplace democracy. Today, the council will launch a far-reaching campaign to engage, educate and mobilize our veteran community because veteran voices in our unions are powerful, persuasive and unifying. As the nation honors their service, we want every veteran and family to know that they can have a place in our movement. Please be sure to join the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO for a special Operation Union Veterans Day event today at noon ET. You can join here. Featured speakers include Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO; Cecil Roberts, international president of the Mine Workers; Will Attig, executive director of the Union Veterans Council; and James Rodriguez, Department of Labor's principal deputy assistant secretary for policy for Veterans' Employment and Training Service. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 11/11/2021 - 00:21 — Nov 11
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: BAC Plays Key Role in Expansion Efforts for New York’s Iconic Penn Station
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: BAC Plays Key Role in Expansion Efforts for New York’s Iconic Penn Station Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. The Moynihan Train Hall in New York City opened earlier this year, thanks in large part to the skilled work of members of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). Some 90 members of BAC locals 1 NY and 7 NY/NJ installed 26,563 pieces of marble, setting the stage for Penn Station’s beautiful new train terminal. “The contractors wanted every deadline hit, so that’s what we did,” said Local 7 member Joe Bond (pictured above kneeling, second from the right). “Everything and everyone followed us, so we had to stay on schedule. It was a lot to keep up with, especially when you factor in a pandemic. Some may have decided to stay home, but not my crew.” BAC members performed some 70,000 hours of work on the project. Click here to read more. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 11/10/2021 - 09:33 — Nov 10