AFL-CIO Blog

  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: ILA Secures Contractual Protections for Members Impacted by COVID-19
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: ILA Secures Contractual Protections for Members Impacted by COVID-19 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. Thousands of members of the Longshoremen (ILA) are set to benefit from an amendment to the union’s master contract with their employers at the United States Maritime Alliance Ltd. (USMX). ILA International President Harold Daggett told members in a letter sent last week that those covered under the union’s contract will not experience a loss of health care coverage because of any reduction in their 2020 work hours caused by COVID-19. “Your officers are grateful for our USMX partners, who recognized that their ILA workforce became America’s heroic front-line workers during this COVID-19 pandemic, bravely and consistently keeping cargo moving in and out of our nation’s ports,” Daggett wrote to eligible members. “Health care coverage for our ILA workers covered under the national health care plan is an essential part of our ILA-USMX master contract. We are now assured that crucial benefits will continue in contract year 2021.” The new contract year began Oct. 1. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 10/08/2020 - 10:59 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Oct 8
  • A Big Organizing Win in the South: Worker Wins
    A Big Organizing Win in the South: Worker Wins Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with one of the largest hospital organizing victories in the South since 1975 and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.  In Landslide Organizing Victory, Asheville Nurses Vote to Form a Union with National Nurses United: By an overwhelming vote of 70% in favor, nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, have emphatically delivered one of the largest hospital organizing victories in the South since 1975. Some 1,800 registered nurses (RNs) at the for-profit health care facility have been engaged in an organizing struggle for many months to form a union with NNU. What began as a robust grassroots effort before the pandemic became even more urgent as COVID-19 swept across the community. The nurses at Mission Hospital will now have a strong voice on the job to collectively fight for workplace safety and improved care for their patients following the vote tally that concluded early this morning. Along the way, the Mission RNs prevailed over a heavily funded anti-union campaign by the hospital owner, HCA Healthcare, one of the largest for-profit hospital systems in the United States. “We could not be more proud of the unity, the perseverance and the patient advocacy and dedication of the Mission RNs to their patients, their colleagues and their community,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of NNU and California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. “At a time when nurses are in a daily battle with the deadly fight for their patients and their own lives in the era of COVID-19, they have demonstrated incomparable courage and resilience that is an inspiration to all of us.” The North Carolina State AFL-CIO, under the leadership of President MaryBe McMillan (IUOE), strongly supported NNU’s organizing campaign over the past year. Health Care Workers in Chicago Win New Agreement After 10-Day Strike: Health care workers, including nurses and other workers, at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago won a tentative agreement after 10 days on strike. Some 4,000 members of SEIU Local 73 and 1,300 members of the Illinois Nurses Association (INA) had been out on strike demanding safer conditions for nurses, workers and patients, fair wages, and appropriate staffing ratios. Members of Local 73 won 7% wage increases over the term of the agreement, as well as a minimum wage of $15 per hour for all its members. The INA won a commitment from management to hire 160 full-time nurses to improve staffing ratios and secured fair wage increases. The Chicago Federation of Labor, under the leadership of President Bob Reiter (IUOE), has been heavily involved in supporting the unions throughout the strike. Independent Union Members at Honeywell Affiliate with IBB: In an overwhelmingly affirmative decision, workers at a Honeywell plant in Geneva, Ohio, who belonged to an independent union, voted on Sept. 4 to affiliate with the Boilermakers (IBB). The more than 200 new members of IBB were eager to increase their power and longevity by joining forces with an established union. “The times have really changed over so many decades, and they were ready for something more in their organized efforts,” said IBB organizer Jody Mauller. “Our new Boilermaker brothers and sisters understand the potential power they have as members of a union that spans the United States and Canada and has a proven history of success dating back over 100 years.” The members at Honeywell manufacture a variety of products that connect main gas lines to the gas meters at individual homes, and their new affiliation with IBB went into effect on Sept. 17. Newly Formed AFSA Local in Denver Wins Recognition: On Thursday, the Denver Board of Education voted to recognize the newly formed Denver School Leaders Association, the newest local union of the School Administrators (AFSA). Working with the Denver Area Labor Federation (DALF), the members of the newly formed local set to work on a grassroots lobbying campaign to seek school board recognition. After just three months, the principals and assistant principals convinced the school board that they deserved a voice on the job, and that the district would be better for it. DALF President Josh Downey (SEIU) said: “On behalf of our affiliates, we are so proud to have been a small part of this victory. Once again, this demonstrates that elections have consequences. When we do the work to elect school board members, or city council members, or county commissioners, it pays off! When we stand with people who stand with us, good things happen. Workers earn a voice on the job, and our school districts, our cities, our counties are better for it.” The Denver School Leaders Association-AFSA will now be able to negotiate a contract with the school district. Hub Project Staff Join Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU): Workers at The Hub Project have unionized with NPEU and requested voluntary recognition from management. In a statement, The Hub Union said: “We, the staff of The Hub Project, are united by our commitment to make The Hub Project as equitable and effective an organization as possible. As such, we have joined with the Nonprofit Professionals Employees Union and are excited to add our workplace alongside many other organizations dedicated to fairness, transparency, and worker solidarity." Innovation Law Lab Staff Join NPEU: Workers at Innovation Law Lab have formed Law Lab United, a union affiliated with NPEU. Management has expressed enthusiasm for recognizing the new union. Law Lab United said, in a statement: “We are thrilled to announce that staff members at Innovation Law Lab have formed a union–Law Lab United! Amidst great uncertainty and political struggle, we believe the mutual support, solidarity, and collective participation of union membership is more important than ever. We have joined the Nonprofit Professionals Employees Union and are excited to build with other organizations dedicated to critical social justice work. We are proud of the work our organization has done and we will continue to fiercely advance the fight for migrant justice. Our union is an embodiment of our individual and organizational values and will help sustain and deepen our work.” Congressional Progressive Caucus Center Workers Win Voluntary Union Recognition: The Congressional Progressive Caucus Center voluntarily recognized the CPC Center Union, a new affiliate of NPEU. Representatives of the new union said: “We are so excited to officially have our union recognized today! We look forward to working with management to negotiate our first contract that will uphold our commitment to justice and workers’ rights.” Scholars Strategy Network Staff Vote Unanimously to Join NPEU: Staffers at the Scholars Strategy Network voted 100% in favor of organizing with NPEU. Union  representatives said: “We are thrilled to announce that SSN staff has come together to organize with NPEU. As an organization working to strengthen democracy, we believe that a union aligns well with our mission and will make SSN a more effective and democratic organization. We look forward to bargaining with management in good faith for our first contract.”  Packet/Gazette Guild Makes History in South Carolina: Newsroom employees at The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette (which share a newsroom) in South Carolina voted to form the Packet/Gazette Guild, which would be the state's "first active newspaper union." The new union will be an affiliate of The NewsGuild-CWA. Reporter Rachel Jones said: “I’m proud of the work that I do at the Packet, and I’m equally proud of the efforts my colleagues and I are making to improve our workplace. Creating these protections for our newsroom will ultimately lead to better coverage of Beaufort County, and it’s an honor to lead the way in organizing for the Carolinas.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 10/07/2020 - 10:33 Tags: Organizing — Oct 7
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Texas AFL-CIO Fights for the Right to Vote Safely
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Texas AFL-CIO Fights for the Right to Vote Safely 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 Gov. Greg Abbott, an anti-worker politician, is making a last-minute attempt to suppress votes ahead of unexpectedly competitive elections in the Lone Star State. With a month left to vote, Abbott signed an executive order on Thursday limiting each county to only one drop-off site for those voters who wish to turn in their ballots early. Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy (TSEU/CWA) responded, calling it an attempt to suppress the right to vote: “All working families need to know about our power to change Texas at the polls is [yesterday’s] attempt by Gov. Greg Abbott to rig his own rules at the 11th hour to suppress the vote. Poll after poll shows Republicans losing their decades-old grip on power. Abbott's desperate order must not stand, and working families will not stand for it. In the most important election of our lives, working families will vote in record numbers no matter what Abbott says or does.” Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 10/05/2020 - 09:44 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Oct 5
  • National Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Esther López
    National Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Esther López UFCW Throughout National Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling labor leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Hispanics and Latinos have contributed to our movement. Today's profile features Esther López. López first connected with the labor movement in high school. Because she was bilingual, she volunteered to register Latino voters and get them to the polls. From there, she never turned back. As her post-school career progressed, she began to play an active role in improving labor conditions in Illinois. She served as deputy chief of staff for the state's Department of Labor before going on to lead the department. In November 2006, López joined the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) as director of the Civil Rights and Community Action Department. She served on the front lines of battles against voter suppression, ending exploitation of refugees, expanding opportunities for women and pursuing LGBTQ equality, including overseeing the launch of UFCW's LGBTQ constituency group, OUTreach. She created the UFCW's Union Citizenship Action Network (UCAN), which focused on helping union members get on the path to ctizenship. She is recognized as a national leader on immigration reform and civil, human and labor rights. López has helped transform the UFCW into a more diverse union. She developed and administered two diversity surveys that helped UFCW leadership become more reflective of the union's membership. In 2016, López was elected to the position of international secretary-treasurer for UFCW, and she was re-elected at the union's 2018 convention in Las Vegas. She also currently serves on the national boards of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Jobs With Justice, the Center for Community Change, the National Consumers League and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. This post originally appeared on the AFL-CIO blog in 2018. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 10/02/2020 - 13:38 — Oct 2
  • Economy Gains 661,000 Jobs in September; Unemployment Declines to 7.9%
    Economy Gains 661,000 Jobs in September; Unemployment Declines to 7.9% The U.S. economy gained 661,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate declined to 7.9%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The improvements reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that previously was curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the September job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:               Last month's biggest job gains were in leisure and hospitality (318,000), retail trade (142,000), health care and social assistance (108,000), professional and business services (89,000), transportation and warehousing (74,000), manufacturing (66,000), financial activities (37,000), other services (36,000), information grew (27,000), construction (26,000) and wholesale trade (19,000). Government (-216,000) and private education (-69,000) saw job losses. Employment changed little in mining over the month. In September, the unemployment rates declined for Black Americans (12.1%), Asians (8.9%), adult women (7.7%), adult men (7.4%) and White Americans (7.0%). The rates for teenagers (15.9%) and Hispanics (10.3%) showed little change over the month. The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) rose in September. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 10/02/2020 - 12:12 — Oct 2