AFL-CIO Blog

  • Strikesgiving: The Working People Weekly List
    Strikesgiving: 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. Pronouns Matter. How to Respect Transgender, Non-Binary People in the Workplace: “Pronouns are how we address each other outside of our name. We refer to friends, colleagues, children, family members, strangers, even our pets with their pronouns—they identify us. Transitioning in the workplace can be one of the most challenging endeavors a transgender person can experience. Organizations that are interested in a gender diverse environment seem to understand that embracing all of their employees is good for the organization and its corporate social responsibility. Bess Watts (she/her/hers) is the president of the Pride at Work, AFL-CIO, Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter. She said that often when someone transitions at work, we think about ourselves and the relationship we have with that person instead of what the person is going through and how we can support their transition.” Winning at Kaiser: “Coming off of ‘Striketober’ and heading straight into ‘Strikesgiving’ has gripped the nation with constant headlines, growing momentum, and a sense of long overdue wind at the backs of working people. Here in Oregon, Nabisco workers had just come off of a months-long strike against their multinational, publicly traded employer as the Striketober hashtag was beginning to make the rounds. And a strike database from Cornell University shows that more than 250 strikes have taken place since the start of this year.  As AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler put it recently, this rise in strike activity and worker action is ‘a healthy response to imbalances of power created by employers who believe they should be able to squeeze more and more out of the workers who make their companies profitable.” Deere & Co. Workers Approve the Latest Contract Offer and Will End Their Strike: “Deere & Co. workers approved a new contract Wednesday that will deliver 10% raises immediately and end a monthlong strike for more than 10,000 employees. The United Auto Workers union says 61% of the members approved the deal with the tractor maker on their third vote, even though this offer was strikingly similar to one that 55% of workers rejected two weeks ago. ‘UAW John Deere members did not just unite themselves, they seemed to unite the nation in a struggle for fairness in the workplace,’ UAW President Ray Curry said in a statement Wednesday night.” The Factors Driving 'Striketober': “NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Jasmine Kerrissey, professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the recent wave of strikes and what it says about labor in America.” Alabama Miners Are Still on Strike After 8 Months: “Last week, more than 500 coal mine workers picketed in New York City, joined by a diverse army of other labor movement members and supporters. The mine workers, who extract coal for steel production, are now in the eighth month of their strike against Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood, Alabama. Their aim is to force Warrior Met to restore the pay, benefits, and schedules they had before their previous employer, Walter Energy, declared bankruptcy and auctioned off its assets in 2016.” Union Busting: 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver': “John Oliver discusses the mechanics of union busting, why the companies who do it face so few consequences, and what it really means when your manager wants to talk to you about ‘your attendance.’” AFL-CIO President Shuler Discusses Worker Power and Leverage on Bloomberg TV: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler joined 'Balance of Power' to discuss how workers are standing up for change across the country.” Liz Shuler: Seeing a Bigger Role for Women in the Labor Movement: “When you’re the only woman in a room full of power linemen and older men, it’s challenging to have your voice heard and respected. I had to get creative in how I got things done. I also built a bench of mentors that I could lean on. All my mentors were men. I was always kind of assimilating back then. I have been passionate about women’s issues at work throughout my career, but it wasn’t until I came to the AFL-CIO, frankly, that I opened up and really stepped into what it’s like to be a woman leader.” A Chance for More Worker Power: “Workers across the country are unsatisfied with their subpar employment arrangements and many feel empowered to do something about it. While some are quitting their jobs, others are using collective power to create lasting change. Last month, which came to be known as ‘Striketober,’ workers across the country joined picket lines and threatened to walk off the job in response to stagnant wages, long hours and poor working conditions.” Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/19/2021 - 14:05 — Nov 19
  • Strikes Work: In the States Roundup
    Strikes Work: In the States Roundup It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter. Alabama AFL-CIO: Alaska AFL-CIO: Arizona AFL-CIO: California Labor Federation: Connecticut AFL-CIO: Florida AFL-CIO: Indiana State AFL-CIO: Iowa Federation of Labor: Maine AFL-CIO: Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Michigan AFL-CIO: Minnesota AFL-CIO: Missouri AFL-CIO: Montana AFL-CIO: Nebraska AFL-CIO: Nevada State AFL-CIO: New Hampshire AFL-CIO: New Jersey State AFL-CIO: New Mexico Federation of Labor: New York State AFL-CIO: North Carolina State AFL-CIO: Ohio AFL-CIO: Oklahoma State AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: Rhode Island AFL-CIO: Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council: Texas AFL-CIO: Washington State Labor Council: West Virginia AFL-CIO: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO: Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/19/2021 - 10:17 — Nov 19
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: UMWA Holds International Day of Action for Striking Miners
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: UMWA Holds International Day of Action for Striking Miners 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 Mine Workers (UMWA) continued to ramp up the pressure by holding an international day of action earlier today in support of its members at Warrior Met Coal in Alabama. Since April, miners at Warrior have been on strike, determined to win a fair contract that recognizes their contributions to the company. At today’s protests, UMWA targeted Warrior’s investors to urge management to come back to the table and bargain in good faith. “Today showed that this isn’t just our fight. This is everyone’s fight,” said UMWA International President Cecil Roberts. “We had labor leaders across the nation standing up today demanding justice for working families. Warrior Met and the corporations backing them now know we are not stopping until these families get what they deserve.” Rallies were held in Washington, D.C.; New York City; Denver; Boston; Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Montgomery, Alabama; Newport Beach, California; and Melbourne, Australia. President Shuler helped lead the rally in Washington. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 11/19/2021 - 09:35 — Nov 19
  • Pass the Freedom to Vote Act Now! What Working People Are Doing This Week
    Pass the Freedom to Vote Act Now! What Working People Are Doing This Week Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week. Actors' Equity: AFGE: AFSCME: Alliance for Retired Americans: Amalgamated Transit Union: American Federation of Musicians: American Federation of Teachers: American Postal Workers Union: Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA: Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers: Boilermakers: Bricklayers: Coalition of Labor Union Women: Communications Workers of America: Department for Professional Employees: Electrical Workers: Farm Labor Organizing Committee: Fire Fighters: Heat and Frost Insulators: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers: International Labor Communications Association: Ironworkers: Jobs With Justice: Labor Council for Latin American Advancement: Laborers: Machinists: Maritime Trades Department: Metal Trades Department: Mine Workers: Musical Artists: National Air Traffic Controllers Association: National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA: National Association of Letter Carriers: National Day Laborer Organizing Network: National Domestic Workers Alliance: National Federation of Federal Employees: National Nurses United: National Taxi Workers Alliance: NWSL Players Association: NFL Players Association: North America's Building Trades Unions: Office and Professional Employees: Painters and Allied Trades: Plasterers and Cement Masons: Professional Aviation Safety Specialists: Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: Roofers and Waterproofers: SAG-AFTRA: Seafarers: Solidarity Center: TCU/IAM: The NewsGuild-CWA: Theatrical Stage Employees: Transport Workers Union: Transportation Trades Department: UAW: Union Veterans Council: UNITE HERE: United Food and Commercial Workers: United Steelworkers: United Students Against Sweatshops: Utility Workers: Working America: Writers Guild of America, East: Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 11/18/2021 - 10:00 — Nov 18
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: NNU, AFT Urge Implementation of Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Recommendations
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: NNU, AFT Urge Implementation of Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Recommendations 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. National Nurses United (NNU) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) praised President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, which last week released its final report to the president addressing the deep structural inequities in our country that led to the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on people of color. The task force is recommending that the administration create a permanent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases; improve health care access for communities of color and underserved communities; address environmental factors that contribute to health disparities; and enforce anti-discrimination protections for Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian health care workers. “The pandemic’s devastating impact on communities of color laid bare the stark inequities of our nation’s health care system—inequities that existed long before COVID-19 and prevented millions of people of color, rural and low-income Americans from accessing hospitals, medication and more,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “This task force took critical steps to address those inequities, including assessing rural hospital closures and implementing important standards to make sure health care workers are protected on the job, which in turn creates safer environments for patients to receive care, regardless of where they live.” Mary Turner, RN, who is president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, which is an affiliate of NNU, and a member of the task force, said: “As an ICU nurse on a COVID unit since the start of the pandemic, I am thrilled that the task force is calling for a permanent OSHA COVID-19 standard that includes protections against aerosol and airborne transmission for nurses and other workers. I’ve seen too many workers die during this pandemic, and nurses of color have become infected and died at alarming rates. Nurses should never again have to fight for respiratory and other occupational health and safety protections. I am also proud of our recommendation to assess clinical practice guidelines and health-related algorithms for racial and other types of bias.” Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 11/18/2021 - 09:36 — Nov 18