AFL-CIO Blog

  • Pittston, Solidarity and Labor's Future: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup
    Pittston, Solidarity and Labor's Future: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup In addition to the AFL-CIO's own "State of the Unions," there are a lot of other podcasts out there that have their own approach to discussing labor issues and the rights of working people. Here are the latest podcasts from across the labor movement in the United States. Follow the links below to find podcasts. They also can be found wherever you listen to podcasts: Arise! Labor Edition: Richard Trumka on Pittston, Solidarity and Labor's Future. Building Bridges: "Putting the movement back into the union movement with Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, who denounced President Trump’s government shutdown for endangering airline security and forcing workers to labor without pay and told her fellow labor leaders, 'to end this shutdown with a general strike!' She became America’s most powerful flight attendant and a rising star of the labor movement. And Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), New York's largest nurses union, which has become known for its support of Medicare for All. It has taken its service-oriented union work and further extended it for community needs. And Bianca Cunningham, a staff writer and organizer at Labor Notes Magazine, who got her start in the labor movement as a Verizon retail worker. She was a leader in the 2014 drive that won a union at seven stores, breaking into wireless retail for the first time in the company's history. These workers went on to win their first union contract when they joined landline workers in the 2016 Verizon strike." Heartland Labor Forum: "It’s 38 days and counting that the Blackjewel coal miners of Harlan County, Kentucky, are occupying the tracks saying, 'No Pay, We Stay!' We’ll get their story. Then, it’s almost 40 years since President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 striking professional air traffic controllers. What are the lessons of the [Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization] strike for today?"UCOMM Live: This week: "SharpieGate, the Weatherman and our new app, Drug Hub. Plus we have an interview with the AFL-CIO's Liz Shuler. She talks to us at the New York City Labor Day Parade. We remember 9/11 with IBEW Local 3's Business Manager Chris Erikson. Lenny is back to talk about the opioid crisis and some of the great work he did this past week volunteering in Philly. We look at how the [National Labor Relations Board] has lost its way under Trump, his obsession with a weather map, and the 10,000 jobs that were lost because of his trade war." Union City Radio: For the week of Sept. 9-13. Your Rights At Work: "Brian Prechtl, co-chair of the Baltimore Symphony Musicians Players’ Committee, with a BSO lockout update; 1199 SEIU's Yahnae Barner on the NLRB ruling that Universal Health Services Inc. at George Washington University Hospital engaged in unfair labor practices; POGO's Becca Jones on the effect of SharpieGate on federal workers, 'Case Closed' with David Schloss and Press Associates Inc.'s Mark Gruenberg with the latest labor news." Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 09/16/2019 - 14:50 Tags: Podcast — Sep 16
  • Nearly 50,000 UAW Members at GM Go on Strike
    Nearly 50,000 UAW Members at GM Go on Strike AFL-CIO As of midnight Sunday, UAW members at General Motors have gone on strike. The 2015 collective bargaining agreement between UAW and GM expired Saturday after GM offered an inadequate new contract. Nearly 50,000 workers are now on strike. They are demanding fair wages, affordable health care, a share of profits, job security and a defined path to permanent seniority for temporary workers. UAW President Gary Jones said: “We told UAW GM members that we would stand up for them and their future.” UAW Vice President Terry Dittes explained: “We stood up for General Motors when they needed us most. Now we are standing together in unity and solidarity for our members, their families and the communities where we work and live." Ted Krumm of UAW Local 652, who is the national bargaining committee chair, further expanded upon the need for the strike: 
    We have been clear at the table about what GM members have indicated we will accept. We are standing up for what is right. We as local unions will sacrifice to stand up for what we deserve. Our members have spoken; we have taken action; and this is a decision we did not make lightly. We are committed to a strong contract at GM that recognizes our UAW members, who make some of the greatest products in the world and make GM so profitable.
    AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) showed the federation's support for members of the UAW:
    As our UAW brothers and sisters prepare to walk the picket line, the 12.5 million working people of the AFL-CIO are ready to march alongside them. Calling a strike is a deeply difficult decision and always a measure of last resort. This is a fight to win dignity for the 46,000 auto workers who have delivered their bosses record-breaking profits for years. We will have their backs every day until they win the respect and security that they deserve.
    Other labor leaders, organizations and allies quickly showed their support for UAW members:
    Statement from President Bieber supporting UAW-GM members on strike. #Solidarity #1u https://t.co/cTCHl0zVkW — Michigan AFL-CIO (@MIAFLCIO) September 16, 2019
     
    Always proud to stand with UAW members fighting for good jobs and fair wages. I’m hopeful the UAW and GM can negotiate and ratify a contract quickly so Michigan’s autoworkers can get back on the job as soon as possible, as this is so important to our economy. pic.twitter.com/BnVAFIlm9D — Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) September 16, 2019
     
    Statement of NYS AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento on UAW’s Strike against General Motors https://t.co/6ahSY6RjUd — NYSAFLCIO (@NYSAFLCIO) September 16, 2019
     
    AFGE members stand in total solidarity with @UAW members striking for a fair contract with @GM! https://t.co/GVPa9hqTNO — AFGE (@AFGENational) September 16, 2019
     
    The IAM stands with the thousands of @GM workers as they fight for good wages and benefits! #solidarityhttps://t.co/whLHt9iK7q — Machinists Union (@MachinistsUnion) September 16, 2019
     
    .@Teamsters will honor @UAW @gm picket lines pic.twitter.com/NJpBv2DAfy — David Shepardson (@davidshepardson) September 15, 2019
     
    I support the @UAW's decision to employ American workers' most serious tool to achieve a better deal. #1u — Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) September 16, 2019
     
    I stand in solidarity with workers as they fight for better wages and benefits. — Senator Gary Peters (@SenGaryPeters) September 15, 2019
    Numerous presidential candidates also weighed in with their support for the UAW members:
    Unions like @UAW built the middle class in America by negotiating for better wages, benefits and treatment in the workplace. That work continues today.I stand with UAW as they fight to ensure their members’ hard work is rewarded with a fair share of the success they’ve created.— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) September 16, 2019
    A job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about dignity and respect.Proud to stand with @UAW to demand fair wages and benefits for their members. America's workers deserve better. https://t.co/vdYS3sp4eo— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 15, 2019
    I'm proud to stand with the hardworking members of @UAW in their fight for fair wages, health care, and job security. @GM should do right by the workers who fuel its profits. https://t.co/3XF8OswRRn— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) September 16, 2019
    My grandfather was an assembly line worker & @UAW union rep outside of Detroit who showed me the power of collective action as a force to improve lives & right injustice. I stand with UAW workers in their fight for fair wages, better benefits & reversal of plant closures. https://t.co/zgXmm0m8jw— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 16, 2019
    As a former union-side labor lawyer, I know how difficult of a decision this is for hardworking folks and their families. They deserve better wages, benefits, and job security. A company generating record profits should pay workers their fair share. https://t.co/rc3ll07SBO— Steve Bullock (@GovernorBullock) September 16, 2019
    The CEO of @GM made nearly $22 million dollars last year—281 times the median GM worker.I stand with the 46,000 @UAW members who have moved to strike, fighting for affordable health care and fair wages.GM can afford to do right by them.#StandWithUS #1U— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) September 15, 2019
    I stand in solidarity with the more than 48,000 United Auto Workers members who are striking for affordable health care, fair wages, and job security. When we raise our voices together, we can win. https://t.co/VJOhoBqjs6— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 16, 2019
    I stand with workers. I stand with @UAW. #UnionStrong https://t.co/rCVz7D4VvK— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) September 16, 2019
    I am with the United Auto Workers on strike today—and with workers everywhere, fighting for the dignity they deserve.— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 16, 2019
    Proud to be on the picket line w/ Lordstown @UAW members who are striking w/ 40,000+ of their sisters & brothers for fair wages & affordable healthcare, job security, a path for temp workers to become full-time workers and their share of GM's record-setting profits. #StandWithUS pic.twitter.com/dMvIZV2lfR— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) September 16, 2019
    I am proud to support the @UAW workers who are standing up to the greed of GM. Our message to GM is a simple one: End the greed, sit down with the UAW and work out an agreement that treats your workers with the respect and the dignity they deserve. https://t.co/nAQoeX82oz— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 15, 2019
    I stand with the 50,000 @UAW members striking at General Motors. GM must put the welfare of its workers above perks for its executives and provide fair wages, affordable healthcare, and secure jobs.— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) September 16, 2019
    Auto workers deserve good wages, comprehensive benefits, and economic security. I stand with @UAW as they strike to get what they deserve, and urge GM to come to the table and negotiate in good faith. https://t.co/VRmL7VzSzt— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) September 16, 2019
    Unions and the @UAW have been a force for worker equity and fair treatment for decades even as our economy has grown more inhuman and punishing. GM should value its workers fairly and compensate them what they deserve. https://t.co/hPwo38VOOp— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) September 16, 2019
    Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 09/16/2019 - 12:17     — Sep 16
  • Never Forget: The Working People Weekly List
    Never Forget: The Working People Weekly List AFL-CIO 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. Working People Remember Those Lost Because of 9/11: "The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, 18 years ago today, affected all Americans, but they had a particular impact upon first responders. Thousands of lives were lost that day and more died in the aftermath because of illnesses related to the attacks. The members and leaders of the various unions affected by the 9/11 attacks are memorializing the anniversary in various ways." Celebrating Labor Day: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup: "In addition to the AFL-CIO's own "State of the Unions," there are a lot of other podcasts out there that have their own approach to discussing labor issues and the rights of working people. Here are the latest podcasts from across the labor movement in the United States." Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Operating Engineers: "Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the Operating Engineers." Pathway to Progress: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: "History has long been portrayed as a series of "great men" taking great action to shape the world we live in. In recent decades, however, social historians have focused more on looking at history "from the bottom up," studying the vital role that working people played in our heritage. Working people built, and continue to build, the United States. In our new series, Pathway to Progress, we'll take a look at various people, places and events where working people played a key role in the progress our country has made, including those who are making history right now. Today's topic is the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." Economy Gains 130,000 Jobs in August; Unemployment Steady at 3.7%: "The U.S. economy gained 130,000 jobs in August, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.7%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics." Responding to Dorian: 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." State of the Unions’ Podcast: Humble Courage and 90210: "On the latest episode of 'State of the Unions,' podcast co-hosts Julie Greene and Tim Schlittner talk to SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris about the future of work, sexual harassment and her journey from young actor to labor leader." Say No to IRAPs: In the States Roundup: "It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states." Stand Up and Be Recognized: Worker Wins: "Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with actors and actresses winning new contracts and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life." Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/13/2019 - 13:15 — Sep 13
  • Union Power on the Rise: In the States Roundup
    Union Power on the Rise: In the States Roundup AFL-CIO 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:
    We wish brother Tom Chamberlain the best with his retirement. #1u #UnionStrong https://t.co/f2HBSFoKFQ — Alabama AFL-CIO (@AlabamaAFLCIO) August 30, 2019
    Alaska AFL-CIO:
    We are also excited to support our sister @galradio for FNSB Assembly! #themindycampaign #akleg https://t.co/HPS0I57QHr — Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) September 10, 2019
    Arkansas AFL-CIO:
    Please remember our Sister in Odessa who lost her life this week. 😔 https://t.co/kvaQqzYvRP — Arkansas AFL-CIO (@ArkansasAFLCIO) September 2, 2019
    California Labor Federation:
    Solidarity with Port Truck Drivers ✊ #EndWageTheft #PortStrike #AB5 https://t.co/O5ZNOCWJYW — California Labor Federation (@CaliforniaLabor) September 9, 2019
    Connecticut AFL-CIO:
    "If we can get 99 percent of people to fight together for a more dignified life, we will get it. Let’s get it." #1u https://t.co/SSQfsQD5EM — Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) September 6, 2019
    Florida AFL-CIO:
    “I will be your ally in Tallahassee, we will stand with you and we will stand together in fighting for our future.” ⁦@NikkiFriedFL⁩ joins us at the Biennial AFL-CIO Conference. We’re excited about the new ideas she brings and her accomplishments so far. pic.twitter.com/wVSV2lfxnC — Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) September 8, 2019
    Idaho AFL-CIO:
    #1u #UnionStrong #IdahoUnions #AFLCIO #IDAFLCIO #LaborUnions pic.twitter.com/Z0Ao7YxIg7 — Idaho State AFL-CIO (@IdahoAFLCIO) September 10, 2019
    Indiana State AFL-CIO:
    Trump’s NLRB sides with corporations over working people #ElectionsMatter #1u https://t.co/Ale2EPPlgJ — Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) September 10, 2019
    Iowa Federation of Labor:
    How American Workers Won the Eight-Hour Workday https://t.co/pr85ugE9JR — Iowa AFL-CIO (@IowaAFLCIO) September 9, 2019
    Maine AFL-CIO:
    “We are literally forced to work consecutive shifts from nights to days without enough time to sleep. Our fight, first and foremost, is for safe patient care.” https://t.co/w5wfwGi7Fv @MeNursesUnion @AFLCIO #mepolitics — Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) September 10, 2019
    Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
    Members of the Mass AFL-CIO’s Young Workers Movement are in #Marshfield standing on the picket line with @Teamsters25 in their fight for a fair contract. #1u #solidarity pic.twitter.com/k8TJi12Jxe — Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) September 4, 2019
    Metro Washington (D.C.) Council AFL-CIO:
    Challenger paratransit workers reach first-time tentative agreement - Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO https://t.co/UUjoobX9WA — MetroDCLaborCouncil (@DCLabor) September 9, 2019
    Michigan AFL-CIO:
    #Solidarity https://t.co/JOvPF69Mjv — Michigan AFL-CIO (@MIAFLCIO) September 6, 2019
    Minnesota AFL-CIO:
    Five Signs That Worker Power Is on the Rise https://t.co/tyJ1N15O3I #1u pic.twitter.com/FLBXc7GYT6 — Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) September 8, 2019
    Missouri AFL-CIO:
    Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. If you or someone you care about is struggling, please know you're not alone. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. #WSD2019 #WorldSuicidePreventionDay pic.twitter.com/mED2I8LbNV — Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) September 10, 2019
    Montana AFL-CIO:
    🚨Job Opportunity🚨 If you're looking to break into political work and organizing @MontanaFed is great place to start. https://t.co/XJWMt74QDK — Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) September 6, 2019
    Nebraska AFL-CIO:
    Working people want a better life for everyone, not just the wealthy few. #laborDay #1u pic.twitter.com/oZeqRH5VeR — NE State AFL-CIO (@NEAFLCIO) August 28, 2019
    New Hampshire AFL-CIO:
    Watch Pres. Glenn Brackett at today's NHDP Convention addressing 15,000 friends and allies at https://t.co/OQB8giXmQC. pic.twitter.com/WCm0GIk2CC — NewHampshire AFL-CIO (@NHAFLCIO) September 7, 2019
    New Mexico Federation of Labor:
    President Vince Alvarado in the dunk tank this #LaborDay https://t.co/Dk8PUcBuHJ — NMFL (@NMFLaflcio) September 2, 2019
    New York State AFL-CIO:
    And we are off! #UnionStrong #Solidarity #LDP2019 @centrallabornyc pic.twitter.com/dKp1m0lhGE — NYSAFLCIO (@NYSAFLCIO) September 7, 2019
    North Carolina State AFL-CIO:
    Opinion: In This Economy, Every Day Should Be #LaborDay https://t.co/sQbeZfwpZB via @MikeElk #1u — NC State AFL-CIO (@NCStateAFLCIO) September 3, 2019
    Ohio AFL-CIO:
    👏👏👏 Being #UnionStrong = Strong Communities! https://t.co/l3PMKtqNz7 — Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) September 9, 2019
    Oklahoma State AFL-CIO:
    Yes, America is Rigged Against Workers https://t.co/wia8ybPsk3 — Oklahoma AFL-CIO (@OK_AFL_CIO) September 6, 2019
    Oregon AFL-CIO:
    Unbelievable. https://t.co/SB5QG97rWw — Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) September 8, 2019
    Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
    Have you ever seen a snake at a #LaborDay parade? Thank you, @The_UWUA because now we have!! 🐍 pic.twitter.com/g62H7LOe4W — PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) September 2, 2019
    Texas AFL-CIO:
    State employees rally for higher pay https://t.co/7JgC1HoEUZ — Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) September 7, 2019
    Virginia AFL-CIO:
    20,000 @ATT workers in the South went on strike—and won. @CWAUnion, congratulations on a big win. Read about it here: https://t.co/R506v1v3NX #UnionStrong #Solidarity #JoinAUnion #Winning pic.twitter.com/hgHC1AEkTw — Virginia AFL-CIO (@Virginia_AFLCIO) September 10, 2019
    Washington State Labor Council:
    ICYMI... The high cost of Tim Eyman's Initiative 976 (by the WSLC's David Groves) #waelex https://t.co/RiyOnFEYYu — WA State AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) September 9, 2019
    West Virginia AFL-CIO:
    Happy Labor Day everyone!! Workers around the country are winning because we are standing together and communities are rallying behind us. In fact, fresh research from Gallup shows approval of unions at 64 percent, a nearly 50-year high. #WV #wvpol #UnionStrong 💪 pic.twitter.com/qzPyTDmLJI — West Virginia AFLCIO (@WestVirginiaAFL) September 2, 2019
    Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
    Kenosha AFL-CIO chooses 2 for Labor Person of Year, https://t.co/AYpepI2Mxv — WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) September 3, 2019
    Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/13/2019 - 11:40     — Sep 13
  • Labor Unions Are for Safety and Creativity
    Labor Unions Are for Safety and Creativity Terence Faircloth I do not go around asking people if they believe in God. But I frequently ask people if they believe in labor unions. I am genuinely curious about how people around me think about collective bargaining in workplaces. How do people who work for a living, or who have at some point worked for a living (meaning most of us) think about people being courageous, together, for the sake of the integrity of their work or the safety of their work or the dignity of their lives at work? Several men working for the fire department recently said, loud enough for people coming out of the grocery store to hear, “Oh, yes ma’am, we sure do need our union.” In a hotel elevator this summer, a man, carrying a poster noting his retirement as an airline pilot, said he is clear that people working in the industry, at all levels, need labor unions. He said it was a basic matter of safety. This is one very obvious reason why everyone who walks around in the world needs labor unions. If you drive in a car, you want the people who put your car together to have the ability to stop production if they notice something is awry. If you ride around on one of those rent-by-the-day scooters, you want the people who put the scooter together to have been able to take the time to test whether or not the scooter is safe to scoot. (Same for the people who put together the helmet you should be wearing if you are scooting. Just saying.) People who work for the fire department need equipment that allows them to put out the fire safely and quickly if, by chance, you have overestimated your oven’s ability to be “self-cleaning.” (A real, and embarrassing, example.) Look up the cover of “The Berenstain Bears: Jobs Around Town” and tell me a job that Jan and Stan Berenstain feature that does not need a labor union? The man on the girder being lifted by a crane needs the person pulling the lever to be able to call in sick if necessary. The woman selling hot dogs does not want to sell Sister Bear a dog with, well...actual dog under the relish. The bear walking across the bridge with what appears to be a giant pumpkin relies on the fact that the bears who built the bridge had time off to eat lunches and sleep. And the bear with the pink shirt, up in the corner, painting on a canvas? They need a labor union, too. This is one of the trickiest concepts for some people to grasp. Labor unions are about our safety as people living together in a town or city, and they are also about creativity. As a writer and a teacher, I need the committed, active support of other writers and teachers in order to write and to teach in my own unique, best, way. While I was a graduate student, collective bargaining allowed me to write what turned out to be a damn good dissertation (and eventually a book) without worrying that my adviser would punish me for writing something very different than what he had published. I needed the courage in common that was collective bargaining to formulate my own particular and singular way of thinking. Actors, photographers, journalists, sculptors—all have expressed a similar sense that labor unions allow for individual freedom in their craft. If you want to hear what music sounds like without labor unions, turn on your canned radio station and hear the same pop song every two hours, interspersed with a few others deemed by someone in marketing to meet the least common denominator of music. Alternatively, find the alternative station in the genre that helps you through your own workday, and consider periodically the teamwork behind the scenes that allowed those musicians to defy what some person in the number-crunching department determined would be passable as music. There are no doubt some people in this world who manage to be remarkably creative without labor unions and the collective bargaining that comes with courage. I am frankly worn out from trying. I need a union as much as people putting out fires and people putting airplanes together. My labor is also important, and so I will keep asking people about their unions and their ideas about unions. And I will keep trying to find the best, most creative and unique ways to explain why I need a team. Amy Laura Hall has taught ethics at Duke University since 1999. Her most recent book is Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich. This post originally appeared at the North Carolina State AFL-CIO. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/13/2019 - 09:41 — Sep 13