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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Jason Chan
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Jason Chan.
Machinists (IAM) District 751 member Jason Chan is a relentless advocate for workers' rights and justice for all. Chan is passionate in his continual desire to help others. Since joining the IAM in 2008, he worked his way up through the leadership ranks, serving in many positions from local president and business representative to his current position as chief of staff to District President Jon Holden—and he's making a difference every day.
Chan is a leader and advocate, not just for District 751, but in the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), at both the local and national level, as well as in our state and county labor councils.
He spends many weekends building wheelchair ramps for area residents and helping with other community service projects. He also raises funds for...
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Alaska AFL-CIO Condemns Gov. Dunleavy's Reject of Unemployment Insurance
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 Alaska AFL-CIO, led by President Joelle Hall (UFCW), condemned Gov. Mike Dunleavy's decision to reject federal funds for unemployment insurance, calling the action "a recipe for disaster." Hall cited experts who reject the governor's claim that the benefits are stopping people from returning to work. "The record is clear," Hall said. "There is no proof that these benefits are contributing to a worker shortage. Instead, lack of jobs that feed a family, limited access to child care and a concern for exposure in the workplace are trapping would-be workers in a cycle of concern for their families and health and the heavy hand of government denying benefits they have paid for and to which they are entitled."
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 05/21/2021 - 08:30
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Kaori Ogasawara Paris
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Kaori Ogasawara Paris.
Kaori Ogasawara Paris is an Airbus A320 pilot for United Airlines who is an active volunteer for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). At ALPA, Paris is involved with the Education Committee where she meets with women and girls who have an interest in pursuing a career as a professional airline pilot. Paris is also on the U.S. Department of Transportation's National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force as a representative from ALPA.
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 05/20/2021 - 08:44
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Women of Steel Raise Funds and Awareness for Victims of Domestic Violence
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 Women of Steel committee at United Steelworkers (USW) Local 310L in Des Moines, Iowa, recently raised $1,125 for the Soaring Hearts Foundation, a cause near and dear to their hearts. Unfortunately, the local lost one of their union sisters to domestic violence in 2014, and the foundation’s founder, Tiffany Allison, a domestic abuse survivor, helped her family and the local navigate their grief and trauma. Then in 2017, the local lost yet another sister to domestic violence, and Tiffany was once again at their side. “We have maintained a relationship with Tiffany and try to support her work,” the committee said.
The Women of Steel committee out of Local 8-957 in West Virginia also continued their campaign to keep alive the memory of their union sister Tammy Teagarden and her...
Agency, Representation and Justice: 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:
You're invited to attend “Claiming Our Power: AAPI Agency, Representation and Justice in the Workplace,” a webinar addressing the urgent issues facing people of the AAPI diaspora in the workplace and in society. This event is open to all.
RSVP today - https://t.co/7WyqevwlAa pic.twitter.com/XYVGreDvQa
— Actors' Equity (@ActorsEquity) May 19, 2021
AFGE:
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The OPM is urging federal agencies to focus on employees’ mental health and work-life balance. Focusing on mental health is even greater now, after workers have lived for more than a year of a deadly pandemic. https://t.co/PI5twGMmky...
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Editha Adams
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Editha Adams.
Editha Adams is a home caregiver who was born in the Philippines and raised in Japan. Now she serves as statewide president of a union, United Domestic Workers, AFSCME Local 3930, representing more than 140,000 care workers, the majority of whom are women of color. Adams wins for her members by working with allies such as the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) and the California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA) to strengthen community bonds and to lift up social justice, justice in aging and disability rights in the labor movement.
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 05/19/2021 - 09:44
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Washington State Labor Movement Applauds Historic Farmworker Overtime Pay Law
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.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation earlier this week at the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1439 union hall in Yakima that will make Washington the first state in the nation to bring the 40-hour workweek and overtime pay to all agricultural employees. Passage of legislation ensuring the 40-hour workweek and overtime pay rights for all Washington farm workers has been a priority for the Washington State Labor Council and its affiliated unions, including the United Farm Workers and Familias Unidas por la Justicia. S. 5172 establishes a three-year phase-in period for the new requirement that agricultural employers pay overtime to their employees.
“S. 5172 will end a racist legacy and correct an injustice that has existed for too long,” said Larry...
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Zenei Triunfo-Cortez
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Zenei Triunfo-Cortez.
Zenei Triunfo-Cortez is an RN who serves as one of the presidents of National Nurses United (NNU) and one of the presidents of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (the state affiliate of NNU). She is an inspiring advocate for Asian Americans in the labor movement. Her work has long inspired nurses of Filipina descent, which has been especially critical during the pandemic, when COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on Filipina registered nurses, who compromise nearly one-quarter of all RN COVID-19 deaths.
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 05/18/2021 - 09:00
Schools Must Be Open in Fall: 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.
President of Key Teachers’ Union Shares Plea: ‘Schools Must Be Open’ in Fall: "Randi Weingarten, president of the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union, called on Thursday for a full reopening of the nation’s schools for the next academic year, saying: 'There is no doubt: Schools must be open. In person. Five days a week.' 'It’s not risk-free,' Ms. Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which has 1.7 million members, said. She argued that the health risks can be managed through a range of practices—some of them relatively simple, such as masking and handwashing, and some of them more difficult to achieve at scale, such as decreasing class sizes to maintain distance and procuring additional spaces to meet outside cramped school buildings."
Want a Healthier Workplace Culture? Unionize: "A workplace’s culture is shaped by many factors. In my personal experience—as both a...
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Shwe Aung
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Shwe Aung.
Shwe Aung has overcome many obstacles as an inspector and member of the Seafarers (SIU) to bring about change to the treatment of vulnerable workers on ships. His story is one of perseverance and proves that standing up for those you work with can make a difference in the world. Aung worked as a Burmese merchant mariner before coming to the United States as a refugee. Once here, Aung became an American citizen, a labor activist and a highly effective international labor leader.
Watch this video to learn more about Shwe Aung, Burmese cowboy:
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 05/17/2021 - 09:43
