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Paving the Way: What Working People Are Doing This Week
AFL-CIO
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.
A. Philip Randolph Institute:
Strong Unions Mean Strong African-American Communities https://t.co/teHSH89X2k
— APRI National (DC) (@APRI_National) March 4, 2019
Actors' Equity:
Looking forward to working with @TheUmbrellaArts for their upcoming season, expanding their ability to work with more actors in Boston! #EquityWorkshttps://t.co/IQgbOGa3ET pic.twitter.com/3s1RFpILPF
— Actors' Equity (@ActorsEquity) March 7, 2019
AFGE:
This #WomensHistoryMonth, we're celebrating labor and civil rights leaders who have paved the way for generations to come. #AFGEWomen #1uwomen #1u pic.twitter.com/PF93ESFjz4
— AFGE (@AFGENational) March 7, 2019
AFSCME:
San Mateo County human...
Profiling Women Labor Leaders and Activists: 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.
AFL-CIO Is Profiling Labor Leaders and Activists for Women's History Month: "For Women's History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various women who were leaders and activists working at the intersection of civil and labor rights. First, let's take a look back at women we've profiled in the past."
New Proposal Would Keep Millions of Working People from Getting Overtime: "The Donald Trump administration is proposing a new overtime regulation that would protect at least 2.8 million fewer workers than the overtime regulation proposed by the Barack Obama administration in 2016."
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: School Administrators: "Next up in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the School Administrators (AFSA). The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates."
Black History Month...
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: AFSCME
AFL-CIO
Next up in our series taking a deeper look at each of our affiliates is AFSCME. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates.
Name of Union: American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Mission: AFSCME members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations, AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and the freedom and opportunity for all working families.
Current Leadership of Union: Lee Saunders was elected AFSCME president in 2012, the first African American to hold that position, after previously serving as secretary-treasurer and in many other roles with AFSCME since 1978. He comes from a union family, raised in Cleveland as the son of a city bus driver and a community organizer. Elissa McBride serves as secretary-treasurer, and AFSCME has 35 international vice presidents serving different regions
Members Work As: Nurses, corrections officers, child care providers, EMTs,...
Our Time Is Now: Leading with Passion, Purpose and Power
New Jersey AFL-CIO
More than 300 union sisters from all sectors of organized labor gathered at the Hilton East Brunswick Hotel on March 1 for the 16th annual Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Conference. This two-day conference featured several distinguished speakers, including Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler (IBEW) and Alice Paul Institute Executive Director Lucienne Beard.
"WILD brings a multifaceted approach to leadership development through interactive education, mentorship and enduring networks of solidarity, and every year we are proud to add new layers to this foundation that reflect our changing culture and political environment," said New Jersey State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan. "This year, the atmosphere of unity and sisterhood was remarkable as both first-time and longtime WILD sisters joined together to listen, learn and lead in the fight to strengthen our labor movement and nation."
On Saturday, the second day of the conference, attendees participated in two workshop discussions—Lobbying/...
Economy Gains 20,000 Jobs in February; Unemployment Down to 3.8%
The U.S. economy gained 20,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.8%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a dramatically lower level of job growth than we have seen in recent years and is good reason for the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee to express caution in considering any interest rate hikes.
In response to the February job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs said:
While wages were up 3.4% over last February, wage increases were not widespread. In leisure and hospitality they were up 4.6%, but in manufacturing they were only up 2.6%. In retail trade they were up 5.0%, but in transportation and warehousing they were only up 2.4%. Retail and leisure and hospitality have large shares of minimum wage workers who got boosts from automatic inflation adjustments because of state laws protecting the real wages of minimum wage workers.
He also tweeted:
#JobsReport in looking over today's @BLS_gov figures it is important to keep in mind three sector where...
New Proposal Would Keep Millions of Working People from Getting Overtime
The Donald Trump administration is proposing a new overtime regulation that would protect at least 2.8 million fewer workers than the overtime regulation proposed by the Barack Obama administration in 2016.
The AFL-CIO and other overtime advocates had urged the Trump administration to implement the Obama administration’s overtime rule and defend it against a court challenge by business trade associations and Republican state governments, but the Trump administration has refused to do so.
The 2016 Obama administration’s proposal would raise the overtime threshold from $23,660 to $47,476. However, because the Obama rule provided for automatic updates of the threshold to keep overtime protections from being eroded by inflation, the threshold under the Obama rule would be $51,064 today and $55,000 in 2022.
By contrast, the Trump administration’s proposal sets the overtime threshold at $35,308 and does not provide for automatic updates. By the administration’s own estimates, 2.8 million fewer workers would be newly eligible for overtime in the first year of...
AFL-CIO Is Profiling Labor Leaders and Activists for Women's History Month
For Women's History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various women who were leaders and activists working at the intersection of civil and labor rights. First, let's take a look back at women we've profiled in the past:
Arlene Holt Baker
Ella Josephine Baker
Rachel Bryan
Hattie Canty
Charlene Carruthers
Dora Cervantes
Linda Chavez-Thompson
May Chen
Septima Poinsette Clark
Miriam Frank
Fannie Lou Hamer
Elle Hearns
Velma Hopkins
Josette Jaramillo
Marsha P. Johnson
Mara Keisling
Theresa King
Sue Ko Lee and the Dollar Store Strikers
Esther López
Bree Newsome
Lucy Gonzales Parsons
Ai-jen Poo
Kara Sheehan
Augusta Thomas
Rosina Tucker
Velma Veloria
Sue Cowan Williams
Diann Woodard
Check back throughout March as we add even more names to this prestigious list.
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 03/07/2019 - 12:37
Tags:
Labor History
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: School Administrators
AFL-CIO
Next up in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the School Administrators (AFSA). The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates.
Name of Union: American Federation of School Administrators
Mission: To promote the professional, occupational and economic interests of its members and fight for the highest quality public school education for all pupils.
Current Leadership of Union: Ernest A. Logan began serving as president in July 2018, succeeding the late Diann Woodard. Leonard Pugliese serves as executive vice president and Lauran Waters-Cherry serves as secretary-treasurer.
Current Number of Members: 20,000
Members Work As: Principals, assistant principals, administrators, supervisors and other school leaders
Industries Represented: Public schools across the United States.
History: The origins of AFSA begin in 1962 when the Council of Supervisory Associations (CSA) was formed in New York city to fight for collective bargaining rights. By 1968, CSA formally...
Black History Month Labor Profiles: William Burrus
APWU
For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is William Burrus.
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, William Burrus attended West Virginia State College after graduating high school with honors. Betwen 1954–1957, he served in the 101st Airborne Division and the 4th Armored Tank Division of the U.S. Army. After his time in the Army ended, he began his employment with the U.S. Postal Service, working as a distribution clerk and maintenance employee in Cleveland.
A participant in the Great Postal Strike of 1970, Burrus was elected president of the Cleveland local of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). He served in that role until 1980. While president of his local, Burrus became the founder and first president of the APWU National Presidents Conference. He also was a leader in the fight to reject a collective bargaining agreement proposed in 1978 that would've limited cost-of-living increases for postal workers.
In 1980,...
AFSCME Member Elected to Connecticut State Legislature
Connecticut AFL-CIO
Anthony Nolan, a New London, Connecticut, city councilman and member of AFSCME Local 724, won his race yesterday in a special election to fill an open seat in the state legislature.
Nolan will continue to serve as a New London patrol officer in addition to his new role as state representative.
"The union is a brotherhood and sisterhood that stands up and fights for you," Nolan said of his labor backing in the race. "It means a great deal to have the support of the people who stand with you every day."
The Connecticut AFL-CIO proudly endorsed Nolan. "Because of his experiences, Anthony understands how important it is to be a voice for working families," Connecticut AFL-CIO President Sal Luciano (AFSCME) said. "He pledges to fight for labor’s priorities, including an increase in the minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, a more progressive income tax and limiting the practice of captive audience meetings during organizing drives."
The state federation and affiliates organized labor-to-labor activities for their union...
