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Black History Month Labor Profiles: Arlene Holt Baker
Center for Community Change
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 first profile this year is Arlene Holt Baker.
Arlene Holt Baker began her work in the labor movement in Los Angeles in 1972. As a member of AFSCME, she began organizing clerical employees who worked for the city. That process taught her that collective bargaining was the way to empower people economically. Her undying optimism was boosted by the fact that soon after she started her organizing work, William Lucy took office as AFSCME's secretary-treasurer, the first African American to hold one of the union's top offices. Her belief in the work she was doing was strengthened when she saw Lucy's picture hung on the wall in AFSCME's LA office. "I felt somehow that it was destiny to be there with an organization that believed in social and economic justice," she said.
Arlene's mother, Georgia Louise Leslie, was a domestic worker who sacrificed daily to make sure that Arlene...
AFL-CIO Is Profiling Labor Leaders and Activists for Black History Month
AFL-CIO
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. First, let's take a look back at our past profiles:
Muhammad Ali
Ella Josephine Baker
Rachel Bryan
Hattie Canty
Charlene Carruthers
Septima Poinsette Clark
Echol Cole
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fred Hampton
Elle Hearns
Charles Horhn
Velma Hopkins
Marsha P. Johnson
William Lucy
Doug Moore
Bree Newsome
OUR Walmart workers
Lucy Gonzales Parsons
A. Philip Randolph
Fred Redmond
Keith Richardson
Bayard Rustin
Umi Selah
Augusta Thomas
Rosina Tucker
Robert Walker
Sue Cowan Williams
Check back throughout February as we add even more names to this prestigious list.
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 02/06/2019 - 09:51
Tags:
Black History Month
Writers Unite!: Worker Wins
Slate Union
Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with writers organizing and winning new contracts and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Dodo Staffers Ratify First Contract with WGAE: Staffers at online publication, the Dodo, voted unanimously to ratify their first union contract. The publication, which is dedicated to compassion for animals and animal-related causes, has nearly three dozen covered employees. The bargaining committee for the workers said: "This contract was achieved through the collective action and mutual support of all of our colleagues, and we are so proud of the standards we established together. We are very excited to join our colleagues at Thrillist as we ratify the second union contract at Group Nine, and we look forward to other shops in digital media working together to provide themselves with the same fair and basic protections."
Slate Editorial and Podcast Staff Ratify First Collective Bargaining Agreement: Editorial and podcast staff at Slate, ratified their first collective bargaining...
The State of the Union Is…
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When President Donald Trump takes to the House floor to deliver his State of the Union address this evening, we hope to hear a concrete plan to fund the government and make the economy work for those of us who work the hardest. But so far, his actions in office suggest otherwise. Ahead of the big speech, let’s break down his record.
Over the past two years, the Trump administration has overseen a wide-ranging and deeply harmful assault on the rights, dignities and livelihoods of working people. Here are just a few of the president’s worst anti-worker actions:
Denied a pay check to 40% of the federal workforce through the longest government shutdown in history.
Jammed through massive corporate tax cuts on the backs of working people, encouraging further outsourcing and automation.
Derailed the Department of Labor’s overtime rule, blocking millions of workers from receiving a pay raise.
Proposed widespread cuts to health care, targeting critical funding for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the health coverage of millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions...
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Air Line Pilots Association
AFL-CIO
Next up in our series of taking a deeper look at each of the AFL-CIO's unions is the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 affiliates.
Name of Union: Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA)
Mission: The mission of ALPA is to promote and champion all aspects of aviation safety throughout all segments of the aviation community; to represent, in both specific and general respects, the collective interests of all pilots in commercial aviation; to assist in collective bargaining activities on behalf of all pilots represented by the association; to promote the health and welfare of the members of the association before all governmental agencies; to be a strong, forceful advocate of the airline piloting profession, through all forms of media, and with the public at large; and to be the ultimate guardian and defender of the rights and privileges of the professional pilots who are members of the association.
Current Leadership of Union: Capt. Joe DePete is the 11th president of ALPA and...
Get To Know Us: 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 this week’s Working People Weekly List.
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Actors' Equity: "This is the first post in our new series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates. First up is Actors' Equity (AEA)."
Government Reopens, But Federal Workers Won’t Forget: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said he’s glad the shutdown is over, but he isn’t giving the president credit for it. According to Trumka, the president was forced to give in and capitulate to the people. 'President Trump didn’t want to end this shutdown—the collective action of working people demanded it,' stated Trumka. 'By marching, rallying and protesting together, we forced him to the table and ensured that the labor and dedication of our public servants will not be taken for granted.'"
House Approves Pay Raise for Federal Workers: "The House passed legislation to provide a pay...
Economy Gains 304,000 Jobs in January; Unemployment Rises to 4%
The U.S. economy gained 304,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate rose to 4%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage growth of 3.2% is positive but insufficient to restore labor's share of national income, and too low to conclude that labor markets are tight. Because 19 states boosted their minimum wage, wages in leisure and hospitality (the bulk of whom are fast-food workers) gained 4.7% in wage growth, while in manufacturing wages only rose 2.4%. The Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee made the right decision to hold back on further rate increases.
In response to the January job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:
#JobsDay #NumbersDay In one sign the government shutdown effected today's @BLS_gov report, Investigation and security services show a drop of 4,800 jobs @AFGENational @AFLCIO @IAMBobMartinez
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) February 1, 2019
#JobsReport #NumbersDay Another sign of the government shutdown, payrolls for services to buildings and dwellings (...
Improving Safety: 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:
D.C. Labor chorus: ‘The musical arm of the resistance’ https://t.co/dZfKQd1Tva
— APRI National (DC) (@APRI_National) January 24, 2019
Actors' Equity:
For the 43rd year, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), will welcome members beginning Monday, February 4.
Visit the Member Portal today to download the necessary tax forms - https://t.co/ThcMrDCO5c pic.twitter.com/CnZgn4KhdO
— Actors' Equity (@ActorsEquity) January 28, 2019
AFGE:
This @AFGENational TSA officer reflects on the impact of the government #shutdown. #1u...
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Actor's Equity
Actors' Equity
This is the first post in our new series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 55 of our affiliates. First up is the Actors' Equity Association (AEA).
Name of Union: Actors' Equity Association
Mission: To foster the art of live theater as an essential component of society. To advance the careers of members through negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans.
Current Leadership of Union: The current president of Equity is Kate Shindle. Shindle was elected in 2015 and is the youngest person to ever hold the Equity presidency (and only the third woman). She originally joined in 1999 and was first elected to Equity's national council in 2008 before starting a three-year term as Eastern Regional Vice President the next year. As an actor, she made her Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde before appearing in Cabaret, Legally Blonde and numerous other shows. She was an associate producer on the Broadway...
Stay Strong: 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 this week’s Working People Weekly List.
Los Angeles Teachers Stay Strong; Win Improvements: "Less than a month into 2019, the teachers of Los Angeles have proven that last year’s wave of collective action isn’t quieting down. After taking to the streets in a strike that has captured the country’s imagination, members of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) are returning to classrooms today after overwhelmingly approving a paradigm-shifting contract that delivers on key demands."
Honoring Dr. King's Legacy: A Special Conversation with Andrew Gillum: "Julie and Tim talk with the former Tallahassee mayor and 2018 Florida gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum, who calls himself a 'living, breathing, walking, talking result of [Dr. King's] legacy.' Gillum shares his experience on the campaign trail and previews the important fights ahead on voting, worker and civil rights.'"
The Fierce Urgency of Now: "Hundreds of labor and social...
