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State of the Unions’ Podcast with Sara Nelson: Aviation's First Responders
AFL-CIO
Recently, the AFL-CIO launched another tool to bring you the issues and stories that matter to working people. In the latest episode of our podcast, “State of the Unions,” we talk to UNITE HERE's Rachel Gumpert about recent worker victories at Marriott and go in-depth with Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) International President Sara Nelson.
“State of the Unions” captures the stories of workers across the country. It’s co-hosted by two young and diverse members of the AFL-CIO team: Mobilization Director Julie Greene and Executive Speechwriter Tim Schlittner. A new episode will drop every other Wednesday featuring interesting interviews with workers and our allies across the country, as well as compelling insights from the podcast’s hosts.
Listen to our previous episodes:
Special Episode: What's Wrong with GM? with longtime UAW member Brad Markell.
Discussing the midterms and the future of labor with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Our midterm recap with Rep. Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania.
...
‘A Handle on Our Future’
UNITE HERE
As details of the agreements between UNITE HERE workers and Marriott become public, one thing is clear: These victories provide a blueprint for collective bargaining going forward. As Brian Lang, president of UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston said, “It changes people’s expectations about what’s possible.”
For more than two months, 7,700 hotel workers from Boston to Hawaii went on strike, demanding better wages and respect from Marriott, the most profitable hotel chain in the world.
These workers not only won better wages, they won a better future. Their wins could show the way forward for all workers, whether they’re in a union or not.
While the contracts vary by each location, here are six top noteworthy wins from across the country:
A 20% raise over 4.5 years;
A 37% increase in pension contributions;
Six weeks of paid maternity leave, plus two weeks for spouses;
A paid holiday for every worker who becomes an American citizen;
Advance notice and training for workers whose jobs will be affected by new technology; and
Cutting-edge...
Equal and Inalienable Rights
AFL-CIO
Seventy years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Translated into more than 500 languages, it recognized that “the inherent dignity and...equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
Article 23 of the declaration lays out the economic rights of working people, including:
The right to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
The right to equal pay for equal work without discrimination.
The right to just and favorable wages that ensure human dignity—supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
The right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of one’s interests.
The working people of the labor movement have organized, marched and fought toward securing those rights as a universal reality. In the face of a corporate right-wing campaign to destroy these fundamental freedoms, the AFL-CIO is carrying on the work of...
Economy Gains 155,000 Jobs in November; Unemployment Unchanged at 3.7%
The U.S. economy gained 155,000 jobs in November, and unemployment was unchanged at 3.7%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The labor market can be a leading indicator for the economy. Soft wage growth has been accompanied by weaker auto sales than typical for this low level of unemployment, leading General Motors to plan plant closings, and slowing home sales point to stresses for workers and the household sector of the economy. The Federal Reserve needs to move with great caution and hold off on more rate increases.
In response to the November job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:
#JobReport Payroll employment up 155,000 in November, unemployment rate steady at 3.7% Over the year, wages were up 3.1% not impressive enough numbers for the @federalreserve to maintain increasing interest rates @AFLCIO— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
#JobsReport Labor Force Participation rates remain flat overall, the Black and white rates remain similar, both near 62.2% for...
State of the Unions: 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.
‘State of the Unions’ Podcast with Brad Markell: ‘What’s Wrong with GM’: “Recently, the AFL-CIO launched another tool to bring you the issues and stories that matter to working people. In the latest episode of our podcast, ‘State of the Unions,’ we talk to longtime UAW member and AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council Executive Director Brad Markell about General Motors’ recent decision to close five North American plants, costing up to 14,000 workers their jobs.”
Remembering George H.W. Bush’s Commitment to Public Service: “President George H.W. Bush will be laid to rest at a state funeral today. Remembrances have been flowing in from across the political spectrum, but one thing we all can agree on is that Bush lived a life that was devoted to public service, not only for himself, but for those who answered his call for all of us to help our fellow Americans.”
Stop the Lame-Duck Power...
‘State of the Unions’ Podcast with Brad Markell: ‘What’s Wrong with GM’
AFL-CIO
Recently, the AFL-CIO launched another tool to bring you the issues and stories that matter to working people. In the latest episode of our podcast, “State of the Unions,” we talk to longtime UAW member and AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council Executive Director Brad Markell about General Motors’ recent decision to close five North American plants, costing up to 14,000 workers their jobs.
“State of the Unions” captures the stories of workers across the country. It’s hosted by two young and diverse members of the AFL-CIO team: Mobilization Director Julie Greene and Executive Speechwriter Tim Schlittner. A new episode will drop every other Wednesday featuring interesting interviews with workers and our allies across the country, as well as compelling insights from the podcast’s hosts.
Listen to our previous episodes:
Discussing the midterms and the future of labor with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Our midterm recap with Rep. Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania.
Talking about union members in office with Mayor Dahlia...
Remembering George H.W. Bush's Commitment to Public Service
Wikimedia Commons
President George H.W. Bush will be laid to rest at a state funeral today. Remembrances have been flowing in from across the political spectrum, but one thing we all can agree on is that Bush lived a life that was devoted to public service, not only for himself, but for those who answered his call for all of us to help our fellow Americans.
George Herbert Walker Bush was born in 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts. As a high-school senior when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, Bush was inspired to join the U.S. Navy after graduation and he became the youngest U.S. Navy pilot in the country. During the war, he flew 58 combat missions in the Pacific theater, earned the rank of lieutenant and received three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service.
After returning home, he finished his Bachelor of Arts at Yale before moving into the oil industry. By the time the 1960s had arrived, Bush entered politics; and in 1962, he was named chair of the Texas Republican Party. After several failed attempts to win a U.S. Senate seat,...
Stop the Lame-Duck Power Grabs
Wisconsin AFL-CIO
After losing the top offices in Wisconsin and Michigan, anti-worker legislators are trying to strip powers from Govs.-elect Tony Evers and Gretchen Whitmer, respectively—before they are even sworn in. Doing so would have enormous negative consequences for working people in both states.
We must stop these outrageous lame-duck power grabs.
Wisconsin lawmakers are rushing through proposals that would:
Strip key power and authority from Gov.-elect Evers and incoming Attorney General Josh Kaul before they take office.
Lock the state into a misguided lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.
Make it harder to vote.
Lower hardworking construction workers’ pay by limiting the number of transportation projects subject to federal prevailing wage standards.
Call your state senator and representative NOW to stop these efforts to undermine and take away power from Gov.-elect Tony Evers before he takes office.
In Michigan, the lame-duck legislature is considering bills that would:
Transfer powers from the governor’s and...
Infrastructure Matters. It’s Time to Get Serious About Funding It
TTD
One hundred billion dollars is a lot of money. With that much cash you could buy four Starbucks lattes for every living human on the planet. (That’s 33 billion lattes in total, if you’re counting.) If coffee is not really your thing, consider buying every single NFL team three times over. Don’t like sports? You and the record-holding Powerball winner can compare piles of cash and together marvel at how yours is 63 times taller.
Or, if you are the federal government, you can pitch in your annual share of the cost to build and maintain our highway, water, mass transit, aviation and rail infrastructure. (It’s worth noting the actual amount we spend as a country is much higher, though states and local government chip in for most of it.)
But here’s the kicker: Even if you weigh your options and pick infrastructure over a monopoly on football, your $100 billion comes nowhere close to how much we should be spending each year if we want to achieve world-class infrastructure that boosts the country’s economy and grows the middle class. For our roads and...
Tuesday's Gone, but Don't Stop Giving: 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.
A. Philip Randolph Institute:
Group Made Its Way Through Mississippi Before Senate Runoff to Get Black People to Register to Vote—and to Understand Their Political Power https://t.co/Le8DxuWT2h
— APRI National (DC) (@APRI_National) November 27, 2018
Actors' Equity:
Performers deserve fair compensation & residuals, pension &health contributions and a safe work environment. Join fellow union members to let BBH know that you deserve the ability to build a sustainable career. https://t.co/RdmF654qHq
— Actors' Equity (@ActorsEquity) November 28, 2018
AFGE:
The Federal Salary Council wants to change the way feds get...
