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Fighting for Those Who Serve

Union Veterans Council

As we celebrate millions of service members’ selfless sacrifice this Veterans Day, the Union Veterans Council is fighting to defend their economic rights and dignities when they return home. Join that fight today and be a voice for working-class veterans.

Whether fighting to preserve the integrity of the Department of Veterans Affairs or handing an economic lifeline to returning service members, the labor movement is fighting every day for those who committed themselves to service.

“We’re seeking to bridge the gap between military and civilian life, helping those who served our country apply the unparalleled leadership and technical skills they learned in the military to a good union job once they’re back home,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka at a Toys for Tots kickoff earlier today. “Serving our veterans is just one way the labor movement is making an impact in our communities.”

You can be a part of that effort. This Veterans Day, stand with us and speak out on the issues that impact us most. Demand more from politicians and corporations than a...

New Jersey Labor Movement Leads Charge to Take Back House in the Midterm Elections

On Nov. 6, after what may have been the most consequential election in recent U.S. history, union members across New Jersey celebrated Bob Menendez’s re-election to the U.S. Senate, as well as the election of all 12 labor-endorsed congressional candidates, eight state Senate and assembly members and 50 rank-and-file union members.

In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, as well as the recent attacks on workers’ rights and union rights, these victories could not have come at a better time for working families in New Jersey. Ultimately, the results attest to the exceptional mobilization efforts of organized labor and the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s political program, a program unparalleled by any other in the state or nation.

This election was especially significant in that the nationally renowned New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates Program notched its 1,000th candidate victory, a mark many thought impossible to reach when the program first began more than two decades ago. Thus far, Tuesday’s election has seen 50 victories...

Working People Respond to Midterm Election Results

Across the country, yesterday's elections showed that where candidates appealed to working people and championed policies that support us, working people will support those candidates. Working people provided winning margins in races across the country, sending a clear message that the pathway to winning elections in the United States goes through the labor movement.

Here is what the leaders of the AFL-CIO's affiliates and other national organizations said about yesterday's results.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA):

Union members made our voices heard loud and clear last night. Working people trust our unions, and that trust was at the core of an unmatched political program. For months, street by street and person by person, we talked about the issues that matter most and the candidates who will put working families first. We have been mobilizing on a scale that I’ve never seen in my 50 years in the labor movement. In every corner of the country, working people showed up to fill the halls of power with union members and our allies. We made clear that we won’t stand for...

Who Says Union Organizer Debriefs Can't Be Fun?

OI

We are coming off of an exciting two days of Debriefs: Successful Strategies and Tactics for Winning Campaigns! This Organizing Institute (OI) Exchange Clinic took place Oct. 22-23 and was held at the historic AFSCME Local 1733 union hall in Memphis, Tennessee.  Sixteen advanced and lead level organizers from Ironworkers International Union and Communications Workers of America (CWA) leading campaigns across the country participated. The clinic focused on how lead organizers understand and apply the components of effective debriefs into their campaigns.

It was amazing to have so many engaged, energetic and thoughtful lead organizers share their experiences with each other and reinforce best practices of incorporating effective debriefs into their campaigns. Bringing organizers together to reinforce best practices is always the highlight of the OI Exchange Clinics, and best practices are also key to winning organizing campaigns! 

Some of the organizer's takeaways from the clinic were:

How to be more deliberate about having planned debriefs after meetings, one...