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Fun Ethical Essentials for Father’s Day
AFL-CIO
There is no instruction manual for actually becoming a parent, but we know a thing or two about the kinds of things that dads are into. With Father’s Day coming up fast, Labor 411 has a few suggestions for your Dad Essentials Kit. These items work equally well for new fathers and for the men who have had years of experience at this “dad” thing. Best of all, the items below are all made by ethical employers who treat their workers with respect and dignity. As you assemble your ethical Dad Essentials Kit, you’ll be helping to strengthen the middle class.
Clothes for Dad
All American Clothing
Belleville Boots
Brooks Brothers
Ethix Merch
Stacy Adams
Thorogood Boots
Gear for Dad
Remington Arms
Standard Golf products
Wilson Sporting Goods
Tools for Dad
Black & Decker
Channellock
Craftsman
RIDGID
Drinks for Dad
Bass
Coors
Jim Beam
Wild Turkey
And hundreds more. Check out our listings at Labor 411.
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 06/...
Worker and Consumer Groups to Santander: You’re On Notice
AFL-CIO
The Texas heat would not be enough to deter a powerful and broad coalition of consumer groups, unions and international representatives with the UNI Global Finance Union from delivering a powerful message to Santander Consumer USA at their annual shareholders meeting: Listen to your workers and stop practices that lead to racial discrimination in vehicle lending. According to reports by consumer advocate organizations, dealer interest rate markups on vehicle loans have resulted in racial disparities for African American and Latino borrowers compared to similarly situated white borrowers.
Jerry Robinson, a Committee for Better Banks member and retiree, described his experience at Santander: "Our job was to get people who were already upside down on their loans back in their cars by making them pay more fees." In describing his experience in another department, he told the CEO that he "saw how auto dealer inflated the costs of loans. I saw first-hand how customers paid for products that they did not know were optional. Sometimes our customers were sold GAP...
ITUC Report: Democratic Space for Working People Is Shrinking
A new report from the International Trade Union Confederation concludes that the world is seeing shrinking democratic space for working people and unchecked corporate greed on the rise. The 2018 ITUC Global Rights Index documents violations of internationally recognized collective labor rights by governments and employers.
Here are some of the key findings from this year's report:
54 countries deny or constrain freedom of speech, up from 50 last year.
More than 80% of countries have violated the right to collective bargaining.
The 10 worst countries for working people are: Algeria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
In 65 countries, workers were exposed to physical violence, death threats and intimidation, up from 59 last year.
Trade unionists were murdered in nine countries.
59 countries arbitrarily arrested and detained workers, up from 44 last year.
The right to strike has been violated by 87% of countries.
65% of countries do not allow workers to...
Vote to Pay LGBT Servers a Secure, Living Wage
The Washington, D.C., restaurant scene has reached soaring heights over the past few years. That prosperity—and the dining experiences we’ve grown accustomed to—has been built by working people putting in exhausting hours on the restaurant floor and behind the bar.
Working people deserve to receive a fair share of the wealth they help create. And they certainly deserve economic security while lifting up a booming industry.
Instead, servers and bartenders are being paid a $3.33 hourly wage, relying on customers’ unpredictable tips to make their living.
That leaves employees wildly vulnerable to harassment, discrimination and painfully low wages. Queer workers—especially women and people of color—are predictably at greater risk than most.
From blatant bigotry toward queer servers to increasingly common fits over any public utterance of Spanish to rampant sexual harassment, employees have been left at the mercy of less-than-stellar patrons.
Currently, when a worker’s tips don’t add up to minimum wage, the employer is obligated to make up for the rest. But that puts the...
Pride Month Profiles: Tom Barbera
Pride at Work
Throughout Pride Month, the AFL-CIO will be taking a look at some of the pioneers whose work sits at the intersection of the labor movement and the movement for LGBTQ equality. Our first profile is Tom Barbera.
Tom Barbera was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but moved to Boston and grew to become a legend in the movements for LGBTQ rights and working people, both in his adopted hometown, and in the larger world around him.
Colleague and friend Harneen Chernow wrote about Barbera at the time of his passing:
I first met Tom in the early years of the Gay and Lesbian Labor Activists Network (GALLAN), an organization of Boston area gay and lesbian union members that came together in the late 80s to bridge the two movements – bringing the fight for class and economic justice to gay and lesbian activism and the fight for gay rights to the labor movement. It is easy to forget what life was like for gay adults in the late 80s and early 90s as many folks were closeted at work, in their unions and to their families. But not Tom. He was as out as one could be, demanding...
Grand Theft Paycheck: How Big Corporations Shortchange Their Workers
Good Jobs First
A new report, Grand Theft Paycheck: The Large Corporations Shortchanging Their Workers’ Wages, reveals that large corporations have paid out billions to resolve wage theft lawsuits brought by workers. The lawsuits show that corporations frequently force employees to work off the clock, cheat them out of legally required overtime pay and use other methods to steal wages from workers.
"Our findings make it clear that wage theft goes far beyond sweatshops, fast-food outlets and retailers. It is built into the business model of a substantial portion of Corporate America," said Philip Mattera, the lead author of the report and director of research for Good Jobs First, which produced the report in conjunction with the Jobs With Justice Education Fund.
Here are nine things you need to know from the Grand Theft Paycheck report:
1. The top dozen companies from the report, in terms of wage theft settlement payouts, are Walmart, FedEx, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase & Co., State Farm Insurance, AT&T, United Parcel...
The Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act Reminds Us to Keep Working to Close the Gender Pay Gap
Sunday was the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 into law. The landmark law was the first that required equal pay for equal work for women.
In the early 20th century, women were about 25% of the workforce. Women workers were paid far less than men in those cases where women were allowed to do jobs that men did. Some states limited the hours that women could work, some going as far as to ban women from working at night.
When women started moving into the workforce in larger numbers during World War II, activists stepped up their efforts to increase pay for women workers, leading to the National War Labor Board endorsing equal pay for women who were replacing male workers who were at war. In 1945, Congress introduced the Women's Equal Pay Act, but it failed to pass, despite valiant efforts from advocates to win support.
By 1960, some progress had been made, but women were still paid less than two-thirds for the same work. During President John F. Kennedy's administration, things started to fall into place....
You Can't Break Our Will: 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 this week’s Working People Weekly List.
Supreme Court Can’t Break the Will of American Workers and Their Unions: "The nation’s top court will rule on Janus v. AFSCME any time now, an attempt by the rich and powerful to end economic equality in this country. When my grandfather Sanseverino first arrived in the United States from Italy in the 1940s, he worked at a factory. He joined his factory’s union, which not only gave him representation at work, but also benefits and negotiated regular wage increases that propelled our family into the middle class and home ownership. My brother, cousin, and I have all been able to join unions and reap the benefits as well. We are now a union family."
Pride At Work: Despite SCOTUS, Laws Still Protect LGBTQ People: "Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling letting a Colorado bakeshop discriminate against a gay couple by refusing to bake them a wedding cake, civil rights laws—state and federal—still protect lesbian-...
Bayard & Me
AFL-CIO
June is Pride Month. We are proud of the LGBTQ labor leaders who blazed a trail for dignity and equality. None had a greater impact than Bayard Rustin. To celebrate Rustin's life and legacy, the AFL-CIO, through its Ideas at Work series, hosted his longtime partner, Walter Naegle, for a screening of the award-winning documentary "Bayard & Me." The event was co-sponsored by Pride At Work and the A. Philip Randolph Institute. Following the screening, Naegle participated in a wide-ranging discussion with Stuart Appelbaum, the openly gay president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Naegle provided a firsthand account of Rustin's triumphs and tribulations as he faced incredible political and personal challenges during the civil rights movement. And both Naegle and Appelbaum talked about where we go from here.
The following are Naegle's remarks, as prepared:
I want to thank Tim Schlittner and Christine Cafasso for inviting me to join you for this showing of "Bayard & Me," and to Pride At Work and APRI for co-sponsoring it. Matt Wolf's film, which premiered at the...
To the Polls: Worker Wins
Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with an electoral victory and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
UNITE HERE Member Wins California Senate Primary on Behalf of Working People: Maria Elena Durazo, a California labor icon for decades and current international vice president for UNITE HERE, won her primary for the California Senate with more than 70% of the vote, the largest victory in the district's current configuration. She now moves on to the November general election. Other pro-working people candidates also did well in California's primaries.
Employees at The New Yorker and Fast Company Magazines Vote for The NewsGuild Representation: The New Yorker and Fast Company have become the latest journalism offices to organize. At The New Yorker, 90% of editorial staffers voted in favor of the union. They have asked management for voluntary recognition. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of staff at Fast Company have signed union cards.
South Carolina Flight Readiness Technicians at Boeing Join IAM: Mike Evans, Machinists (IAM)...
