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Union Member Brings Unemployment Benefit Increase Bill to Governor’s Desk
Delaware General Assembly
Delaware Gov. John Carney signed a bill Sunday that raises the region’s lowest unemployment benefit. Under the bill, the maximum weekly payment will rise from $330 to $400—a long-overdue increase since the last update in 2002.
The bill was marshaled through the General Assembly by Rep. Ed Osienski, a member of Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669.
“The unemployment benefit provides a vital lifeline to residents who find themselves out of work due to no fault of their own. The bills don’t stop coming in, even if the pay does,” Osienski said after the bill was signed. “It’s troubling that we have not increased this weekly benefit since 2002, which has made it more difficult for Delawareans to make ends meet during these times when they’re most in need of this assistance.”
The Delaware AFL-CIO worked with Osienski and other allies on the bill, which passed unanimously in both the House and Senate. The increase was the first in 17 years and comes long after the recession of 2008 and 2009. The high jobless rate at that time...
Pride Month Profiles: Joni Christian
GenderIdentityWatch
For Pride Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ Americans who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is Joni Christian.
When she was growing up as a boy, Joni Christian used to pray that God would change her into a girl. At the age of 26, Joni's prayers came true and with the help of hormone therapy and surgery, she became the woman she always knew she was.
At the time of her surgery, Christian was an assembly line worker at the General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio. She also was a member of the UAW. Leading up to her surgery, Christian was undergoing hormone treatment, but she had kept the transition quiet at work and people had no idea that she was about to come out. When she returned, she dropped her birth name and introduced herself as Joni Christian.
The reaction was not positive. Her workplace became hostile and supervisors were transphobic. She was met with ridicule and sarcasm, and people shunned her. Women at the plant circulated a petition to keep her out of women's...
Labor Activist Wins Primary Election for White Plains Common Council
Westchester-Putnam Counties Central Labor Body
Jenn Puja, a labor activist and organizer, won her primary race for White Plains Common Council in New York this week. Puja, along with two other labor-endorsed candidates, advanced to the general election in November.
Puja received strong labor backing and thanked local unions for their work once the primary results were in. Puja said, “There’s a first for everything. This is the first time the primary has ever been in June. This was the first time I’ve ever run for office, ever. I’m overwhelmed, and I’m proud of the people-powered, grassroots, positive campaign that we’ve all run.”
If elected in November, Puja will be the youngest woman ever elected to the Common Council.
Puja is the labor council director for the Westchester-Putnam (N.Y.) Central Labor Body. She was born into a union family and has fully committed herself to the advancement of the union movement. She saw this election as an opportunity to increase her impact fighting for working people in White Plains and around the region...
What You Need to Know About CEO Pay: 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.
12 Facts You Need to Know from the 2019 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch Report: "The AFL-CIO this week released its annual Executive Paywatch report. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler discussed the federation’s findings during a call with reporters, highlighting the continuing pay inequity between workers and CEOs, discussing the impact of the Trump administration’s tax law on executive compensation and pointing out some of the worst offenders among major corporations."
International Labor Organization Fights Gender-Based Workplace Violence and Harassment: Eight years ago, women union leaders and activists began campaigning for the International Labor Organization to tackle gender-based violence and harassment at work. Last week, at the ILO’s100th anniversary, workers, governments and employers voted overwhelmingly to approve a binding Convention on Violence and...
We Must Not Forget Oregon Democrats’ Betrayal on PERS
Oregon AFL-CIO
The best thing about being president of the Oregon AFL-CIO—with less than 100 days until the end of my term—is that I can now say whatever I want, whenever I want. For example, in the past, I felt limited in the ways I held legislative Democrats accountable. There is a tendency to soften one’s criticism, understanding that there is always a next session and another legislative agenda. Holding legislative leadership accountable with statements that are too harsh could impact future legislative agendas. I am sorry to say: There are too few Republicans that we can count on to help move our agenda, making the Democrats the only game in town for labor issues.
I don’t believe in exclusive support of political parties. Organized labor should support those who support workers, and hold those accountable who side with a corporate capitalist agenda at the expense of workers. But there was a wrong and a betrayal done to Oregon workers in 2019 that is so heinous it would be wrong to look the other way for the sake of future agendas.
The corporate capitalist...
Working People Deserve Better: In the States Roundup
AFL-CIO
It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter.
Alaska AFL-CIO:
This is from the National IBEW! Thanks for weighing in @IBEW ! Alaskans deserve certainty, stability and the ability to keep working during our busiest season. Add the capital budget to the call and sign the operating budget! #akleg #akgov https://t.co/ak13zHCry1
— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) June 25, 2019
Arkansas AFL-CIO:
More than 11K airline food workers authorize strike for better wages, healthcare https://t.co/cJEAQpSF2X
— Arkansas AFL-CIO (@ArkansasAFLCIO) June 26, 2019
California Labor Federation:
We should all expect a safe and healthy workplace, to make enough to live and thrive, and to have a say over our working conditions. #AB5 provides the basic foundation for our rights on the job, and...
12 Facts You Need to Know from the 2019 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch Report
AFL-CIO
The AFL-CIO this week released its annual Executive Paywatch report. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler discussed the federation’s findings during a call with reporters, highlighting the continuing pay inequity between workers and CEOs, discussing the impact of the Trump administration’s tax law on executive compensation and pointing out some of the worst offenders among major corporations.
About the report, Shuler said:
Here’s the key point: Even with that extra cash, wages are not keeping up with inflation. The average worker isn’t making enough to cover rent for a two-bedroom apartment in 15 of the largest cities across the country! Meanwhile, 40% of hourly workers have nothing saved up for an emergency, while 75% have less than $500.
We know this equality gap isn’t new. Over the past decade, the average S&P 500 CEO’s pay increased by more than $5 million, while the average worker only saw an increase of less than $800 a year. Not surprisingly, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio remains high: 287 to 1.
I’ll repeat...
International Labor Organization Fights Gender-Based Workplace Violence and Harassment
AFL-CIO
Eight years ago, women union leaders and activists began campaigning for the International Labor Organization to tackle gender-based violence and harassment at work. Last week, at the ILO’s 100th anniversary, workers, governments and employers voted overwhelmingly to approve a binding Convention on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.
This victory is a testament to the power of trade unionists organizing around the globe. It’s also a reflection of the profound need for tools to address the harassment and violence too many workers, particularly women workers, face as a daily reality.
The ILO is a tripartite institution, meaning workers have a seat at the negotiating table. Led by our spokesperson Marie Clarke Walker from the Canadian Labour Congress, worker representatives from around the world spent the past two years negotiating strong, inclusive language that ensures all workers have meaningful protection from violence and harassment, particularly gender-based violence and harassment.
You can check out...
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Machinists
AFL-CIO
Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the Machinists.
Name of Union: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Mission: To work for members to preserve and grow the IAM on the basis of solidarity and justice, and to strive for a higher standard of living for people who work.
Current Leadership of Union: Robert Martinez Jr. is the 14th international president of IAM. Martinez is a U.S. Navy veteran who began his career in labor in 1980. That year, he joined IAM Local 776A in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked as an aircraft assembler at Lockheed Martin. In the ensuing years, he served in various positions in the local before being appointed to the IAM Safety and Health Department in 1995. In 1999, he was named the Southern Territory Education Representative. That position was followed in 2002 by appointment as special representative and in 2003 with Martinez being named as general vice president for the Southern Territory.
Dora Cervantes serves as the general secretary-treasurer and IAM...
AFL-CIO Trade Tour: Demand Better in New NAFTA
AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) hosted a series of town hall meetings in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan this week, where he talked with working people about NAFTA and what working families need from a new deal.
Here are highlights of the trade tour from Twitter:
We’re here in #Pittsburgh ready to kickoff the @AFLCIO #TradeTour with @RichardTrumka at @PFT400! Join us online: https://t.co/4Byps36I4Y pic.twitter.com/ev0rN28r4n
— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) June 17, 2019
Are you watching the Pittsburgh #NAFTA #TradeTour Town Hall tonight? Here’s a message from President @RichardTrumka #1u
