Feed items
Stories of the Shutdown
As the government lockout of hundreds of thousands of government employees goes into its second month, the burden on working people continues to grow. Many of the affected Americans have shared their plight via the #ShutdownStory hashtag. Here are the real stories of the people harmed by this shutdown.
My #cancer isn’t stopping working due to the #shutdown, so I’ve been busy seeking opinions on treating a rare mutation I have during a time of no income. Check out @washingtonpost’s update to my #shutdownstory #colorectalcancer #crcsm https://t.co/VrqopyCZjh— Violet Kuchar (@ViolentKuchar) January 15, 2019
#ShutdownStory @CNN @MSNBC @FoxNewsSo I can’t pay my 9 year old daughter’s private school tuition because I’m not receiving a paycheck. She’s missing valuable classroom learning time. The baby suffers because the grownups can’t act as such.— Rochelle Samuels (@RockSmooth1) January 19, 2019
My #ShutdownStory was highlighted - how the shutdown is impacting my small business. What the Shutdown Means to Business Owners: ‘Time Kills Deals’ https://t.co/bjSIUuyQT9— Katherine Watier Ong (@kwatier) January...
Los Angeles Teachers Stay Strong; Win Improvements
UTLA
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.
For six days, more than 30,000 UTLA teachers went on strike to shine a light on the daily realities of a neglected and underfunded public school system. They demanded better, and by standing together, they won it. Here are just a few critical improvements in UTLA’s new contract:
A much-deserved 6% pay raise with no contingencies;
A nurse in every school five days a week;
A teacher librarian in every secondary school five days a week;
Hard caps on class size that will go into effect immediately in 2019–2020, with additional improvements every year after;
A commitment to reduce testing by 50%;
Hard caps on special education caseloads; and...
The Fierce Urgency of Now
AFL-CIO
Hundreds of labor and social justice activists descended on the nation’s capital this weekend for the 2019 AFL‑CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka kicked off the gathering by telling participants that this is our moment for action: “We’re living in the fierce urgency of now. This is a time to take risks. This is a time to get uncomfortable. That’s when real progress is made.”
The MLK Conference also featured a number of panels on Friday evening, including a town hall conversation with Andrew Gillum, 2018 nominee for governor of Florida.
He told participants: “Nobody understands ‘the fierce urgency of now’ better than labor. Dr. King...was laboring to build a better environment. That if you do an honest day’s work, you ought to be paid an honest day’s wage.... You ought to have access to health care, a wage you can live on, and your race, your gender and whom you love should not dictate how you get treated at work.”
You can watch his entire conversation with Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National...
We've Had Enough; Do Your Job: 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:
Real families with very real bills are being harmed and it’s time we hold our country’s leadership accountable. #StopTheShutdown pic.twitter.com/eVnRdlTqUr
— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) January 10, 2019
Arizona AFL-CIO:
We put together a resource page for our Brothers and Sisters impacted by the government shutdown. https://t.co/1d4ULxHI4v https://t.co/1d4ULxHI4v
— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) January 12, 2019
Arkansas AFL-CIO:
Join us today on Union Station Radio, we broadcast every Monday from 4:30-5pm on KABF 88.3. Today we will have AFGE representative Robert Harrison with us to discuss the ongoing government shutdown. #arklabor #afge #arpx #1u #endtheshutdown pic.twitter.com/2wrO7fawb2...
Future of Work Commission Urges Bargaining Rights for Digital Platform Workers
ILO
A landmark report by the International Labor Organization’s (ILO’s) Global Commission on the Future of Work, released today, calls for giving full rights and protections, including collective bargaining rights, to digital platform workers. The ILO is the United Nations agency charged with promoting decent work and global labor standards.
The ILO Commission warns that, left to its current course, the digital economy is likely to widen both regional and gender divides. Crowd work and work mediated by digital apps could recreate 19th century working practices and lead to future generations of “digital day laborers.” Among other things, the commission calls for the following:
A “universal labor guarantee” to ensure that all workers, regardless of whether they are treated as employees or independent contractors, enjoy fundamental worker rights such as the right to bargain collectively; an adequate living wage; maximum limits on working hours; freedom from forced labor, child labor and discrimination; and the protection of worker health...
Extending a Helping Hand: 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.
Extending a Helping Hand to Those Affected by the Shutdown: "Across the country, working people are marching and rallying for an immediate end to the government shutdown. Already the longest funding lapse in American history, this manufactured crisis has put the weight of ideological extremism on federal workers and their families. As we continue fighting to reopen the government, the labor movement also is joining together to support our brothers and sisters as they go without a paycheck."
Stop Punishing Public Employees for Washington’s Failure to Lead: "How many of us could afford to work without being paid? How many of us would be 'fine' if we were suddenly laid off days before Christmas? For 800,000 Americans, including more than 12,000 Pennsylvania families directly affected by the government shutdown, the possibility of losing their homes, being late on their bills and facing...
Stop Starving Our Schools
UTLA
The streets of Los Angeles are packed with the sights and sounds of collective action this week. Braving the cold rain, some 30,000 United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) members turned out for picket lines across the city yesterday, joined by more than 10,000 parents, students and community members. Every L.A. school site—more than 900—participated in the strike, culminating in a 50,000-person march to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD’s) headquarters.
Teachers and their allies aren’t letting up. From the leaders of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and California Labor Federation to working people across the country, the entire labor movement is showing solidarity with UTLA’s fight for better lives, schools and communities. Here are just a few of the realities they’re working to change:
The cost of living has increased 27% since 2008.
California’s student-to-teacher ratio ranks 48 out of 50 states.
Students in transitional kindergarten to sixth grade take more than 100 standardized LAUSD tests.
California is the richest state in the...
Thousands Rally in D.C. to #StopTheShutdown
AFL-CIO
As the government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history, thousands of working people took to the streets of Washington, D.C., to send a clear message to the president and Congress to stop the shutdown and let federal government employees get to work. Thousands more rallied at other locations around the country.
Facing a politically motivated crisis, federal workers desperately need the solidarity and backing of our brothers and sisters. Leaping into action over recent days and weeks, the AFL-CIO has mobilized the full resources of the labor movement behind them.
With the support of affiliates, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) successfully lobbied senators in halting consideration of any legislation until the government is reopened. Using our toll-free hotline, thousands of union members have contacted their senators to strengthen that effort.
In addition to the rally in D.C., we mobilized our state federations and central labor councils to turn out members for satellite rallies in dozens of communities across the country—from Colorado and...
No Joke: Worker Wins
The Onion
Our latest roundup of worker wins begins with several newsrooms using collective action and includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Onion Creative Staff Approve New Contract: The creative staff at The Onion, which includes various other related publications, voted to approve a new contract. Nearly 70 employees are covered by the two-year contract. The Onion Inc. Union, affiliated with the Writers Guild of America, East, wrote: "We’re elated to have reached a first union contract for the members at Onion Inc. In addition to the gains made in our contract, we experienced immediate workplace improvements while organizing, including increased interdepartmental communication and a gender pay parity analysis. As part of the WGAE, we have access to resources and the solidarity of thousands of union members across media and entertainment. We’re proud to be part of a wave that’s raising standards across the industry and we encourage everyone to organize their workplaces."
Law360 Editorial Staffers Unanimously Approve First Contract...
#StopTheShutdown: 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: Special #StopTheShutdown Episode: A Conversation with AFGE President J. David Cox: "With the government shutdown in its third week, Julie and Tim talk to J. David Cox Sr., national president of AFGE. Cox says his members are being held hostage by extremist politics and is calling on all working people to demand that Congress and the White House reopen the government and put federal employees back to work."
Our Paycheck Is Not a Bargaining Chip: "It’s day 20 of the government shutdown, and the AFL-CIO has called upon the entire labor movement to fight for our affected brothers and sisters."
End the Shutdown: 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...
