Feed items
Not OK: 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.
Work Without Pay Is Not OK: "Beginning next year, Congress will finally start paying its interns!"
Trumka Says Climate Change Battle Must Include Workers: "The labor movement must be included in initiatives to fight climate change, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Sept. 12. Workers are prepared to sacrifice, 'but we will not bear the cost of climate change alone,' Trumka said at a conference at the University of California at Berkeley Labor Center. 'The most equitable way to address climate change is for labor to be at the center of the solution.'"
Trump Fails to Make Inroads with Organized Labor Despite Populist Message to Working Class: "Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, labor's umbrella organization, has gone to the White House several times and served on the president's jobs council for several months. He resigned last year, along with corporate representatives on the council,...
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler on Women Rule Podcast
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler joined SEIU President Mary Kay Henry for a conversation with Politico's Anna Palmer on the newest edition of the Women Rule podcast. Shuler discussed the surging wave of collective action, the state of the labor movement and her groundbreaking path to becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the AFL-CIO. Listen to the episode here, and check out some of Shuler's highlights below.
On the future of the labor movement:
"I think we're at a moment. Yes, people want to write the labor movement's obituary. But, with the rise in collective action that we've been seeing, I think it's signaling something: that people want to come together. They want to fight back. Unions are the best way to do that....The bottom line is that we make change when we speak up together....The labor movement's needed now more than ever, and I think it's an opportunity for collective action and collective voice to grow."
On Brett Kavanaugh:
"We're working with allies and partner organizations to say enough is enough. We can not let this court...
Best Candidates for Working People, 2018: Bill Nelson
AFL-CIO
This November's elections are shaping up to be among the most consequential in recent U.S. history. Throughout the summer and fall, we are taking a look at the best candidates for working people. Today, we feature Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida.
Here are some of the key reasons why Nelson is one of the best candidates for working people in 2018:
He has led efforts to expand Florida's investment in STEM skills and training that helps workers keep up with advances in technology and automation.
Nelson supports tax credits for working people looking to change careers or transition into new industries.
He supports education-related tax breaks that help prepare students for industries that need more skilled workers.
Nelson supports increasing the minimum wage.
Nelson is leading the push to invest in the infrastructure necessary to protect Florida's coastlines against rising sea levels and damage from hurricanes.
He co-authored the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which is designed to improve gender, racial and...
Work Without Pay Is Not OK
AFL-CIO
Beginning next year, Congress will finally start paying its interns!
For years, people who want to help build a better America by working in Congress have been offered "jobs" with no pay—as congressional interns. These internships are coveted because they help open doors to prestigious scholarships and graduate schools, and they help young people get started on careers in law, politics, diplomacy, business and many other fields.
But think about it. Who can afford to take a nonpaying job? Not me. And certainly not most people who come from a working-class background. I was lucky enough to have my first congressional job come with a paycheck. Otherwise, I’d have had to turn it down.
So who can afford to take these jobs, and all the doors they open? Often, it’s the very folks who already have lots of economic advantages. If you’re lucky enough to come from a family who can afford to pay your Washington, D.C., living expenses for a summer or semester or even a whole year while you learn how Congress works and rub elbows with this country’s current and future power players,...
Best Candidates for Working People, 2018: Kyrsten Sinema
AFL-CIO
This November's elections are shaping up to be among the most consequential in recent U.S. history. Throughout the summer and fall, we are taking a look at the best candidates for working people. Today, we feature Rep. Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona, who is running for U.S. Senate.
Here are some of the key reasons why Sinema is one of the best candidates for working people in 2018:
She has a record of working across the aisle to help create good-paying jobs.
Sinema is committed to equal pay for equal work.
She has supported legislation to expand rural broadband and help family farmers.
Sinema has fought to expand school funding and to make college and skills training more affordable.
She opposes efforts to cut Medicare and Social Security and opposes raising the retirement age.
Sinema opposes efforts to let employers deny coverage for birth control.
She is committed to lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
Sinema has worked to expand educational opportunities for veterans and hosts Boots to...
The Union Difference Is Even More Pronounced for Families of Color
A new report from the Center for American Progress shows that union membership helps increase wealth and prosperity for families of color. The research comes on top of recent polls showing that more and more people are embracing the powerful benefits of collective bargaining.
Here are some of the key findings of the report:
When working people collectively bargain for wages, benefits and employment procedures, as union members they have higher wages, more benefits and more stable employment as a result of the bargaining agreement.
Household wealth is dependent on several factors, including income, savings, people having benefits like health insurance and life insurance.
Higher wages lead to higher savings, particularly when combined with job-related benefits, such as health and life insurance, since those benefits require union members to spend less out-of-pocket to protect their families.
Union members have higher job stability and protections, which lead to longer tenures at a workplace. This can lead to more savings as longer-tenured...
Best Candidates for Working People, 2018: Andrew Gillum
AFL-CIO
This November's elections are shaping up to be among the most consequential in recent U.S. history. Throughout the summer and fall, we are taking a look at the best candidates for working people. Today, we feature Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.
Here are some of the key reasons why Gillum is one of the best candidates for working people in 2018:
Under his leadership as mayor, Tallahassee was one of only 50 cities in the country recognized for being a leader in training workers to have advanced technical skills.
He wants to expand Florida's economy beyond tourism, including boosting solar energy programs, which would protect the environment and spur job creation.
He wants to eliminate the gender-based pay gap and level the playing field for women in the workplace.
As mayor, he has worked with more than 100 businesses to launch the Family Friendly Workplaces program that prioritizes policies like paid sick days, work-sharing, health insurance, mental health programs, safe and clean breastfeeding rooms, and quality...
We're Gonna Fight for It: 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.
We're Gonna Fight for It: "The AFL-CIO launched a new 60-second TV ad today, airing on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, highlighting the wave of collective action surging across the country and inviting all working people to join our movement. From the resounding defeat of 'right to work' in Missouri to organizing victories nationwide, we are marching forward together."
Trumka Calls for New Supreme Court Direction at Yale Law School: "Unfortunately, today those lyrics could serve as the fight song for the Supreme Court’s pro-corporate, activist wing of justices who wax poetic about precedent and judicial restraint, yet regularly bend over backwards to serve the interests of the wealthy, the powerful and the privileged. There are no neutrals there."
Liz Shuler Explains the AFL-CIO’s Commission on the Future of Work: "'Work is changing and we want to make sure that the Labor Movement was...
Economy Gains 201,000 Jobs in August; Unemployment Unchanged at 3.9%
The U.S. economy gained 201,000 jobs in August, and unemployment was unchanged at 3.9%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage growth of 2.9% is tepid for this level of unemployment, and with core inflation just at 2%, the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee should continue to pause its plan to raise interest rates.
In response to the August jobs numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:
Broadest measure of labor force slack (including part-time workers who want to work full-time and discouraged workers) shows continued improvement. It is nearing levels of the late 1990s. The big improvement is for those seeking full-time work. @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/4I4KwVgYPq
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) September 7, 2018
The share of Black workers employed (EPOP) continues its path of recovery that began in 2011. On strength of rising labor force participation and falling unemployment rates. @AFLCIO @cbtu_40 @APRI_National @JointCenter pic.twitter.com/6m0h6TQgKD
— William E....
Customer Service Reps at Spirit Airlines Join TWU
AFL-CIO
Despite predictions of the demise of labor unions in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31, working people have secured another powerful victory. With an overwhelming vote of 82%, 300 customer service representatives at Spirit Airlines have joined the Transport Workers (TWU).
On June 28, the TWU filed for a representational election with the National Mediation Board and the vote took place from Aug. 14 to Sept. 4.
Marcos Perez, one of the TWU's newest members, said: "I feel like I have some sort of protection and voice now. Before this, it was like going in one ear and out the other."
Perez's co-worker Mariluz Ramos said: "We are going to have a voice at the table and that’s big. Before it was one-way decision making and now we are not going to be silenced anymore."
TWU International President John Samuelsen summed up: "This is the ultimate act of democracy in the workplace. They are on the path to take control of their future, and the future of their co-workers. The TWU will wholeheartedly provide any assistance...
