03/04/2026 - 4:00pm
Celebrating Women's History Month: 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 range of activities we're engaged in this week.
Actors' Equity:
Increased funding for the NEA and NEH each in FY27 gets us closer to a full funding level of $1 per capita. Contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to sign the FY27 NEA and NEH appropriations request letters today. https://bit.ly/4cJozgT
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— Actors' Equity Association (@actorsequity.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 10:43 AM
AFSCME:
Amalgamated Transit Union:
American Federation of Teachers:
What is digital literacy? Check out @sharemylesson.bsky.social's new blog to help educators teach students ways to find, evaluate, use and create information in digital spaces thoughtfully and responsibly ⤵️ sharemylesson.com/blog/what-is...
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— AFT (@aft.org) March 4, 2026 at 10:32 AM
American Postal Workers Union:
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA:
Boilermakers:
03/04/2026 - 4:00pm
Fighting for a Fair Contract: In the States Roundup
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 X.
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:
Connecticut AFL-CIO:
Florida AFL-CIO:
Illinois AFL-CIO:
Maine AFL-CIO:
Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
Michigan State AFL-CIO:
Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Nevada State AFL-CIO:
03/04/2026 - 4:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: New Mexico Public Sector Workers Win Back Hard-Earned Raise
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Thanks to their combined efforts and advocacy, AFSCME Council 18, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7076 and the AFT New Mexico are celebrating the restoration of a 1% raise for state workers that was removed from New Mexico’s budget.
Earlier this month, the Senate Finance Committee struck the pay bump for state workers, including public school and higher education staff, from the budget bill. In response, union members and community allies spoke out and mobilized for a Valentine's Day press conference to urge lawmakers to do right by the workers who keep New Mexico running. House Democrats heard their demands and secured a workaround that would add the raise into the tax bill, rather than back into the budget. The legislation will now go to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for her signature or veto.
“Today’s action reaffirms the House of Representatives’ strong commitment to support working families across New Mexico,” union leaders said in a joint statement. “This is a huge win for public sector workers in New Mexico that represents more than the monetary value of a 1% raise—it is proof that when we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, workers can win.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 03/04/2026 - 09:14
03/04/2026 - 4:00pm
Women's History Month Profiles: Angela Brown
For Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Angela Brown of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU).
OPEIU Local 102 member Angela Brown is a flight instructor at Amentum in Enterprise, Alabama. As a woman in a male-dominated field, Brown is a pioneering pilot who inspires new pilots to take flight each day. “Women play a big role in our society,” she said, “and we shouldn’t be pushed aside.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 03/04/2026 - 09:22
Tags:
Women's History Month
03/03/2026 - 9:30pm
Higher Safety Standards: 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 the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
Fred Redmond: One Hundred Years of Black Workers Telling the Truth: “In 1917, A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen launched The Messenger, a pro-labor, anti-war magazine that connected racism to exploitation and demanded justice for Black workers. Two years later, the federal government responded with tactics of targeted censorship—surveillance, harassment and threats of prosecution—and branded a small Black labor magazine ‘the most dangerous’ publication in the country simply for encouraging Black workers to organize.”
How We Organized a Union at Whole Foods: “There were six of us at the first meeting to form a union at Whole Foods in Philadelphia: too many to fit around the coffee shop table, a good sign, so we moved to a restaurant around the corner. We talked about disrespectful managers, low pay, and the loss of paid breaks and health care for part-timers. ‘I’ve seen many wonderful people come and go’ in a decade at the store, said produce worker Ed Dupree. ‘So many of them worked hard and weren’t always treated well, especially after the Amazon acquisition.’”
Randi Weingarten: How to Measure Real Progress in Education: “Re: ‘Hope for American Schooling, From Three Red States,’ by Nicholas Kristof (column, Feb. 15): Mr. Kristof is right that the literacy gains in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana deserve attention. Students are being taught to read in effective ways, and it shows. It’s not red or blue; it’s a commitment to good curriculums, knowledgeable educators and leadership that gives teachers the time, tools, feedback and investment to make this happen.”
Roxanne Brown Breaks Steel Ceiling as New USW Leader in Pittsburgh: “Roxanne Brown is set to take the helm of the United Steelworkers this Sunday, stepping into the union’s top job after a months-long leadership handoff. When she is sworn in, she will become both the first woman and the first person of color to lead the USW, which represents roughly 850,000 members across North America. Her arrival at the top job comes with instant pressure tests in contract talks, political work, and the energy transition that will shape the union’s next four years.”
Senators Introduce New Version of Railway Safety Act: “A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Jon Husted (R-Ohio) introduced a new version of the Railway Safety Act today (Feb. 24). The new legislation includes a mandate for wayside defect detectors, an expanded list of hazardous materials subject to higher safety standards, and a two-person crew requirement. The Railway Safety Act of 2026 is the third version of the bill introduced following the Norfolk Southern derailment and hazardous material release in East Palestine, Ohio, in 2023. The prior versions failed to reach a vote on the Senate floor.”
N.J. Union Leaders: Our Energy Crisis Demands Homegrown Solutions, Not Imported Power: “New Jersey is in an energy crisis. Electricity prices have been rising in states across the country, but in New Jersey, which was already home to some of the highest electricity prices, we’ve seen bills go up faster than just about anywhere else. Working families are feeling this crisis month after month when choosing between keeping the lights on or buying groceries.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 03/02/2026 - 10:36
03/03/2026 - 3:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: WGAE Members at HuffPost Ratify New Contract; Secure 3% Raises
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at HuffPost have unanimously ratified their new three-year contract, securing critical artificial intelligence guardrails among other meaningful wins.
The 69-member strong HuffPost Union bargaining unit first secured voluntary recognition in 2016. This is their fourth collective bargaining agreement at the online news outlet. Other contract highlights include 3% annual wage increases, codified parental leave, unlimited sick time, protected severance language, increased budgets for professional development conferences and training and more.
“We stood firm in protecting safeguards that support a diverse and representative newsroom,” said the union’s negotiations committee. “We did not let industry uncertainty around technology stop us from securing AI protections. We refused to sell out future workers for short-term promises. And we were able to do this because 100% of our members were unified about what the contract we deserved looked like, and what we were willing to do to secure it.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 03/03/2026 - 09:52
03/02/2026 - 2:00pm
Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: SEIU
This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 64 of our affiliates. Next up is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Name of Union: Service Employees International Union
Mission: SEIU’s work is about power—helping members come together to raise wages, improve working conditions, and have a real say over their jobs and their lives. The union organizes across industries and communities to win strong contracts and to push for policies that support working people, including access to health care, fair immigration systems, racial equity and climate solutions.
Current Leadership of Union: SEIU is led by President April Verrett, a longtime union leader who has spent her career organizing care workers and holding corporations accountable. Under her leadership, SEIU is focused on growing the union and winning new organizing victories, particularly in parts of the country where workers have historically faced the greatest barriers to organizing.
Current Number of Members: 2 million
Members Work As: Jobs that keep communities functioning every day—health care workers, senior and disability caregivers, educators, airline workers and those who maintain the places where Americans live and work.
History: SEIU traces its roots to 1921, when building service workers first organized for dignity and respect on the job. From early on, the union brought together members across race and background—something that set it apart at the time and continues to shape its work today.
Over the decades, SEIU members have led campaigns that reshaped entire industries. In 1990, janitors in Los Angeles—mostly immigrant workers—launched what became the Justice for Janitors movement, drawing national attention to poverty wages and unsafe working conditions. In 2012, fast-food workers helped ignite the Fight for $15 and a Union, pushing cities and states across the country to raise wages and confront economic inequality.
Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: SEIU publishes a blog. On its website, SEIU spotlights member stories. SEIU's constituency groups include: the People Working with Disabilities Caucus, the Latino Caucus, SEIU Rise, the African American Caucus, the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, the Lavender Caucus and the Retiree Council.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads, X, Substack (President Verrett)
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 03/02/2026 - 13:46
03/02/2026 - 2:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Berkeley Teachers Win Tentative Contract with Increased Employer Contribution to Health Care
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After 10 months of negotiations, the Berkeley (California) Federation of Teachers (BFT), AFT Local 1078, reached a tentative agreement on a new contract that increases the school district’s health care contribution to 70% beginning in 2027. The teachers still must vote on contract ratification.
The BFT represents more than 900 teachers, counselors and librarians. The contract is for one year.
“Our educators are excited that the district is making this important investment to ensure stable and consistent school communities,” said BFT President Matt Meyer in a press release. “We love our work and our students. This agreement makes it more possible to establish careers in Berkeley.”
The new contract includes a 3% increase in compensation for the current academic year and a one-time $1,000 bonus for all full-time employees.
“We must also not forget that we are in this position because our state does not fully fund the education every student deserves,” Meyer said in the statement. “We call on the state to raise the revenues necessary for a thriving public education system throughout California.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 03/02/2026 - 09:50
Tags:
Organizing
03/02/2026 - 2:00pm
Women's History Month Profiles
For Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country.
Here is who we've featured so far:
Check back throughout the month for more profiles.
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 03/02/2026 - 10:21
Tags:
Women's History Month
03/02/2026 - 2:00pm
Women's History Month Profiles: Elizabeth Rian
For Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Elizabeth Rian of SAG-AFTRA.
Elizabeth Rian is an actor, writer and award-winning filmmaker originally from Honolulu. Her network credits include “Jane the Virgin,” “Magnum, P.I.,” the Lifetime Channel, the Hallmark Channel and more. She is classically trained, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre performance from Chapman University. She has written, produced and starred in three short films, all of which have screened internationally, from Hawaii to New York to London. Her first feature film, “’Opala,” is in preproduction.
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 03/02/2026 - 10:03
Tags:
Women's History Month
