02/12/2026 - 1:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Da’Laine Simpson
For Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently actively making Black 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 Da’Laine Simpson of AFGE.
Da’Laine Simpson embodies leadership and community spirit as president of AFGE Local 2004, president of AFGE Council 169 and vice president of the Harrisburg Region Central Labor Council. As the founder and CEO of Bro2Go Inc., a nonprofit in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he is dedicated to uplifting ex-offenders and at-risk youth. Committed to service and advocacy, Simpson stands up for those who cannot, believing that the time for action is now.
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 02/12/2026 - 10:22
Tags:
Black History Month
02/12/2026 - 1:00pm
Our Voice, Our Power: 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:
Immigration resources are available in the member portal. Equity members can now access a comprehensive guide on immigration rights, including a printable rights card and bystander intervention tips. Log in for more - https://members.actorsequity.org/resources/know-your-immigration-rights&...
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— Actors' Equity Association (@actorsequity.bsky.social) February 10, 2026 at 5:25 PM
AFGE:
AFSCME:
Alliance for Retired Americans:
02/12/2026 - 1:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: IRC Workers Ratify First Contract Covering Hundreds of Staff Nationwide
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.
Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) members at 13 International Rescue Committee (IRC) offices around the country ratified their first collective bargaining agreement this week.
This is a powerful win for the nearly 700 member-strong IRC Workers Unite (IRCWU) bargaining unit who have dedicated their careers to helping vulnerable people across the globe access health care, education and economic opportunities.
"Winning our contract was an incredibly emotional experience,” said Jodi Camino, a school success caseworker in Atlanta. “Experiencing that win in community really reminded me that in addition to the contract articles that will make a really concrete difference in my financial security, working conditions and quality of life, our biggest win is we now have a voice, community and collective power.”
“Through these contract wins, IRC workers are now on the path to earning what they deserve for their invaluable service to refugees, those living through war and all who believe in universal human dignity. This win is a testament to the organizing prowess and bargaining chops of the OPEIU members at IRC, and the wide-ranging gains unions can secure for nonprofit workers,” said Tyler Turner, OPEIU president.
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 02/12/2026 - 10:15
02/11/2026 - 6:30pm
Take Action: Are You Better Off Than One Year Ago?
In his pre–Super Bowl interview, President Trump was asked when prices are going to come down for struggling families.
His response? “They’ve already come down.”
Are you kidding? What country is President Trump living in?!
Most Americans say they’re still struggling just to make ends meet. President Trump promised to “make America affordable again,” but instead this administration and its allies in Congress spent the past year driving up costs, holding down wages and letting jobs disappear.
President Trump may think he’s already fixed the cost of living, but every member of Congress needs to hear just how badly working families are being squeezed.
Tell Congress it needs to do its job and address this affordability crisis now.
Let’s take a look at what President Trump and his allies were busy doing instead of addressing the outrageous cost of living:
- Dismantling government agencies and pushing out workers who provide essential services that working families depend on.
- Ripping health care from millions and making it more unaffordable for everyone.
Committing the single biggest act of union-busting in history, launching a brutal assault on immigrant workers and communities across the country, and attacking our most fundamental rights, including the freedom of speech. - Jeopardizing infrastructure and clean energy projects that support thousands of good union jobs and would help keep energy bills from skyrocketing.
- Making billionaires richer and corporations more powerful and unleashing untested artificial intelligence (AI) technology without guardrails—threatening jobs, safety, and workers’ and civil rights.
And that’s just a partial list.
One year into President Trump’s second term, working people’s lives are more expensive and less free. It’s clear this administration only cares about putting even more money in the pockets of billionaire CEOs and Big Tech companies while the rest of us struggle to get by.
Trump broke his promise to make life more affordable for working families. And it couldn’t be more apparent: He and his allies aren’t going to prioritize helping working people.
This is why Congress must do something to help the millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet as a result of those actions.
And we will hold them accountable. As the 2026 campaign kicks into gear, working people will remember each and every broken promise—and they will work to elect leaders who will help us build an economy for workers, not billionaire bosses.
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 02/11/2026 - 12:09
02/11/2026 - 12:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Kurleigh Tudor
For Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently actively making Black 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 Kurleigh Tudor of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS).
Kurleigh Tudor is a National Airspace System area specialist in New York. “The importance of being a union member to me is being able to advocate for policies and legislation that benefit the members I’m representing while giving us a voice on important matters. Also, the union provides for professional development and networking opportunities that benefits our career.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 02/11/2026 - 10:05
Tags:
Black History Month
02/11/2026 - 12:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: USW Approves New Agreement with Libbey Glass; Secures Powerful Wage Increases
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.
United Steelworkers (USW) Locals 59M and 700T members have ratified their new collective bargaining agreements with Libbey Glass in Toledo, Ohio. This victory officially ends the monthslong unfair labor practice strike against the company.
Members of USW Locals 59M, 700T and 65T, along with IAM Union Local 1297, first walked off the job in August 2025 when management continued to demand concessions even after the bargaining units made major sacrifices in previous contracts to save Libbey Glass from bankruptcy. Workers stood strong and walked the picket line throughout a difficult winter, securing powerful wage increases and successfully fighting back against concession demands.
“We took care of each other. We had donations from other locals. We had support from the international union. All of that got us through,” said Dave Nelson, president of Local 59M. “Our motto from day one was ‘one day longer, one day stronger.’”
“We stuck together,” Local 700T President Joyce Marland said. “The members showed that they believe in each other.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 02/11/2026 - 09:59
02/10/2026 - 5:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Chris Puckett
For Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently actively making Black 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 Chris Puckett of the United Steelworkers (USW).
Chris Puckett has been an X11 fitter and a USW member for 23 years. He has served on the Local 8888 grievance and bargaining committees, and helped to organize the first Hampton Roads chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, where he is sergeant-at-arms and sits on the Region 2 board. He’s also the labor and industry chair of the NAACP of Newport News, Virginia.
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 02/10/2026 - 10:25
Tags:
Black History Month
02/10/2026 - 5:00pm
We'll Get Through This Together: 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.
Alaska AFL-CIO:
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:
Illinois AFL-CIO:
Maine AFL-CIO:
Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
Michigan State AFL-CIO:
Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Missouri AFL-CIO:
Nevada State AFL-CIO:
New York State AFL-CIO:
Oregon AFL-CIO:
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
Texas AFL-CIO:
Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:
02/09/2026 - 10:30pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: The Columbus Dispatch Newsroom Workers Vote Overwhelmingly to Organize
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.
Newsroom workers at The Columbus Dispatch and Newark Advocate overwhelmingly voted to organize with The NewsGuild-CWA (TNG-CWA), with a vote of 33-5 in favor.
The journalists are fighting for equitable pay, protections from layoffs and for the future of journalism in central Ohio.
“For too long, Ohio’s greatest home newspaper has hemorrhaged great journalists due to short-sighted cuts by our corporate owner,” said Jordan Laird, a Dispatch news reporter. “Now, we’re taking some power back.”
“The employees of The Dispatch are seizing this moment to fight for a work culture and the job benefits that we deserve,” said Adam Cairns, a Dispatch photojournalist. “We can no longer afford to sit back and wait for these changes to happen on their own.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/09/2026 - 09:49
Tags:
Organizing
02/09/2026 - 10:30pm
We Will Have a Voice: 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.
AI-Powered Robots Are Coming for Trade Jobs: “Unions are worried these current shifts could amount to a warning for jobs outside the office. ‘White collar work will probably be the first tranche, but every job across sectors will be impacted,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told my colleague Brock Hrehor on Wednesday. The union is pushing for a slate of AI bills in California, which partly include advanced notices for AI-related job cuts that should offer protections across different labor sectors.”
Volkswagen Workers' Victory Represents Rare Union Breakthrough for South: “Workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tenn., factory won 20% raises and lower-health care costs in their first UAW contract after nearly two years of bargaining. Why it matters: The agreement is being billed as a historic breakthrough in the UAW's decades-long effort to unionize foreign-owned auto plants in the South. Catch up quick: The UAW has been trying to organize the so-called transplant factories—a group now including Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and others—for 40 years.”
Salt Lake City Finalizes 'Historic' Collective Bargaining Agreement with Librarians: “Library employees in Utah's capital city are officially the first municipal library staff to unionize after city leaders approved a resolution to support their first collective bargaining agreement. ‘This is a historic day for the city,’ said Salt Lake City Council Chairman Alejandro Puy, moments before the body unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding that the Salt Lake City Library Board and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1004 reached on behalf of eligible library employees.”
The Unusual Working-Class Message That Turned a Deep-Red District Blue: “The issues that have worked for Democrats around the country this election season—affordability and working-class stability chief among them—also worked for Taylor Rehmet, a union president and machinist who beat his Trump-backed opponent for a deep-red state Senate seat in the Fort Worth area of Texas last weekend. But his platform included something more unusual and a little retro: a promise to return vocational education to public high schools.”
Actors' Equity, IATSE, Other Entertainment Unions Condemn Kennedy Center Closure: “Following President Trump's announcement that the Kennedy Center would be the closed for two years beginning July 4 for renovations, a number of entities have roundly condemned the move from Congressional Senators to, now, a host of entertainment unions and workers. Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Musicians, American Guild of Musical Artists, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society—unions whose members are routinely hired by the Kennedy Center—have released a joint statement decrying the move, calling it ‘harmful for the arts and creative workers in America,’ and saying they have been given ‘no formal notice or briefing.’”
MedStar Nurses Ratify New Labor Deal: “Registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., have ratified a new three‑year labor agreement covering more than 2,200 nurses, according to a Feb. 2 National Nurses United news release shared with Becker’s. The contract, which will run from March 2026 through February 2029, includes wage increases of up to nearly 24% over the life of the agreement, the union said. Union leaders also highlighted several provisions intended to enhance safety and working conditions, including additional security resources and the addition of a registered nurse to the hospitalwide workplace violence committee. The agreement also includes new language allowing bargaining over new technology, bereavement leave for grandparents and staffing language intended to ensure nurses are immediately available for patient care.”
Yet Another Judge Rejects Trump Effort to Block Offshore Wind, Saying New York Project Can Resume: “A federal judge on Monday ruled that an offshore wind project aimed at powering 600,000 New York homes can resume construction, the fifth such project put back on track after the Trump administration halted them in December. In clearing the way for Sunrise Wind to proceed, Judge Royce Lamberth found that the government had not shown that offshore wind is such an imminent national security risk that it must halt in the United States.”
Quality Assurance Workers at Blizzard Ratify Union Contract with Microsoft: “A majority of quality assurance workers at Blizzard studios in Albany and Austin have ratified a union contract at Microsoft after just under three years of negotiations. In a statement to press, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) said employees in Albany and Austin—represented by CWA Locals 1118 and 6215, respectively—‘overwhelming voted’ to ratify a contract that guarantees wage increases, enhanced regulations around the usage of generative AI in the workplace, and crediting protections.”
Nearly 500 of CHOMP's 800 Nurses Vote in Favor of Joining a Union in Historic Vote: “Registered nurses at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula have overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the California Nurses Association in an election that ended Friday, Jan. 30. The vote has yet to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board, but according to CNA, nearly 500 of CHOMP's 800 nurses voted yes. It will be the first union in the hospital's 91-year history. CNA will now represent all 800 registered nurses at CHOMP. ‘This means everything to me and my fellow colleagues at CHOMP. It means we've got a seat at the table. It means with regard to patient care, patient safety we will have a voice in the policies,’ says Kristine Olalia, an orthopedic surgery nurse with the hospital for nine years.”
Florida Lawmakers Unanimously Advance Bill to Expand Protections for Temp Workers: “A bill that would help temp workers and day laborers secure stable, permanent employment advanced through a Senate committee of lawmakers Wednesday in a unanimous and bipartisan vote of approval. The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia of Miami, would effectively amend and strengthen the Florida Labor Pool Act—a 1995 law that established certain protections for temp workers that aren’t guaranteed under federal law. This includes preventing a business or temp agency (also known as a labor pool) from charging temp workers for safety equipment, or charging exorbitant fees for lunch or transportation to a job site. Nearly three dozen people spoke or waived in support of Garcia’s proposal Wednesday, including representatives of the Florida AFL-CIO—a statewide federation of over 500 labor unions—and the pro-labor Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/09/2026 - 14:09
