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.

Postal Service Union Launches Television Ads Promoting Mail-In Voting: “The integrity of Georgia elections has been questioned by President Donald Trump and others since 2020. Now the postal workers' union wants to restore voter confidence in voting by mail via the airwaves. The American Postal Workers Union will begin airing television ads starting this week to promote casting your ballot via mail. Georgia APWU President Charles Brouhgton said he wants to have an impact on voters.”

Effort to Dedicate Corner to Local 34 Founding Member Moves Forward: “New Haveners and Yale student leaders have collected about 320 signatures on a petition to name the corner of College and Elm streets in honor of a man who helped establish Yale’s first employee union. The petition required 250 signatures to qualify for review by the president of the Board of Alders, Tyisha Walker-Myers, who may assign it to one of the board’s committees, according to Ward 1 Alder Elias Theodore ’27. Theodore said he recently submitted the petition to City Hall for review.  Under the proposal, the corner would be dedicated to John Wilhelm ’67, who helped found Local 34, which represents the University’s clerical and technical workers. Last year, the union celebrated the 40-year anniversary of its first contract with Yale—a milestone that motivated locals Aldo Cupo and Cheryl Bergman to spearhead the renaming efforts, they said.”

Ford, UAW Volunteers Plant 200-Plus Trees and Shrubs in Detroit Industrial Sector: “An industrial stretch of Detroit is getting a green transformation this week as dozens of volunteers from Ford and the United Auto Workers give back to the community where they work. As part of National Volunteer Week, Ford employees spent Thursday planting trees and shrubs at Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park, a developing green space along the Rouge River. UAW volunteers will join on Friday. The effort marks one of the final construction activities before the park officially opens in late May.”

IBEW Local 1 Members, Contractors Team Up with Rebuilding Together to Help Homeowners in Need of Electrical Repairs: “Retired Army veteran MC Thomas has lived in his home off Paducah Drive here for 25 years. He’s tried to keep up with repairs, but says it’s tough living on a fixed income. ‘You save and save, and then something else happens with the house,’ Thomas said. ‘It’s crazy.’ Fortunately, Thomas recently received a helping hand on some electrical work from volunteers with the Electrical Connection—a partnership between IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)—and Rebuilding Together St. Louis.”

Senators Introduce Bill to Prevent Loss of Some Railroad Retirement Benefits: “Two senators have introduced legislation that would end reductions to railroad retirement benefits for some retirees or their spouses who continue working in non-railroad jobs after retirement. Unions supporting the bill include the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transportation Communications Union.”

Union Pacific Settles Dispute with Rail Supplier, Reaches 7-Year Agreement: “‘USW members have proudly produced steel rail for Union Pacific for generations, and as we look to the future, we’re pleased that our nation’s transportation infrastructure will continue to be U.S.- and union-made,’ USW International President Roxanne Brown said in a statement.”

NIPSCO, USW Reach Tentative Agreement: “The Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) and the United Steelworkers (USW) have reached a tentative agreement after failed negotiations forced a lockout. The two sides started negotiations in January, but couldn’t reach a new collective bargaining agreement by the expiration of their contract on March 31. That led to a weeks-long lockout that began on April 2, which kept over 1,600 people from work. The agreement is pending ratification by union members. It includes a requirement for union members to stop picketing, leading to the cancellation of scheduled rallies.”

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.

Campus dining workers at two of Virginia’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)—Virginia State University (VSU) and Norfolk State University (NSU)—have officially been recognized as members of UNITE HERE Local 23.

These essential staff members are employed by Thompson Hospitality, a subcontracted food service provider.

“I’m proud of the hard work and resilience it took for me and my coworkers to show Thompson Hospitality that, just like workers at all the other union universities, we deserve better wages and excellent healthcare at VSU. I personally can’t wait until the contract so that I can be able to pay my bills and still have some funds left over to go see my family in Louisiana!” said Nikita “Miss Nikki” Whitten, a cook for four years with Thompson Hospitality at VSU.

Tags: Organizing

Workers are dying and being injured on the job as the Trump administration cuts essential funding and staffing and directs resources away from the agencies and policies that protect workers and hold employers accountable, according to a new report released today by the AFL-CIO. 

Ahead of Workers Memorial Day on April 28, the AFL-CIO released its 35th annual “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect” report, a comprehensive analysis of the state of workers’ health and safety at the national and state levels.

“Every worker should be able to go home safe and healthy at the end of their shift—but 55 years after the founding of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, that fundamental right is in danger,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “From the dismantling of critical federal agencies and laws to the expansion of unregulated, untested AI technology, the protections that workers fought and died for are under serious threat. The labor movement refuses to go backward. More than 5 decades after a Republican signed the landmark Occupational Safety and Health Act into law, we urge all members of Congress—from both sides of the aisle—to join us in this fight.” 

“It is a disgrace that in 2026, being Black, Latino or an immigrant can still be a death sentence on the jobsite,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond. “Our new report makes it terrifyingly clear that the Trump administration’s anti-DEI, mass deportation agenda will only make this crisis worse. When workers are afraid that reporting threats to their safety could result in their work permits being revoked and their families being ripped apart, and when employers fear that reporting workplace data will hurt their bottom line, we are all less safe: workers of color and white workers, immigrant workers and U.S.-born workers. We must fight the Trump administration’s attacks on communities of color like our fellow workers’ lives are on the line—because they are.”

Here are 24 things you need to know from the report:

1. In 2024, More than 380 workers died each day from hazardous working conditions.
2. 5,070 workers were killed  on the job in the United States.
3. An estimated 135,000 workers died from occupational diseases.
4. The overall job fatality rate decreased to 3.3 per 100,000 workers.
5. Workers of color die on the job at a higher rate: Black (3.4 per 100,000 workers) and Latino (4.3) worker job fatality rates are disproportionate compared with all other workers.
6. An estimated 530 workers died from heat on the job, but both fatal and nonfatal data are an undercount of the real problem.
7. Workplace homicides continue to be a significant problem, increasing by 3% since 2023; workplace suicides decreased 6.4% from 2023.
8. Separately, unintentional overdoses at work decreased 21% from 2023 to 2024, due to increased attention paid to and efforts to combat the opioid crisis. 
9. Employers reported nearly 3.1 million work-related injuries and illnesses, a decrease from the previous year.
10. The rate of serious workplace violence injuries has decreased to 2.6 per 10,000 workers.
11. Musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motion injuries continue to be a major problem, accounting for approximately 32% of all serious work-related injuries and illnesses in private industry.
12. Underreporting of all workplace injuries and illnesses is widespread—the true toll of work-related injuries and illnesses is estimated to be 5.0 million to 7.5 million each year in private industry.
13. Chemical exposures continue to plague working people, leading to debilitating, life-threatening diseases that are preventable. 
14. The cost of job injuries and illnesses is enormous, estimated at $177 billion to $354 billion a year—an undercount of the real impact on society, families and communities.
15. States with the highest fatality rates in 2024 were: Wyoming (13.9 per 100,000 workers), Mississippi (8.0), Alaska (7.1), North Dakota (6.8) and Arkansas (6.2).
16. Industries with the highest fatality rates in 2024 were: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing and hunting (20.9 per 100,000 workers), mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (13.8), transportation and warehousing (12.2), construction (9.2) and wholesale trade (4.6). 
17. The job fatality rate increased in the leisure and hospitality industry from 2.3 to 2.4 per 100,000 workers and in the government sector from 1.8 to 2.0 per 100,000 workers.
18. In 2024, more than one-third of workplace fatalities occurred among workers ages 55 and older.
19. Workers 65 and older have nearly three times the risk of dying on the job as other workers, with a job fatality rate of 9.1 per 100,000 workers.
20. The rate of young worker deaths increased from 1.3 in 2022 to 1.9 in 2023 and then to 2.7 in 2024—nearly doubling the rate from 2020.
21. Many children, mostly migrants, have become the focus of stark exploitation, working in dangerous conditions.
22. Federal OSHA has the lowest number of inspectors in the history of the agency—only enough to now inspect workplaces once every 191 years—and state OSHA plans have one fewer inspector compared with FY 2024. By comparison, it would have taken federal OSHA 84 years to inspect each workplaces once in 1991, as written in our first report published in 1992. There are 1,651 inspectors (618 federal and 1,033 state) to inspect the 12 million workplaces under the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s jurisdiction, covering 155 million workers—a workforce that keeps growing while OSHA staff numbers do not. In 1991, there were 1,953 federal and state inspectors to cover 6.5 million workplaces and 107 million workers under OSHA’s jurisdiction. There is one inspector for every 93,877 workers. By comparison, there was one inspector for every 54,952 workers in 1991. The current OSHA budget amounts to $3.85 available to protect each worker. In 1991, the OSHA budget amounted to $6.53 per worker after inflation adjustments.
23. Penalties in FY 2025 still are too weak: The average penalty for a serious violation was $4,678 for federal OSHA. The median penalty for killing a worker was $16,550 for federal OSHA.
24. Only 144 worker death cases have been criminally prosecuted under the Occupational Safety and Health Act since 1970.p

Read the full report.

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 65 of our affiliates. Next up is the United Steelworkers (USW).

Name of Union: United Steelworkers

Mission: Helping all workers achieve better wages, greater job security, more reasonable hours and safer working conditions.

Current Leadership of Union: Roxanne Brown serves as international president. Myles Sullivan serves as international secretary-treasurer. Emil Ramirez serves as international vice president (administration). Kevin Mapp serves as international vice president (human affairs). Marty Warren serves as the Canadian national director. Amber Miller serves as international vice president at large. Luis Mendoza serves as international vice president.

Current Number of Active and Retired Members: 850,000

Members Work as: Atomic energy workers; chemical workers; creative, service and technical workers; educators; energy and utilities workers; glassworkers; health care workers; manufacturing workers; metalworkers; mine workers; oil workers; paper and forestry workers; public sector workers; rubber and tire workers; transportation workers and more.

Industries Represented: Nearly every industry

History: The USW’s foundation dates back generations, born of a shared commitment to fighting for better conditions for workers everywhere. In times of war and peace and through economic recession and boom times, USW has remained driven by its core guiding principles: helping all workers achieve better wages, greater job security, more reasonable hours and safer working conditions. USW activism helped end child labor, institute workplace safety laws, champion civil and human rights, and so much more. 

In 1936, workers formed the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, the precursor to the United Steelworkers union. In 1937, workers launched the “Little Steel” strike to organize workers at Bethlehem, Jones & Laughlin, National and other companies. The strike resulted in police riots, attacks and other hardships for workers, yet led to the successful organization of those companies. Delegates met in Cleveland in 1942 and created the United Steel Workers of America (USWA), electing Philip Murray as their first president. 

Over the past eight decades, the USW has grown through both organizing and mergers, including the 2005 merger between the USWA and the Paper, Allied Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE). The union has established international alliances and other strategic partnerships, and founded the BlueGreen Alliance alongside the Sierra Club in 2006. The union has long been the leading voice calling for fair trade and manufacturing growth, including infrastructure investments. It has a growing contingent of members who work in nonprofit, technical and higher education fields. 

Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: The USW maintains a number of alliances and strategic partnerships, including the BlueGreen Alliance and the Alliance for American Manufacturing. 

The union publishes Roxanne Brown’s Stronger Together blog, a quarterly magazine called USW@Work and the monthly Solidarity Works podcast.

The USW maintains a growing number of activist opportunities for members to make a difference in their locals, workplaces and communities, including its Civil and Human Rights Department; Emergency Response Team; Rapid Response network; and Veterans of Steel, Next Generation, Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) and Women of Steel programs.

The union also has ongoing efforts in organizing and union voter outreach, as well as education and membership development, and health, safety and environmental resources. 

The USW maintains a directory of products by members.

Learn More: Website, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky

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.

Flight nurses and flight paramedics in northern Nevada and California voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU).

Employed by REMSA Health, these air ambulance crews regularly perform intense, high-risk rescues in remote areas. The newly minted TWU members cited inadequate compensation and exclusion from important decision-making processes as core motivators for organizing. Despite an aggressive anti-union campaign by management, medical workers are energized and ready to bargain for the fair wages, quality benefits and respect they deserve.

“These critical first responders no longer have to fight their callous and dismissive bean-counting bosses alone,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen.

“REMSA’s union-busting actions failed miserably during this campaign,” TWU International Organizing Director Angelo Cucuzza said. “I hope, for their sake, the consultants they hired were on a contingency basis. The rehashed garbage they put out brought more workers to the TWU’s side, proving once again the boss is usually the best union organizer.”

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.

The six nurses at Ford's Chicago Assembly plant withstood a vigorous anti-union campaign and voted to join UAW Local 551. The vote was 5-1.

The workers want more say in how their workplace operates, citing concerns about chronic understaffing and the company’s lack of training opportunities.

“We felt like management didn’t want to make any type of financial investment in us that would allow us to increase our skills and our knowledge,” said Mary Quasney, an associate nurse at the plant. “We felt like we were understaffed, and that can have negative effects on the work we do. We truly care about the workers in this plant, and we want to provide the best care possible for them when they come to us. The support from the workers was amazing. They truly had our backs the entire time. I think it made us want to be a part of the union even more.”

“I’ve been a member of this local for over 30 years, and during that entire time, the nurses here have never been unionized,” said Local 551 President Chris Pena. “So, to see them finally win a seat at the table, everyone at the local is incredibly proud of them for demanding a voice.”

Tags: Organizing

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:

On Monday, Equity honored Afra Hines with the Legacy Robe at the Broadway opening of SCHMIGADOON! This season marks the 75th anniversary of this historic tradition. Check out our profile for interviews with past recipients

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.

Just days ahead of a strike deadline, 34,000 SEIU Local 32BJ members who work as doormen, porters and maintenance workers across New York City reached a tentative agreement with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB).

These members perform essential work at approximately 3,500 apartment buildings, condos and co-ops—their previous deal was set to expire today. Highlights of the new contract include raises of $4.50 an hour over the life of the contract, a 15% increase to pension benefits, protections for employer-covered health care and more.

“Today we found a common path forward with the RAB that rewards workers appropriately,” 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said. “This agreement honors the indispensable contributions 32BJ members make to our city.”

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

Maryland Public University Nontenure-Track Faculty Win Collective Bargaining Rights: The Maryland General Assembly has passed legislation extending collective bargaining rights to the majority of nontenure track faculty at Maryland's four-year public universities. This victory was a direct result of the tireless organizing done by unions like AFT-Maryland, United Academics of Maryland—an affiliate of American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and AFT—Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500 and the Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO. The bill now heads to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk for his signature. “For years, I have heard from faculty who have been showing up for their students while barely keeping their heads above water and without a seat at the table,” said AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell. “Today, we celebrate, and tomorrow we keep fighting – fighting to organize our non-tenure track faculty so they have a voice and fighting to extend collective bargaining rights to all faculty.” “Our universities are under attack,” said Karin Rosemblatt, president of the University of Maryland–College Park chapter of the United Academics of Maryland. “Our academic freedom is being radically curtailed by the illegal moves of the Trump administration, and our administrations feel their hands are tied. Funding for higher education has been stagnant for almost two decades. Students are forced to learn under the pressure of debt and overcrowded classrooms. Our shared governance structures are routinely circumvented or sidelined. But collective bargaining will help faculty fight back. With a union, they will win the job security and resources that will make for better work, better teaching, and better research.”

Lucky 8 and Sharp Entertainment Workers Ratify Contracts: Nonfiction television staff represented by the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) at Lucky 8 and Sharp Entertainment ratified new collective bargaining agreements. These members are responsible for producing popular shows like “The Food That Built America,” “To Catch a Smuggler,” “90 Day Fiancé” and more. Both bargaining units secured major wins around minimum rate increases and other working condition improvements. “Nonfiction production workers are the backbone of some of the most-watched television,” said Michael Rauch, vice president of Film/TV/Streaming at WGAE, in a press release. “These newly-ratified contracts reflect what workers across the industry deserve — fair pay, real protections, and stability in an unpredictable work environment. Lucky 8’s first contract, and Sharp’s third, show that organizing works, and the energy we saw at this weekend’s summit makes clear that workers are ready to keep building. Nonfiction workers know their value, and the WGAE is here to help them fight for it.”

Rochester, New York, Nursing Home Staff Unanimously Ratify New Contract: Members of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have unanimously voted to ratify a new three-year contract with Rochester Regional Health’s Unity Living Center in Rochester, New York. Staff at the skilled nursing facility work as licensed practical nurses, certified nurse assistants, activity aides, unit secretaries and physical therapy aides. Their previous agreement expired earlier this year. Throughout seven months of bargaining, the issues of staffing, recruitment and retention, and compensation remained core sticking points. The new contract was reached one month after a powerful informational picket. Highlights of the deal include an 8.75% wage increase over the lifetime of the agreement, an additional floating holiday, an attendance bonus and other provisions that will help support overworked and underpaid staff. “I feel happy about our new union contract. It was a fight that we won and my next goal is to make sure everyone belongs to the union and benefits from the contract,” LPN Kiara Grey-Bradley said in a press release.

NYC Residential Workers Reach Tentative Agreement, Averting Strike: Just days ahead of a strike deadline, 34,000 SEIU Local 32BJ members who work as doormen, porters and maintenance workers across New York City reached a tentative agreement with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations (RAB). These members perform essential work at approximately 3,500 apartment buildings, condos and co-ops—their previous deal was set to expire today. Highlights of the new contract include raises of $4.50 an hour over the life of the contract, a 15% increase to pension benefits, protections for employer-covered health care and more. “Today we found a common path forward with the RAB that rewards workers appropriately,” 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said. “This agreement honors the indispensable contributions 32BJ members make to our city.”

New Jersey Cannabis Workers Celebrate Union Election Victory Ahead of 4/20: Workers at cannabis products producer Sun Extractions have voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360, marking another win for the union’s ongoing campaign to ensure fair labor protections in the emergent industry. Medical and recreational cannabis sales in the state are on track to exceed $2 billion, and the workers who make those profits possible are organizing to ensure that they can secure wages and benefits that reflect that success. “New Jersey’s cannabis industry is stronger today, thanks to this vote by Sun Extractions workers,” said Hugh Giordano, director of organizing at UFCW Local 360. “Sustainable success for businesses, employees, and communities starts with fair treatment, strong standards and shared commitments. That’s how jobs in the cannabis industry become long-term careers, and it’s the future these employees are working towards.” "We have more reasons than ever to celebrate 4/20 this year. We’re welcoming the workers of Sun Extractions into the Local 360 family, seeing the hard work of our members move an entire industry forward, and talking to other states as they look to New Jersey as a model of how to do it right,” UFCW Local 360 President Sam Ferraino Jr. said. “It’s another proof-point for what we always say: stronger unions mean stronger industries and stronger communities. And that’s worth celebrating.”

Lush Cosmetics Workers in Maryland Vote Unanimously to Join UFCW: Staff at a Lush Cosmetics storefront in Baltimore last month voted unanimously to form a union with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27. These workers join the ranks of their colleagues in St. Louis; Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky; and Friendswood, Texas, who are part of the growing number of staff organizing to improve conditions at the British retailer. “It has been a joy working at Lush since I joined as floor leader in the 2024 holiday season,” said Hazel Schalow, a worker at the Baltimore store. “I value all my co-workers so much, which is why unionization feels like the right thing to do so that our store can continue succeeding. I want to make sure everyone who’s a part of Lush Harbor East can have the proper pay and scheduling to build a life for themself here in the city we love, and I’m so proud of us all for taking this big step forward together! We support all our fellow co-workers in raising issues to be improved, and we have each other’s back because caring is what we do best as a workforce.” “This is what happens when workers stand together and refuse to be pushed around,” said Jason Chorpenning, president of UFCW Local 27. “These workers faced union-busting head-on and still won unanimously. That sends a message to this company and every employer in retail: workers are done accepting low pay, unpredictable schedules, and disrespect on the job.”

Tags: Organizing

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.

Staff at a Lush Cosmetics storefront in Baltimore last month voted unanimously to form a union with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27.

These workers join the ranks of their colleagues in St. Louis; Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky; and Friendswood, Texas, who are part of the growing number of staff organizing to improve conditions at the British retailer.

“It has been a joy working at Lush since I joined as floor leader in the 2024 holiday season,” said Hazel Schalow, a worker at the Baltimore store. “I value all my co-workers so much, which is why unionization feels like the right thing to do so that our store can continue succeeding. I want to make sure everyone who’s a part of Lush Harbor East can have the proper pay and scheduling to build a life for themself here in the city we love, and I’m so proud of us all for taking this big step forward together! We support all our fellow co-workers in raising issues to be improved, and we have each other’s back because caring is what we do best as a workforce.”

“This is what happens when workers stand together and refuse to be pushed around,” said Jason Chorpenning, president of UFCW Local 27. “These workers faced union-busting head-on and still won unanimously. That sends a message to this company and every employer in retail: workers are done accepting low pay, unpredictable schedules, and disrespect on the job.”

Tags: Organizing