05/17/2024 - 6:30pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: University of Washington Student Workers Reach a Deal with University After One-Day Strike
Working people across the United States have stepped 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 thousands of academic student employees (ASEs) at the University of Washington (UW) went on strike Tuesday, the bargaining team of International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Local 4121 announced later that night that they had reached a tentative agreement.
The union has been working diligently in bargaining sessions with university administrators since February, securing deals on all provisions except wages. UW academic student employees—including teaching assistants, researchers, tutors and others—voted nearly unanimously in April to authorize a strike and hit the picket lines early Tuesday morning to pressure administration to give them the fair pay they deserve. By 9 p.m. of the same day, they had reached a deal. Wins include the largest raises the bargaining unit has ever won in a contract, $0 health care premiums maintained, paid leave time for immigration appointments and hearings, grievance timeline improvements and more.
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 05/17/2024 - 10:34
05/17/2024 - 12:00pm
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Trung Le
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Trung Le of AFSCME.
Trung Le's story is one of resilience, strength and compassion. After escaping Vietnam at the age of 16 as a Vietnam War refugee, Le found a foster family in the U.S. and became a social worker, striving to protect children from the same abuse that he once endured. In 2017, after 23 years on the job with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Le and his fellow program supervisors organized and voted decisively to form AFSCME Local 3419, of which he now serves as vice president.
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 05/17/2024 - 10:41
05/17/2024 - 12:00am
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Condé Nast Union Overwhelmingly Ratifies First Contract
Working people across the United States have stepped 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 over a year and a half of negotiations, Condé Nast workers ratified their first labor contract, voting 97% to approve the three-year deal. The agreement averted a strike from the workers, members of The NewsGuild-CWA, ahead of the Met Gala. The contract boosts wages by $3.6 million, converts company permalancers into full-time staff members, provides two additional weeks of paid parental leave to union members, institutes just cause when management fires or disciplines a worker, ensures compensatory time when union members work over 40 hours in one week, includes both biological and chosen family in the bargaining unit’s bereavement policy and includes some hybrid work protections.
“Our pledge to take any action necessary to get our contract, including walking off the job ahead of the Met Gala, is what got us this contract, along with the tireless work of our bargaining team,” said Bon Appétit culinary producer Mallary Santucci. “Beginning today, the contract’s protections will have a profound impact on the lives of all of our members.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 05/16/2024 - 09:55
05/16/2024 - 5:30pm
Solidarity Is the Only Thing We Need: 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:
AFGE:
AFSCME:
Alliance for Retired Americans:
Amalgamated Transit Union:
American Federation of Teachers:
American Postal Workers Union:
05/16/2024 - 11:00am
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Chad Yokoyama
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Chad Yokoyama of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART).
Chad Yokoyama grew up in a union household and followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a UAW member in 1994. Yokoyama began his railroad career in 2012 with BNSF Railway as a conductor. He was promoted to engineer in 2014. As a member of SMART Local 1687 in Belen, New Mexico, Yokoyama became involved with the union early in his career. He has served as a local chairperson, as well as delegate and alternate legislative representative. In 2018, Yokoyama was hired to work on the SMART-TD Human Rights Committee, which was renamed the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Also in 2018, he became a trainer with the Rail Workers Hazmat Training Program, where his passion for helping protect union members really took hold. Yokoyama was appointed to the SMART Recruitment and Retention Council in 2021. He is currently a member of SMART Local 113 in Winslow, Arizona.
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 05/16/2024 - 10:09
05/15/2024 - 4:00pm
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Yan Yan Teague
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Yan Yan Teague of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA).
Yan Yan Teague is a member of AFA-CWA Local 27019 and an Alaska Airlines flight attendant. Her appointments as the inaugural chairperson for the AFA-CWA Human Rights Committee and to the National CWA Women's Committee are testaments to her unwavering commitment to human rights and her dedication to making a positive impact on the world. Before becoming a flight attendant, Teague worked with AmeriCorps through the United Way of King County, Washington, showcasing her passion for creating meaningful change in people's lives.
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 05/15/2024 - 10:08
05/15/2024 - 4:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: CLUW Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Working people across the United States have stepped 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.
Last week, the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) celebrated five decades of building power and community for women throughout the labor movement at its 50th Anniversary Gala and Education Conference in Niagara Falls, New York.
Formed on March 24, 1974, CLUW is the country’s only national organization for union women. Its core principles of getting women involved in their unions, organizing the unorganized and promoting social justice in the workplace are still as relevant and pressing as they were a half-century ago. On Friday, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler delivered remarks celebrating the history of CLUW and shared an inspiring vision for a future where there is safety on the job for every woman, where the wage gap is closed and where women’s voices are uplifted in our democracy. She also led a discussion group with the CLUW National Officers Council about what’s at stake during the 2024 elections and how the labor movement can ensure that all working women in this country see collective bargaining as a path to a better tomorrow.
Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 05/15/2024 - 09:59
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CLUW
05/15/2024 - 4:00pm
Thank a Teacher: 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 (formerly Twitter).
Alaska AFL-CIO:
Arizona AFL-CIO:
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:
Colorado AFL-CIO:
Connecticut AFL-CIO:
Florida AFL-CIO:
Georgia State AFL-CIO:
05/14/2024 - 4:00pm
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Kevin Boone
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Kevin Boone of the
Kevin Boone is a steward for USW Local 9562 at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. As a Korean American and a fourth-generation union member, he was a proud first-time attendee at last year’s APALA Convention in Seattle, and he returned to his local determined to better support his fellow members. "The pride I feel contributing to the legacy of my AAPI siblings and their multiracial and transnational solidarity empowers me to experience a stronger connection to my heritage."
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 05/14/2024 - 10:18
05/14/2024 - 4:00pm
Part of a National Movement: 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.
Senate Approves Bill to Reauthorize FAA and Improve Air Travel: “The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to reauthorize federal aviation programs for the next five years and put in place new safety measures and consumer protections for passengers, at a moment of intense uncertainty and disruption in the air travel system. The bill, which still must win final approval in the House before becoming law, would provide more than $105 billion to the Federal Aviation Administration and another $738 million to the National Transportation Safety Board for airport modernization, technology programs and safety. It would also bolster the hiring and training of air traffic controllers, codify airlines’ refund obligations to passengers, ensure fee-free family seating and strengthen protections for passengers with disabilities.”
First Lady Honors Teachers at Inaugural State Dinner: “First lady Dr. Jill Biden shined a spotlight on educators making an impact during the inaugural Teachers of the Year state dinner on May 2. From the president to national dignitaries, academic instructors and support staff from every U.S. state, territory and the Department of Defense Education were honored with special recognition, in addition to receiving an award from the Council of Chief State School Officers. ‘The real threat is that public education is central to our democracy, central to opportunity, central for kids in communities to thrive. [Book bans are] just another obstacle to stop us from doing the best job we can to help all kids learn,’ Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told The Informer. ‘Every time there’s an obstacle that threatens a teacher, or makes it so hard that they leave the profession, or has them teaching on eggshells.’”
Bill Introduced to Protect U.S. Call Center Jobs: “Senators Bob Casey, Sherrod Brown, and Catherine Cortez Masto have introduced the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act aimed at preventing the outsourcing of American call center jobs overseas. The bill seeks to protect American workers and consumer data by imposing restrictions and penalties on businesses that relocate call center operations abroad.”
Penn Grad Workers Say ‘We’re Part of a National Movement’ After Union Win: “Thousands of graduate student workers at the University of Pennsylvania—about 97%—voted to unionize in early May. The Graduate Employees Together University of Pennsylvania, or GET-UP, is behind the drive to affiliate with the United Auto Workers, which often represents student worker unions. The union election was scheduled for mid-April but was delayed after the University of Pennsylvania tried to exclude several hundred student workers through the National Labor Relations Board appeal process, but the university failed.”
More Than 400 Lab Professionals at LabCorp Win a Union: “Lab professionals employed by the medical lab services company, LabCorp of America, held a union election from March 1–3 where 434 workers voted to join together in a union with the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), a local affiliate of the 1.7 million-member [American Federation of Teachers] AFT. These healthcare professionals work at labs within seven Legacy Health facilities in Oregon and Washington, including Emanuel and Good Samaritan in Portland, and Salmon Creek (WA).”
Trade Union Reaches Recognition Agreement with Brightline West Train Maker: “The company tapped to manufacture the trains for Brightline West's high-speed rail project will recognize any potential unionization effort from workers. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, or IAM, announced Tuesday that it reached a voluntary recognition agreement with Siemens Mobility. According to IAM, the agreement will allow future employees to get information about union representation. If a majority of workers petition to join IAM, Siemens will recognize the union and begin collective bargaining immediately.”
Introducing the Smith College Libraries Workers Union: “On April 9, library workers at Smith College voted unanimously in favor of unionizing with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153. The new union is known as the Smith College Libraries Workers Union (SCLWU). A month before the election, workers at Smith College Libraries (SCL) announced their union by delivering a letter to the college’s President and Board of Trustees where they asked that the union be voluntarily recognized.”
National Nurses Week 2024: RN Reflects on the State of the Profession, Calls for Change: “Monday, May 6 kicks off National Nurses Week, and it gives folks an opportunity to show their love and appreciation for the people who take care of the sick, injured and dying. Catherine Kennedy, a registered nurse and the Vice President of National Nurses United, told USA TODAY that there needs to be systemic change on the federal level to give nurses the best chance to care for their patients.”
More Than Ever, ‘Union Wages Buy More’: “This 74-year-old union retiree (American Federation of Teachers) remembers those old Kentucky State AFL-CIO novelty license plates that proclaimed ‘Union Wages Buy More.’ That’s true more than ever today. ‘Union members in the United States saw record raises, while nonunion workers’ pay barely beat inflation over the past 12 months, latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows,’ says Thursday’s Team AFL-CIO Daily Brief in a short synopsis headlined ‘It’s Better in a Union: U.S. Union Members See Record Pay Raises, Outpacing Nonunion Workers.’ The brief also cites BLS statistics released on Tuesday that showed ‘wages of private sector union members have risen 6.3% since March 2023.’”
Retail Workers Vote to Form Florida’s First H&M Union: “Retail workers at an H&M clothing store in Melbourne overwhelmingly voted to unionize Friday, forming a historic first H&M union in the state of Florida. According to Will Cox, an organizer with the United Food and Commercial Workers, the election was secured by a supermajority of workers at the Melbourne Square Mall store, who voted in favor of unionization on Friday.”
Biden Vetoes Bill Against Joint Employer Rule: “President Joe Biden vetoed a Congressional Review Act measure to overturn the National Labor Relations Board rule broadening joint employer liability, fulfilling a promise made in January, the White House announced Friday. The CRA measure passed the Senate in a nearly party-line vote in April, and passed the House of Representatives in a largely, but somewhat less, polarized vote in January. The veto saves the NLRB’s rule legislatively, but the regulation was vacated by a federal judge in Texas in March, though it may yet be appealed. The NLRB’s rule expands the bargaining obligations and liabilities of employers that reserve control of essential conditions of employment or exercises such control indirectly.”
How Changes to ‘Non-Compete’ Agreements and Overtime Pay Could Affect Workers: “For millions of American workers, the federal government has taken two actions that could bestow potentially far-reaching benefits. In one move, the Federal Trade Commission voted to ban non-compete agreements, which bar millions of workers from leaving their employers to join a competitor or start a rival business for a specific period of time. The FTC's move, which is already being challenged in court, would mean that such employees could apply for jobs they weren't previously eligible to seek. In a second move, the Biden administration finalized a rule that will make millions more salaried workers eligible for overtime pay. The rule significantly raises the salary level that workers could earn and still qualify for overtime. On the social media site X, the AFL-CIO labor organization said the rules will ‘restore and extend overtime protections for hard-working Americans.’”
Middle Rio Grande Irrigation Workers Unionize: “Irrigation workers at the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District voted to form a union with AFSCME Council 18 on Tuesday, according to a news release from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in New Mexico. Council 18 is the umbrella organization for the various city, county, and state locals affiliated with AFSCME.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 05/13/2024 - 14:17
