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 Diana Valles of UNITE HERE's Culinary Union.

Diana Valles is a proud immigrant who was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. In 1988, she moved to Las Vegas, where she has been a member of the Culinary Union for 36 years. She is passionate about continuing to mentor and develop leaders so that workers can organize and win a better standard of living for their families. Valles was elected president of the Culinary Union Local 226 in 2022.

Tags: Women's History Month

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:

On March 2nd, a full-page ad was placed in the ADN in which thousands of Alaskans showed their unwavering support for our state's federal employees. 

Our delegation must fight against this ill-advised, indiscriminate, and illogical mass firing of federal employees. #akleg pic.twitter.com/OQwPescLky

— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) March 4, 2025

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:

The @CaliforniaLabor movement stands in solidarity w/ educators, faculty, students, & community allies who are mobilizing all across the country to protect education funding + good union jobs!@CFTunion #MarchinMarch pic.twitter.com/sDo4X4an9r

— California Federation of Labor Unions (@CaliforniaLabor) March 5, 2025

Colorado AFL-CIO:

KGNU Labor Exchange - The joy of organizing with Karli McClure & Nate Paer, SEIU 105 mental health workers; guest Host Ben Ullrich. Karli and Nate helped build the union at Mental Health Partners (now Clinica Family Health). 6:00 PM 88.5 FM or online https://t.co/9Uz9Ney6oX

— Colorado AFL-CIO ✊ (@AFLCIOCO) March 3, 2025

Connecticut AFL-CIO:

HAPPENING NOW: Members of the New Haven Federation of Teachers and their community partners are rallying to #ProtectOurKids, stand up for our schools & fight for our communities! @AFTunion pic.twitter.com/1vduurtwue

— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) March 4, 2025

Florida AFL-CIO:

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.

Tens of thousands of University of California (UC) system health care and research workers who are members of AFSCME Local 3299 and University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA (UPTE-CWA) Local 9119 staged a multiday strike last week to protest the administration’s unfair labor practices.

Powerful, coordinated actions took place across all 10 UC campuses and five medical centers, as well as clinics and research laboratories. Both unions cite lack of meaningful movement on wage provisions as a major sticking point during ongoing negotiations with UC management. Research has shown that this share of the UC workforce that would be income eligible for limited government housing subsidies has nearly tripled since 2017. Instead of working toward a fair deal with AFSCME and UPTE-CWA, administrators have chosen to continue illegally restricting the freedom of members’ protected union activity, forcing nearly 60,000 staff to walk off the job.

“We all want to be in the center, taking care of patients, taking care of students, back in our research stations and we want to be doing that work. We don’t want to be out here,” said Michael Benaron, an UPTE-CWA member and physician assistant at UC Santa Barbara Student Health. “We just deserve the dignity of getting paid fairly well for the work that we do. The UC, it’s a world-class institution, and they should be paying world-class wages when we fight.”

“UC is attempting to silence our voices on the job — but we refuse to be silenced,” said Christopher Contreras, head custodian at UC Santa Cruz and a member of AFSCME. “Many of us work two or three jobs, seven days a week, while commuting up to two hours just to make ends meet. One job should be enough. It’s time for a change. We take care of UC. UC should take care of us.”

Tags: Strikes

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 are the members we've featured so far:

• Brittney Davidson
• Patricia Redding
• Sylvia J. Ramos
• Paige Cisco

Tags: Women's History Month

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 Paige Cisco of the United Steelworkers (USW).

Paige Cisco, USW Local 689 member and active Woman of Steel, has worked at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio for almost seven years and is a fierce activist for worker health and safety. As the full-time health and safety representative for her local and an active worker trainer for the USW Tony Mazzocchi Center, Cisco educates union members about health and safety every chance she gets.

Tags: Women's History Month

Today, March 4, educators, students, parents and community allies will stand up against assaults on public education and on opportunity for America’s kids. 

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is calling on lawmakers to strengthen, not undermine, our local public schools and the services they provide to children, families and communities. Find an action near you happening today!

Find a Local Action.

The government can work for billionaires or it can work for working people—but not both. 

So when Elon Musk created his own unaccountable pseudo-government department, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to fire federal workers and jeopardize the programs working people rely on, we launched our own “Department of People of Who Work for a Living (DPWL)” to hold these billionaires accountable.

The DPWL was out in force last week as working people participated in more than 104 actions in 31 states and Washington, D.C. Some unions and working people planned rallies, others scheduled meetings with their members of Congress, and some attended town halls to speak out. 

Here are some highlights from workers who spoke at last week’s protests against DOGE’s actions: 

“I'm sad that I lost my job. But I'm also sad I'm not going to be able to help these people anymore who desperately need it,” said fired Environmental Protection Agency employee Nyla at a rally in Chicago.

“I’ve wanted to work for [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] NOAA a long time,” said an anonymous protester in Juneau, Alaska. “If I cared about money, I would have gone to Wall Street, but I care about our environment and our people. And NOAA provides a lot of services to Alaska, the rural and coastal communities here really get a lot of information from us, and I’m worried.”

“I had to apply for unemployment, and on the very same day I did that, Elon Musk tweeted a meme calling the 10% of the poorest Americans members of the parasite class,” said Kristin Jenn, a fired federal worker in Austin, Texas.

When you think of federal government workers, you may think of Washington, D.C., but the truth is 85% of federal employees live and work all over the country, with large numbers in states like California, Texas, Florida and Georgia. 

Job cuts are being felt nationwide, hurting communities, local economies and services in red and blue states alike.

That’s why we’ve launched the DPWL website to share information and resources for workers and communities affected by these attacks on federal workers. 

See our map, take action and learn more about how unelected billionaires and their agenda are affecting working people.

LEARN MORE

Thank you for supporting America’s working families.

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.

In a victory more than a year in the making, nearly 5,000 supervisors who work for the state of Maryland have voted to form a union with AFSCME Maryland Council 3.

State supervisors worked with AFSCME to pass legislation last year that granted them collective bargaining rights in Maryland.

“With our AFSCME union, we as supervisors can finally have a say in workplace policies that affect us, such as expanded hours, how our scheduling works, how comp time works, and more,” said Michael Lawson, acting assistant superintendent and a bus maintenance supervisor at the Maryland Transit Administration. “We are experts at how our agencies and offices operate, and now we have a seat at the table to weigh in on decisions that shape our work, our services, and our agencies.

Tags: Organizing

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 Sylvia J. Ramos of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Sylvia J. Ramos began her career in 1981 at Southwestern Bell in San Antonio, where she held various roles, including bilingual service representative and job steward with CWA Local 6143. She chaired the organizing and mobilizing committees, led successful organizing campaigns, and received the AFL-CIO “A Woman’s Place Is in Her Union” award in 1998. Ramos later became an AT&T strategist and CWA staff representative, and chaired many bargaining committees. In 2023, she made history as the first Latina chief of staff at CWA, where she advocates for workers’ rights, including the impact of artificial intelligence on labor.

Tags: Women's History Month

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

Alaska Flight Attendants Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract: Late last week, Alaska Airlines flight attendants—who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA)—ratified a new three-year contract with 95% of members in favor of the deal. With a remarkable 91% voting participation, this industry standard-setting deal is being celebrated across membership. Highlights of this agreement include double-digit raises for the 7,000-member bargaining unit, boarding pay, company 401(k) match increase, higher per diems and more. “This contract will immediately and significantly improve the lives of Alaska Flight Attendants,” said Jeffrey Peterson, AFA-CWA MEC president at Alaska Airlines in a press release. “Alaska Flight Attendants’ solidarity pushed management to recognize our critical role to the safety and success of this airline. This contract also raises the foundation for the new joint Alaska-Hawaiian negotiations following the merger.”

NBC Digital NewsGuild Secures Tentative Three-Year Contract Deal: Editorial staff at NBC News, NBC News NOW and Today, represented by NewsGuild of New York, TNG-CWA Local 31003, reached a tentative agreement (TA) with the network on Friday. The scope of the deal covers approximately 300 digital staff who work as reporters, producers, editors, designers, videographers and in other roles. This victory has been years in the making: NBC NewsGuild members first organized in 2019 and, if this TA is ratified, it will be their first contract. The contract includes wins like the establishment of minimum salary floors, job security protections, an end to forced arbitration in cases of discrimination and harassment, and more. “This contract is a huge step forward for journalists at NBC News,” said Tate James, documentary video editor and unit chair in a NewsGuild of New York press release. “We will now have the job security essential to fighting for transparency and accountability without fear.” “NYGuild members contribute to the reach and value of NBC News every day,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “I’m glad that NBC is finally recognizing their essential work by agreeing to a contract that enshrines the wages and workplace protections they deserve.”

Maryland State Supervisors Overwhelmingly Vote to Join AFSCME: In a victory more than a year in the making, nearly 5,000 supervisors who work for the state of Maryland have voted to form a union with AFSCME Maryland Council 3. State supervisors worked with AFSCME to pass legislation last year that granted them collective bargaining rights in Maryland. “With our AFSCME union, we as supervisors can finally have a say in workplace policies that affect us, such as expanded hours, how our scheduling works, how comp time works, and more,” said Michael Lawson, acting assistant superintendent and a bus maintenance supervisor at the Maryland Transit Administration. “We are experts at how our agencies and offices operate, and now we have a seat at the table to weigh in on decisions that shape our work, our services, and our agencies.”

Equity Reaches New Developmental Work Agreement with Broadway League: The National Council of Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) voted last week to ratify a new five-year Development Agreement with The Broadway League, ending an eight-month strike against early-stage development work. This agreement is used during the development of new works by members of The Broadway League—the trade organization representing theater producers and owners—before entering into an intended Production Contract engagement. The previous version of this contract expired in February of last year, after which the union unanimously voted to authorize a strike. Highlights of the new agreement include a cumulative pay increase of over 8%, more pre-production time for stage managers and the establishment of a new joint working group between the union and employers. “Today is a day to celebrate the hard work of Equity’s team in getting us back into the rehearsal halls and making some magic,” said Equity Negotiating Team Chair Stephen Bogardus in a press release. “The talent and commitment our members bring to their work is vital in transporting what’s on paper to the stage, and Development work sessions are a crucial step in that process. This was a long strike, but it was worth it. I know our members are looking forward to digging into the work we love doing while being more fairly compensated for that labor.”

Victory: Federal Court Finds Firing of Probationary Federal Employees Illegal: On Thursday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted a temporary restraining order against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its acting director, finding that the termination of probationary federal employees was illegal because OPM had no authority to order it. The coalition of plaintiffs on the case include AFGE, AFSCME, United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) and various community ally groups. “This ruling…is an important initial victory for patriotic Americans across this country who were illegally fired from their jobs by an agency that had no authority to do so,” said Everett Kelley, national president of the AFGE. “These are rank-and-file workers who joined the federal government to make a difference in their communities, only to be suddenly terminated due to this administration’s disdain for federal employees and desire to privatize their work.” “We know this decision is just a first step, but it gives federal employees a respite,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “While they work to protect public health and safety, federal workers have faced constant harassment from unelected billionaires and anti-union extremists whose only goal is to give themselves massive tax breaks at the expense of working people. We will continue to move this case forward with our partners until federal workers are protected against these baseless terminations.”

UAW Members Reach Tentative Agreement with Rolls-Royce, Averting Strike: UAW Local 933 announced that it secured a last-minute tentative agreement (TA) with Rolls-Royce late Wednesday night, right before their current contract expired. Local 933 represents over 800 workers at the Indianapolis facility where members manufacture aircraft engines for contracts with the U.S. government. Highlights of the deal include the elimination of wage tiers, profit-sharing, improved retirement benefits and a cost-of-living adjustment. In a huge victory for the bargaining unit, under this new TA, the lowest-paid workers would see a wage increase of nearly 70% over the lifetime of the contract. “Winning strong agreements is only possible when our members are organized and united,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “It only happens when the company looks over the shoulder of our bargaining team and sees an army of fired up and fed up members who are ready to do what it takes to win what they deserve. That is exactly what happened here this week when hundreds of members showed up to rally in support of their bargaining team and show the company that they were ready to strike if needed.”

Workers at St. Anselm Secure Election Victory Despite Aggressive Union-Busting: In the midst of intense anti-union pressure from management, workers at popular Washington, D.C., restaurant St. Anselm successfully voted to form a union with UNITE HERE Local 25. The lucrative dining spot is operated by STARR Restaurant Group—which refused to voluntarily recognize the union earlier this month—and the new bargaining unit covers both the front- and back-of-house workers. This victory was the first of three STARR-operated restaurants in the city to hold elections to join Local 25 as part of a larger DC Restaurant Workers Rising organizing effort. Staff are celebrating this powerful victory, and are eager to sit down at the bargaining table and secure a contract with improvements to working conditions and wages. “I’m so proud of what we won today because I know it means real change is coming—in our paychecks, our benefits, and how workers at STARR restaurants are treated,” said Bridget Killburn, a baker at St. Anselm. “I’m excited for my colleagues at Pastis and Le Diplomate to join us in winning their union in the coming weeks.”

Reconsidered Goods Thrift Store Workers Unanimously Vote to Form Union: On Monday, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-UFCW (RWDSU-UFCW) announced that workers at Reconsidered Goods in Greensboro, North Carolina, voted unanimously to form a union. Staff at the thrift store have become the second retail location in the city to join RWDSU-UFCW this year after their union brothers, sisters and siblings at REI Greensboro won their election last month. But the path to get here wasn’t easy: management attempted to exclude two people from the proposed bargaining unit, forcing workers to go on strike until all eligible staff could vote. Members cited concerns like safety issues, working conditions, wages and scheduling as core focuses for when they enter bargaining. “There has been no doubt in my mind that we would win this election,” said fabric specialist Yvonne Rabel. “We’ve been working hard for over a year to build a sense of community and camaraderie with each other….Our community has been nothing but supportive of our goals to ensure a safer work environment, and we’re going to continue to work toward these goals during negotiations. I can’t say whether I expect our directors to be collaborative or not, but I’m hopeful we can work on a solution that includes the workers having a say in the decisions that affect them.”