02/25/2025 - 4:00pm
An Attack on Public Service: 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.
TWU Local 100’s New Union President Vows to ‘Take No Crap’ from MTA Management: “John Chiarello—the new president of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100, which represents over 40,000 transit workers in NYC—bluntly warned the MTA that he wouldn’t be pushed around in fighting for his workers’ best interests.”
‘It’s an Attack on Public Service’ | Union Representing Postal Workers Fires Back After Trump Hints at Taking Control of USPS: “At Friday’s swearing in of Howard Lutnick, President Trump hinted at handing the United States Postal Service over to the new Secretary of Commerce. ‘He’s going to look at it,’ said President Trump of Lutnick. ‘He’s got a great business instinct which is what we need, and he’ll be looking at it and we think we can turn it around.’ Brian Renfroe is the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the largest postal union that represents more than 200,000 letter carriers. ‘It’s an attack on working people, it’s an attack on public service. It’s literally an attack on the Constitution.’”
271,500 Workers Went on Strike in 2024: “Hundreds of thousands of workers across the United States went on strike in 2024—from health care workers in California to public school teachers in Massachusetts to telecommunications workers in the South. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that 271,500 workers were involved in ‘major work stoppages’ in 2024. The number of workers involved in these stoppages decreased by 41% compared with 2023 but remained elevated compared with strike activity in the early 2000s and 2010s.”
It’s (Past) Time for Oregon to Level the Playing Field: “When talk of the world’s first trillionaire takes center stage in our nation’s news cycles, you know there’s something wrong in our society. When the world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes since 2020 while five billion people around the world have become poorer, it’s clear that there’s an imbalance in the economy. Even when workers use their most powerful—yet risky—tool to fight for fairness by withholding their labor in a strike, corporations often intentionally prolong the strike, starve them out, and cancel healthcare coverage to force them to accept an unfair contract settlement. Unfortunately, this can often perpetuate the ills of our society at large: corporate greed, unsafe jobs, and a culture where we are not respecting working people for their labor; the glue that makes our communities run.”
Federal Workers to Hold Public Actions in Multiple U.S. Cities on Wednesday: “Three weeks after a January 28 memo titled ‘Fork in the Road’ encouraged federal workers to accept ‘deferred resignation’ and leave their positions—and one week after a union-backed demonstration held at the Capitol—federal government union members are gearing up to hold demonstrations in cities across the country on Wednesday, February 19. Organizers are calling the coordinated events Save Our Services Day of Action.”
New DNC chair: Union Workers, Labor Leaders Will Be ‘Core to My Decision-Making’: “New Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said Tuesday that union workers and labor leaders will be ‘core to my decision-making.’ ‘As Trump wages his war on working families, Democrats will fiercely answer the call to my favorite old union song, "Which Side Are You On?" I’ll tell you what: Democrats are on the side of the worker,’ he said. ‘We will show Americans every day that workers in fact do have more power than any billionaire.’”
Want to Defeat Trump? Support Unions: “But there’s no need to despair. A powerful force in our society has the legitimacy, resources and leverage to turn things around: organized labor. Unions can beat back Donald Trump’s attacks, expose his sham populism, and—by uniting workers around their shared economic interests—help isolate his xenophobic scapegoating. Rather than hibernate for the next four years, or limit ourselves to posting online about the president’s latest outrages, each of us can lend support to workers organizing at federal agencies, schools, Starbucks, Amazon, auto plants and beyond. Just as importantly, we can expand the labor movement’s reach by unionizing our own workplaces. It won’t be easy to counter Trump’s shock-and-awe offensive, or to fill the void left by the Democrats’ disarray. But it’s both necessary and possible.”
Delaware State AFL-CIO Announces New President: “The Delaware State AFL-CIO recently announced Nelson Hill has been elected as its new president. A dedicated labor leader with 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of working families, Hill will now lead the state federation in its mission to protect and empower union members across Delaware. Hill also serves as vice president and executive assistant to the president of UFCW Local 27, one of the largest and most influential unions in the region. His extensive experience in organizing, collective bargaining and worker advocacy has made a profound impact on the labor movement, improving conditions and securing stronger protections for thousands of workers.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 02/20/2025 - 13:19
02/25/2025 - 4:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Tryshanda Moton
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 Tryshanda Moton of the Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association (GESTA/IFPTE Local 29).
Tryshanda Moton currently serves as president of GESTA. She is a senior aerospace systems engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She has 25 years of proven technical expertise in various systems. Moton attended college at the University of Alabama, where she became the first African American to graduate with a bachelor's degree in physics. She completed graduate research in nuclear thermal propulsion concepts for human spaceflight missions to Mars. In 2012, Tryshanda joined GESTA and later was elected to the executive council, where she served two terms as area vice president and two terms as executive vice president.
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 02/25/2025 - 09:54
02/24/2025 - 10:00pm
SOLIDARITY ALERT: NO to Dismantling the U.S. Postal Service
Here is a critical message from the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), which represents hundreds of thousands of dedicated letter carriers who deliver our mail six days a week.
Please make a call now to protect U.S. Postal Service workers’ jobs: 202-224-3121
The jobs of 640,000 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees are under attack. In a reported executive order, President Trump plans to fire the Postal Board of Governors and place the agency under the control of the Department of Commerce.
This is a direct attack on USPS employees, the unmatched universal service they provide and every citizen who relies on the Postal Service.
Please stand with letter carriers and all postal workers and make a call to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
202-224-3121
Please tell Speaker Johnson to put a stop to this. HELL NO to dismantling the Postal Service!
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/24/2025 - 15:04
02/24/2025 - 4:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Tamua Newton
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 Tamua Newton of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU).
OPEIU Local 30 member Tamua Newton has worked at City of Hope—a nonprofit cancer treatment and research center in Duarte, California—for more than 20 years. She serves as a steward and is a member of Local 30’s executive board.
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/24/2025 - 08:58
02/24/2025 - 4:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Aviation Unions Sign on to Letter Urging Modernization of Air Traffic Control System
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.
A coalition of labor unions representing workers across the aviation and aerospace industries signed on to a letter on Wednesday urging Congress to support efforts to modernize the United States air traffic control system in the wake of recent accidents.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), Transport Workers Union (TWU) and Transportation Trades Department (TTD) all endorsed the message to lawmakers. They stressed the importance of emergency funding for air traffic control technology and staffing, directing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modernize its airspace technology, excepting the FAA from government shutdowns and other critical priorities to ensure the safety of everyone.
“The FAA’s primary mission has been, and should continue to be, ensuring the operational safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS),” the joint letter said. “Everything the FAA does must be directly tied to, and in support of, that mission. Our organizations are ready to work with you to ensure the FAA is more capable and prepared to deliver economic growth, foster American innovation, adapt to challenges, and continue to be the safest, largest, and most complex air traffic control system in the world.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/24/2025 - 08:58
02/23/2025 - 9:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Jeffrey Michael Betts
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 Jeffrey Michael Betts of the Machinists (IAM).
Jeffrey Michael Betts is a radar operator at Luke Air Force Base, Glendale, Arizona, where he established the Range Operations Control Center and the Central Scheduling Program. Betts has been a member of the IAM since 2002. A retired U.S. Navy air traffic controller, he served in key training, operational and leadership roles throughout his naval career, including facility watch supervisor at NAS North Island, Alameda and Key West, and air operations supervisor aboard the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Kitty Hawk. Betts earned his Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist pin, two Navy Achievement Medals, five letters of commendation and three letters of appreciation.
Kenneth Quinnell
Sun, 02/23/2025 - 09:38
02/22/2025 - 2:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Clint Walker
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 Clint Walker of the Heat and Frost Insulators (HFIU).
Clint Walker has been a dedicated member of the insulation industry for more than 40 years, bringing a wealth of experience and craftsmanship to the trade. Before entering the field, he served five years in the U.S. Air Force, learning a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence. Walker remains an active tradesman, continuing to contribute his skills and knowledge to the industry. His family holds a proud legacy in the trade, as his brother was the first African American member of the local. With decades of experience and a deep-rooted passion for the craft, Walker continues to set a high standard in his field.
Kenneth Quinnell
Sat, 02/22/2025 - 09:38
02/22/2025 - 2:00pm
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: ATU Workers Finalize New Labor Agreement with Lane Transit District; Secure 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.
Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757 secured a new labor contract this week with the Lane Transit District (LTD) in Oregon. ATU and LTD both approved the contract unanimously. The agreement covers LTD's Facilities Department, which helps maintain LTD’s transportation infrastructure. The new contract includes immediate wage increases, annual wage increases on a step-based progression system, and a comprehensive benefits package for LTD Facilities Department workers and their dependents.
"Securing this first union contract is a significant victory for our new members,” said Bill Bradley, ATU Local 757’s executive board officer. “Over the next three years, this agreement will provide improved wages and the job security that comes with a strong ATU union contract. When labor and management work together in good faith, we create a stronger, more sustainable workforce for the future."
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 02/21/2025 - 09:20
02/21/2025 - 1:00pm
Black History Month Profiles: Lesa Terry
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 Lesa Terry of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
Straddling genres has given Lesa Terry a deeper appreciation of her own culture, as a woman of color. “When I was learning the violin, there was something of my heritage that I was leaving behind,” she said. “Focusing on what was missing made me a much stronger player, and it made me a better teacher.” Terry joined AFM when she was in her 20s. She served on AFM Local 47's board in the early 2000s. “It was an opportunity to have a voice in my own way, and to develop an ability to express myself with a strong conviction of what I believed in and how I could help.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 02/21/2025 - 09:21
02/21/2025 - 1:00pm
I Stand With Workers, Not Billionaires: 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:
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:
Colorado AFL-CIO:
Connecticut AFL-CIO:
Florida AFL-CIO:
Illinois AFL-CIO:
Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO:
Maine AFL-CIO:
Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
Michigan State AFL-CIO:
