By Steve Smith The negotiating on President Biden’s historic infrastructure plan is under way. This nearly $2 trillion bill would be the largest investment in infrastructure and jobs in American history. Will the jobs created be union jobs? Vice President Kamala Harris penned an op-ed this week in USA Today laying out the administration’s priorities. […]
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Statement from the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
APALA Grieves for the Asian Women Who Were Victims of Targeted Shootings in Georgia, and Condemns Misogyny and White Supremacy that Motivated These Murders For Immediate Release: March 17, 2021 Contact: Michelle Loo, michelle@apalanet.org Washington, DC – Last night, eight people were murdered at three spas in Georgia, many of whom were Asian and immigrant […]
Read MoreHouse Passes Historic Labor Law Reform – What’s Next for the PRO Act?
By Steve Smith The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act passed in the House this week with a 225-206 margin, sending this historic legislation to the US Senate. This bill is the most significant labor law reform legislation since 1935. All California Democrats in Congress voted YES, hearing the voices of workers who demand […]
Read More“The Power of IBEW 1245 is Enhanced by the Participation of its Retirees” — Local 1245 retiree activists speak out on the value of staying active in the union during retirement
I have stayed a member of the retirees club because I truly enjoy the camaraderie of my union brothers and sisters who I worked alongside of for so many years. I know that they share the same values of hard work, dedication, and safety that we proudly displayed in the workforce and in our current […]
Read More“When we’re not willing to have hard conversations about race, we lose the opportunity to have a real conversation.” A Q&A with labor and community organizer Tanya Wallace-Gobern
As we continue to celebrate Black-excellence this month, we want to shine a light on movement builders who are empowering Black workers to lead. This week we interviewed an inspiring leader who is opening up the labor movement to ALL working people, creating safe spaces for Black workers, and putting the Black-worker experience on full […]
Read More“Society is So Much More When All People are Free from the Violence of Poverty and Low Wages” A Q&A with Organizer and Social Justice Activist Cherri Murphy
Black History Month is a time to reflect on those in the struggle for racial equality who’ve moved us forward through bold and principled action. But’s it’s also a time to look to the future and the Black activist leaders making history NOW to end white supremacy and tear down systems of oppression that harm […]
Read MoreRemembering John Sweeney
I am very sad this evening, having just learned of the passing of John Sweeney, President Emeritus of the AFL-CIO. If you knew him, you undoubtedly would agree with the assessment that he was a rare breed in Labor. Always soft spoken, some might say he had an outward mannerism of an accountant. Or an […]
Read MoreFive Labor Priorities for the Biden Administration
President Biden, who has a stronger union background than any incoming president for decades, has promised to adopt a strong pro-worker agenda, and he has already assembled a labor-focused economic team. Senior advisors, Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey, Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellin, and head of the Council of Economic Advisors, Cecilia Rouse, are leading experts on […]
Read MoreMarty Walsh Will Be an Exceptional Labor Secretary
Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for secretary of labor: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will be an exceptional labor secretary for the same reason he was an outstanding mayor: he carried the tools. As a longtime union member, Walsh knows that collective bargaining is essential […]
Read MoreAFL-CIO Looks Forward to Working with President-Elect Joe Biden
Democracy is prevailing. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory in this free and fair election is a win for America’s labor movement. Everywhere in every way, working people are heroically and resiliently fighting back against this pandemic, its economic fall out, chronic income inequality and systemic racism. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris saw us, […]
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