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Pride Month Profiles: Alicia Mijares

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 19:20:49 +0000

Pride Month Profiles: Alicia Mijares

Alicia Mijares

For Pride Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ union members who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Alicia Mijares of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART).

After being a hardworking journeyperson at SMART (formerly Sheet Metal Workers) Local 104 for nearly two decades, Alicia Mijares was the first female organizer on staff, and later she was elected as the first female full-time officer. She's been breaking barriers and shattering glass ceilings her whole life in a male-dominated industry, and her passion for workers' rights and the labor movement is unmatched.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 06/02/2023 - 15:20

Economy Gains 339,000 Jobs in May; Unemployment Up Slightly 3.7%

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:32:48 +0000

Economy Gains 339,000 Jobs in May; Unemployment Up Slightly 3.7%

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The U.S. economy gained 339,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate was up slightly to 3.7%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This strong jobs report shows there is still room to expand job opportunities for Americans. Wage growth continues at levels that are consistent with low levels of inflation.

May's biggest job gains were in professional and business services (+64,000), government (+56,000), health care (+52,000), leisure and hospitality (+48,000), construction (+25,000), transportation and warehousing (+24,000), and social assistance (+22,000). Employment was little changed over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; financial activities; and other services.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for Black Americans (5.6%) and adult women (3.3%) rose in May. The jobless rates for teenagers (10.3%), Hispanics (4.0%), adult men (3.5%), White Americans (3.3%), and Asian Americans (2.9%) showed little change over the month.

The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or longer) was little changed in May and accounted for 19.8% of the total people unemployed.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 06/02/2023 - 11:32

Celebrating Pride: In the States Roundup

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 18:50:50 +0000

Celebrating Pride: In the States Roundup

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 Twitter.

Alabama AFL-CIO:

Alaska AFL-CIO:

Arizona AFL-CIO:

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:

Connecticut AFL-CIO:

Georgia State AFL-CIO:

Illinois AFL-CIO:

Indiana State AFL-CIO:

Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO:

Maine AFL-CIO:

Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO:

Massachusetts AFL-CIO:

Michigan State AFL-CIO:

Minnesota AFL-CIO:

Missouri AFL-CIO:

Nevada State AFL-CIO:

New Hampshire AFL-CIO:

New York State AFL-CIO:

North Carolina State AFL-CIO:

North Dakota AFL-CIO:

Ohio AFL-CIO:

Oregon AFL-CIO:

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:

Texas AFL-CIO:

Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/01/2023 - 14:50

Pride at Work

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:00:53 +0000

Pride at Work

LGBTQ+ Rights Are Workers' Rights

The labor movement is intersectional. This means we fight for all working people—no matter the gender, race, ethnicity or any other identity. Those identities intersect with your own identity as a worker, as a parent, as a sibling.

In America, we believe all people should be able to work without fear of discrimination or violence. You should be able to work without hiding your light and without hiding your true, authentic self.

LGBTQ+ people still lack basic federal legal protections in the workplace, which make them vulnerable to recent appalling and shameful actions by state legislatures. We have no tolerance for hate in our movement.

The labor movement is fighting back with everything we have. And the best tool we have is a union contract. Union contracts are legally enforceable in every state. They protect LGBTQ+ workers from harassment, and can mean real progress for workers and our families to gain health care, savings, a future, and so much more. Check out some model contract language from our constituency group, Pride at Work.

LGBTQ+ workers face retaliation and fear getting fired for standing with their co-workers. It’s hard for workers to see the very same corporations that celebrate pride turn around and hire anti-union-busting consultants and deny their workers the promise of a union contract.

That’s why, this Pride Month, we want you to share what your union means to you.

Share your story.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/01/2023 - 10:00

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFT Offers Free Resources for Pride Month

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:28:34 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFT Offers Free Resources for Pride Month

An image from the National Trans Visibility March in Washington, DC in 2019. Photo credit: Ted Eytan

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Today begins Pride Month, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is offering free resources for educators. The AFT resources are particularly important in the face of a recent trend of state legislatures attacking LGBTQ+ rights. The Share My Lesson website offers lesson plans, webinars, LGBTQ+ history lessons and blog posts on a variety of topics, such as how teachers can support LGBTQ+ students.

Visit Share My Lesson for more.
 

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/01/2023 - 08:28

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: James Ikehara

Wed, 31 May 2023 15:29:45 +0000

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: James Ikehara

James Ikehara

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 James Ikehara of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

James Ikehara has been an AFA-CWA flight attendant based in San Francisco since 2011, when he started his career with Virgin America. Having triple heritage from a Filipina/Chinese mother born in Manila and an Okinawan father born on the island of Molokai. Ikehara is proud of his Asian American Pacific Islander heritage and the diversity he brings as secretary of AFA-CWA Local 29011 in San Francisco. He currently lives on the Big Island of Hawaii and was one of many volunteers at a recent “Malama Mauna Kea” event to protect the resources of the sacred mountain.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/31/2023 - 11:29

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Wins Union Election at EPA Facility in Michigan

Wed, 31 May 2023 12:50:04 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Wins Union Election at EPA Facility in Michigan

AFGE rally at EPA

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Tricia Paff, president of AFGE Local 37, discovered that remote workers at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, were about to lose their union protections. Paff was on the AFGE-EPA contract negotiations team when she learned that remote workers at multiple EPA facilities were going to be removed from the bargaining unit after their duty station was changed.

As Paff and the AFGE EPA Council were investigating the issue, the Ann Arbor human resource director confirmed that her facility was indeed one of the locations that would be affected. Paff was able to get the action postponed, and 19 remote workers were able to vote and retain their union protections. 

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/31/2023 - 08:50

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Rena Zacarias Youngblood

Tue, 30 May 2023 15:29:42 +0000

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Rena Zacarias Youngblood

Rena Zacarias Youngblood

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 Rena Zacarias Youngblood of AFGE.

Rena Youngblood is a U.S. Air Force veteran and executive vice president of AFGE Local 3511. She works in Inpatient Behavioral Health-Nursing Services at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, where she represents more than 6,000 Veterans Administration (VA) workers. She was recognized as a top organizer through the AFGE National VA Council and received the Augusta Y. Thomas Civil Rights Award for organizing. Youngblood currently serves as the co-chair of AFGE A.P.O.W.E.R., the union’s Asian American constituency group, and is an active member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA).

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/30/2023 - 11:29

Trade Policy Should Center Workers: The Working People Weekly List

Tue, 30 May 2023 13:36:35 +0000

Trade Policy Should Center Workers: The Working People Weekly List

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.

UAW, AFL-CIO Leaders Say Workers Need to Be at Center of Trade Policy: “UAW President Shawn Fain and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond called for trade policies Thursday that improve the lives of workers and benefit their communities rather than force a ‘race to the bottom’ through deals that boost the fortunes of wealthy people at the expense of others. ‘Here in America, free trade deals, they had a disproportionately negative impact on communities and particularly workers of color. These trade deals, they gutted communities, and they really deepened inequality in this country amongst workers,” said Redmond, whose union represents 12.5 million members. ‘We have the opportunity to reverse the damage through trade policies with workers at the center.’”

The Labor Movement Just Scored One of Its Biggest Victories in the South This Century: “After a bruising three-year fight, workers at school bus manufacturer Blue Bird in Fort Valley, Georgia, voted May 12 to join United Steelworkers (USW) Local 697. ‘It’s been a long time since a manufacturing site with 1,400 people has been organized, let alone organized in the South, let alone organized with predominantly African American workers, and let alone in the auto industry,’ said Maria Somma, organizing director with the USW.”

NLRB Sues Colleges, Says Athletes Are Workers: “The big business of college sports is back in federal court again. And this time it’s over the right of the athletes to organize. That’s because the National Labor Relations Board’s top enforcement official, General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the PAC12 conference, and several colleges to court in federal court in Los Angeles, seeking approval of its stand that college athletes are ‘employees’ and have the right to organize under labor law.”

Palms, Culinary Union Reach Agreement on New Contract: “Union leaders reached an agreement early Friday with The Palms for a new three-year contract. The agreement affects about 900 employees and on Tuesday 95% of Palms workers voted to ratify the new contract, according to a statement from Culinary Local 226. ‘We celebrate this historic agreement with Palms, which protects workers with the best health care in Nevada, strong job security, and fair wage increases,’ Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for Culinary Local 226, said in the statement. ‘The San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority and Palms Casino Resort have done the right thing by respecting their employees and recalling workers back to work with their seniority intact.’”

The New York Times Reaches a Contract Deal with Its Newsroom Union: “The New York Times reached a deal on Tuesday for a new contract with the union representing the majority of its newsroom employees, ending more than two years of contentious negotiations that included a 24-hour strike. The agreement, if ratified, will give union members immediate salary increases of up to 12.5% to cover the last two years and 2023, and will raise the required minimum salary to $65,000, up from about $37,500. The previous contract expired in March 2021, and union members have not received contractual raises since 2020. The union negotiating the deal, which is part of the NewsGuild of New York, represents nearly 1,500 employees in the newsroom, advertising and other areas of the company. More than 1,800 people work in the Times’s newsroom.”

‘Your Fight Is Our Fight’: John Leguizamo, Busy Philipps, Tony Kushner and Unions Show Solidarity with WGA: “John Leguizamo, Busy Philipps, Tony Kushner, Neil Gaiman, Al Franken and Wanda Sykes were among those who took to the stage during WGA East’s Rally at 30 Rockefeller Center on Tuesday, appearing alongside union leaders from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Actor’s Equity and more pledging that ‘all of labor stands behind the writers.’ Cynthia Nixon, Ilana Glazer, Warren Leight and labor leaders Rebecca Damon from SAG-AFTRA, Kate Shindle of Actors Equity and Matt Loeb of IATSE were also among those who spoke, with Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon making crowd appearances.”

Hispanic Society Museum Workers Approved a New Union Contract, Ending a Grueling Two-Month Strike: “After eight long weeks, workers at New York’s Hispanic Society Museum and Library have ended their strike and voted to approve their first union contract. The fraught labor battle recently led to a demonstration outside the home of Philippe de Montebello, the institution’s chairman and former director of the Met Museum. ‘We are elated about the new contract,’ Patrick Lenaghan, the museum’s curator of prints, photographs, and sculptures, said in a statement. ‘It provides the security we never had before. With this, we can concentrate on the work we love and dedicated so many years to.’ The Hispanic Society first organized in May 2021 amid a groundswell of unionization at museums across the U.S. Workers petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to join Local 2110, part of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union. A few months earlier, the museum had ended its pension plan for staff members, and staff sought improved benefits and salaries.”

Epic Games' Bandcamp Has Unionized: “Fortnite and Unreal developer Epic Games now has a union. Bandcamp, the music distribution platform aimed at bringing artists to the world, has formed Epic's first union after holding a successful union vote. ‘Today, a majority of eligible Bandcamp workers voted 31-7 in favor of forming Bandcamp United, a union represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU),’ the new union wrote in a statement. ‘The vote results now await certification by the National Labor Relations Board, with a collective bargaining process to follow.’”

Wisconsin AFL-CIO Stands in Solidarity with OPEIU Local 39 Members on Strike at CUNA Mutual in Madison: “Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement of solidarity as members of OPEIU Local 39 take strike action: ‘OPEIU Local 39 members at CUNA Mutual in Madison are on strike for good union jobs to remain in Wisconsin, for quality and affordable healthcare for all, for fair wages, and for the ability to retire with dignity after a lifetime of work. As union men and women, we do not take the decision to strike lightly. The history of our union movement has clearly demonstrated that only by standing shoulder to shoulder have working people gained the family-supporting wages, pay equity and other benefits which we are rightly due. The Wisconsin labor movement proudly stands in solidarity with our sisters and brothers of OPEIU Local 39 on strike at CUNA Mutual as they take brave action to secure a fair contract. We urge CUNA Mutual to come to the table and negotiate in good faith.’”

Carnegie Museums Workers Approve First Union Contract, Including Pay Raises: “The United Museum Workers union announced Thursday its members had ratified their first contract with the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. The more than 500 union members voted to approve the four-year pact, which raises base pay at the museums from $12 an hour to $16 an hour. Most workers will see immediate raises ranging from 15% to 35%, according to the union. Union members already earning more than $16 an hour will also receive raises, according to the museum.”

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/30/2023 - 09:36

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Veterans Affairs Registered Nurses Sign 3-Year Contract with NNOC/NNU

Tue, 30 May 2023 13:16:00 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Veterans Affairs Registered Nurses Sign 3-Year Contract with NNOC/NNU

VA nurses rally

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Registered nurses with National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) at the Department of Veterans Affairs signed a three-year contract, which covers more than 14,000 RNs at 23 hospitals. 

“We are pleased that this protracted process is finally over and this agreement is signed,” said NNOC/NNU-VA Chair Irma Westmoreland, RN. “We are proud to have a new contract in place, but our work as registered nurses is never done. We must now keep our sleeves rolled up to tackle the understaffing conditions our nurses are facing across the country. We look forward to working with Secretary [Denis] McDonough to implement alternative work schedule flexibilities that will retain nurses and improve staffing levels for veterans.

“Throughout the pandemic, VA nurses have worked tirelessly in extremely difficult conditions to provide care for the sickest of the sick. While providing this care, we have had to fight for optimal personal protection equipment, appropriate training and staffing, notification and testing following exposures, and proper infection controls. This has put us, our families, and our patients unnecessarily at risk. We hope the signing of this contract marks the beginning of a new era of renewed respect for the rights and lives of the nurses who advocate and care for our nation’s heroes.”

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/30/2023 - 09:16

  

   
  

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