Bill Bumpus Somerville MA - An injury to one is an injury to all

PITTSBURGH—Speculating as to how the listless franchise has still managed to stay open all these years, sources close to the MLB confirmed Friday that the league has begun to suspect the Pittsburgh Pirates are just a mob front. “It must be some kind of money-laundering operation, because they’re clearly doing the bare…

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Blog: BlogAuthor(s): Saurav Sarkar

One multinational company is using Martin Luther King Day to issue a slap in the face to its union, undermining the very legacy of the civil rights leader.

Louisiana-based telecommunications giant Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) announced to its staff October 23 that it would be newly establishing a company holiday on MLK Day—but for non-union workers only.

The hypocrisy of leaving out 10,000 union workers on MLK Day was not well received by Anna Robbs, an African-American employee and union steward.

Blog: BlogAuthor(s): Saurav Sarkar

One multinational company is using Martin Luther King Day to issue a slap in the face to its union, undermining the very legacy of the civil rights leader.

Louisiana-based telecommunications giant Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) announced to its staff October 23 that it would be newly establishing a company holiday on MLK Day—but for non-union workers only.

The hypocrisy of leaving out 10,000 union workers on MLK Day was not well received by Anna Robbs, an African-American employee and union steward.

Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Masters, Mates & Pilots

Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is our newest member union, Masters, Mates & Pilots.

Name of Union: International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P)

Mission: To protect the rights and working conditions of members of the seagoing maritime community.

Current Leadership of Union: Donald Marcus serves as international president of MM&P and Donald Josberger as international secretary-treasurer. MM&P also has eight vice presidents: Thomas Larkin (Offshore, Atlantic Ports), Jeremy Hope (Offshore, Gulf Ports and Government Affairs), J. Lars Turner (Offshore, Pacific Ports), Tim Saffle (United Inland Group–Pacific Maritime Region), Randall Rockwood (Federal Employees Membership Group), George Quick (Pilots Membership Group), Tom Bell (United Inland Group–Great Lakes & Gulf) and Michael Riordan (Atlantic Maritime Group).

Number of Members: 5,500.

Members Work As: Licensed deck officers on U.S.-flag commercial vessels sailing offshore, on the inland waterways, on civilian-crewed ships in the government fleet and for the state ferry systems in Alaska and Washington; mariners who work on tug, ferry and harbor tour vessels in New York Harbor, throughout the Northeast and on the Pacific Coast; licensed and unlicensed mariners who work on dredges; state pilots; marine engineers; unlicensed seafarers; and maritime industry shore-side clerical and service workers.

Industries Represented: The U.S. maritime industry.

History: On June 28, 1880, a boiler exploded on the side paddle-wheeler Seawanhaka in New York Harbor. Captain Charles P. Smith maneuvered the ship to shallow waters so passengers could escape safely. While his heroism would later be recognized, local politicians initially sought to make him the scapegoat for the fire. Other pilots and captains were so outraged, they formed the committee that would become the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots.

Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: MM&P Political Contribution Fund, MM&P Federal Credit Union, Maritime Institute of Technology & Graduate Studies (MITAGS), The Wheelhouse Weekly newsletter and The Master, Mate & Pilot magazine.

Learn More: Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/15/2021 - 15:08

Get to Know the AFL-CIO's Affiliates AFL-CIO

Starting last year, AFL-CIO has been profiling each of our affiliates. Let's take a look back at the profiles we've already published.

Check back as the series moves along to read more affiliate profiles:

• Actors and Artistes
• Actors' Equity
• Air Traffic Controllers
• AFGE
• AFSCME
• AFT
• Air Line Pilots Association
• Amalgamated Transit Union
• American Federation of Musicians
• American Postal Workers Union
• Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers
• Boilermakers
• Bricklayers
• California School Employees Association
• Communications Workers of America
• Electrical Workers
• Elevator Constructors
• Farm Labor Organizing Committee
• Fire Fighters
• Heat and Frost Insulators
• International Union of Police Associations
• Ironworkers
• Laborers
• Longshoremen
• Machinists
• Marine Engineers Beneficial Association
• Masters, Mates & Pilots
• Mine Workers
• National Association of Letter Carriers
• National Nurses United
• NFL Players Association
• Office and Professional Employees
• Operating Engineers
• Painters and Allied Trades
• Plasterers and Cement Masons
• Professional and Technical Engineers
• Railroad Signalmen
• Roofers and Waterproofers
• SAG-AFTRA
• School Administrators
• Seafarers
• SMART
• Steelworkers
• Theatrical Stage Employees
• Train Dispatchers

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/15/2021 - 15:00

Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem and J. Lo will perform a musical number as part of next Wednesday’s inaugural ceremonies for President-Elect Joe Biden. What do you think?

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WASHINGTON—Following her brief suspension from the social media platform, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) continued to livetweet House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s location Friday, posting “She’s now eating a muffin in the commissary.” “The Speaker has discarded the baking cup and is now pouring herself a cup of coffee—no,…

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WASHINGTON—Explaining they were excited to “kick things up a notch,” officials from the U.S. Mint announced Friday a new seven-cent coin to bolster citizens’ math skills. “Let’s face it, we made it way too easy the first time,” said U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder, who shared the bureau’s hopes that the new…

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ATLANTA—Reviewing changes to the priorities for Covid-19 vaccine recipients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the nation was entering a new phase of vaccine distribution where Capricorns, gymnasts, and childless uncles were now eligible for inoculation. “If you are between the ages…

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Wikipedia was launched Jan. 15, 2001, and the collaborative open encyclopedia has remained a top go-to website for information. The Onion looks back at the biggest moments in Wikipedia’s history on the site’s 20th anniversary.

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This is the story of Ursula Kuczynski, a Soviet spy who was instrumental in ensuring that Stalin was able to build an atomic bomb. So at first glance, not an entirely sympathetic character. And yet in Ben MacIntyre’s hands, one cannot help but admire her.

Ursula was born into a middle-class German Jewish family in Berlin. She joined the Communist Party in the 1920s, participating in street battles with the police. For the first two decades of her work as an agent of Soviet military intelligence (the GRU) she devoted herself to the struggle against fascism. She served the cause in China, Poland, Switzerland and finally in a small village in Oxfordshire, where she was known as “Mrs Burton”. During her time in Switzerland, she plotted with other agents to kill Hitler. It was a good plan and might have worked, but was scuppered by the Hitler-Stalin pact. She was never caught, and eventually fled with her children to East Germany where she died in 2000.

Though she remained a Stalinist her entire life, and was bitterly disappointed when the German Democratic Republic came to an end, there is much to be admired in her work, especially in the early years.

Ben MacIntyre is a brilliant writer and tells Ursula’s story with compassion and understanding. He does not minimise the horrors of the Stalin regime (Ursula’s first husband, also a Soviet spy, spent years in the Gulag).

After reading this book, I wonder why I ever bother to read espionage fiction. The real thing is so much better.

Service + Solidarity Spotlight: NATCA Members Guide First Flights Carrying COVID-19 Vaccine

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.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) members in the Michigan cities of Lansing and Grand Rapids were proud last month to control the two aircraft containing the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed throughout the United States. The UPS-transported vaccines were moved by semitrucks, escorted by U.S. marshals, from the Pfizer manufacturing and storage facility in Portage, Michigan, on Dec. 13. They departed Lansing and headed to the UPS WorldPort at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. “All NATCA members at [Lansing airport] were honored to be a part of this country’s history and are looking forward to being able to provide quality service to all future shipments out of [Lansing],” said Zac Ploch, NATCA facility representative.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/15/2021 - 10:03

Tags: Community Service, COVID-19

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Hear why consumer advocates are warning that falling for this blatant con job could end up costing you hundreds in food and toys, as well as hours of your valuable free time.

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Former Michigan governor Rick Snyder and members of his administration have been indicted on criminal charges for their role in the 2014 Flint water crisis that exposed residents in the predominantly Black city to lead, killing 12 and sickening dozens. What do you think?

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LabourStart headline - Source: IFJ

LabourStart headline - Source: ILO

WASHINGTON—As he rummaged through a closet to take stock of his extra sheets and towels, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) confirmed Thursday he had been forced to open his home to hundreds of white nationalists after Airbnb canceled all D.C. metro reservations for the week of the inauguration. “Sometimes when I’m hanging out…

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The labor movement’s pundits and prognosticators ring in the New Year like commentators anywhere. They make pronouncements about what “will” happen and what “should” happen to revitalize the shrinking U.S. trade union movement.

At 6.2 percent density in the private sector, U.S. unions aren’t even treading water; we are drowning. That makes it more imperative than ever to engage members to strengthen connections between our union struggles and build broader public support.

Swarming Solidarity: How Contract Negotiations in 2021 Could Be Flashpoints in the U.S. Class Struggle January 14, 2021 / Rand Wilson and Peter Olney

The labor movement’s pundits and prognosticators ring in the New Year like commentators anywhere. They make pronouncements about what “will” happen and what “should” happen to revitalize the shrinking U.S. trade union movement.

At 6.2 percent density in the private sector, U.S. unions aren’t even treading water; we are drowning. That makes it more imperative than ever to engage members to strengthen connections between our union struggles and build broader public support.

Swarming Solidarity: How Contract Negotiations in 2021 Could Be Flashpoints in the U.S. Class Struggle January 14, 2021 / Rand Wilson and Peter Olney