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Palestine: New ITUC report on Palestinian workers in Israel
Amazon Celebrates Union Defeat By Raising All Prices 150% Anyway
BESSEMER, AL—Triumphant in the wake of the failed organization attempt at their Alabama warehouses, Amazon released a statement Friday celebrating the union defeat by raising all prices on customers by 150% anyway. “Although our fulfillment center workers declined to unionize today, we’re still going to jack up the…
Dive Bar Opens After Pandemic To Find Grizzled Regular Still In Middle Of Story
Rory McIlroy Attacked By Mother Hawk Protecting Golf Ball That Bounced Into Nest
Devastated Woman Knows She’ll Never Be As Beautiful As Banff National Park
CALGARY, ALBERTA—Expressing frustration that she could not live up to such lofty standards, local woman Beatrice Golliver told reporters Friday she was devastated when she first realized she would never be as beautiful as Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. “When I was younger, I thought I…
Timeline Of Major Physics Discoveries
American physicists recently discovered that a tiny subatomic particle called a muon does not conform to the laws of physics as currently understood, suggesting the potential discovery of a brand-new form of physics. The Onion looks back at a timeline of humankind’s major physics discoveries.
Poll Finds Americans Hate Being Trapped In Mazes
WASHINGTON—As part of an ongoing study of the nation’s attitudes toward confined spaces from which there is no perceivable escape, the Pew Research Center released a new poll Friday that found nearly all Americans hate being trapped in mazes. “Almost 95% of the U.S. residents we surveyed told us they really did not…
Not A Spectator Sport: 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.
'Passing the PRO Act Is Not a Spectator Sport': AFL-CIO Leads National Day of Action: "The AFL-CIO is encouraging people to call U.S. senators on Thursday to urge them to support the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a historic piece of legislation that would significantly strengthen workers' right to form unions and help reverse a decades-long assault on labor waged by corporations and their political allies. 'Passing the PRO Act is not a spectator sport. All of us must act—and act today by driving calls into the Senate,' AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka said Thursday. 'From Alabama to Alaska, we are going to make our case for an economic and political system that works for working people.'"
Biden Is Rebuilding the National Labor Relations Board: "On his first day in office, President Joe Biden fired Peter Robb, the Trump-appointed general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency responsible for interpreting and enforcing federal labor law. A new report by the nonpartisan US Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows why Biden was right to fire Robb—and to do so quickly. The GAO found that Robb was dismantling the agency from the inside. He reduced staff size, destroyed employee morale, and failed to spend the money appropriated by Congress. This all occurred while Robb was pursuing an anti-worker, pro-corporate agenda."
Stress on the Front Lines of COVID-19: "Worry, exhaustion, constantly changing safety rules and long hours of wearing PPE are just a few things America’s health-care workers cite as the hardest parts of going to work on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Their work has saved countless lives but also taken a personal toll: 62% say worry or stress related to covid-19 has had a negative effect on their mental health. A 55% majority feel 'burned out' going to work. Nearly half of all health-care workers say worry or stress has caused them to have trouble sleeping or to sleep too much."
Black Workers Being Left Behind as Economy Recovers from Pandemic: "In March, the unemployment rate for Black workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 4.7%, compared to 3.6% for white Americans, according to Labor Department data that’s not seasonally adjusted. To be sure, that gap did shrink from the prior month. The disparity is nearly double between Black and white workers who graduated high school, the data show. 'If even the best-educated Black person doesn’t do as well in the economy, then that must be discrimination,' said William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO."
The Filibuster Threatens Both Civil Rights and Workers’ Rights: "The GOP’s embrace of the filibuster to thwart President Biden’s legislative agenda reveals how the struggles to extend civil rights and labor rights are inextricably intertwined. The use of the anti-democratic device to block civil rights legislation is well known. In 1957, Senator Strom Thurman of South Carolina talked for 24 hours and 18 minutes to stall the first piece of federal civil rights legislation enacted since the Reconstruction era, a bill that empowered federal prosecutors to prevent interference with voting."
Biden’s Infrastructure Package Is Designed to Boost Unions: "Many of the new jobs are likely to be union positions, because the plan targets sectors that already have high levels of union participation, said Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department, a coalition of unions in industries such as aviation and rail transit."
Florida Labor Unions Say Proposal Will Lead to 'Disaster' for State Worker Pensions"'The people making these decisions fundamentally do not understand how pensions work,' AFL-CIO spokesman Rich Templin said. 'And the actions they are taking will prove disastrous.' Templin said over the next few days public sector labor union members will call, text, email, and talk in-person to lawmakers about the dangers lurking in the bill."
‘She-Wees’ and Plastic Bags: Amazon’s Pee Scandal Is Much Worse for Women: "Motherboard spoke to six women who have driven Amazon delivery vans during the past year. Some fast during work hours, even in the heat of the summer, to avoid wasting time finding a bathroom. Others either hold their pee for up to 10 hours, squat over trash bags, or purchase 'she-wees,' female urinals that cost roughly $13.99, on Amazon.com. An Amazon delivery driver trainer who works out of an Amazon warehouse in South Bend, Indiana, told Motherboard that drivers frequently dump bags or bottles with pee and poop on the side of the road. 'I am a trainer for my [delivery company] and I tell all the new girls to invest in a she-wee or you will not make it at this job,' she said. Motherboard granted the driver anonymity because she feared retaliation from her employer."
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 04/09/2021 - 10:16Service + Solidarity Spotlight: On the Yellow Brick Road to Success: BAC Volunteers for Community Improvement Project in Hawaii
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.
For many students who live near Kalihi Waena Elementary in Hawaii, the rainy winter months often mean walking through the mud to get to school. Now, thanks to the hard work and volunteerism of members of Bricklayers (BAC) Local 1, these students are getting a much-needed upgrade to their path to the school. The volunteer union members have started work on a new “yellow brick road” connecting nearby housing units to the school. The project also calls for fresh fruit trees to be planted along the route to school. “It feels wonderful to give back to the community and the volunteers came out not only just for the community, but for the strength of the union,” Ikaika Castillo, BAC training coordinator, told KITV.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 04/09/2021 - 09:30Tags: Community Service, COVID-19
Woman Gives Birth To ‘Super Twins’ Conceived Weeks Apart
A woman in the U.K. gave birth to twins conceived three weeks apart in a rare phenomenon called superfetation, which occurs when a separate, new pregnancy occurs during an initial pregnancy. What do you think?
Colorado Temporarily Re-Bans Marijuana For Statewide Tolerance Break
DENVER—Reminding residents of a time when a single joint was all it took to get a nice buzz going, Colorado officials announced Thursday that, effective immediately, they would temporarily re-ban marijuana as part of a statewide mandatory tolerance break. “After nearly a decade of legalized recreational use, we are…
USA: Amazon Takes 2-1 Lead in Alabama Union Vote
USA: Amazon Election Results - RWDSU Union Loses
Belarus: The independent trade unions in Belarus is awarded the Arthur Svensson Prize
How a Janitors Union in San Francisco Got Over Its Fear and Struck
With their contract negotiations stalled, hundreds of San Francisco janitors represented by Service Employees (SEIU) Local 87 went on strike March 24.
Roughly 3,000 Bay Area janitors were laid off as the pandemic spread last year. Their union is now demanding a return to work for all laid-off workers—but with improvements.
How a Janitors Union in San Francisco Got Over Its Fear and Struck April 08, 2021 / Luis Feliz LeonHow a Janitors Union in San Francisco Got Over Its Fear and Struck
With their contract negotiations stalled, hundreds of San Francisco janitors represented by Service Employees (SEIU) Local 87 went on strike March 24.
Roughly 3,000 Bay Area janitors were laid off as the pandemic spread last year. Their union is now demanding a return to work for all laid-off workers—but with improvements.
How a Janitors Union in San Francisco Got Over Its Fear and Struck April 08, 2021 / Luis Feliz LeonPanthers Adopt Patchy-Haired, Shivering Rescue QB Who Spent Years Abused By Jets
CHARLOTTE, NC—Bringing him into Bank of America Stadium where they washed off the grime with a nice warm bath, the Carolina Panthers adopted a patchy-haired, shivering rescue quarterback named Sam Thursday, who had spent years being abused by the New York Jets. “When we saw him, our hearts just broke and we knew we…
Pass the PRO Act: 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.
Alaska AFL-CIO:
Union or not, the PRO Act will benefit all working people in this country. It’s time to solidify the protections and rights workers were granted many decades ago. #PassThePROAct #1u
Leave a message for @lisamurkowski and @SenDanSullivan by calling 866-832-1560 pic.twitter.com/wFKL12mZaT
Arizona AFL-CIO:
✊ Shout out to the @PALF_AFLCIO on an amazing event yesterday! #PassThePROAct #Solidarity https://t.co/rYpeUUrHee
— Arizona AFL-CIO // #PassThePROAct (@ArizonaAFLCIO) April 6, 2021California Labor Federation:
The decline in collective bargaining has ripped wages from the pockets of all workers, led to exploding income inequality & widened the gender & racial pay gap. #BuildBackBetter starts with stronger unions. We need to pass the #PROAct https://t.co/k7AOnjJ3ah
— California Labor Federation (@CaliforniaLabor) April 8, 2021Colorado AFL-CIO:
A union contract is the single best tool we have to close racial and gender wage gaps in the workforce, and to ensure dignity and due process for workers, regardless of where we were born, who we are, or what industry we work in. #PassthePROAct pic.twitter.com/GMfkUkDAUV
— Colorado AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOCO) April 8, 2021Connecticut AFL-CIO:
.@AFLCIO President Richard Trumka: "In every corner of the country, working people are crying out for change" #1u @UnionYES https://t.co/jB5W0ZbtLX
— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) April 5, 2021Florida AFL-CIO:
Happening Now: Leaders and members of @SouthFlaAFLCIO, @BRAFLCIO, @PBTCAFLCIO, and the Southwest Florida Labor Chapter call for reform for Florida's failing unemployment system. https://t.co/djohjGEBXW
— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) April 8, 2021Georgia AFL-CIO:
Union members in GA went above and beyond to elect two pro-worker, pro-union Senators.
Now as the #PROAct advances to a Senate vote, we are proud & grateful that @ReverendWarnock and @ossoff are co-sponsors of this historic, generational labor law reform bill. #1u #PassThePROAct pic.twitter.com/7EfbQ2nL8d
Indiana State AFL-CIO:
Worry, exhaustion, constantly changing safety rules and long hours of wearing PPE are just a few things America’s health-care workers cite as the hardest parts of going to work on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.https://t.co/ZrTIXGTpL5
— Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) April 7, 2021Iowa Federation of Labor:
PRO Act and Women in the Union https://t.co/mzx7igbRGK
— Iowa AFL-CIO (@IowaAFLCIO) April 8, 2021Kansas State AFL-CIO:
I just wrote an email to tell lawmakers to protect schools by opposing CCR SB 175. Write one here: https://t.co/LuQV5eQo60
— Kansas AFL-CIO (@KansasAFLCIO) April 8, 2021Maine AFL-CIO:
“There is no question that the company didn’t want to mess around this time. We are glad to see that Bath Iron Works came in and negotiated an honest and fair contract for Local 7 this time,” labor rep George Edwards of IAM District Lodge 4 said. https://t.co/lB31qWEvVg
— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) April 6, 2021Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
Call your Senators today and urge them to pass the #PROAct. Thank you @SenWarren and @SenMarkey for cosponsoring! #mapoli pic.twitter.com/f1xInY2t7L
— Massachusetts AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@massaflcio) April 8, 2021Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Local 405 Laborer Laura Yoder Helps Reenergize Minnesota’s Wind Farms https://t.co/DAWFF2RFrf (via @MNBldgTrades) #1u @LIUNAMinnesota
— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) April 6, 2021Missouri AFL-CIO:
A great tribute to Brother McVey. Rest in Peace, Duke. https://t.co/h1vqZPsEdB
— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) April 7, 2021Montana AFL-CIO:
The PRO Act will ensure that this year's defeat of "right-to-work" legislation in Montana is secured for a generation. Please join us tomorrow for a live event with PRO Act co-sponsor, Senator Jon Tester. #mtpol #1u #PROAct pic.twitter.com/0ZI0es0qf7
— Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) April 7, 2021Nebraska AFL-CIO:
Please go to this link to send an email to your Senator and tell them that protecting our Nebraska meatpacking workers is important! https://t.co/Yk7v7zXIgK
— NE State AFL-CIO (@NEAFLCIO) March 31, 2021Nevada State AFL-CIO:
"Do the right thing. Put people back to work and let's save this state."
Report: Huh, Interesting Choice For An Outfit Today
AUSTIN, TX—Weighing in on the matter after you had dressed for work and departed for the office, a new report issued Thursday determined that your choice of outfit this morning sure was an interesting one. “Wow, you look…um, that’s quite the ensemble you’ve got going there,” the report read in part, before continuing…