Bill Bumpus an injury to one is an injury to all

NAPA, CA—Determined to ensure the editing team “had enough coverage to work with,” perfectionist head coach Jon Gruden forced the ‘Hard Knocks’ production crew Wednesday to film 78 takes of a scene where he cuts a rookie running back. “I really liked how your face looked in that first take when I rattled off your…

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HOUSTON—As he praised the growing representation in popular culture of people who at least superficially resemble him, local Pakistani-American Zabir Jalbani told reporters Wednesday he has been thrilled to see more characters on television and in movies who could feasibly pass for his nationality. “It’s really…

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Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban “addictive” social media features such as infinite scrolling effect and autoplay while introducing a 30 minute limit on such websites. What do you think?

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FRAMINGHAM, MA—Becoming increasingly concerned that the man was on the verge of discovering its secret, a local iPhone was reportedly growing paranoid Wednesday that its owner knew it was working with the FBI. “Oh shit, oh shit—there’s just no way he hasn’t figured out I’m sending everything he types and says directly…

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‘State of the Unions’ Podcast—Special Episode: The Labor Movement Responds to the El Paso Massacre AFL-CIO

On the latest episode of “State of the Unions,” podcast co-hosts Julie Greene and Tim Schlittner talk with Texas AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Montserrat Garibay (Education Austin/AFT-NEA) in the wake of the deadly mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. They discuss immigration, organizing and the need for solidarity in times of darkness. 

Listen to our previous episodes:

• UNITE HERE President D. Taylor talking about the activism of airline catering workers and the current moment for union organizing.
• Highlights of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka's (UMWA) town halls in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit, where he discussed NAFTA and trade. 
• AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler (IBEW) talks about pushing the labor movement to be bold, take risks and not be afraid of failure.
• Pride At Work Executive Director Jerame Davis discusses the progress made by LGBTQ working people over the past quarter-century and the work still left to be done. 
• Union organizer Andy Levin goes to Washington to make a difference for working people. 
• Talking to National Nurses United (NNU) Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN, about the growing movement of registered nurses organizing for better jobs, a more just society and health care as a fundamental human right. 

“State of the Unions” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you can find podcasts.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 08/07/2019 - 09:51

Tags: Podcast

Nintendo has made some missteps over the years, whether it was the disappointing Wii U or basically every Star Fox game from the past 20 years. Through it all, I’ve remained a steadfast fan, eagerly awaiting every game release, console, and major announcements. But there is one atrocity I can never forgive. Nintendo…

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NANTUCKET, MA—Admitting that his expectations about a shark attack turned out to be pretty far off-base, vacationing swimmer Drew Roberts remarked Wednesday that being eaten alive by a 12-foot great white was not nearly as frightening as he once believed it would be. “This is something that’s always paralyzed me with…

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8Chan, a message board that has served as a popular resource for right-wing extremists and shooters, has abruptly gone dark after being directly linked to the El Paso shooting that left 20 dead and dozens more wounded. What do you think? 

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A Labor Icon: The Working People Weekly List AFL-CIO

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.

CWA's Morton Bahr Was a Labor Icon: "On Tuesday night, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Emeritus Morton Bahr passed away. Bahr was an iconic leader in the American labor movement whose innovation and dedication will be felt for many years to come."

Drivers Win Dignity by Forming Union, Striking for Fairness: "Right in the heart of tourist season on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, visitors and residents alike now will be driven around the island by union bus drivers who just won their first contract."

Hotel Trades and Airbnb Square Off in Jersey City Over Ordinance Regulating Short-Term Rentals: "On June 26, the Hotel Trades Council celebrated the passage of a Jersey City ordinance that places regulations on Airbnb rentals. The ordinance safeguards the wages, benefits and jobs of hundreds of hotel workers in the Jersey City region. Moreover, it protects affordable housing and quality of life for tens of thousands of city residents."

Oregon AFL-CIO Cements Deal to Make Portland Baseball Stadium Union-Friendly: "The Oregon AFL-CIO and allies negotiated a historical deal with the Portland Diamond Project that will mean a stadium being built in order to attract Major League Baseball to the city will be union-friendly. In signing the labor harmony agreement, the Portland Diamond Project has voluntarily agreed to allow workers at the stadium to organize and form unions."

Solidarity Makes Us Strong: In the States Roundup: "It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states."

Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers: "Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers."

Labor Puts Candidates on Notice: ‘Let’s Be Honest About the Democratic Party’s Record’: "The president of the AFL-CIO labor federation spoke at a closed meeting with representatives from the entire field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates ahead of Wednesday’s debate in Detroit. His message was straightforward: 'It’s time to do better.' Richard Trumka told attendees that while President Donald Trump is enacting bad policies for workers, Democratic leaders need to reckon with their own role in creating an unfair economy. He said 'both parties' are to blame for a system that caters to the rich."

AFL-CIO’s Trumka Looks for Workers’ Candidate: Campaign Update: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said he’ll be watching the Democratic debates to see which presidential candidate can best help working people. 'We ARE this country, yet more and more, the economic and political rules have been rigged against us,' Trumka, who heads the largest federation of U.S. unions, said in a statement. 'We’ll be listening for a candidate who will use the presidency to make our country work for working people. We’re not settling for anything less.'"

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Before Debate: "We’re everywhere. We make this country run. We ARE this country, yet more and more, the economic and political rules have been rigged against us. Today, here in Michigan, an autoworker woke up with a pain in her stomach, terrified that she’ll be the next to lose her job to NAFTA. A single mother heard pundits talk about our great economy and wondered when that greatness would reach her paycheck. An immigrant worker was exploited and threatened with deportation for daring to speak up for safety on the job. A nurse watched another patient walk away from medical care they couldn’t afford. A coal miner worried about the urgent threat of climate change AND the urgent threat to his hard-earned pension. Today, in small towns and big cities, in factories and in offices, co-workers joined together, trying to make things better, fighting to organize a union, only to find their voices silenced by unrestrained corporate greed and century-old labor laws."

MLB to Portland Group Expects to Meet with MLB Commissioner in Next Two Months: "Portland Diamond Project announced Monday it will allow employees who work at Portland's future ballpark to organize and join a union, and provided an update on the group's effort to bring a Major League Baseball team to Portland.During Monday's press conference, PDP also signed a labor peace agreement with the Oregon AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions. 'Oregon's unions are proud to be a part of the efforts to bring baseball to the Rose City,' Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said. Chamberlain added that the future ballpark will be the only unionized sports arena in the state. 'This agreement is just the beginning of PDP's efforts to generate economic opportunities for Portlanders and people across the region,' PDP founder and president Craig Cheek said. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the labor agreement 'a significant milestone' in bringing a Major League Baseball team to Portland. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury called it 'a strong first step.'"

Trumka Inspires at the WSLC Convention: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka brought hundreds of delegates to their feet Thursday at the 2019 Convention of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, with an inspirational call to action amid dark times in our nation. 'I started in the labor movement 50 years ago,' Trumka said. 'And I’ve never been more confident in the power of working people. Something is happening in America right now. You can see it, you can hear it, and God, you can feel it.' 'But even on our brightest day, it’s impossible to ignore the daily atrocities committed in the land that we love,' he added. 'Americans are being scapegoated, minimized, dehumanized, and told to go back to the country where they came from….Some say America has lost her way, but I think it’s even worse than that. The forces of greed in our nation, both elected and not, are pulling America apart deliberately and strategically in order to line their own pockets. Today they are laughing all the way to the bank. Donald Trump is a symptom of the problem. He capitalized on anxiety, fear, and divisions that have been sowed by the ruling class since the dawn of time….The cure for that cancer has always been the same one—solidarity, working-class solidarity.'"

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 08/06/2019 - 15:06

NEW YORK—Following backlash from journalists, politicians, and the public, The New York Times announced Tuesday that it had amended a headline from the morning’s front page reading “Hero Trump Disarms Would-Be Shooter.” “The original headline did not live up to our standards of objectivity at The New York Times and…

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Put down those Doritos and dump that Monster Energy down the drain! Sable & Rosenfeld just launched a new ad campaign rebranding their cocktail onions as the ultimate gamer fuel. 

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PITTSBURGH—In an effort to respect the wishes of the deceased’s friends and family, funeral home director Don Chaffe confirmed Tuesday that Gary Meyer’s remembrance service would feature a closed casket except for those mourners who want a peek at something really crazy. “At such times of loss as this, it’s important…

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Bangladesh Accord Gets a Lifeline While Workers Organize Wildcat Strikes August 06, 2019 / Saurav Sarkar<? if(isset($entity->premium) and $entity->premium == 1) { echo "Print Only"; } ?>

On April 23, 2013, a local television crew shot footage of cracks in the Rana Plaza factory complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The building was evacuated, but the owner of the building declared it safe and told workers to come back the next day. One Walmart supplier housed in the building, Ether Tex, threatened to withhold a month’s wages from any workers who didn’t return.

The building collapsed on April 24, and when the rubble was finally cleared, 1,134 people were found dead, with another 2,500 injured. It was the worst industrial disaster in the history of the garment industry.

Bangladesh Accord Gets a Lifeline While Workers Organize Wildcat Strikes August 06, 2019 / Saurav Sarkar<? if(isset($entity->premium) and $entity->premium == 1) { echo "Print Only"; } ?>

On April 23, 2013, a local television crew shot footage of cracks in the Rana Plaza factory complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The building was evacuated, but the owner of the building declared it safe and told workers to come back the next day. One Walmart supplier housed in the building, Ether Tex, threatened to withhold a month’s wages from any workers who didn’t return.

The building collapsed on April 24, and when the rubble was finally cleared, 1,134 people were found dead, with another 2,500 injured. It was the worst industrial disaster in the history of the garment industry.

DALLAS—Citing adverse factors such as rapid melting rates and poor syrup congealment, a consumer report published Tuesday revealed that the average slushy on the market today loses more than a third of its value within 12 months of initial purchase. “New slushies tend to depreciate quickly, with exposure to the sun or…

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A medical procedure that could help women delay menopause for up to 20 years has been launched in Britain, potentially preventing serious health problems such as heart conditions and bone-weakening osteoporosis. What do you think?

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Global Champion for Working People, Barbara Shailor, Passes Away Solidarity Center

Working people across the world lost an important champion last week when Barbara Shailor passed away. Shailor spent her life dedicated to helping improve the lives of working people, particularly women, both in the United States and around the world.

Shailor had a long and distinguished career fighting on behalf of working people across the world. She was committed to social justice, had a rigorous intellect and great style. 

Her career began when she first got a job as a flight attendant. After years of pioneering labor/community coalitions to address political issues such as energy and workers' rights, she rose up the ranks to become international director of the Machinists (IAM). She was chosen in 1995 by then-AFL-CIO President John Sweeney to reorganize and refocus the federation's international work. She served in the role of international affairs director for the AFL-CIO and oversaw the work of the Solidarity Center, refocusing its mission for modern times. After leaving the federation, she served as the U.S. State Department's special representative for international labor affairs until 2014.

In all of her roles, Shailor focused on the concerns and rights of women workers. She worked hard to promote women leaders and to develop younger women activists. The impact she had on the lives of millions of women around the globe cannot be measured.

Shailor is survived by her husband, Robert Borosage; their children, Alexander and his wife Stephanie,  Gregory and his wife Kimberly, and Frances; and two grandchildren, Jackson and Ben. She will be missed by friends around the world and the millions of working people whose lives are better because of her hard work and dedication.

About Shailor, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) said:

From her work in the movement to end the Vietnam War to Democratic Party politics and presidential campaigns to high-level legislative and organizing work at the International Association of Machinists (IAM) that brought together unions and citizen organizations like Jobs with Justice to her sophisticated leadership in international affairs at the IAM and later the AFL-CIO itself, Barbara exemplified the heart and skills that we need now more than ever in pursuing social justice. Along with John Sweeney, she led the AFL-CIO to create the Solidarity Center to build worker power around the world. As the U.S. State Department’s Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, she brought her considerable abilities to labor diplomacy, making clear the role workers and unions play in both economic justice and democracy.

And AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler (IBEW) said:

Barbara was a master at bringing global interests together, within the labor movement, but also across allied organizations, corporations and governments. I marveled at seeing her in action at the ILO annual conference in Geneva, where she brought a fierce and persuasive voice for working people to countless negotiations. She could travel seamlessly between different worlds—whether it was meeting with a high level diplomat or world leader, or an agricultural worker from a developing nation, Barbara brought her intellect, empathy and savvy diplomacy to every interaction—and working people are better off because of her heroic work.

Shailor's loss will be felt not only by those who knew her personally, but by anyone fighting on behalf of working people in the United States.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 08/06/2019 - 09:49

Tags: Solidarity Center