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

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Pierce County Labor Council Supports Tacoma Art Museum Workers

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.

On March 22, the Pierce County Central Labor Council (in Washington) supported a rally by Tacoma Art Museum workers who are seeking recognition for the union they have chosen to form with AFSCME Council 28. Pictured here is Carrie Morton, a store manager at the museum and an Organizing Committee member. Some 70 supporters showed up to support  the union. The workers have been seeking recognition since October. 

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/28/2023 - 09:58

Strikes Fuel Pay Increases: 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.

Low-Wage Workers Have Seen Historically Fast Real Wage Growth in the Pandemic Business Cycle: “Over the past 40 years, low- and middle-wage workers in the U.S. labor market have experienced only a few short years of strong growth in real (inflation-adjusted) wages. The current business cycle is a notable exception for the lowest-paid workers in our economy. Even in the face of rising prices, low-wage workers have experienced historically fast real wage growth. Large policy investments, combined with a tight labor market, made these strong gains possible. Women and Black and Hispanic workers have particularly benefited. But these workers still face steep wage gaps relative to men and white workers. And the nation’s lowest-paid workers still receive wages that are inadequate to meet most families’ basic needs. Policymakers need to strengthen labor standards so that workers can lock in the gains made and continue to build on them, even in weaker labor markets.”

Strikes Fuel Biggest Pay Raises in Labor Contracts Since 1990: “Contracts ratified last year called for first-year wage raises averaging 5.7%, the review of 817 deals showed. That marks a significant jump over the 3.7% average first-year increase in agreements ratified in 2021, and the highest average rate in more than 30 years. The recent union wins at the bargaining table reflect increased worker militancy, labor relations observers said. Last year saw the most worker strikes in nearly 20 years.”

Graduate Unions: Why Student Workers at University of California, Temple, More Are Striking: “Academic workers are having a moment. This past year, 2,500 NLRB petitions were filed for union elections and graduate workers at MIT, Yale, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Boston University, and the University of Chicago represented the six largest. And graduate workers weren’t the only ones organizing: Non-tenure contingent faculty mobilized at Howard, NYU, The New School, Fordham, and Rutgers. Union organizing has also spread to the University of Southern California, Syracuse University, the University of Illinois Chicago, Washington State, Barnard, Dartmouth, Wesleyan, and the University of Alaska, among other campuses.”

A Surprising (and Growing) Gender Gap in the Most Dangerous Jobs: “By almost every measure, the American workplace is getting safer. But one troubling type of injury is on the rise: violent attacks that cause injuries so severe that the victim misses a day of work. And the increase has come almost entirely in attacks against women. That’s a deadly serious finding, and one we did not expect. After all, our analysis began with the intriguing discovery that the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses includes a category called 'self-tasered—unintentional.' This database of workplace injuries is incredibly detailed, offering a concise but wide-ranging portrait of tragedy and mishap in the American workplace. It tells us how often workers are strangled by another person and how often they are caught in running machinery.”

The Minimum Wage Fight That Will Define the Decade: “'When this legislation was originally proposed, we would be well on our way to the $15 minimum wage,' said William Spriggs, chief economist for the AFL-CIO and a Howard University professor. 'I think all of us are reevaluating what we think that number should be.'”

AFL-CIO’s Department for Professional Employees Sets Legislative Agenda: “The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, with which a dozen entertainment industry unions are affiliated, has set its policy agenda for the 118th Congress, centered on creating diverse talent pipelines, incentivizing diversity in hiring and strengthening creative professionals’ workplace rights. 'Union professionals in the arts, entertainment, and media industries remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion,' said DPE President Jennifer Dorning. 'The updated DEI policy agenda for the 118th Congress allows union creative professionals to continue building off gains made in collective bargaining that provide for more inclusive, representative industries.'”

The Case for Business Leaders to Work Collaboratively with Unions: “Democrats in Congress have reintroduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a bill that would create new protections for workers seeking to unionize. Last week, witnesses appeared to testify to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, including Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. Speaking in favor of the PRO Act, Shuler’s testimony also included an invitation to workplace leaders: 'Unions and the labor movement stand ready and willing to work together with businesses all across this country: innovating together, becoming more skilled and efficient, and creating better outcomes for everyone,' she said. As interest in unions among professional and desk-based workers continues to rise, navigating the relationship with organized labor is an increasingly important skill for leaders in industries like tech, media, and education. And amidst this groundswell of union organizing, employers have an opportunity to rewrite the traditionally adversarial relationship between labor and management, argues Shuler. We spoke with Shuler about what that shift might look like. Here are excerpts from our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.”

‘SNL’ Strike Threat Lifted for Now as Postproduction Workers Reach Tentative Deal with Management: “An impasse on contract negotiations that led to postproduction workers threatening a strike has been resolved, at least for now, as labor and NBCUniversal management have reached a tentative deal. The workers, who had been negotiating their first contract as a union allied with the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG), had previously set a deadline of April 1. If a deal wasn’t reached by that date, workers vowed to strike the live NBC comedy series.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/27/2023 - 11:27

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Michigan Repeals Right to Work

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.

On Friday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed historic legislation to restore workers’ rights and increase wages. The bills include requirements for state contractors to pay union-level wages, strengthening the state’s anti-discrimination law by adding LGBTQ+ protections, and a repeal of “right to work.”

“After decades of anti-worker attacks, Michigan has restored the balance of power for working people by passing laws to protect their freedom to bargain for the good wages, good benefits, and safe workplaces they deserve,” said Michigan State AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber (UAW). “Ten years ago, Governor Whitmer was standing side by side with well over ten thousand working people who showed up in Lansing to protest the devastating attack on their rights. Today, she has demonstrated yet again her unwavering commitment to putting working families first. After decades of attacks on working people, it’s a new day in Michigan, and the future is bright.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/27/2023 - 10:27

Virtual Event: Lifting Up Women on the Shop Floor

 

Picture a manufacturing worker. Are you imagining a woman wielding a torch or assembling an SUV? 

The manufacturing sector provides good jobs with family-supporting wages and benefits, which do not require four-year degrees. More women should hold these jobs.

Yet they are underrepresented in manufacturing, particularly in the highest-paying jobs. This industry is poised to grow as the United States invests billions of dollars in infrastructure, technology and clean energy. 

Join the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) for a webinar to discuss the policies needed to create fair and equitable access to good production jobs in manufacturing. All workers should be part of this growing workforce. 

When: Tuesday, March 28
            Noon ET

Where: Virtually

Register

IWPR will be launching its new report, Advancing Women in Manufacturing: Perspectives from Women on the Shop Floor.

You’ll hear the voices and experiences of women in manufacturing—especially union members and those who have completed apprenticeships. Learn about what helps and hinders their access, retention and success in good manufacturing jobs.

Sign up here.

Speakers include Latifa Lyles, special assistant to the president for gender policy, White House Gender Policy Council; Leeann Foster, international vice president, United Steelworkers; Ariane Hegewisch, senior research fellow, Institute for Women’s Policy Research; Lark Jackson, program director, Chicago Women in Trades’ National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment; Zoe Lipman, deputy director, AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council; Alexandra Patterson, director of policy and strategy, Home Grown; and Shana Peschek, executive director, Machinists Institute.

 

Audrey Edmonds Thu, 03/23/2023 - 14:08

Tags: Apprenticeships

Nursing Home Initiative to Right America’s Injustices

The worst of the pandemic appears to be over but make no mistake: Our country is still dealing with the loss of life and disability left in its wake as millions of families are still recovering from this tragedy. It also revealed a truth about the inequitable economic treatment of women and workers of color. 

Women dominate caregiving occupations, which are undervalued and underfunded. Women are paid less and lack access to child care and paid sick leave, even though they are often the ones who need it most. Women regularly face pay discrimination, yet they are the majority of workers in occupations that are not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal labor law that ensures a minimum wage. Women are the most likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19, affording protection to others. But many lack a union, a voice at work to protect their own health, safety and economic interests.

 
Nowhere is this more true than in the nursing home sector, which is dominated by low-wage women of color: 87% of these workers are women, 61% are people of color and 27% are immigrants. The median hourly wage for nursing home workers is $13.56, and the median annual salary is only $20,200. As a result, 44% of this workforce live at or near poverty and 45% rely on some kind of public assistance. No worker should have to live under such miserable economic conditions; it’s especially egregious because caretaking is so grueling. We should be rewarding those whose work is caring for the most vulnerable among us. The poor economic conditions endured by this sector reflects our country’s institutional misogyny and racism.

Care work in homes and in institutions has a direct historical connection to slavery. Enslaved black women worked as servants in private households performing the most strenuous and unpleasant tasks. After slavery was abolished, black women continued to work as domestic workers in private households while earning very little. It’s past time we recognize and right these wrongs and compensate these workers fairly. 

In 2021, President Biden announced a new initiative to establish a national minimum staffing  standard for nursing home workers, improve compensation and make it easier for these workers to join a union. This is surely one of the single biggest ongoing initiatives to address the inequities facing women and workers of color; it is also one of the best solutions for addressing the emotionally difficult and physically dangerous working conditions these workers face.

The labor movement is already a movement for working women. Union women know the best way to combat injustice is with a union. Union members have greater access to paid sick days and parental leave. Nearly all union members (94%) have health insurance through our employers, compared with 69% for nonunion workers. Women covered by union contracts lost fewer jobs between 2019 and 2020 than women who were not in unions.

As the numbers show, it’s time to organize more nursing home workers. Numerous states, including Arkansas, New York and others, have acted during the pandemic to improve working conditions in this sector—creating pilot programs to pay nursing home workers more and increase staffing levels to improve working conditions. 

But we know that having a union is the best way to make sure workers continue to get a fair shake, even after state legislatures have moved on to other issues. 

The Biden administration’s initiative would improve the quality of care for nursing home residents and their families. Far too many are willing to overlook the working conditions that women and workers of color face. All of us will age, and many of us will come to need some kind of assistance or elder care. Many workers are already struggling to care for aging loved ones. We may overcome serious medical conditions, yet face a lifetime of ability challenges. We want older and disabled people living in a facility to get the best possible care and live out their final years in engaging and supportive environments. That can’t happen unless workers there are paid fairly, treated right and are able to thrive.

Audrey Edmonds Wed, 03/22/2023 - 13:58

Call: Paycheck Fairness Act

 

The Paycheck Fairness Act increases penalties when employers violate equal pay provisions. It also makes it unlawful to prohibit employees from discussing their wages. Take two minutes to ask your senators and representative to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Make a Call.

Today is Equal Pay Day because women have to work until March 14, 2023, to earn what a man made in 2022.

The gender wage gap leads to a loss of some $400,000 over the course of a working woman’s career. For women of color, that loss is even steeper. Read that again: $400,000.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would help close the wage gap in a few different ways by:

• Making it unlawful to prohibit employees from talking about their wages.
• Increasing penalties for violating the equal pay provision.
• Directing the Department of Labor to provide trainings for negotiating compensation and working conditions.

It’s time. Women should get equal pay for equal work.

If you agree, take two minutes to call your senators and representative. Tell them to vote YES on the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Audrey Edmonds Tue, 03/14/2023 - 14:14

Tags: Equal Pay

International Women’s Day

Women are now nearly 50% of the workforce—yet inequality in the workplace continues. Unequal pay, harassment and discrimination are just some of the abuses women face daily.

But when women stand together, they can demand equality. And a union contract delivers.

We must do everything we can to protect our right to organize, especially from union-busting CEOs like Howard Schultz at Starbucks.

On Tuesday, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, spoke at the Senate, imploring senators to pass labor laws that protect our constitutional right to organize and collective bargaining.

Watch President Shuler's Testimony (Starts at 11:54)

The quickest way to equal pay (and equal treatment in every way) is a union contract. And we need laws that protect us and our right to organize.

Audrey Edmonds Fri, 03/10/2023 - 14:34

Tags: Women's History Month

2023 Women Labor Leaders

This Women’s History Month, we’re profiling leaders who are making women’s history across the labor movement today. 

There’s been a surge of organizing by women. Some 60% of workers organizing in the past decade have been women, and that means female leadership is the rule, not the exception.

Here are just a few of the women leaders organizing in 2023. 

 

 

Tracie Roberts

Electrical Workers (IBEW)

Tracie Roberts is an IBEW Local 291 member who works for the Idaho State AFL-CIO. This November, she will celebrate her 10-year work anniversary.

Everyone in the labor movement in Idaho knows who she is due to all her work with the state federation. Roberts is a true powerhouse who is always helping locals, central labor councils (CLCs) and anyone in the labor movement when she’s not working. 

Tracie Roberts, IBEW Amy Kayes

Elevator Constructors (IUEC)

Amy Kayes has been a leader and mentor to the women in IUEC Local 8. 

She's held an elected position on the Executive Board since 2016, and as of last year, was appointed to a position on the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. 

Amy is a service mechanic in San Francisco and works for San Francisco Elevator. 

Sharen Davis

Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)

Sharen Davis is a proud member of the Costume Designers Guild Local 892 and an Emmy Award–winning and two-time Academy Award–nominated costume designer.
 

Sharen Davis, Costume Designers Guild Local 892 Kimberly Charlton Kimberly Charlton

United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA)

Kimberly Charlton is at the top of her class. She was a huge part of building Warriors Stadium. There are six union members in her family, and union participation goes back three generations. She takes pride in her union and has certifications in medical gas, pex and brazing. Charlton is learning to weld and always working to do her best. She is always giving 100%, and she stands behind the union concept indefinitely.
 

Kimberly Charlton, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Patricia White

Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)

Patricia White is the director of IATSE’s Department of Education and Training and serves as president of New York City Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local 764. She also sits on the New York City CLC Executive Board. In 2013, White also was elected to the position of international trustee.

 

Patricia White, Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Sarah Varga

Laborers (LIUNA)

"As a member of LIUNA Local 464, I have learned that I don’t need a college degree to have good wages, insurance and a pension. Since joining the union, my mental health has improved because I don’t dread work. Union membership has made a difference for me financially. I don’t need to worry whether or not I can afford to go to the doctor or what I will be eating at night. LIUNA has made a great impact on not only myself, but also my union brothers, sisters and siblings."

 

Sarah Varga, Laborers (LIUNA) Pauline Mims 

International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)

As the political and legislative chair of UAW Local 276, Pauline Mims is creating space for more union sisters to be heard and seen, and empowering them to shift the Texas political landscape. As a state president of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, she is elevating the voices of Black voters and helping build CLC voter turnout programs. 
 

Pauline Mims, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) Catherine Kennedy

Vice President, National Nurses United (NNU)

Catherine Kennedy is a registered nurse, member of the Council of Presidents for the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) and vice president of National Nurses United (NNU). A staff nurse at Kaiser Permanente Roseville in the neonatal intensive care unit, she has been an outstanding advocate for nurses in her position as commissioner to the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission (2013–2021). 

Additionally, she is a current member of the California Health Workforce Education and Training Council under the state’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (2021 to present) and advocates via her exceptional mentorship and cultural competency work with California Nurses Foundation (CNF). She is also a passionate public supporter for the NNU and CNA/NNOC campaigns for Medicare for All. 

In October 2017, Registered Nurse Response Network, a disaster-relief project of CFN and NNU, chose Kennedy to lead a team of 50 volunteer registered nurses to aid Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, coordinating with a 300-person relief delegation from the AFL-CIO. 
 

Catherine Kennedy, National Nurses United (NNU) Capt. Paula Battreal

Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)

Capt. Paula Battreal is a member of ALPA and flies the Boeing 767 for FedEx Express. Capt. Battreal has been flying for FedEx for 23 years. She was one of the youngest women hired at the company and, as a result, will be No. 1 on the seniority list when she retires. Capt. Battreal recently served as the seniority block 2 status representative on the FedEx Master Executive Council. During her time as part of the leadership structure, she was instrumental in standing up the FedEx pilot union’s first Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
 

Veronica Benedetto

Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS)

Veronica “Ronni” Benedetto, an aviation safety technician at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has dedicated her life to helping others. She began her federal career in the Civil Rights office at the Department of Defense and transferred to the FAA in 1996. She became a PASS contract representative in 2015 and is the union’s designated rep to assist workers who have been injured on the job navigate the workers’ compensation process. “Being a union member is the best job insurance one can have!” says Benedetto.

 

Kesheona Darden

Boilermakers (IBB)

Kesheona Darden is currently an apprentice—and also a shining star. Intelligent, driven and capable, she is co-chair for our Women at Work Committee. She is a great example of a working mother, making it happen.

 

Grace Catania

Communications Workers of America (CWA)

Grace Catania is a longtime member of The NewsGuild-CWA (TNG-CWA) Local 34071. She is an immigrant to this great country, having left her home country of Poland in 1980, when she was 20. She moved to the United States moments before martial law was imposed in response to the Solidarity Movement. Having arrived in the United States with no connections except an older uncle, Catania had to make her own way. She studied English and landed a union job as a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

In 1994, she began a career as a per diem court interpreter while continuing to work in retail. She and her peers worked against the “contractor” classification and were finally recognized as employees when the Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071 was recognized as the bargaining unit in 2004. Soon after, the union obtained a first contract and better working conditions. Since then, Catania has served as interpreters’ unit steward, unit chair and contract bargaining team member. She became active in the local union and rose through the ranks to become the president. She also has served as a member and chair of the CWA National Women’s Committee. In addition, she was part of the Illinois Legislative Political Action Team and lobbied at the state and national levels. She has participated in many marches and actions, and actively supported other units in the local. Catania is proud of her three children and seven grandchildren, and lives in the suburbs of Chicago. 

Grace Catania, CWA Deborah Spencer

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)

Debbie Spencer is a groundbreaking labor leader who became IFPTE Local 195’s first female president in January 2023. With 28 years of experience in New Jersey’s labor movement, Spencer represents members in inspections, investigation and security, crafts, maintenance and operations, as well as New Jersey state employees. Prior to her election as president, Sister Spencer served as a business representative for Local 195, for which she negotiated contracts and handled grievances. Additionally, she co-chaired her union’s organizing committee and held the position of local secretary beginning in 2007. She started her union career as a school bus driver and proudly maintains her commercial driver’s license with passenger endorsement to drive a school bus.

 

Deborah Spencer, IFPTE Kisha Byrd

United Steelworkers (USW)    

Kisha Byrd is an active member of USW Local 10-00086 in Norristown, Pa., and serves as Women of Steel coordinator for USW District 10. She helps organize activities year-round, including a Christmas party for local families and volunteer days at a local pantry and soup kitchen. She believes every worker has power in the union. “We all have our different personalities that come together to create what we have,” says Byrd.

Kisha Byrd, United Steelworkers (USW) Heather Burke

AFSCME

Heather Burke is a social caseworker in Adams County, Colorado, where she helps children in need find adoptive homes. Burke helped lead the effort to organize her co-workers to form their department's first union through AFSCME and advocated for passage of Colorado's collective bargaining expansion for county employees. Burke knows that by having a voice on the job, she and her co-workers can better fight for the resources and support they need to serve the children and families who depend on them.
 

Debbie Lee Stevens

Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)    
    
Debbie Lee Stevens is an industrial painter by trade, with more than 30 years in the industry. She is a leader by nature and continues to share her knowledge as a national instructor. She has achieved certifications, such as National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), CIP 3, C3, C5 and, most recently, NACE CCA Examiner status. Stevens is a mentor and takes pride in her training and skill sets to encourage the "why" in the next generation. 
 

Debbie Lee Stevens, Painters and Allied Trades Jessica LaPointe

AFGE    
    
Jessica LaPointe is the president of AFGE Council 220, which represents 30,000 Social Security Administration (SSA) employees, 70% of whom are women, in contract negotiations. She is also the vice president of AFGE Local 1346, a steward, the legislative and political coordinator, and the women’s and fair practices coordinator at the local.

Before she was elected as president at Council 220, LaPointe was a bilingual generalist claims specialist in the SSA field office in Madison, Wis. In addition to her work in the labor movement, LaPointe is a mother of 21-year-old twins, a 10-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. She is also an avid capoeirista as part of the Madison Omulu Capoeira group. 
 

Pamela Boyd

Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)    

Pam Boyd has been a member of IATSE Local 336 for 27 years and a recording/corresponding secretary for 17 years. She continues to bring our local into the computer age and still manages our website. She was the political coordinator for the local up until this year and still continues as the IATSE Arizona AFL-CIO representative. She fought H.B. 2112 in 2016 and has done so much more. Our thanks go to you, Sister Boyd. In solidarity, your brothers, sisters and siblings of IATSE Local 336.

Alma Lee

AFGE    
    
AFGE National Veterans Affairs (VA) Council President Alma Lee has proudly served veterans at VA hospitals and protected the rights of those who care for our nation’s heroes for more than 36 years. Lee is the first Black woman elected as the National VA Council president and continues to be a trailblazer for women and minorities. 

Lee is a member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the NAACP and the National Partnership Council. She received the Bernice Heffner Outstanding Women’s Achievement Award at AFGE and was the first recipient of AFGE’s Woman of Labor Award in 2020. Lee also was named the Outstanding Labor Woman of the Year in Virginia and has received numerous other awards and honors throughout her career. She shares that her greatest accomplishment is “helping create the strongest master bargaining agreement in the nation because all VA employees deserve to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect.” 
 

AFGE National Veterans Affairs (VA) Council President Alma Lee Audrey Edmonds Tue, 03/07/2023 - 10:38

Tags: Women's History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Desirae Beatty

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Desirae Beatty of the United Steelworkers (USW).

Desirae Beatty is a new but mighty member of the United Steelworkers (USW) and has worked to bring solidarity to her local, which represents workers at four Allegheny County (Pennsylvania)-run assisted living and senior facilities. She's been a certified nursing assistant for 17 years and is the epitome of what we look for in labor activists. “We have shown the county and Kane that we can organize and move as one, and we are ready for a positive change," she said.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 02/28/2023 - 10:00

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: E. Faye Butler

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is E. Faye Butler of Actors' Equity Association (AEA).

A member of Actors’ Equity Association since 1986, E. Faye Butler has made union activism an important part of her lasting career. Since joining Equity, Butler has been a member of the national council as well as several policy-driven committees, including the production committee, which oversees the Broadway contract. She was a founding co-chair of Equity’s Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, and as a current member of the touring committee, she is at the bargaining table right now negotiating for a new contract.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/27/2023 - 10:00

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Dewanda Mitchell

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Dewanda Mitchell of AFGE.

AFGE's Dewanda Mitchell is a retired 20-year Army veteran who served as a military police and correctional officer. She joined the Department of Veterans Affairs where she became the first African American chief of police for the VA Outpatient Clinic Downtown L.A. in 1993. She has spent three decades working and advocating for workers, veterans and cancer survivors. She recently received the doctorate degree in humanitarianism from the Global International Alliance Advocate University. She also received the “I Am A Superwoman” Award from the British Parliament. She is a two-time cancer survivor and currently serves as the president of the Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater California, where she helps host annual 5K walk/runs, luncheons, and other events to help raise funds and awareness.

Kenneth Quinnell Sun, 02/26/2023 - 10:01

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Derrick McDonald II

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Derrick McDonald II of the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU).

Derrick McDonald II is a shop steward with OPEIU Local 153 who works at Advantage Care Physicians. Through the power of his union, McDonald advocates for his co-workers and his community. A skilled organizer, McDonald also currently serves on his union’s bargaining team. “We’re still fighting the same fight Dr. King was fighting,” he said. “For equal pay, equal protection under the law, a right to be heard and a seat at the table.”

Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 02/25/2023 - 10:01

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Linda Hunt

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Linda Hunt of UNITE HERE’s Culinary Union.

Linda Hunt is a food server and an active member of UNITE HERE's Culinary Union (Local 226) for the past 42 years. In 2022, she took a leave of absence during the 2022 elections to help elect leaders who would champion issues important to working people: “We aren’t going to give up. We will keep fighting every day. We vote. We win!”

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/24/2023 - 10:15

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Clint Brown

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Clint Brown of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Clint Brown joined the staff of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 881 in 1986 as a union representative. He has held many positions with the local, and his efforts have been instrumental in fighting for the rights of workers across Ohio, from paid sick leave to minimum wage increases and many more. Brown's service to the labor movement is extensive. He has been a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and delegate to CBTU's international convention, a trustee and active member of the Minority Coalition of the UFCW International, as well as president of the Chicago chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/24/2023 - 10:01

Tags: Black History Month

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: YouTube Music Strike Reaches Day 14; Alphabet Workers Stand Strong

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.

Workers at YouTube Music have been on an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike for two weeks against Cognizant Technology Solutions and Google. The vast majority of the workers, who filed for recognition with the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA Local 1400) in October, were hired remotely and the companies’ announced “return to office” plan ordered those workers to move to Austin, Texas, or they would lose their jobs. The workers then went on strike.

The workers say that Cognizant is desperate to break the strike and has engaged in smear tactics against low-wage workers. Google refused to call on Cognizant to end the return to office mandate, making them part of the problem. The workers demand that Cognizant and Google put an end to union-busting and the mandate, and allow their workers to freely exercise their right to organize.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/24/2023 - 09:30

Tags: Strikes

Major League Soccer Players Formally Affiliate with AFL-CIO

The Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA) today announced its formal affiliation with the AFL-CIO. The request to affiliate was unanimously approved by the MLSPA’s Executive Board and approved at the AFL-CIO’s Winter Executive Council meeting in early February. MLSPA members will join the more than 12.5 million workers who make up the unions of the AFL-CIO.

“From locker rooms and classrooms to coffee shops and warehouses, workers all over the United States are demonstrating the power of organizing on a daily basis,” said MLSPA Executive Director Bob Foose. “Over the past twenty years, our players have fought to improve the working conditions and rights of athletes in Major League Soccer. We look forward to working with the AFL-CIO and standing beside its member unions as we fight for every worker, whether it be an athlete or a stadium employee, with one collective voice.”

“When we speak with one voice, when we’re united in solidarity, our collective power is undeniable,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “This affiliation is about building that power for workers and ensuring professional soccer players have the strength of the entire labor movement behind them every single day. We’re thrilled to welcome the MLS Players into the AFL-CIO. This is historic—joining together in this pivotal moment in our economy will raise standards for all working people and the communities where we live, work and play.”

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/23/2023 - 14:46

Black History Month Profiles: Yvonne Brooks

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Yvonne Brooks of AFSCME.

Yvonne Brooks is a native of St. Louis and the ninth of 10 children. Brooks comes from a union family. She joined AFSCME Local 410 and became a shop steward during her first six months of employment. In 1996, Brooks accepted the position of staff representative for AFSCME Council 31. In 2008, Brooks accepted an international position with AFSCME as an area field service director. She worked for the AFSCME Florida Voter Protection Project during the 2008 election. Brooks was elected secretary-treasurer of the Georgia State AFL-CIO in 2011. And in 2023, she became the first woman and first African American to be elected president of the state federation.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:15

Tags: Black History Month

Black History Month Profiles: Dejon Ellis Jr.

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Dejon Ellis Jr. of the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

Los Angeles native DeJon Ellis Jr. has been a grip with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 80 for 25 years. He has worked on various projects, from feature films to prime-time television and music videos. Ellis currently serves as Local 80’s business agent for grips, crafts services, set medics, marine, first aid employees and warehouse workers. Ellis is also a member-at-large for IATSE's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee."

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/23/2023 - 10:01

Tags: Black History Month

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Union Veterans Council Leads Delegation to Express Solidarity with Ukraine

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.

Will Attig (UA; pictured left), executive director of the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO (UVC), led a delegation of labor leaders and working people to meet with Ambassador Oksana Markarova (not pictured) at the Ukrainian Embassy. The delegation expressed the U.S. labor movement’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Joining UVC in the delegation were representatives from the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), Mine Workers (UMWA), Machinists (IAM), Ironworkers, AFT, AFGE, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) and the Solidarity Center.

Ambassador Markarova asked union members to express support for Ukraine. She was also interested in learning more about training, mental health and child assistance programs run by America’s unions.

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/23/2023 - 09:45

Tags: Union Veterans Council, Ukraine

Black History Month Profiles: Linda L. Hinton

This year, for Black History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making Black history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Linda L. Hinton of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Linda L. Hinton started her career at Ohio Bell in 1970. Not long after, she was elected vice president and, later, president of CWA Local 4310. She went on to be a staff representative for CWA District 4, and then administrative director before becoming assistant to the vice president. She is the first woman to be vice president for District 4. She is a member of many constituency groups, including the Coaltion of Labor Union Women, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the NAACP, the CWA National Minority Caucus and the CWA Women for Political Power Program, which she leads.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/22/2023 - 10:30

Tags: Black History Month