AFL-CIO Blog

  • 100 Days of Speaking Truth to Power
    100 Days of Speaking Truth to Power In the past 100 days, President Trump, Elon Musk and their unaccountable DOGE have fired or targeted for firing at least 121,000 federal workers. They’ve been ripping up union contracts, cutting critical services we rely on and dismantling the fundamental freedom to organize for a better life. We were ready for Project 2025—but this governing agenda is Project 2025 on steroids. Everything from Medicaid and Social Security, the U.S. Postal Service and Department of Veterans Affairs programs, and cancer research and food inspections have been on the chopping block over the past few months to pay for even bigger tax cuts for billionaires and giant corporations. And in the meantime, costs for working families just keep going up and up. In short: This is the most anti-union, anti-worker barrage of attacks we’ve ever seen come from the White House. But you know what’s giving us hope right now? You. The power and solidarity of our 63 unions, our 15 million union members, and working people all across this country—standing up and speaking out for ourselves, our families, and our communities. The labor movement is leading the fight against this administration’s illegal actions and defending the jobs and services that people depend on. In the past 100 days, we’ve launched our own Department of People Who Work for a Living rapid response program to hold the DOGE accountable—and Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network to get workers the legal support they need to fight back. We have tens of thousands of people showing up to rallies, and protests, and town halls—working folks who are ready to do something. We have entire communities coming out to protect their immigrant neighbors. We have brave lawyers taking the fight to this administration and winning in court, so that thousands of Americans can return to their jobs. And we have people continuing to organize together and form unions in places we never have before, like the Deep South. Workers are saying: If the government isn’t going to fight for me, or raise my wages to a livable wage, I’ll stand with my co-workers and do it myself. The labor movement is under attack like never before, but we’ve never been more united—and the people united will never be defeated.  Please watch and share: 
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    If you’re looking for things to do right now on this 100 days marker, here are a few other ways you can get involved: 
    • Call Congress to restore federal bargaining rights now. Call your member of Congress and tell them to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act and to reverse the Trump administration’s executive order stripping the right to organize from hundreds of thousands of federal workers at more than 30 agencies. We are asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now at 844-896-5059.
    • Find an event near you. Our union, state labor federation and local labor leaders are holding events all across the country every week to educate, organize, and mobilize working people. Keep checking in on our map to find an event near you.
    • Join the Department of People Who Work for a Living, our own pseudo-government agency to expose the billionaire takeover. Share our content on social media and take action to stand up to the DOGE.
    • Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network is uniting over a thousand lawyers to ensure working people get the support they deserve. Tell your friends by sending them to workerslegaldefense.org and donate to help support fired federal workers.
    • Tell Congress to stop the cuts to NIOSH. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health researches worker exposures to heat and wildfire smoke, workplace violence, back injuries and other chronic diseases, and state-of-the-art technologies that keep workers safe in mines. Public pressure on Congress has already helped reinstate some NIOSH employees, at least temporarily. Tell Congress to keep workers safe and stop the cuts. 
    Thank you for standing with working people these 100 days and every day. We are grateful to be in this fight with you.  Audrey Edmonds Wed, 04/30/2025 - 13:13     — Apr 30
  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Showbox and Showbox SoDo Stage Crew Join IATSE and Ratify Contract
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Showbox and Showbox SoDo Stage Crew Join IATSE and Ratify Contract Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. Workers at historic Seattle music venues, The Showbox and Showbox SoDo, are celebrating the ratification of their first union contract as Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15 members. This victory, which has been more than two years in the making, is historic because it marks the first nightclub to have a union-represented stage crew in the Seattle area. Technicians and stagehands successfully secured meaningful wins like substantial wage increases, vacation pay, retirement contributions and more. “This moment—it’s exciting, it’s historic, and it’s a pivotal opportunity for the union to build relationships and worker power with a previously un-represented subsector of the live event industry,” said Tiffany Youngblood, Showbox house steward and stagehand. “We organized because we wanted to improve conditions, increase transparency, and introduce industry-standard practices & benefits.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/30/2025 - 10:50 — Apr 30
  • Safe Jobs Now: What Working People Are Doing This Week
    Safe Jobs Now: What Working People Are Doing This Week Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week. Actors' Equity: AFGE: AFSCME: Alliance for Retired Americans: Amalgamated Transit Union: American Federation of Teachers: American Postal Workers Union: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA: Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers: Boilermakers: Bricklayers: Coalition of Black Trade Unionists: Coalition of Labor Union Women: Communications Workers of America: Department for Professional Employees: Electrical Workers: Fire Fighters: Heat and Frost Insulators: International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers: International Labor Communications Association: Labor Council for Latin American Advancement: Laborers: Major League Baseball Players Association: Major League Soccer Players Association: Metal Trades Department: Mine Workers: Musical Artists: National Air Traffic Controllers Association: National Association of Letter Carriers: National Domestic Workers Alliance: National Hockey League Players’ Association: National Nurses United: NFL Players Association: North America's Building Trades Unions: Painters and Allied Trades: Professional Aviation Safety Specialists: Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: Roofers and Waterproofers: SAG-AFTRA: Service Employees International Union: Solidarity Center: The NewsGuild-CWA: Theatrical Stage Employees: Transport Workers Union: Transportation Trades Department: UAW: Union Veterans Council: UNITE HERE: United Food and Commercial Workers: United Steelworkers: Writers Guild of America East: Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/30/2025 - 10:14 — Apr 30
  • Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living: In the States Roundup
    Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living: 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 X. Alaska AFL-CIO: Arizona AFL-CIO: California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: Colorado AFL-CIO: Connecticut AFL-CIO: Florida AFL-CIO: Georgia State AFL-CIO: Illinois AFL-CIO: Maine AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Michigan State AFL-CIO: Minnesota AFL-CIO: Missouri AFL-CIO: Nevada State AFL-CIO: New York State AFL-CIO: North Carolina State AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: Texas AFL-CIO: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO: Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/29/2025 - 11:30 — Apr 29
  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Martz Gold Line Workers Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Martz Gold Line Workers Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 members who work for the Martz Gold Line, a fixed-route commuter bus service in Maryland, went on strike late last week over unfair labor practices (ULPs) and the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith. ATU began contract negotiations in mid-December of last year—bus operators, mechanics, and service technicians have been working under an expired contract since Jan. 20. Members have been trying to reach an agreement that provides them with the fair wages, working conditions and benefits, but Martz has repeatedly rejected their concerns while attempting to strongarm the union into accepting its subpar offers. After workers walked off the job, the company tried to declare an impasse in negotiations so management could forcibly implement the proposals that ATU members have already rejected. “Throughout the negotiations there has been only one party, the Union, that’s been operating in good faith and actually wants to reach a deal,” said Local 689 President Raymond Jackson in a press release. “Martz Gold Line’s labor law violations are unacceptable, and now is the time for workers to fight back.” “Our Union and our members at Local 689 are fed up with the disrespect Martz has shown them. We’ve been down this road before in the DC area with strikes. Our members will again stand strong and united,” added ATU International President John Costa. “This is about securing a future where every transit worker is valued, heard, and treated with the dignity they deserve for the service they provide every single day. It’s time for Martz to get back to the table to give these workers a contract that treats them like the heroes they are.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/29/2025 - 08:16 — Apr 29