AFL-CIO Blog

  • Ohio’s Ironworkers Local 290 Invests in the Future
    Ohio’s Ironworkers Local 290 Invests in the Future Ironworkers One of the country’s best-kept secrets is that the American labor movement trains more workers than any organization other than the U.S. military. Apprenticeships and job training programs represent a powerful, life-changing opportunity that unions are in a unique position to provide. When those resources are made readily available to working people, membership growth often follows. That’s a major reason why the leadership of Ironworkers Local 290 in Dayton, Ohio, has made expanding their training capacity a top priority. Given expected growth in the construction industry, the local is positioning itself to train more apprentices and grow its ranks. “We knew we had a big, big problem,” said Local 290 Business Manager Jeff Bush. Limited to four small classrooms and unable to build out its facility, the local went about finding a new home for the program. It purchased a 45,000 square-foot industrial building on six acres of property, renovating the space into a massive new training center. Initially facing hesitation from members over the prospect of leaving their longtime union hall, the investment quickly proved its worth. In the three years since the move, the local has dramatically expanded its training and outreach programs, launching daytime training, partnering with local high schools and recruiting existing skilled tradesmen to pursue membership and certification. Local 290’s class of first-year apprentices has ballooned to 78, and affiliated contractors are welcoming the highly skilled graduates with open arms. “Since we have made this move, every member is ecstatic about it. They’re bragging to all their people. They bring people through,” said Bush. “Nobody likes change, but we have to change or one day we’ll be sitting here wondering what happened to us.” That willingness to change—coupled with a dedication to fostering a relationship with the community and providing value to working people—has proven to be a powerful organizing strategy. Over the past 18 months, the local’s membership rosters have skyrocketed by 25%. What’s more, Local 290 is now in a strategic position to lead the local building trades in the political and organizing fights that lie ahead. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 12/12/2018 - 12:04 — Dec 12
  • State of the Unions’ Podcast with Sara Nelson: Aviation's First Responders
    State of the Unions’ Podcast with Sara Nelson: Aviation's First Responders AFL-CIO Recently, the AFL-CIO launched another tool to bring you the issues and stories that matter to working people. In the latest episode of our podcast, “State of the Unions,” we talk to UNITE HERE's Rachel Gumpert about recent worker victories at Marriott and go in-depth with Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) International President Sara Nelson.  “State of the Unions” captures the stories of workers across the country. It’s co-hosted by two young and diverse members of the AFL-CIO team: Mobilization Director Julie Greene and Executive Speechwriter Tim Schlittner. A new episode will drop every other Wednesday featuring interesting interviews with workers and our allies across the country, as well as compelling insights from the podcast’s hosts. Listen to our previous episodes: “State of the Unions” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you can find podcasts. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 12/12/2018 - 10:43 Tags: Podcast — Dec 12
  • ‘A Handle on Our Future’
    ‘A Handle on Our Future’ UNITE HERE As details of the agreements between UNITE HERE workers and Marriott become public, one thing is clear: These victories provide a blueprint for collective bargaining going forward. As Brian Lang, president of UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston said, “It changes people’s expectations about what’s possible.” For more than two months, 7,700 hotel workers from Boston to Hawaii went on strike, demanding better wages and respect from Marriott, the most profitable hotel chain in the world. These workers not only won better wages, they won a better future. Their wins could show the way forward for all workers, whether they’re in a union or not. While the contracts vary by each location, here are six top noteworthy wins from across the country:
    • A 20% raise over 4.5 years;
    • A 37% increase in pension contributions;
    • Six weeks of paid maternity leave, plus two weeks for spouses;
    • A paid holiday for every worker who becomes an American citizen;
    • Advance notice and training for workers whose jobs will be affected by new technology; and
    • Cutting-edge sexual harassment protections for workers.
    The technology provisions of these contracts are especially noteworthy, as workers won the right to be at the bargaining table to discuss things like automated check-ins or robotic bellhops, instead of management deploying them without workers’ input. “We want to have a handle on our future. This is an act of self-determination,” said Jean Te’o-Gibney, UNITE HERE Local 5 member and Royal Hawaiian front desk worker. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 12/11/2018 - 14:58     — Dec 11
  • Equal and Inalienable Rights
    Equal and Inalienable Rights AFL-CIO Seventy years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Translated into more than 500 languages, it recognized that “the inherent dignity and...equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” Article 23 of the declaration lays out the economic rights of working people, including:
    • The right to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
    • The right to equal pay for equal work without discrimination.
    • The right to just and favorable wages that ensure human dignity—supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
    • The right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of one’s interests.
    The working people of the labor movement have organized, marched and fought toward securing those rights as a universal reality. In the face of a corporate right-wing campaign to destroy these fundamental freedoms, the AFL-CIO is carrying on the work of defending our rights and dignities on the job. Do your part today by taking action to protect working people. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 12/10/2018 - 13:42     — Dec 10
  • Economy Gains 155,000 Jobs in November; Unemployment Unchanged at 3.7%
    Economy Gains 155,000 Jobs in November; Unemployment Unchanged at 3.7% The U.S. economy gained 155,000 jobs in November, and unemployment was unchanged at 3.7%, according to figures released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The labor market can be a leading indicator for the economy. Soft wage growth has been accompanied by weaker auto sales than typical for this low level of unemployment, leading General Motors to plan plant closings, and slowing home sales point to stresses for workers and the household sector of the economy. The Federal Reserve needs to move with great caution and hold off on more rate increases. In response to the November job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:
    #JobReport Payroll employment up 155,000 in November, unemployment rate steady at 3.7% Over the year, wages were up 3.1% not impressive enough numbers for the @federalreserve to maintain increasing interest rates @AFLCIO— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    #JobsReport Labor Force Participation rates remain flat overall, the Black and white rates remain similar, both near 62.2% for Blacks 62.9% for whites. @AFLCIO @rolandsmartin pic.twitter.com/1s8Rt1wCA4— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    A look at the question of structural unemployment issues: unemployment rate falls for high school dropouts to 5.6%, and high school grads to 3.5%, while it edges up for college (less than bachelors) 3.0 to 3.1 and bachelor's (or more) 2.0 to 2.2% #JobsReport @AFLCIO— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    A look at structural unemployment questions: Here's the recent history of unemployment rates for computer related occupations--very strong cyclical component and little different from just college educated workers, generally. #JobsReport @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/49hbSKJQiA— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    #JobsReport A quick graphical summary of job gains (losses) by industry and earnings (thanks @BLS_gov ) only losing industries were above average wages, biggest gains were below average wage industries @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/EqkxniZ6cd— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    We won't grow as a nation if we don't increase public investment in education, these declines in state and local education are not good signs for the future @AFTunion @AFLCIO @AFSCME #JobsReport pic.twitter.com/Rx7URL4jgo— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    GM layoffs are yet to come, but auto sector already shows weakness, down 800 in November and 1,800 over the year, @UAW @AFLCIO #JobsReport This is an interest sensitive industry the @federalreserve needs to be watching more closely— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    Bad sign, @IWPResearch @HeidiatIWPR : Last month, more unemployed women dropped out of the labor force (811.000) than found work (731,000) -- reversing recent trend and opposite the success of men #JobsReport @AFLCIO https://t.co/IPzxmzhpO2— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) December 7, 2018
    Last month's biggest job gains were in health care (32,000), professional and business services (32,000), manufacturing (27,000), transportation and warehousing (25,000) and retail trade (18,000). Employment in other major industries—including mining, construction, wholesale trade, information, financial activities, leisure and hospitality, and government—showed little change over the month.   Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for teenagers (12%), blacks (5.9%), Hispanics (4.5%), adult women (3.4%), whites (3.4%), adult men (3.3%) and Asians (2.7%) showed little or no change in November. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined slightly in November and accounted for 20.8% of the unemployed. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 12/07/2018 - 11:32     — Dec 7