News

AFL-CIO: Unions Aim to Roar in 2020

Despite its setbacks, or perhaps because of them, organized labor has an energy level that AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka says he hasn’t seen before in his 50 years with the movement.

Larry Hanley Was a Transformational Labor Leader. He Will Be Missed.

On May 7, while recovering from an illness, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President Larry Hanley died suddenly.  In a brief statement, his family,

Violence Has No Place in the Workplace

Patt Moon-Updike wanted to be a nurse since she was 9 years old.

Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Is to Spend Less on Infrastructure

When he finally unveiled his infrastructure plan on Monday, President Donald Trump offered cities and states negative $40 billion.

SAG-AFTRA Launches 'Four Pillars of Change' Sexual Harassment Initiative

At its recent bi-coastal meeting, the SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors unanimously approved a Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment to Advance Equity, which is part of a program to combat harassment and strive toward workplace equity called the Four Pillars of Change, according to an announcement.

“At its most basic, this code will — ultimately — help better define what harassment is and what members’ rights are in those situations,” SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said in the release.

The Future of Organized Labor is in the Supreme Court's Hands

The U.S. Supreme Court soon will be the stage of one of the most consequential fights in the history of the American worker.

Anyone concerned with the future of middle-class jobs in our nation deserves to get the facts. Rather than sifting through the complexities of this legal battle, the goal of this article is to make clear to readers the real-life implications of this impending court decision.

German Union's Big Win Shows U.S. Labor the Path Forward

Last week the German metalworkers’ union, IG Metall, arguably one of the world’s most powerful unions, showed that unions have the power to shape their future workplaces.  

IG Metall negotiated a precedent-setting collective-bargaining agreement that privileges working conditions over wages. It won its key demand that workers have the right to reduce their working week from 35 to 28 hours for a period of up to two years in order to care for family members.

Labor Chiefs Make Their Pitch To CEOs Studying Connecticut's Competitiveness

Organized labor finally got its chance to be heard in the debate about how Connecticut can do a better job competing for business and improving its crisis-prone state finances.

On NAFTA Talks, Glimmers of Hope, But Sides Are Still Far Apart

President Trump's chief trade official Monday offered a modicum of optimism about the ongoing talks to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement, even as he shot down two key Canadian proposals and blasted a recent trade action by Canada as a "massive attack on all of our trade laws."

Tips Are More Important Than You Think

The Donald Trump Labor Department is proposing a rule change that would mean that restaurant servers and bartenders could lose a large portion of their earnings. The rule would overturn one put in place by the Barack Obama administration initiated, which prevents workers in tipped industries from having their tips taken by their employers. Under the new rule, business owners could pay their wait staff and bartenders as little as $7.25 per hour and keep all tips above that amount without having to tell customers what happened.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports 260,000 More Union Members in 2017

Last week, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on union membership, which found that the number of union members rose by 260,000 in 2017. This reflects critical organizing victories across a range of industries, which have reaped higher wages, better benefits and a more secure future for working people around the country.

Of the report, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said: