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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Pono Kodani
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Pono Kodani of AFSCME.
Deeply connected to the ocean and his Hawaii Island community, Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA/AFSCME) member and lifeguard Pono Kodani says the most rewarding part of his job is saving a life, especially with drowning being the No. 1 cause of death among children in the islands. Born and raised on the east side of Hawaii Island, Kodani grew up going to the beaches that he now patrols.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/15/2025 - 10:00Service & Solidarity Spotlight: University of Minnesota Resident Physicians Union Certified by State Labor Board
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.
The Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services officially certified on Friday that a majority of resident physicians at the University of Minnesota have signed cards to join the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU).
A supermajority of the nearly 1,000-person bargaining unit filed for union recognition late last month. Their exciting organizing campaign was made possible by the reform of Minnesota’s Public Employment Labor Relations Act, which was passed in 2024.
“We went into medicine because we want to take care of people, but at the heart of it, we just don’t think that great patient care should have to come at the expense of our well-being,” said Dr. Sofia Haile, a family medicine resident, in a press release. “In fact, we believe our health and our patients’ health are actually intertwined. Creating a system where physicians can be our best for patients and be our best for ourselves is what we’re hoping to achieve as a union.”
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/15/2025 - 09:53Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Sandra Engle
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Sandra Engle of UAW.
Sandra Engle had a long career in the labor movement before becoming the executive director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). While working as a criminal appeals lawyer at the Legal Aid Society of New York, she was active in UAW Local 2325, and was elected vice president. After taking a leave of absence, she began organizing with multiple unions across the United States, including AFGE, the Machinists (IAM), the Steelworkers (USW) and UAW. She eventually came home to the UAW when she was put on staff in the Organizing Department and became assistant director. In addition, she has served as UAW assistant director in the national CAP Department as well as Education Department. Most recently she was director of UAW's Communications and Strategic Campaigns departments before retiring.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/14/2025 - 09:59Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Overwatch Developers Form Union with CWA
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.
Game developers behind Activision Blizzard’s popular franchise Overwatch have become the latest video industry workers to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and have secured voluntary recognition from parent company Microsoft.
The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA (OWGG-CWA) is a wall-to-wall union that covers a wide range of roles, including art, quality assurance, engineering, design and more. The nearly 200-person bargaining unit formed its union with the help of CWA’s tech industry organizing project, Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), which has helped 6,000 workers in the United States and Canada form unions over the past five years. OWGG-CWA members cite concerns around job security, wages and layoff protections as core motivators for organizing.
“After a long history of layoffs, crunch, and subpar working conditions in the global video game industry, my coworkers and I are thrilled to be joining the broader union effort to organize our industry for the better, which has been long overdue,” said Foster Elmendorf, senior test analyst II and organizing committee member. “Workers organizing themselves and striving for better conditions as a group allows us to present initiatives that would not only improve our workplace but video games overall.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/14/2025 - 09:55It Wasn't Even Close: 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.
University of Oregon Student Workers Union and University of Oregon Reach Tentative Agreement: “After a strike that lasted more than a week, the University of Oregon Student Workers union and the university itself have announced that they have come to a tentative agreement on a labor contract. Student workers at the University of Oregon walked off the job in the morning of April 28, after 11 months of failed negotiations with the university.”
Union Groups Needed 140k Utahns to Support a Referendum. They Got More Than a Quarter Million Signatures: “In the end, it wasn’t even close. Labor groups had 30 days to get 140,478 signatures to put a referendum on the ballot asking Utah voters if they want to repeal a new law barring public employee unions from negotiating contracts with their government employers. They ended up with 251,590 valid signatures, making it the most successful signature-gathering effort in state history, according to the lieutenant governor’s office, racking up nearly 100,000 more names than the previous record set by the 2018 medical marijuana initiative.”
Unions Push Congress to Help Bring Back NIOSH Staff: “A coalition of 28 labor unions is calling on congressional lawmakers to ‘fulfill the promise of a safe job’ by helping in the effort to reverse staffing cuts at NIOSH. In an open letter to the lawmakers, the unions, including the AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, United Mineworkers of America and United Steelworkers, write: ‘Fifty years ago, our elected leaders made that promise to every working family in America by establishing NIOSH, OSHA, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, which were all entrusted by Congress to have distinct and imperative responsibilities that have allowed us to make critical progress over time.’”
Entertainment Unions ‘Prepared to Fight Back’ Against Trump-Ordered Elimination of NEA, NEH and CPB: “The Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries (AEMI) coalition within AFL-CIO said it is prepared to fight back against Trump’s proposed cuts that would eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Trump’s 2026 ‘Skinny’ Budget Request went out last week, continuing his attacks on nonprofit arts organizations such as National Public Radio and PBS. ‘Unions are prepared to fight back again against efforts to eliminate the NEA, NEH, and CPB,’ said Katie Barrows, Communications Director at the Department of Professional Employees at the labor union in a statement released Wednesday.”
On Teacher Appreciation Week, Union Leaders Say Teachers Are Underpaid and Under Attack: “American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said with their skill sets and the amount of time they dedicate to their jobs, public school teachers could earn about 24% more than their current pay working in non-teaching jobs in the private sector. But teachers often stay in the profession ‘because they're making a difference in the lives of kids,’ she said. Weingarten added, ‘You're seeing this over and over and over again that people in communities know the importance of teachers and the importance of public schools. That's why teachers are one of the most trusted professions in the country. But they need to be supported 365 days a year, not just one day a year.’”
AFL-CIO’s Shuler, 100 Days in, Challenges Trump Refusal to Follow Constitution: “As Republican President Donald Trump again verbally trashes the U.S. Constitution, both AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and the public, in a new poll by the Pew Research Center, are calling him out for what he is—a serious threat to democracy. Shuler says he is an ‘autocrat’ and the people are telling pollsters he is a ‘dangerous dictator.’ ‘We do not fall in line for autocrats,’ declared Shuler.”
Not All Students Go to College. We Need to Make That OK: “For years, America’s approach to education has been guided by an overly simplistic formula: 4+4—the idea that students need four years of high school and four years of college to succeed in life. Even with this prevailing emphasis on college, around 40% of high schoolers do not enroll in college upon graduating, and only 60% of students who enroll in college earn a degree or credential within eight years of high school graduation.”
Labor Goes All in for Kilmar: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler highlighted Abrego Garcia’s case as well as that of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk in a statement, while condemning President Donald Trump’s unlawful overreach. ‘The Trump administration also has illegally targeted our fellow workers—union members like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was separated from his family in Maryland and sent to a prison in El Salvador without due process, and Rümeysa Öztürk, detained while walking to dinner in Massachusetts and thrown into a detention center thousands of miles away, despite neither of them having committed a crime,’ Shuler said, before invoking a well-known labor slogan. ‘An injury to one is an injury to all. When Trump targets immigrant families like Kilmar’s and Rümeysa’s, he targets all workers.’”
'It Makes Me Feel Angry': Workers Forced Out by Trump and Musk Speak at MSNBC Town Hall: “Federal workers who were forced out of their jobs by President Trump and Elon Musk speak out in a live MSNBC town hall—‘100 Days of Trump: Forced Out Federal Workers.’ See the workers talk with Stephanie Ruhle and Jacob Soboroff about their experience and what these actions mean for all Americans.”
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/13/2025 - 11:16Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Bethany Khan
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Bethany Khan of UNITE HERE's Culinary Union.
Bethany Khan is the spokeswoman and director of communications and digital strategy for the Culinary Union, UNITE HERE Local 226. She uses strategic communications, technology, data and digital strategy to support working families in Nevada. Since 2012, Khan's communications and digital strategy work has played a major role in the Culinary Union’s organizing, legislative, policy and electoral campaigns. In 2024, the Culinary Union, under Khan's leadership, had $70 million in earned media, uplifting directly impacted and front-line essential hospitality workers’ voices.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/13/2025 - 10:16Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Second City Workers Reach a Deal, Win Wage Gains
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.
Actors’ Equity Association announced that workers at The Second City have reached a tentative agreement with employers, avoiding the need for a strike in Chicago as authorized last week. Equity and The Second City employers had been negotiating since late February. The union and employers reached this tentative agreement with the assistance of mediator Brenda Pryor of Apex Dispute Resolution. Equity’s Central Regional Board will review the tentative agreement for ratification on May 14.
“Previous wages for performers and stage managers at The Second City had fallen way behind due to inflation and the rising cost of living in Chicago,” said George Elrod, Tour Company Actor. “This deal provides a much-needed wage adjustment, while giving Second City a meaningful media package.”
“I am happy that we were able to get a deal that more clearly values the workers of The Second City,” said Abby Beggs, e.t.c. Stage Manager. “Most importantly, I'm proud that we valued and prioritized our touring members and got our mainstage actors on par with the rest of the talent in the city. I believe with this deal, more and more of our actors and performers will be able to afford to do this job, and I am proud to have been a part of getting us there.”
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/13/2025 - 10:06Get to Know the AFL-CIO's Affiliates: American Postal Workers Union
This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 63 of our affiliates. Next up is the American Postal Workers Union (APWU).
Name of Union: American Postal Workers Union
Mission: Through collective bargaining, legislative action, and mobilization of members and the public, APWU fights for dignity and respect on the job for postal workers throughout the postal industry—for decent pay and benefits and safe working places, for defense of the right of the people to public postal services, and for solidarity with all workers, at home and abroad.
Current Leadership of Union: Mark Dimondstein was elected president of APWU in 2013 and is serving his fourth three-year term. He began his postal career in 1983. In 1986, he was elected to the first of six consecutive terms as president of the Greater Greensboro (N.C.) Area Local. Beginning in 2000, he served as APWU's national lead field organizer. He won AFL-CIO's Southern Organizer of the Year Award in 2001.
Debby Szeredy serves as APWU’s executive vice president, and Elizabeth “Liz” Powell serves as secretary-treasurer.
Current Number of Members: 222,000
Members Work As: Postal clerks with more than 170 different position descriptions and can be found performing work at retail windows, mail processing, call centers, bulk mail entry, sales retention, and administrative office environments; maintenance; motor vehicle service craft workers who transport mail and maintain postal vehicles; and support services members at information technology/ accounting service centers, operating services facilities, mail equipment shops and material distribution centers; professional nurses employed by the Postal Service; private sector workers including mail haul drivers and mail transport equipment service center employees.
Industries Represented: Members are active and retired workers for the USPS, as well as private-sector workers employed in the mailing industry.
History: The American Postal Workers Union was founded on July 1, 1971, when five postal unions merged after the Great Postal Strike in 1970. The two largest unions involved in the merger were the United Federation of Postal Clerks—which represented employees who "worked the windows" at post offices and workers who sorted and processed mail—and the National Postal Union—who represented postal workers in multiple crafts. The National Association of Post Office and General Service Maintenance Employees, the National Federation of Motor Vehicle Employees and the National Association of Special Delivery Messengers were the other three unions who merged to create the APWU.
Before the Great Postal Strike, early postal unions essentially had no collective bargaining rights, with wage increases dependent on the whims of Congress, i.e. "collective begging." As a result, postal workers were chronically underpaid, barely making enough to make ends meet.
Workers grew increasingly frustrated with Congress’ inaction, and on March 18, 1970, thousands of New York City postal workers walked off the job in protest, starting the Great Postal Strike. During the strike, mail service ground to a halt, and the plight of postal workers was brought to the public’s attention. The strike was soon settled, with Congress approving a 6% wage increase and other gains for postal workers.
The strike motivated the enactment of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, which granted unions the right to negotiate with management over their wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Since that first contract almost 50 years ago, the APWU has fought for dignity and respect on the job for the workers they represent, as well as decent pay and benefits and safe working conditions. As a result, the postal unions have achieved unprecedented job security provisions.
Current Campaigns: APWU is a partner in U.S. Mail Not for Sale, a worker-led campaign that brings together labor unions, elected officials, member organizations of A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service, community supporters, and the public to fight plans to sell the public Postal Service to the highest bidder. APWU is also a partner in A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service that fights back against efforts to dismantle the USPS. APWU has many current campaigns to protect the workers and customers of the USPS, including fighting: against privatization, to build union power, for a fair and decent contract protecting their entire bargaining unit, to save the post office, and to promote safe postal jobs.
APWU is also pushing for postal banking as a way to expand basic financial services to those whose needs are unmet by the corporate-dominated financial sector and protect them from the predatory payday loan and check-cashing industry.
Community Efforts: The American Postal Workers Accident Benefit Association provides insurance and pays benefits to postal workers and their families in the case of accidental death or disability. The E.C. Hallbeck scholarship provides educational benefits for children of APWU members, while the vocational scholarship program helps the children of APWU members pursue trade, technical, vocational, or industrial occupations. The Postal Employees Relief Fund helps postal workers and their families recover from natural disasters and house fires. The APWU sells branded merchandise in their online store.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 05/12/2025 - 13:02Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States.
Here are the union members we've featured so far this month:
Check back throughout the month for more.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 05/12/2025 - 09:33Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Mabel Wong
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Mabel Wong of OPEIU.
Mabel Wong, a member of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 153, has worked at Seton Hall University's library for 36 years, providing services to the university and global communities via the interlibrary loan program. "Being a union member provides a collective voice to fight against discrimination and harassment, for fair wages and benefits, and safe working conditions.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 05/12/2025 - 09:23Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Arts, Entertainment, and Media Unions Push Back Against Proposed Elimination of the NEA, NEH and CPB
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.
The Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industries (AEMI) coalition within the Department for Professional Employees (DPE) released a statement on Wednesday condemning the Trump administration’s budget proposal calling for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
The coalition is made up of 12 national unions that represent workers in the arts, entertainment, and media industries, and is led by DPE. Trump’s 2026 budget request calls for the wholesale elimination of the NEA, NEH and CPB, as well as other federal and regional cultural agencies.
“Unions are prepared to fight back again against efforts to eliminate the NEA, NEH, and CPB,” said the AEMI coalition. “Nonprofit arts, humanities, and public media enjoy broad, bipartisan public support because they power local economies in every state and expand access to quality artistic and educational content across communities….Private money cannot fully replace federal funding. Eliminating the NEA, NEH, or CPB will lead to the loss of good, middle-class jobs.”
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 05/12/2025 - 09:13Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Doug Fulp
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Doug Fulp of HFIU.
Doug Fulp, business manager of Heat and Frost Insulators (HFIU) Local 132 in Hawaii, has been a steadfast advocate for fair wages, solid pensions and dependable health care for all members. His unwavering commitment to standing up for the “small guys” across the islands has made a lasting impact for working families.
Kenneth Quinnell Sun, 05/11/2025 - 09:46Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Dr. Amanda Lowrey
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Dr. Amanda Lowrey of AFSCME.
Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA/AFSCME) member Dr. Amanda R.K. Lowrey has been working in food safety in Honolulu since December 2009. Dedicated to protecting the community from foodborne illnesses and conserving Hawaii’s fragile ecosystems, Lowrey’s work has helped to revive the state's local shellfish industry.
Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 05/10/2025 - 09:46Service & Solidarity Spotlight: NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
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.
Join the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) this Saturday, May 10, for the 2025 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive!
Each year, letter carriers across the country head out on their routes on the second Saturday in May to collect donations of nonperishable food items to benefit local food pantries. Since launching in 1993, the NALC’s annual program has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns throughout the United States.
Simply leave your donation of nonperishable food in a bag near your mailbox this Saturday, and your letter carrier will do the rest.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/09/2025 - 09:00Worker Wins: ‘The Hardest We Have Ever Fought’
Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
SAG-AFTRA and Nickelodeon Reach Tentative Agreement: SAG-AFTRA announced on Wednesday that it has reached a tentative agreement with Nickelodeon Animation Studio Inc. on the terms of its 2025 Basic Cable Television Animation Agreement. The agreement covers SAG-AFTRA members working on animated programs for Nickelodeon basic cable and Paramount+. This includes popular shows like “The Loud House,” “The Patrick Star Show,” “Rugrats,” “Dora the Explorer” and more. The new three-year tentative contract now moves to SAG-AFTRA’s national board for ratification consideration. “I’d like to thank our hardworking negotiating committee for their dedication to their colleagues who provide their voice artistry to Nickelodeon’s programming,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “I’m especially pleased that Nickelodeon agreed to commonsense A.I. protections for voice actors.” The chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Nickelodeon Animation Agreement Negotiating Committee, David Jolliffe, added: “We’re thrilled that productive bargaining has resulted in a very strong contract for voice actors that includes A.I. guideline enhancements that protect voice performers. There’s much to celebrate about this deal, and we look forward to sending it to the Board for review.”
HealthPartners Workers Ratify Contract, Win Record Gains: Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 12 members who work at HealthPartners in Minnesota have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract. This victory comes after nearly eight months of bargaining with the nonprofit health care provider and health insurance company. During negotiations, members took a strike pledge, two strike authorization votes and worked for five months under an expired agreement. “This is the hardest we have ever fought for the contract we deserve and in return we've just ratified the largest contract ever,” the Local 12 bargaining team said in a social media post. “Together we have built out new networks of our colleagues and activated and inspired each other to get involved. Let's keep up the energy and solidarity as we work to transform the culture of HP and live up to the promise of Be Well.
IfNotNow Staff Form Union with NPEU: The staff at IfNotNow, an American Jewish advocacy organization, have joined the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 70. The movement-based organization uses direct action to end U.S. support for the apartheid system in Israel, and call for equality for all Palestinians and Israelis. Workers are looking forward to starting the process of negotiating a first contract now that executive leadership has voluntarily recognized the union. “We are grounded in the long history of Jewish labor organizing as we formally join the labor movement,” said Eli Newell, a member of the organizing committee. “We are building justice in our own workplace so that we can continue to fight for equality, justice, and a thriving future for all in Israel, Palestine, and the U.S.” “We are honored to welcome IfNotNow workers to NPEU. Their decision to organize reflects a deep commitment to their values and to each other. We commend IfNotNow management for respecting their employees’ voices and setting a powerful example in the nonprofit sector, even as the industry faces threats from the Trump administration,” added Amy Chin-Lai, president of NPEU.
NLRB Sides with Whole Foods Workers in Amazon’s Union Election Challenge: Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overruled every objection filed by Whole Foods regarding a landmark January election where workers at a Philadelphia location voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1776. After a majority of workers at the Amazon-owned grocer’s flagship storefront cast ballots in support of organizing a union, the corporate giant filed numerous objections with the NLRB to challenge the election results. Amazon argued that UFCW unfairly offered workers transportation to the polling site, that the NLRB could not certify the union because it lacked quorum and more. Following a two-day hearing that included testimony from 10 witnesses, Philadelphia-region Hearing Officer Deena Kobel rejected those arguments. “This ruling is definitive—Whole Foods lost, the workers won, and it’s time for the company to respect the results,” said Local 1776 President Wendell Young IV. “Amazon’s tired playbook of delay and obstruction has failed. We call on Whole Foods to stop wasting time and taxpayer resources with baseless legal challenges and sit down at the bargaining table to negotiate a fair contract.”
Detroit Free Press Staff Ratify New 2-Year Contract: On Wednesday, staff represented by the Newspaper Guild of Detroit, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 34022, at the Detroit Free Press ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with parent company Gannett. The bargaining unit—which includes reporters, photographers, assistant editors, web editors and other staff—approved the new deal, with 90% member support. Workers secured increased starting wages, with all employees receiving at least a 2.6% raise and the lowest-paid seeing up to 29%, as well as improvements to benefits like parental leave. “Free Press members have gone for years without a raise — so this rectifies that, but also adds some important things that folks were looking for,” said Eric Lawrence, the Free Press unit chair and president of the Guild. “We had a robust and engaged group of people who worked hard to get this done. We think that the overwhelming ratification vote shows that the members appreciate and recognize it as the significant win that it is.”
Martz Gold Line Workers End Strike; Ratify Strong Contract: Following a powerful six-day work stoppage, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 members have secured a new contract with Martz Gold Line. Operators, mechanics and service technicians at the fixed-route commuter bus service in Maryland went on strike last week over unfair labor practices committed by the company during negotiations, including bad faith bargaining. On Tuesday, ATU members and management returned to the bargaining table with a mediator, and after a daylong session, workers won a deal that improves working conditions, wages and benefits. “Throughout the negotiations and strike, Martz workers stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity and together they won a strong contract,” said Local 689 President Raymond Jackson. “Once again, workers have proven that workers bonded together and speaking with one voice are undefeatable.” “All of the ATU spread across America and Canada are proud of what Martz Gold Line workers accomplished,” added ATU International President John Costa. “On the picket lines last week, I saw firsthand their strength, unity, and solidarity. United, the workers stood up to the company and through the strength on the strike line, forced the company to the bargaining table and won a strong contract. These workers demonstrated the strength of collective action and its impact on working people.”
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/08/2025 - 10:51Tags: Organizing
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Kevin Ancog
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Kevin Ancog of AFSCME.
United Public Workers (UPW) Hawaii member Kevin Ancog is a building maintenance worker at the Department of Defense in Honolulu, where he has worked for nearly 20 years. He developed his leadership skills and discipline during his 23 years in the Army National Guard, where he was a well-respected and trusted leader. Ancog is chief steward and chair of UPW/AFSCME’s education committee, helping his fellow union members understand their rights and benefits.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/08/2025 - 08:59Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFL-CIO President Celebrates Historic Worker Rights Milestone in Vermont
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.
On May Day, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler visited Vermont, where she witnessed the passage of a historic constitutional amendment and attended a May Day rally on the State House lawn. Proposal 3 would enshrine the right to form a union and collectively bargain into the state constitution, just as Illinois did in 2022.
The Vermont House took the final legislative action last week needed to make this a reality by passing the amendment in a landslide 125–15 vote. This effort has been a four-year legislative process, with the last step being a ballot measure that Vermont voters will decide in November 2026. President Shuler sat in the gallery with Vermont union leaders for this exciting moment in state history and was introduced to the entire House by Vermont Worker's Caucus co-chair Rep. Conor Casey. After the vote, more than 1,500 people gathered on the State House lawn in Montpelier for the Vermont State Labor Council's May Day rally.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/08/2025 - 08:49Tell Congress: No Cuts to Medicaid
Right now, Congress is considering a reckless budget package that would make the 2017 tax giveaway to billionaires and giant corporations permanent, and expand the tax cuts for the rich by cutting $1.5 trillion from essential programs like Medicaid.
Medicaid is the single largest source of health care coverage in the United States, and a major source of funding for hospitals, community health centers and nursing homes.
It’s Medicaid—not Medicare—that is the primary payer for 63% of nursing home residents. It’s Medicaid that pays for 42% of births in the United States each year. And it’s Medicaid that provides health care for nearly half of all children in our country.
The proposed cuts would tear health care away from millions of people, including kids and our most vulnerable Americans. It would raise health care and insurance costs for everyone else. And massive cuts to Medicaid would cause hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and home-health agencies to close or downsize, especially in rural and lower-income communities—causing 477,000 health care jobs to be lost in 2026 alone.
We would all suffer the consequences if Medicaid is harmed.
The domino effects of these cuts would be severe and wide-reaching. If you spoke out to protect the Affordable Care Act, we need you to speak out even louder to protect Medicaid.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/07/2025 - 16:34Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Kristy Pham
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Kristy Pham of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
Kristy Pham is a member of Communications Workers (CWA) Local 9510. Currently, she serves as the District 9 representative of the CWA National Minority Caucus, the secretary-treasurer of Local 9510 and the chair of the Women's Committee. Her union experience includes roles as a shop steward and executive board member. In 2022, Pham was honored as the Orange County Labor Federation Delegate of the Year. Pham is a passionate advocate for equity, fair wages and social justice.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/07/2025 - 08:55Service & Solidarity Spotlight: NLRB Sides with Whole Foods Workers in Amazon’s Union Election Challenge
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.
Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overruled every objection filed by Whole Foods regarding a landmark January election where workers at a Philadelphia location voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1776.
After a majority of workers at the Amazon-owned grocer’s flagship storefront cast ballots in support of organizing a union, the corporate giant filed numerous objections with the NLRB to challenge the election results. Amazon argued that UFCW unfairly offered workers transportation to the polling site, that the NLRB could not certify the union because it lacked quorum and more. Following a two-day hearing that included testimony from 10 witnesses, Philadelphia-region Hearing Officer Deena Kobel rejected those arguments.
“This ruling is definitive—Whole Foods lost, the workers won, and it’s time for the company to respect the results,” said Local 1776 President Wendell Young IV. “Amazon’s tired playbook of delay and obstruction has failed. We call on Whole Foods to stop wasting time and taxpayer resources with baseless legal challenges and sit down at the bargaining table to negotiate a fair contract.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/07/2025 - 08:50