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Black History Month Profiles: Veronica Hopkins
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 Veronica Hopkins of BCTGM.
Veronica Hopkins became a member of BCTGM 23 years ago, when she went to work at the Post cereal plant in Naperville, Illinois. The plant, now owned by Mondelēz International, was part of the nationwide Nabisco strike in 2021. As an organizer for BCTGM Local 1 in Chicago, Hopkins played a vital role in the strike, which halted production at all Mondelēz facilities in the U.S. Hopkins now serves as a international organizer and business agent for BCTGM and travels the country helping workers who want to join the union. "I work to help workers feel their own value and fight for equality," she says.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/06/2023 - 10:20Tags: Black History Month
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: National Labor Leaders Show Solidarity with Temple Graduate Students
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.
Today, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond visited striking Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA) members, showing that the labor movement stands in solidarity with the striking graduate workers. TUGSA (AFT Local 6290) members have been bargaining with the school for more than a year, but Temple refuses to meet the workers’ demands of a living wage, dependent health care, expanded leave and better working conditions.
Yesterday, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten visited the striking TUGSA members. “It should not take a strike at an academic institution that professes it wants academic freedom and professes it wants to rise up the next generation,” Weingarten said. “In my world, it is hypocrisy what you are doing.”
The average graduate assistant at Temple makes less than $20,000 a year, barely half the cost of living in Philadelphia, where the university is. The annual cost for a family health care plan can be as high as 86% of the average graduate employee’s salary. TUGSA workers are demanding the contract they deserve so they can provide an adequate education to their students.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 02/06/2023 - 09:47Black History Month Profiles: Janella T. Hinds
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 Janella T. Hinds of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Janella Hinds is a longtime member of both the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. She worked as a social studies teacher, dean and conflict resolution specialist at high schools in central Brooklyn from 1996 to 2004. She then worked as the public policy director of the New York State AFL-CIO. In 2006, Hinds brought her experience as a teacher and policy analyst back to the United Federation of Teachers where she advocates for struggling schools and makes sure the educator’s voice is heard in discussions of teacher evaluations, school innovation and governance. In addition to her responsibilities at the UFT (an affiliate of AFT), Hinds has been re-elected to serve a second term as secretary-treasurer of the New York City Central Labor Council.
Kenneth Quinnell Sun, 02/05/2023 - 09:47Tags: Black History Month
Black History Month Profiles: Ron Carter
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 Ron Carter of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
Ron Carter, a member of American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802 since 1959, is among the most original, prolific and influential bassists in jazz. He's also a strong union supporter, saying: “Unions are our only voice to get a fair shake with wages, pensions and health insurance. Unions are our survival, and unions have always been in the forefront of helping musicians.” Carter has won three Grammys and holds the Guinness World Record as the most recorded jazz bassist, with over 2,220 albums to his credit, including his famous stint with the Miles Davis Quintet in the 1960s.
Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 02/04/2023 - 09:47Tags: Black History Month
Economy Gains 517,000 Jobs in January; Unemployment Down to 3.4%
The U.S. economy gained 517,000 jobs in January, and the unemployment rate declined to 3.4%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This strong jobs report shows there is still room to expand job opportunities for Americans. Wage growth continues at levels that are consistent with low levels of inflation.
In response to the January job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:
#JobsDay Before the @federalreserve gets on its high horse because of substantial hiring in January, notice that wages FELL in Leisure & Hospitality from December to January for hourly workers. The 12 month wage increase the minimum wage, not labor market pressures. @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/ChDDQKHocC
— William E. Spriggs (@WSpriggs) February 3, 2023"These numbers tie a key record string for adult Black men, it has now been nine months in a row with an unemployment rate of 6% or lower," Spriggs said. "For three months, the share of adult Black men working has remained at, or above, its pre-pandemic peak. At 1.75:1, the ratio of the Black to white unemployment rates (5.4% compared to 3.1%) is lower than usual. Typically the ratio is that the Black unemployment rate is double the white rate."
"Manufacturing employment continues its strong recovery from its pandemic slump and has now reached its highest level since November 2008," Spriggs continued. "Construction continues to expand and extend its record level of employment, breaking previous records for nine straight months."
January's biggest job gains were in leisure and hospitality (+128,000), professional and business services (+82,000), government (+74,000), health care (+58,000), retail trade (+30,000), construction (+25,000), transportation and warehousing (+23,000), social assistance (+21,000), and manufacturing (+19,000). Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, wholesale trade, information, financial activities and other services.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for teenagers (10.3%), Black Americans (5.4%), Hispanics (4.5%), adult men (3.2%), adult women (3.1%), White Americans (3.1%) and Asian Americans (2.8%) showed little change in January.
The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or longer) increased slightly in January and accounted for 19.4% of the total people unemployed.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/03/2023 - 10:05Black History Month Profiles: Karen Thomas
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 Karen Thomas of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
Karen Thomas has been a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) for 34 years and is a board member for the union's New Jersey State Council. She serves in various roles to ensure the success of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s annual Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Conference. She serves on the Somerset County Commission on the Status of Women and is a past chair of the organization. She participates in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, and advocated for abused and neglected children in foster care as a former member of the Court Appointed Special Advocates Shaw Board of Directors. Thomas and her husband, Victor, are proud parents and grandparents.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/03/2023 - 09:59Tags: Black History Month
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Nebraska State Workers Ratify Contract with Significant Wage Increases
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.
Members of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE), AFSCME Local 61, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement that includes the largest salary increases state workers have seen in at least 35 years. The new contract will provide the majority of employees with wage increases of 5% and 2% over the next two years. For critical and hard-to-fill positions, the increases will range from 10% to 27%, making it much easier for the state to resolve worker shortages in several agencies. Positions for jobs such as accountants, snowplow drivers, social services workers and driver’s license examiners, among others, were in short supply because salaries lagged behind the private sector. “We’re hoping this helps us deliver the high quality services that Nebraskans expect,” said NAPE’s Executive Director Justin Hubly.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 02/03/2023 - 09:33Black History Month Profiles: Calvin 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 Calvin Brooks of SMART.
Calvin Brooks serves as the business agent and financial secretary for International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 25 and treasurer of the Passaic County Central Labor Council in New Jersey. He began his 30-year career as an apprentice from 1993 to 1997, graduated to journeyperson in 1997, and worked his way up the ranks to be shop steward, foreman, general foreman and Local 25 ombudsman. Brooks is a Navy veteran, who served from 1983-1989 on the USS Nassau in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, and a member of the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO. Brooks is the proud father of two children.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/02/2023 - 09:59Tags: Black History Month
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFT’s Share My Lesson Provides Black History Month Plans and Resources for Teachers
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.
Teachers and educators play an important role during Black History Month. While lesson plans need to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Black people throughout our shared history, teachers also have the opportunity to explain to students the diversity of our society and provide inspiration and examples of how students can step up and make their own contributions to Black history. The American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT’s) Share My Lesson website provides teachers with the tools they need to make their Black History Month lessons as good as possible.
From “Ida B. Wells and Her Crusade for Racial Justice” to “Memphis in 1968: The Sanitation Workers’ Strike,” Share My Lesson includes numerous lesson plans, activities and articles on a wide variety of Black history topics. Find these and other tools on the Share My Lesson Black History Month website.
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 02/02/2023 - 09:30Black History Month Profiles: Annie Anderson
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 Annie Anderson of AFSCME.
Annie Anderson is head custodian at the Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy in Columbus, Ohio, where the students know her as “Miss Annie.” She makes sure her students know they are loved and can achieve great things. As an AFSCME member, Anderson uses her voice to ensure that she and her co-workers have the tools they need to provide a safe and colorful environment where kids can thrive.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/01/2023 - 09:44Tags: Black History Month
Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Seeks 8.7% Raise for Federal Workers to Close Gap Between Public and Private Sector 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.
AFGE is seeking an 8.7% pay increase for federal workers in 2024. The raise is part of the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act recently re-introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (Hawaii). AFGE applauded the legislation, which National President Everett Kelley said was needed to close the double-digit pay gap between federal employees and their private sector counterparts.
“The latest report of the Federal Salary Council shows that federal worker pay lags behind the private sector by over 23%—making it difficult for agencies to recruit, hire, and retain top talent and hurting the quality of services Americans receive,” Kelley said. “The 8.7% pay increase included in the FAIR Act will not only reward federal employees’ hard work and help them keep pace with inflation, but it will also help government agencies remain competitive and deliver high-quality services to the American public. We wholeheartedly endorse this bill.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 02/01/2023 - 09:31Service + Solidarity Spotlight: International Unions Call for Justice for 42 Miners Killed in October
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.
International unions, led by IndustriALL Global Union, are calling for justice for 42 miners who were killed in October in Turkey’s Amasra district. The deaths were a result of an explosion at the mine and four mine workers are still in the hospital, two in intensive care. IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Kemal Özkan (pictured above, third from left) and IndustriAll Europe General Secretary Luc Triangle (second from left) visited the mine and met with local officials, mine employees and family members of the killed miners.
“It is the duty of the trade union movement to commemorate our lost fellow miners and to protect their rights. We came here to show our solidarity and express our readiness to work together to prevent future accidents. We will do our best to ensure that mine workers can work in healthy and safe conditions,” Özkan said.
A fire still rages in the mine and efforts are underway to extinguish it so coal production can restart. Workers and the local community want the mine to reopen and for life to return to normal. A prosecutor is asking for a sentencing between 16 months and 1,062 years for 19 suspects, including the manager of the mine for “causing death and injury to more than one person by conscious negligence.”
“We are here to join the demand for justice. The International and European union movement, public opinion and the families of victims want to know why these 42 miners were killed. We will continue to follow this case closely. Every mine worker has the right to return home healthy and safe,” Triangle said.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 01/31/2023 - 09:48Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Historic Job Growth in 2022 Reflects Strong but Uneven Economic Recovery
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 Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released state and unemployment data for December 2022, which the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) used to analyze employment changes for the entire year.
EPI found that nationwide, the U.S. economy added 4.5 million jobs in 2022. This makes 2022 the second-strongest year for job growth in the past 40 years (2021 was the first).
Public sector employment continues to lag behind private sector employment. According to EPI, state and local government employment is still 2.3% below pre-pandemic levels as state agencies, school districts and local governments have struggled to fill vacancies.
The American Rescue Plan earmarked $350 billion for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. However, as of October 2022, state and local governments have only used 40% of the available funds.
EPI calls on state and local lawmakers to use the remaining funds to invest in filling public sector vacancies.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 01/30/2023 - 09:37Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Help HuffPost Union Members Secure Fair Contract
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.
The current contract between the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and HuffPost expires at midnight on Jan. 31. WGAE members have been bargaining for a new contract for months, and important issues remain that must be resolved: fair guaranteed wage increases, an industry-standard 401k, health and safety provisions, and the ability to grieve out-of-title work. Management has refused to come to a fair resolution on those issues and has proposed wage increases that are lower than those in previous contracts.
The WGAE members at HuffPost are asking for your help. They deserve a fair contract and would like you to send a letter to Jonah Peretti, chief executive officer of HuffPost’s parent company, BuzzFeed.
Take a few minutes today to show your solidarity and send a letter in support of the members of HuffPost Union.
Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/27/2023 - 09:33Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Machinists Launch Training to End Workplace Violence and Harassment
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.
A group of Machinists (IAM) staff and officers recently attended a “Be More Than a Bystander” training at the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Maryland. These members are the first labor group in the country to receive training from the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia, which teaches participants how to recognize workplace harassment and violence, particularly against women and the LGBTQ+ community.
The objective of the program is to help men understand the impact of gendered violence in the workplace and the role they can have in speaking up.
“It was an honor for me to observe the first Be More Than a Bystander Program,” said IAM Women’s and Human Rights Director Julie Frietchen. “I found it informative and think that we will be able to use this material to make our union even more inclusive and stronger than ever.”
Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 01/26/2023 - 09:35What to do after Roe v. Wade?
January 22 should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Instead, we’re fighting to keep the government out of our personal health care decisions.
If we can’t make choices about our own bodies and families, working people cannot do our jobs and contribute to our economy. Reproductive rights and worker rights are both fundamental freedoms that must be protected. With broken labor laws and Roe v. Wade overturned, our fundamental freedoms now depend on where we live. We created a map comparing states that have abortion bans and anti-worker laws like “right to work.”
States that don’t protect abortion? They don’t protect workers’ rights either. This is not a coincidence. Take a look at our map: Did your state politicians protect your freedoms? Or strip them from you?
So how do we protect our freedoms? Fight like hell.
Our map shows that threats to reproductive freedom go hand in hand with threats to economic freedom for workers. We have a guide on talking about reproductive health care as an economics issue, which you can use when organizing and talking to union members and your entire community.
Find the map and resources here.
For what should be the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we’re not mourning—we’re organizing.
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 01/25/2023 - 12:30Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Culinary Union Launches ‘My Stations Watch’ to Hold Casino Owners Accountable
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.
The Culinary Union-UNITE HERE Local 226 launched a website designed to track Station Casinos’ actions and how the company’s decisions affect the working people of Las Vegas and the surrounding area. The website, MyStationsWatch.org, illustrates the Las Vegas valley footprint that Station Casinos has developed and gives local residents the avenue to have their say about the company’s actions in Nevada. Station Casinos is owned by Red Rock Resorts, the only publicly traded Nevada gaming company whose board is all-white and all-male.
“In the midst of a housing shortage, Station Casinos is holding hundreds of acres of undeveloped land, they have demolished three neighborhood casinos, and are putting up a luxury resort on the beltway,” said Bethany Khan, spokeswoman for the Culinary Union. “We want to make sure Station Casinos hears from our communities.”
Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 01/25/2023 - 09:40The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Reminds Us that the Fight for Workers’ Rights Continues
The 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade should have been a day of celebration.
A day where we felt energized and ready to build on this historic victory for women’s rights and increase the number of working people who could access safe abortion and quality, affordable reproductive health care.
But as we recognize the 50 years since the constitutional right was passed, this day also falls just seven months short of when the U.S. Supreme Court stripped millions of working women, people and families of this fundamental freedom in a country with zero guaranteed paid family or sick leave or a national standard for affordable and accessible child care and early childhood education. We must now use this time to coalesce around a plan to organize and mobilize, not only against attacks on abortion but also on the far-reaching and sustained attack on workers’ rights.
In the months since the high court’s decision, working people have experienced chaos and uncertainty, and it is part of a larger campaign to deny us security and control over our own destinies. Each day, we hear unsettling stories from across the country about patients being denied lifesaving care; people’s choices being decided on the whim of right-wing judges; and extremist politicians floating dangerous legislation to criminalize women and medical professionals, and ban contraceptives. At the same time, many of those same judges and politicians also have joined forces with corporate interests to weaken workers’ ability to have a voice on the job through a union. The court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization posed an imminent threat to collective bargaining agreements, and the justices heard arguments earlier this month in a case that could deal a devastating blow to workers’ right to strike.
These fights are deeply connected, and in many states where abortion has been restricted, workers’ rights are also severely limited. Working people have the ability to respond and that’s why we launched a new map to help workers make informed decisions to better advocate for ourselves and our families.
The map demonstrates how anti-worker policies such as failing to raise the minimum wage, the lack of paid family and medical leave, “right to work” laws and poor access to critical programs like Medicaid interact to shrink democracy and create environments where working families struggle to thrive. Many of these states have lower life-expectancy rates, higher rates of poverty and low voter turnout.
This map is a powerful resource that will give you the information you need to fight back and includes trainings on how to have productive conversations on the issue of abortion and the economy with your community; collective bargaining language to strengthen union contracts; and a voter guide to help you connect these issues to state, local and federal elections.
Your quality of life should not depend on where you live. The labor movement will continue to be a force for progress and economic equality for working women and gender-oppressed people everywhere.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 01/24/2023 - 14:20Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Support Journalists and Local Journalism in Milwaukee
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.
Over the past 15 years, more than 1,800 local newspapers have shut down. Many others have seen huge staff cuts. Entire communities have no coverage of local government, schools and business.
In Wisconsin, Gannett, which runs the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and 10 other newspapers in the state, has cut the size of the newspaper’s bargaining unit by 25% in recent years. Meanwhile, Gannett chief executive officer Mike Reed was paid $7.7 million last year, while the median Gannett journalist’s salary is less than $50,000 per year.
Journal Sentinel workers are fighting not only to save their own jobs, but to save local news. You can help. Please send a message to Gannett, telling it to support vibrant local news at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by ensuring adequate hiring, a career path for journalists who work for the newspaper, and diversity, equity and inclusion for staff.
Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 01/24/2023 - 09:41Explainer: New Report on Union Members
The Bureau of Labor Statistics just released their annual report on union membership. A lot of people are lamenting union density, which declined slightly—but that isn’t the whole story. Here are our three takeaways from the report:
1. Union membership grew by 273,000. Corporate giants like Starbucks and Amazon are spending millions of dollars to intimidate and harass workers when they organize. Despite that, 273,000 workers were able to win their union in the face of blatant union-busting. We have the momentum. That is a sign of worker power and resilience that we celebrate.
2. Union density declined because of broken labor laws, not because of disapproval or disinterest. Unions currently have a 60-year high approval rate. Last year there was a 53% rise in union elections. It’s clear: Workers want unions. So why did union density decline?
Because non-union jobs were added faster than we could unionize them. This isn’t surprising. Workers face a stacked deck when they organize a union. And corporations know that stalling an organizing drive is an effective union-busting tactic.
3. We have work to do. If we want higher union density and more union members, we need labor laws that actually protect our right to organize and that hold union-busting corporations accountable. Every worker in America who wants to join a union should be able to. It’s as simple as that.
We’re ready to fight corporations, bad bosses, paid-off politicians and anyone who wants to take away our right to organize and join a union.
Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 01/23/2023 - 10:39