AFL-CIO Blog

  • ‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: Union Proud
    ‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: Union Proud AFL-CIO On the latest episode of “State of the Unions,” Julie and Tim talked with Pride At Work Executive Director Jerame Davis as the AFL-CIO constituency group celebrates its 25th anniversary. They discussed the progress made by LGBTQ working people over the past quarter-century and the work still left to be done.  “State of the Unions” is a tool to help us bring you the issues and stories that matter to working people. It captures the stories of workers across the country and is co-hosted by two young and diverse members of the AFL-CIO team: Mobilization Director Julie Greene and Executive Speechwriter and Editorial Manager Tim Schlittner. A new episode drops 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, 06/12/2019 - 14:50 Tags: Podcast — Jun 12
  • Governor Murphy Signs ‘Panic Button’ Bill to Protect Hotel Workers from Assaults, Harassment
    Governor Murphy Signs ‘Panic Button’ Bill to Protect Hotel Workers from Assaults, Harassment New Jersey State AFL-CIO Hundreds of hotel workers, union leaders and elected officials gathered at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City today to witness the signing of a bill requiring hotels to equip certain employees with “panic buttons” for their protection against inappropriate conduct by guests. “We must protect the safety of workers in the hospitality industry,” Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said. “I am proud to sign panic button legislation that Bob [McDevitt] and the working men and women of UNITE HERE, Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo and John Armato, Charlie [Wowkanech] and Laurel [Brennan], Senator Loretta Weinberg and so many others have fought for to give hotel workers greater security and the ability to immediately call for help should they need it on the job.” The portable safety device, known as a panic button, will allow hotel workers to alert security personnel if they feel they are in danger or a compromising position while performing housekeeping duties. Today’s signing makes New Jersey the first in the nation to have a statewide law requiring hotels to provide their employees with such devices. Hotels that do not comply can be fined up to $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 for each additional violation, according to the legislation. “The safety of women in the hospitality industry has been overlooked,” said Bob McDevitt, president of UNITE HERE Local 54. “I'm proud that my state is the first to pass and sign into law real protections for housekeepers in the hotel industry.” The harassment of hotel workers, especially housekeepers, has been a longstanding issue the hotel industry has struggled to address. Unite Here Local 54, a union representing nearly one-third of casino and hospitality workers in Atlantic City, was a driving force behind this legislation, which will provide an additional measure of security for thousands of hotel workers across the state. “Whenever I go into a room, I wonder what is going to happen,” said Miriam Ramos, a housekeeper at Bally’s in Atlantic City. “Most guests are nice and respectful, but every housekeeper has either been sexually assaulted or harassed doing her job, or knows someone who has.” “I’m glad that the legislature and the governor are making it safer for us,” Ramos said.   Assemblyman John Armato (D-2) introduced the “panic button” bill in the General Assembly in September. Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (D-2) also sponsored the bill. Sens. Loretta Weinberg (D-37) and Linda Greenstein (D-14) proposed it in the Senate. “The New Jersey State AFL-CIO thanks the sponsors of the panic button bill for recognizing that hotel workers deserve to feel safe while on the job,” said Charles Wowkanech, president of the state federation. “We are proud to have lobbied on behalf of this important legislation, which will no doubt help create a safer working environment for all of New Jersey’s hotel workers.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 06/12/2019 - 10:07 — Jun 12
  • Pride Month Profiles: Irene Soloway
    Pride Month Profiles: Irene Soloway Sisters in the Brotherhoods For Pride Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ Americans who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our first profile this year is Irene Soloway. As a young adult in 1978, Irene Soloway moved from St. Louis to New York. She was working in a bar that had a significant clientele who were roofers. Soloway referred to the behavior of her boss at the bar as "appalling," so she quit. The roofers in the bar that she knew jokingly offered her a roofing hammer. She took it as a challenge, and it made her want to show them that she could do the job. Soloway did some roofing work, but hated it. She moved through various jobs in the construction industry, but settled on carpentry, both because she liked the work and the Carpenters union opened its doors to women. She became a member in 1979, when she began the Women in Apprenticeship Program. Soloway and other women were made to feel that they belong, that the program was more than tokenism. At the time, not only were there few women in the building trades, even fewer of them were feminist Jewish New York lesbians. Soloway said that she rarely faced any direct discrimination. Instead, the concerns of rank-and-file members, women or otherwise, were largely ignored in her local at the time. She said:
    The union and the apprenticeship in the Carpenters Union was now what I would consider sexist...we were never discriminated against within the school—but the specific issues that were barriers to women were never addressed specifically. So it was a second hand...diffuse kind of way that sexism was expressed.
    Even when concerns were raised, leaders in the local were told to keep their concerns quiet, as they were all "brothers" in the union. Soloway explained:
    We tried to inform the Carpenters Union of what we thought they needed to do to make the union receptive to women and to be inclusive. And we...became aware...that the Carpenters Union was not interested in fresh, new ideas coming from rank and file. We came in with ideas about having sexual harassment for the men in construction. We came in with ideas about having a Women's Committee that would address the issues of women in construction. We actually came in with ideas about how the apprenticeship school could be more in touch with the apprentices around issues of ethnicity and race and issues....And what we were always told was: We're all one Union and we're all brothers, and there's no need...to point out these differences because we're all carpenters.
    This was the first time she had been in a union and Soloway was very excited about it because she believed that it was a structure that was supposed to support her and provide a steady job. But her local at the time was very undemocratic and her concerns weren't taken seriously. Despite the fact that she was often the only woman in the meetings, she kept attending for the next five years, never backing down from the agenda that she pursued.  In 1979, Soloway had been a founding member of United Tradeswomen, a group of diverse women working in the building trades. The organization was originally formed to recruit women into apprenticeship programs but quickly grew to provide support and advocacy for women who were starting to enter the construction industry in New York. Much of Soloway's early activism took place outside the union hall. Fear and intimidation weren't limited to the union hall, they were also present in the workplace. Rumors were rampant that members who spoke out against union leadership were met with violence or had their careers and lives destroyed. Soloway wasn't intimidated. By 1994, she noted in an interview that many of the things she and allies had pushed for at the time have come to pass:
    Now almost fifteen years later—they actually are being addressed, so that in terms of, yes, there is actually a Women's Committee now that's...sanctioned to meet within the Carpenters school, and it's advertised in the Carpenters paper that there is such a committee, and who the contact people are—so there's, at least, an acknowledgement of this committee. And there is specific training—sexual harassment training—for men and being done by women who are Carpenters—graduates of our school—who are now teaching at the school—which is an important part of the program. And another one of our other ideas was about teaching labor history in the Carpenters school, which was then ignored, and now, you know, like history's being taught in the Carpenters school.
    During the mid-1980s, she got a job with the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation. The shift from at-will work that was left to the whims of the local's power structure to a secure job with security was a major turning point in her life. When she started working for the city, she felt that her job was more secure and she could speak out more. In the civil service, they had elected stewards, not ones chosen by the power structure. She won the steward position after becoming outspoken about asbestos problems on her worksite. She started refusing to work in contaminated areas. Management wasn't prepared for the problem and had to deal with it because of her. Several men came and asked her to run for steward. She won. Soloway also helped produce the newspaper "Hard Hat News" and had to use pseudonyms like Brick Shields, to disguise her identity. She worked on a long, but successful, campaign to expand representation for rank-and-file members within the district council. In 1990, she appeared with other carpenters before the New York City Commission on Human Rights to testify about gender and race relations in the industry. She shared widespread reports that women in the industry faced threats of rape and physical violence and were subjected to pornography and insulting personalized graffiti on the worksite.  While she was working as a carpenter at Lincoln Hospital, she began taking pre-med classes and completed the coursework to become a physician's assistant. She left carpentry and began work at a methadone clinic. She looked back on her activism and those of her fellow carpenters and what impact it had:
    We still felt very much on the outside of the construction industry. It felt very kind of scary to us, but we kind of created cultural groups that supported ourselves and each other, that was able to move forward into that industry. Now I think that women are more into the industry, so I think we did do something. I think we did, like, move ourselves inside—from the outside to the inside—by creating an identity for ourselves, as well as educating ourselves and each other, and trying to educate the union about us....I think our presence and our strong continued presence for each other and ourselves was the main accomplishment of this group. 
    Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 06/11/2019 - 12:03 Tags: LGBTQ Rights     — Jun 11
  • Stop the War on Working People: In the States Roundup
    Stop the War on Working People: In the States Roundup AFL-CIO 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 Twitter. Alaska AFL-CIO:
    The front page of the Daily News-Miner today: Dunleavy administration warns workers of possible #layoffs. Tell your legislators you oppose a #DunleavyShutdown. visit https://t.co/FYG467ufBT to write your legislator TODAY!#akgov #akleg Full story: https://t.co/gwIW8GlWMy — Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    Arkansas AFL-CIO:
    America's Workplaces Aren't Often Safe for LGBTQ Employees https://t.co/zfPNPaEwfs via Teen Vogue — Arkansas AFL-CIO (@ArkansasAFLCIO) June 10, 2019
    California Labor Federation:
    Californians deserve protection from high-interest, predatory loans. Join the @Cali4EJ coalition and support #AB539 to guarantee access to safe and affordable credit. Take Action by visiting https://t.co/Za4wSPqGLV #StopTheDebtTrap #1u pic.twitter.com/Y7zBaKgXeV — California Labor Federation (@CaliforniaLabor) June 10, 2019
    Colorado AFL-CIO:
    After hearing powerful testimony from SEIU Local 105 President @RonRuggiero105 the Colorado AFL-CIO unanimously voted for a resolution to fully support SEIU Local 105 and its members as they fight for a good contract with Kaiser Permanente. #@SEIU105 pic.twitter.com/J0uVIEkPTI — Colorado AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOCO) June 7, 2019
    Connecticut AFL-CIO:
    The Trump administration's plot to cripple the union contract between the VA and @AFGENational will make it harder for front-line workers to give veterans the care they deserve. We stand with AFGE and VA workers nationwide. #SaveOurVA #1u — Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) June 5, 2019
    Idaho AFL-CIO:
    I just signed a @theactionnet petition: Tell Volkswagen: It’s time to stop your war on workers!. Sign here: https://t.co/y68Pn592S5 — Idaho State AFL-CIO (@IdahoAFLCIO) June 3, 2019
    Indiana State AFL-CIO:
    Unions: fighting for working people yesterday, today, and tomorrow. #1u pic.twitter.com/nNbsGtMmTO — Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) June 5, 2019
    Iowa Federation of Labor:
    Rep. Cindy Axne Leads Fight to Protect Health Care for Iowans https://t.co/HGajkaSQxx pic.twitter.com/ze5hNfW7wX — Iowa AFL-CIO (@IowaAFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    Kentucky State AFL-CIO:
    Paducah Unions Observe Workers Memorial Day by Helping Feed the Hungry https://t.co/atiAFnfSfB — Kentucky AFL-CIO (@aflcioky) May 6, 2019
    Maine AFL-CIO:
    THANK YOU @chloemaxmin for engaging with labor early on in the process to create a great piece of legislation that will not only fight climate change, but provide good paying working class jobs with benefits! #mepolitics @AFLCIO #1U #ClimateAction #ClimateChange https://t.co/t3eopk0MK2 — Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) June 10, 2019
    Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
    "...the muscle-flexing by airport workers may reflect the return of a model in which aggrieved employees threaten the wheels of commerce." Workers across the country are changing the tides! #UnionPower #OneJobShouldBeEnough #1uhttps://t.co/gRCtv17fvX https://t.co/0xZALpwqeG — Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) June 10, 2019
    Metro Washington (D.C.) Council AFL-CIO:
    CBTU and CLUW among the constituency groups represented at the Metro Washington Council Constituency Group Open House pic.twitter.com/Z3kaI5L7pX — MetroDCLaborCouncil (@DCLabor) June 6, 2019
    Michigan AFL-CIO:
    “Our state’s economy is driven by the labor of the working men and women of this state. It makes perfect sense that all agencies related to labor and economic development be placed under one coordinated effort." President Ron Bieber, Michigan AFL-CIOhttps://t.co/CRW9ZNoAlK — Michigan AFL-CIO (@MIAFLCIO) June 6, 2019
    Minnesota AFL-CIO:
    This is why I went on a two-day strike this past week https://t.co/qYTe3Gi1aN #Solidarity with the workers at Guardian Angels nursing home in Elk River who stood up for their residents last week. #1u @SEIUHCMN @seiumn — Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) June 10, 2019
    Missouri AFL-CIO:
    Deteriorating infrastructure are a threat to safety and quality of life! #InfrastructureNowhttps://t.co/r6Is1c0N0R — Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) June 8, 2019
    Montana AFL-CIO:
    Support Missoula's future, support apprenticeship utilization.https://t.co/2mo0K5s9no — Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) June 7, 2019
    Nebraska State AFL-CIO:
    I just took action on @theactionnet: Add Your Name: No Vote on NAFTA Until It Is Fixed. Take action here: https://t.co/xo8ppzWiyN — NE State AFL-CIO (@NEAFLCIO) June 6, 2019
    Nevada State AFL-CIO:
    Inspiring to hear how @Local4041 used organizing & communications to pass collective bargaining through #NVLeg for 20k state employees! Big win for NV working families #IAMComms19 pic.twitter.com/7UTZuyndlH — Nevada State AFL-CIO (@NVAFLCIO) June 6, 2019
    New Hampshire AFL-CIO:
    Great work to everyone who made the Public Workers Memorial possible. An important and long overdue tribute. https://t.co/Il4BInDykF — NewHampshire AFL-CIO (@NHAFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    New Mexico Federation of Labor:
    #Solidarity https://t.co/dNKqf4yVU3 — NMFL (@NMFLaflcio) June 6, 2019
    New York State AFL-CIO:
    Can you describe your housing? “The landlord is, as I said, our boss because he's the owner of the house” How many rooms are there? “Only 2.” For how many people? “9 or 10 people.” - Boris Take action! Text Farmworkers to 877877 today!#Justice4Farmworkers #UnionStrong pic.twitter.com/4s6cGeG8Kx — NYSAFLCIO (@NYSAFLCIO) June 6, 2019
    North Carolina State AFL-CIO:
    United we stand. Divided we fall. Together we win, so say, "#CountMeIn" to building a bigger, more engaged, more powerful labor movement to win for working people! #1u pic.twitter.com/LSc3GO6Ppg — NC State AFL-CIO (@NCStateAFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    North Dakota AFL-CIO:
    ND AFL-CIO 60th Annual Convention Delegates celebrate ND Mill and Elevator Day with @BCTGM President David Durkee, greetings from MN & SD AFL-CIO and Manitoba Labor Feds, & elect new President and Board: https://t.co/37EMYQaRZb #1u — North Dakota AFL-CIO (@NDAFLCIO) June 8, 2019
    Ohio AFL-CIO:
    Always a beautiful sight when to many friends of ⁦@AFLCIO⁩ and working people join together. Thanks to ⁦@CincyAFLCIO⁩ and ⁦@UAW⁩ for hosting the annual COPE dinner and celebrating #DignityOfWork pic.twitter.com/9q1OnvdWFu — Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) June 7, 2019
    Oklahoma State AFL-CIO:
    Check out our June Newsletter with information about Companies who Falsely Labeled Products "Made in U.S.A", AFL-CIO State Convention, Union Made Fathers Day, Millennialization of American Labor and more! Check it out at https://t.co/N1dYjUN2cS — Oklahoma AFL-CIO (@OK_AFL_CIO) June 3, 2019
    Oregon AFL-CIO:
    “Oregon’s union movement will continue to fight to protect the compensation of all workers and against these types of harmful cuts.” https://t.co/vcO3Y4ZaQ1 — Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
    A strong union contract for VA workers = a strong VA for veterans. We stand with @AFGENational! #SaveOurVA #1u@3Afge @PhilGlover15 @unionveterans @Darrinkellypgh pic.twitter.com/greNn9YeY2 — PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) June 5, 2019
    Rhode Island AFL-CIO:
    RICOSH / ILSR Alliance Luncheon Fundraising Event. R.S.V.P. to [email protected] #1U pic.twitter.com/wROy3vwlwH — Rhode Island AFL-CIO (@riaflcio) June 10, 2019
    Texas AFL-CIO:
    ULP Strike by IBEW 520 in Austin, TX #1u https://t.co/HpylTPkuvs — Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) June 10, 2019
    Virginia AFL-CIO:
    What a ‘Living Wage’ Actually Means--If you ask a dozen lawmakers what constitutes a “living wage,” you’ll get a dozen answers. Where does the term come from? And is it even accurate? Read about it here: https://t.co/fFSSwKeVEE — Virginia AFL-CIO (@Virginia_AFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    Washington State Labor Council:
    Thank you for your leadership, @PattyMurray and @RepJayapal, and for standing up for working people! https://t.co/uZdJW7haML — WA State AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) June 7, 2019
    Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
    Intertwined: The Labor Movement and LGBT Rights, https://t.co/YwOe5WYEqB — WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) June 9, 2019
    Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 06/11/2019 - 10:11     — Jun 11
  • Get to Know the AFL-CIO's Affiliates
    Get to Know the AFL-CIO's Affiliates AFL-CIO Throughout the year, we've been profiling each of our affiliates. Let's take a look back at the profiles we've already published. Check back as the series moves along to read more affiliate profiles: Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 06/10/2019 - 14:00 — Jun 10

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