MUST READ
Oregon Quarterly
By Kelsey Schagemann
In one sense, Liz Shuler’s journey to the AFL-CIO presidency began at the age of 11. Growing up in Gladstone, Oregon, Shuler and a friend babysat for neighborhood families—until they determined they weren’t being paid the same rate. That realization led to Shuler’s first collective bargaining experience, resulting in equal hourly wages for both sitters. Shuler, BA ’92 (journalism), brings lifelong principles of fairness and equity to her role as president of the AFL-CIO. Elected in August, Shuler oversees the federation’s 57 national and international labor unions representing 12.5 million people. “We use the power of our scale to advocate for a better life for all working people,” Shuler says. “We’re here to make sure people have good, high-quality jobs that can support a family, to help them through their careers, and to retire with dignity.”
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
Unions Take Biden To Court Over COVID Protections For Health Care Workers
Huffpost
By Dave Jamieson
Jan. 5, 2022
“OSHA is charged with ensuring that employers create and maintain safe workplaces, and this delay in issuing a permanent standard puts the lives of nurses and other health care workers, patients, and our communities, in jeopardy,” said Bonnie Castillo, president of National Nurses United, one of the unions involved in the effort. The legal effort is backed by other major unions that supported Biden’s presidential campaign, such as the American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, as well as the AFL-CIO labor federation. Liz Shuler, the federation’s president, said the groups had “no choice but to turn to the courts to ensure that our health care workers are protected.”
Unions petition OSHA to issue permanent COVID-19 safety standards for healthcare workers
Becker’s Hospital Review
By Kelly Gooch
Jan. 6, 2022
A national coalition of unions is petitioning a federal court to compel the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adopt permanent COVID-19 protections for healthcare workers and keep a temporary emergency temporary standard for healthcare workers in place until that happens. The petitioners include National Nurses United; AFL-CIO; American Federation of Teachers; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; as well as the New York State Nurses Association and Pennsylvania Association of Nurses and Allied Professionals.
Unions petition to keep OSHA pandemic protections for health workers in place
Healthcare Dive
By Hailey Mensik
Jan. 6, 2022
Labor unions representing front line workers in particular have fought hard for greater workplace protections throughout the pandemic amid shifting guidance from government agencies and employers. "The nation's nurses remember well how, before the June 2021 OSHA standard, health care employers frequently denied their employees protections and policies such as personal protective equipment, testing, isolation, and more," the country’s largest nursing union, National Nurses United, said in a release on the suit.
AFL-CIO and nurses’ unions take DOL to protect workers over COVID-19
Amsterdam News
By Stephon Johnson
Jan. 6, 2022
“We are still in the midst of a deadly pandemic, and healthcare workers are facing dangerous exposures to COVID-19 and need the strongest possible protections in their workplaces,” said Shuler. “We must treat the surge in new cases as the crisis that it is. That means retaining and enforcing the emergency standards originally set by OSHA. COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased nearly sixfold in the last six months. In the face of the Omicron variant, it is not the time to roll back protections, but to fully enforce and make them permanent. “We have no choice but to turn to the courts to ensure that our healthcare workers are protected as they provide such critical care throughout this pandemic.”
JOINING TOGETHER
King Soopers union workers vote to strike, which could begin as early as Sunday
The Colorado Sun
By Tamara Chuang
Jan. 4, 2022
Union members in Denver and Colorado Springs have authorized a strike at 87 King Soopers stores along the Front Range over what they call unfair labor practices. Union officials said a strike at the grocery chain could come as soon as Sunday. The growing tension between workers and management continued to escalate as the existing contract nears its end on Saturday. Last week, the union sued King Soopers in U.S. District Court in Denver for violating the collective bargaining contract and hiring non-union temporary workers.
Image Comics Workers Have Officially Certified Their Groundbreaking Union
Gizmodo
By James Whitbrook
Jan. 6, 2022
After formally announcing the formation of Comic Book Workers United late last year—the first specific union to support workers within comics publishing—workers at Image Comics have voted to officially certify their union in the results of a secret ballot. The vote’s results—7-2 in favor of organizing—were announced today in a move that officially certifies CBWU, which was formed with assistance from the Communications Workers of America. The successful vote entitles CBWU to recognition from Image Comics, which would allow the union to establish a bargaining committee and begin negotiating a contract for its members. The publisher, which was founded on principles of creators working for Image retaining the rights to any work they created, has failed to voluntarily recognize the union and enter negotiations since workers at the company announced the formation of CBWU at the start of November 2021, instead choosing to participate in the formal secret ballot process with the National Labor Relations Board.
IN THE STATES
Labor Groups: ND Keeps Losing Ground on Minimum Wage\
Public News Service
By Mike Moen
Jan. 6, 2022
The start of the new year saw a number of states boost their minimum wage, but not North Dakota. Labor leaders say it's remained at $7.25 an hour for far too long, especially with neighboring states continuing to go higher. Landis Larson, president of the North Dakota AFL-CIO, said it is frustrating cost-of-living measures are similar in the four-state region. He argued it gives North Dakota policymakers no excuse for not taking action. "They really want to do their best to make a friendly business climate, but they forget about the worker climate," Larson asserted. "It's a two-way street."