MUST READ
CBS Sports
By Mike Axisa
March 4, 2022
"Whether you're a worker on the baseball field, or a worker behind the scenes, we all deserve respect and dignity on the job," AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said in a statement. "The labor movement will do everything in our power to support these and all workers."
POLITICS
Biden to boost made-in-America goods as Siemens adds factory jobs
Reuters
By Reuters
March 4, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday will announce requirements for the government to buy more made-in-America goods at a White House event where Germany's Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) will commit to new investments in U.S. manufacturing. Biden has vowed to direct more of the $600 billion in federal spending each year toward domestically manufactured goods in hopes that doing so will rebuild factories in hard-up regions, create blue-collar jobs and shift the country away from a reliance on competitors like China.
Biden to use federal purchasing power to increase U.S. manufacturing
The Washington Post
By Annie Linskey
March 4, 2022
Goods can be purchased by the federal government with tax dollars if just 55 percent of their parts were manufactured here. On Friday, President Biden plans to unveil a new regulation upping that standard to 75 percent. The new rule updates the Buy America Act, a 1930s-era law that requires the federal government to use taxpayer dollars on goods that are manufactured domestically.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
America added 678,000 jobs in February, smashing forecasts
CNN
By Anneken Tappe
March 4, 2022
The US economy added 678,000 jobs in February, exceeding economists' expectations. It was the best month for job growth since July. The nation has 2.1 million jobs to go before hitting the February 2020 level and recouping all positions lost in the pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.
The economy is recovering fast. But we need to ensure it works for everyone (Opinion)
CNN
By Elise Gould and Heidi Shierholz
March 3, 2022
Over the last 12 months, the economy has added 6.6 million jobs, an astonishing pace. And while there is still a significant gap in the labor market, we are on track to return to pre-pandemic labor market conditions before the end of 2022 — a recovery that is roughly eight years faster than the recovery from the Great Recession, according to our own calculations. And that's because, unlike in the aftermath of the Great Recession, Congress did what was needed to spur a strong recovery this time around. We would have millions fewer jobs today if Congress had not enacted the Covid relief and recovery measures it did. And these policies have not only made the recovery faster overall, but particularly so for historically disadvantaged groups.
JOINING TOGETHER
MLB players launch $1M fund to support workers affected by lockout
CBS 58
By CBS 58 Newsroom
March 4, 2022
The MLBPA plans to work with the AFL-CIO to determine the hardest-hit communities and distribute resources to those who need it most. "Whether you're a worker on the baseball field or a worker behind the scenes, we all deserve respect and dignity on the job," said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. "The labor movement will do everything in our power to support these and all workers."
MLB players create $1 million fund for workers impacted by lockout
The Athletic
By The Athletic Staff
March 4, 2022
Major League Baseball players are launching a $1 million fund to "help support workers affected by the lockout and cancellation of games by the Major League Baseball owners," they announced Friday. The Players Association and AFL-CIO, a federation of unions, will administer the fund. The money will be distributed to stadium workers and others — including concession crews, electricians and janitors, for example — who are facing financial hardship due to the lockout. The players will work with AFL-CIO to "determine the hardest hit communities and align resource distribution to those who need it most."
Actors' Equity Association Stands in Solidarity With Atlanta Opera Hair and Makeup Workers
Broadway World
By Marissa Tomeo
March 4, 2022
Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has announced its support for the 11 hair and makeup artists for the Atlanta Opera who voted to join IATSE Local 798 with the following statement: "Now is the moment for the Atlanta Opera to do what is right. These brave workers are entitled to the fair wages and benefits, including health care, that a union secures. What is far more shameful is that the Atlanta Opera has denied a group of all Black artists their right to organize. These employers have not only refused to acknowledge the bargaining unit's legitimacy, but retaliated against them. Such actions contradict the work of Atlanta Opera's own EDI Task Force, which vows to 'counteract bias, increase diversity and foster an inclusive climate.'
IN THE STATES
Environmental, labor leaders lay out plans for advancing R.I. green economy
Providence Business News
By Nancy Lavin
March 4, 2022
“This is a clear and concise plan…that’s not just about making our economy more environmentally sensitive but making sure our economy is more centered in justice,” said Patrick Crowley, co-chair of Climate Jobs RI and secretary and treasurer of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO.
Letter: ‘Made in the USA’ is a welcome message (Opinion)
Grand Forks Herald
By Landis Larson
March 6, 2022
As a proud member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, building some of the finest tractors in the world for 40 years, I was excited to see President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address focus heavily on the importance of "made in the USA." A strong policy of “made in the USA,” combined with the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill, will help build a strong economy with good jobs for our manufacturing and building trades unions. As the president of the North Dakota AFL-CIO, the state's federation of labor unions, I was also glad to see so much emphasis on so many solutions that will make the lives of working people easier: things like helping them afford childcare, cutting the cost of prescription drugs, passing the PROAct to make it easier to organize the unions workers want, increasing the minimum wage, and tackling inflation to make sure a good life is affordable for everyone.