EDITOR'S NOTE: Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan is quoted again in a story in today's press clips. Scroll down to the IN THE STATES section.
MUST READ
Biden administration faces heat from Democrats over delay issuing workplace safety standard
The Washington Post
By Eli Rosenberg
April 28, 2021
“Make no mistake, an emergency OSHA standard will save lives,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the Department of Labor’s work in getting the standard to this point, and we urge swift issuance of the rule. … As working people continue to keep our country afloat more than a year into this pandemic, the Biden administration must continue to prioritize our safety and ensure we are protected from this virus on the job.”
Organized Labor Puts Heat On Democratic Holdouts To Support PRO Act
Huff Post
By Dave Jamieson
April 28, 2021
Senators who haven’t yet voiced support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act might soon hear from more constituents on the matter. The AFL-CIO labor federation says it’s spending seven figures on television and radio ads aimed at bolstering Senate support for the PRO Act, which would make it easier for workers to join unions. The ads will run in Arizona, Virginia and West Virginia ― states with moderate Democratic senators whose support, or lack of it, could determine the bill’s fate. The theme of the ad campaign is “getting a return on your hard work shouldn’t be this hard.” John Weber, an AFL-CIO spokesperson, said that in addition to local TV advertising, the federation will be running digital ads across the country urging people to call their senators. “We’re taking nothing for granted,” Weber said in an email. “The PRO Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to give working people a stronger voice on the job.”
POLITICS
Biden’s plan would revolutionize American family life
Quartz
By By Ana Campoy
April 28, 2021
President Joe Biden released his American Families Plan today, a $1.8 trillion package that promises nothing short of rewriting the US’s social contract. Activists and experts who have long fought for more generous family policies were impressed with the scope and budget of the proposal, an unusual situation for those in their line of advocacy. Mason deemed it “a game-changer,” while AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Liz Shuler called it “the right plan at the right time.” Neil Sroka, a spokesperson for the PL+US: Paid Leave for the United States, said it would “fundamentally transform the way we live and work in the US.”
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
OSHA moves closer to issuing emergency temporary standard on COVID-19
Safety + Health Magazine
April 28, 2021
“We’re grateful for the Department of Labor’s work in getting the standard to this point, and we urge swift issuance of the rule,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka writes in a statement released April 26. “Strong enforceable standards that require employers to develop workplace COVID-19 safety plans, implement science-based protection measures, train workers and report outbreaks are necessary for reducing infections and deaths, and beating this virus.”
IN THE STATES
Video: AFL-CIO Launches Virginia Ad Campaign Boosting the PRO Act
Blue Virginia
By Blue Virginia
April 28, 2021
The AFL-CIO launched a major ad campaign in Virginia this week, airing statewide television and radio ads promoting the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The advertising campaign is aligned with a national week of action, from April 26 to May 1, mobilizing working people to demand Senate passage of the landmark worker rights bill. “We’re taking nothing for granted,” said AFL-CIO spokesperson Kalina Newman. “The PRO Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to give working people a stronger voice on the job. We’re making sure the Senate hears us loud and clear by reminding Virginians of what they already know: It shouldn’t be this hard just to get by.”
On Workers’ Memorial Day, we mourn those who paid the price for their dedication (Opinion)
NJ.Com
By Charles Wowkanech
April 28, 2021
As New Jersey’s two U.S. senators and 12 House representatives can attest, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act they co-sponsored is worker-safety legislation. Its passage in the Senate will ensure that workers can keep workplace safety and health standards front and center in contract negotiations as they form unions.
The PRO Act is a generational opportunity for workers to ‘Build Back Better’: Dan O’Malley (Opinion)
Cleveland.com
By Dan O’Malley
April 28, 2021
The PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act is a generational opportunity to improve the lives of working people and it is the cornerstone of the AFL-CIO’s Workers First Agenda. The bill has passed the House of Representatives and now is before the U.S. Senate. Our woefully outdated labor laws are no longer effective as a means for working people to have our voices heard. Inequality has skyrocketed because union membership has dwindled and policymakers have failed to pass pro-worker labor laws. A stated purpose of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is to encourage collective bargaining, but nearly every amendment to the law — most egregiously, the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act — has made it more difficult for workers to form unions. The PRO Act will change the power dynamics in America and give working people a real say in our future.
What we owe workers who risked everything (Opinion)
New York Daily News
By Mario Cilento
Aprili 28, 2021
Each year on April 28, the labor movement observes Workers Memorial Day to remember all those killed or injured on the job and to renew our fight for strong health and safety protections for all workers. But this is no ordinary year. Not in recent memory has safety on the job been so critically important. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vital it is to have safe workplaces. One way to make our workplaces safer is by giving workers a voice on the job because workplace safety and worker voice go hand in hand. That is the reason why the entire labor movement supports passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act — the PRO Act.
Letters: On Workers' Memorial Day, a call to bolster unions (Opinion)
The Palm Beach Post
By Ted Parson
April 28, 2021
In the United States, more than 5,300 workers died from preventable injuries and illnesses in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. More than 300 of these deaths occurred in Florida. Due to the pandemic, the numbers for 2020 will surely be higher. Many of the dead will be our frontline essential workers. Today is Workers’ Memorial Day. While we “Mourn for the Dead,” we also “Fight for the Living” by urging the passage of the Protect the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). The PRO Act, the most significant worker empowerment legislation since the Great Depression, would empower workers to exercise our freedom to organize and bargain for safer and better working conditions.
Johnson: Worker mortality rates are outrageous in Wyoming (Opinion)
Casper Star Tribune
By Tammy Johnson
April 28, 2021
In Wyoming, though, we are not doing the best we can to protect our loved ones and each other. April 28 this year is Workers’ Memorial Day, and it reminds us of what we must do. In 2019, 32 Wyoming workers went to work and died from accidents and injuries. The average fine paid by employers after investigations into those fatal events amounts to only $2,772. That figure is, frankly, the value we placed on a life.
Ron Bieber: Pass the PRO Act to level the playing field for working people
Michigan Advance
By Ron Bieber
April 28, 2021
Today, the balance of power has shifted overwhelmingly toward corporations and bosses, and the laws designed to empower and protect working people are woefully outdated and weak. The best way to level the playing field is to strengthen the ability of regular folks to improve their working conditions by making it easier for them to organize and join a union, because a strong labor movement has always been the best line of defense working people have against unscrupulous employers who are willing to put the safety of their workers at risk, just to try to make an extra buck. Fortunately, we have the chance to create that fair playing field again by passing the federal PRO Act. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to increase worker power, rebuild our economy fairly and grow America’s labor movement.
Workers killed on the job in W.Va. remembered in Charleston
WV Metro News
By Chris Lawrence
April 28, 2021
Although the ceremony was virtual, the meaning was no less impactful for organized labor in West Virginia on Wednesday. Officials with the West Virginia AFL-CIO conducted the annual Workers Memorial Day ceremony from their headquarters in Charleston. Due t the pandemic the ceremony was broadcast on Facebook Live. West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword noted the ceremony marked the 50th Anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act taking effect. “It promised every worker the right to a safe job. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the Labor Movement which organized for safer working conditions and demanded government action,” said Sword.
Whitmer, Michigan AFL-CIO mark Workers Memorial Day, encourage U.S. Senate to pass PRO Act
Michigan Advance
By Ken Coleman
April 28, 2021
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber during a virtual press event on Wednesday observed Workers Memorial Day and urged the U.S. Senate to pass pro-union legislation. Workers Memorial Day is held each April 28 to remember those who have died or been disabled on the job over the past year. Whitmer thanked a variety of workers during the presentation, especially those with key roles during the COVID pandemic.
Letter to the Editor | Workers need union power (Opinion)
The News Gazette
By Matt Kelly
April 28, 2021
Workers need union power. Now is the time to pass the PRO Act. In 2020, American heroes in grocery stores, the U.S. Postal Service, hospitals and more became known as “essential workers.” Many had to risk their lives by going to work in unsafe conditions. As the coronavirus crisis continues into 2021, and deadly workplace risks remain, there has never been a more important time to give workers more voice and power.
Union supporters demonstrate in Bismarck
KXNET
By Maddie Biertempfel
April 28, 2021
Union-backers demonstrated at the Federal Building in Bismarck to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act as part of Workers Memorial Day. Those who gathered held signs supporting the PRO Act, which would add protections for workers trying to organize as a union. Groups opposed to the bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, say it would undermine workers’ rights and require people to pay dues regardless if they’re in a union. “Unions and all workplaces consist of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and there’s no reason why workers rights needs to be a partisan battle. We’re urging people to call in or write their Senator to support workers rights,” Missouri Slope Central Labor Council President Clay Nagel said.
Majority leader Daneya Esgar plans bill to allow any public employee to join a union
Colorado Politics
By Marianne Goodland
April 27, 2021
The lawmaker who last year helped state employees earn the ability to form unions for purpose of collective bargaining is now looking to expand that right to every public employee.
Are you a retired union worker? Here’s proof that elections have consequences for you.
Forward Kentucky
By Berry Craig
April 28, 2021
“Elections have consequences,” warns Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan. He’s right. How many times have we heard this baloney? “It doesn’t matter who gets elected – politicians are all the same.” (I can think of a stronger word than “baloney,” but this is a family-friendly website.) Want proof, especially if you’re a union retiree like me? Look no further than the 2020 Congressional Voting Record released today by the Alliance for Retired Americans. The ARA “works closely with the White House and Congress to ensure that seniors’ issues like retirement security and prescription drug prices get the attention they deserve,” according to the group’s website.
JOINING TOGETHER
Viewpoint: DeMaurice Smith on why it’s time to stop the ‘student-athlete’ madness
The Athletic
By DeMaurice Smith
April 28, 2021
The starting point is that the term “student-athlete” categorizes a person as being “less” and then tries to address all other issues from there. NFL players love the game just as much as players in college do, but we somehow wrap up the business of college sports in deceptively purist wrapping paper, distracting us from the real issues. Labeling college players as “student-athletes” prevents the rights of students who are athletes to engage their university on these issues as an organized team or union; stifles the conversation about a fair way to recognize the value of owning their name, image and likeness; and exposes players to all of the risk, unlike NFL players.
Actors' Equity Association Concludes First-Ever Convention
Broadway World
By BWW News Desk
April 28, 2021
Actors' Equity Association has concluded its first-ever convention, from April 25 to 27. Because it is not yet safe to convene in person, the delegates met remotely to recommend policy for the future of the union in accordance with the convention's theme: "Equity: Solidarity in a New Era," as well as to attend breakout sessions to learn more as member leaders and hear from guest speakers. Guest speakers included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, and Fedrick C. Ingram and Zach Law Ingram. Federick serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers and is a music teacher. Zach Law Ingram is an Equity member and choreographer who began his own company, 6 o'Clock Dance Theatre, in January of 2014. Equity President Kate Shindle and Executive Director Mary McColl also addressed the delegates.