MUST LISTEN
Labor Exchange: AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Colorado AFL-CIO President Josette Jaramillo.
KGNU
May 2, 2022
Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO, joins the Labor Exchange on this very special International Workers Day edition of the program. Josette Jaramillo hosts. She is a social worker in Pueblo and President of the Colorado AFL-CIO and AFSCME 1335. The AFL-CIO is the largest labor federation in the United States with 12.5 million members across 57 affiliate unions. They discuss the most pressing issues of the day including the great resignation, immigration and the importance of building new and innovative solutions to the problems facing workers.
TRANSPORTATION
STB Rail Service Hearing Exposes Insufficient Service, Poor Worker Morale
Progressive Farmer
By Mary Kennedy
May 2, 2022
Greg Regan, president of Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), told the STB the employees represented by TTD-affiliated unions are on the front lines of the freight rail network and have been sounding the alarm on the state of the rail industry for years. "As members of the board are aware, the deployment of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) has resulted in fundamental changes to how freight rail operates, and with what capacity and reliability it can deliver service," said Regan. "At the core of the PSR ethos is deep cuts to its workforce.
JOINING TOGETHER
WI AFL-CIO: Stands in solidarity with UAW workers on strike at CNHi
WisPolitics.com
May 2, 2022
“The Wisconsin labor movement proudly stands in solidarity with our sisters and brothers of the UAW Local 180 and UAW Local 807 on strike at CNHi in Racine, Wisconsin and Burlington, Iowa,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “UAW members are holding the line to strengthen our American middle class by standing together for a good union contract that establishes fair work rules with good wages and the ability to retire with dignity. We send strength and solidarity to the striking workers and urge CNHi to negotiate in good faith to reach a mutually agreeable contract.”
DC Circulator bus drivers to strike Tuesday
WTOP
By Abigail Constantino
May 2, 2022
“RATP Dev left us with no other options but to walk off the job at the DC Circulator,” said ATU Local 689 President Raymond Jackson. The union said that after months of negotiations, RATP Dev has been “negotiating in bad faith,” threatening to substitute union members with subcontractors, eliminating the worker’s federal rights under the Family & Medical Leave Act, and undermining progressive discipline. The company also did not adequately address underpayment and inflation, the union said.
New Pratt & Whitney contract boasts higher wages, better job security for workers
News12
By News 12 Staff
May 2, 2022
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace just signed a new contract with East Hartford based Pratt & Whitney. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace members at both Connecticut facilities manufacture, repair, and produce parts for commercial and military engines, including the KC-46 air refueling tanker, F-35 joint strike fighter, and the A320 commercial airliner. Union leadership says the new contract has increased wages, job security and decreased health care insurance costs for the union’s 3,000 members.
IN THE STATES
Lorain: Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Sen. Sherrod Brown, labor push for U.S. Navy submarine repair yard
The Morning Journal
By Michael Fitzpatrick
May 2, 2022
Jimmy Hart, national president of the AFL-CIO Metal Trade Union, said the health of the country depends on bringing back good-paying jobs to the United States. This project would be a start toward that. “For too, too long our communities have been neglected,” Hart said. “(We) are here today to announce the rebirth of the American maritime union here in Lorain, Ohio.”
WKYC
By Anna Meyer
May 2, 2022
Democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Ohio Representative Tim Ryan stopped in Lorain for a rally supporting the Bartlett Maritime project. The rally hosted by Ohio AFL-CIO, the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department and Bartlett Maritime Corporation took place at 10 a.m. at the Black River Landing Amphitheater in Lorain.
Pandemic pay included in budget deal up for vote in House
AP News
By Susan Haigh
May 2, 2022
While the late addition of “hero pay” to the budget bill was welcomed by advocates, the sum is far less than what they had wanted. The AFL-CIO of Connecticut had estimated $750 million was needed to cut checks for tens of thousands of workers across the state, in crucial jobs ranging from nurses in hospitals to clerks at grocery stores. “We’re glad that some people are going to get something,” said Ed Hawthorne, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. “To be clear, this isn’t over. The fight for us, it’s just the beginning.”
CIVIL, HUMAN, AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS
NBC News
By Angela Yang, Kimmy Yam, Claire Wang and Brahmjot Kaur
May 2, 2022
The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, backed by the AFL-CIO, published a public guide about ways to learn about and combat anti-Asian violence, as well as a toolkit recommending actions people and institutions can take to build a labor movement that is inclusive of the concerns of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Its Covid-19 Community Fund also works to funnel financial resources to workers affected by the pandemic, especially those whose immigration statuses make them ineligible for government assistance.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Labor Tribune
May 2, 2022
IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection volunteers made repairs and installed electrical improvement for 15 to low-income homes on April 23 in the 19th year of Rebuilding Together, an annual Repair Blitz to help elderly and low-income residents in St. Louis City and County. An army of 200 volunteers fanned out across the region to make needed repairs and improvements to 15 low-income homes for the non-profit RebuildingTogether St. Louis. Volunteers with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 teamed with more than a dozen electrical contractor members of the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) to make the needed repairs.