Business Insider
By Juliana Kaplan
Aug. 18, 2022
"Trader Joe's openly brags about being a good employer but there is nothing 'inclusive and respectful' about abruptly shutting its tremendously popular wine store just days before workers were set to go public with their union organizing efforts," AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement to Insider. "It's a cruel form of union-busting. The AFL-CIO stands in solidarity with UFCW and the dozens of workers who are now out of a job because they had the courage to come together and stand up for better working conditions."
POLITICS
New White House Labor Adviser Isn’t Looking For a Fight: Q&A
Bloomberg Law
By Rebecca Rainey and Ian Kullgren
Aug. 18, 2022
Celeste Drake is drawing on her experience at the nation’s largest federation of unions to bring the White House’s labor agenda to fruition. Drake is wearing “two hats,” as she put it, working both as the National Economic Council’s labor expert and as “Made in America” director for the White House Office of Management and Budget. In an interview with Bloomberg Law—her first since taking the job as Biden’s top labor adviser in July—she said she plans to use her experience at the AFL-CIO, where she was a trade and globalization policy specialist, to deliver on the president’s goal to be the most pro-labor administration in modern history.
AFL-CIO: Freedom is on the ballot this November!
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
Aug. 19, 2022
Declaring “Freedom is on the ballot this November,” the AFL-CIO is stepping up its intense battle to campaign for the rights of workers, women, people of color, LFBTQ people and everyone else in this country who, it says, are being deprived of their rights by a Republican Party captured by the extreme right. As part of this campaign the federation launched a special election-oriented website on August 18 at www.aflciovote.org. The battle by labor will involve detailed plans to mobilize voters in all the categories mentioned. The plan is to not only lobby for their votes to oust Republicans but, in addition, to employ labor’s known ability to get people to the polls in November.
IN THE STATES
Labor day parade taking place in Champaign
WCIA
Aug. 19, 2022
Champaign is hosting a labor day parade downtown. The theme is “Yes, for Worker’s Rights.” The AFL/CIO of Champaign County is hosting the parade. It will start at 10 a.m. and the route starts at North Chestnut and goes to East Main, and will end up at North Walnut to East Washington Street.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
IAFF Local 160 awards scholarships
New Castle News
Aug. 19, 2022
The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 160 awarded scholarships to two recent New Castle High School graduates at the annual golf outing on Aug. 6. More than 120 golfers attended the event at Sylvan Heights Golf Course to help raise money for the scholarship fund. Mary Baka and Joshua Burick both received $2,500 scholarships. Baka is attending Youngstown State University, while Burick is attending Grove City College.