MUST WATCH
Bloomberg
June 4, 2021
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka joined Bloomberg TV to discuss the latest jobs report and the keys to building back a stronger economy the right way.
POLITICS
Trumka Hits Biden on Delayed OSHA Pandemic Workplace Regulations
Bloomberg
By Brody Ford and David Westin
June 4, 2021
The Biden administration has taken too long to implement Occupational Safety and Health Administration emergency regulations to ensure on-the-job protections for workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “I keep pushing the administration to get it done. They keep saying they’re working on it, but I have yet to see that temporary pandemic standard be issued,” the labor leader said in an interview Friday on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power” program. Trumka, a Biden ally, said he is frustrated at the delayed rule-making process. “It is a shame because every day it is not there, workers get exposed, workers get hurt, workers get sick.”
JOINING TOGETHER
Workers Are Gaining Leverage Over Employers Right Before Our Eyes
The New York Times
By Neil Irwin
June 5, 2021
The relationship between American businesses and their employees is undergoing a profound shift: For the first time in a generation, workers are gaining the upper hand. The change is broader than the pandemic-related signing bonuses at fast-food places. Up and down the wage scale, companies are becoming more willing to pay a little more, to train workers, to take chances on people without traditional qualifications, and to show greater flexibility in where and how people work.
Tech Workers Organizing Is Nothing New ... But Them Actually Forming Unions Is
KQED
By Sam Harnett
June 2, 2021
“There was a general belief in the early 2000s that folks felt they could do better on their own and that they didn’t need a union,” said Jennifer Dorning, president of the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO. But in the late 2000s and early 2010s, as a new class of tech startups took off, Dorning said attitudes among rank-and-file workers began shifting. In the early 2000s the AFL-CIO Department for Professional Employees started conducting survey of tech workers across the country found. In 2004, the survey showed that just 33% supported unionizing their workplace. By 2016, that had grown to 59%.
Threatening a strike, Sioux Falls Smithfield union members reject newest proposed deal
Dakota News Now
By Kevin Gonzalez
June 4, 2021
Labor negotiations between Smithfield Foods and union employees have stalled. A Thursday night vote on a proposed four-year contract made no progress in negotiations. The new four-year contract offered by Smithfield was rejected by 99 percent of the union workers who voted. The union has threatened a worker strike if they can’t come up with a new contract.
Strong unions make for better workplaces
The Shelbyville News
By Everett Kelley
June 4, 2021
Biden’s executive order, for the first time, requires agencies to engage in bargaining over all issues that are not expressly prohibited by law. With this expansion, Biden is doing more to strengthen worker rights inside the federal government than any president in a generation. This pro-union stance extends beyond federal workers, too; in April, Biden signed an executive order creating a task force of more than 20 Cabinet members and heads of other federal agencies, whose job is to leverage federal programs and policies to empower more workers to organize and bargain with their employers. And he has strongly endorsed the PRO Act, which would make it easier for workers in the private sector to unionize. That is a relief to the government employees who serve the public every day and should be welcome news for all Americans.
IN THE STATES
Wisconsin State Journal
By Lindsay Blumer and Stephanie Bloomingdale
June 4, 2021
Once upon a time, Wisconsin was a shining beacon for workers’ rights, leading our nation with policies that protected safety, encouraged fair wages and promoted a relationship between employees and employers rooted in shared prosperity. Unfortunately, over the decades, too many leaders disregarded that proud history in favor of policies that undermined opportunities for workers and the needs of their employers. COVID-19 exposed and accelerated the impact of those policies.
Support Alaska’s construction workers. Pass the PRO Act. (Opinion)
Anchorage Daily News
By Clay Strickland
June 3, 2021
The PRO Act modernizes federal labor law, ensuring our industry is well positioned to thrive in the modern era. Many of our national labor statutes were written during the Great Depression, and it’s no surprise they need to be updated. The PRO Act does not deviate from our instilled core values of respect for an individual’s rights nor fairness for industry. These values must remain ingrained to preserve our basic freedoms as free people, but our laws must keep pace with changing technology and a changing economy.
AFL-CIO speaks out in support of Hufcor workers
WCLO
June 4, 2021
Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale says what is happening at Hufcor is a stark example of an economic system that is rigged against working people. Big-moneyed, out-of-state private equity firms like LA-based OpenGate Capital swoop in and buy local, profitable businesses only to then turn their backs on workers and our local communities by closing down and shipping our jobs out of the country.
NH House Kills GOP Touted Right-To-Work Bill
Patch
By Garry Rayno
June 4, 2021
The House dealt a blow to one of the key Republican priorities, soundly defeating right-to-work legislation Thursday and then voting not to discuss the issue again during the remainder of the two-year session. "These bills are nothing more than out of state, corporate interests looking to take advantage of our lawmakers, our businesses, and our workers," said AFL-CIO New Hampshire president Glenn Bracket. "They deprive workers of their freedom to join together and form strong unions if they choose to. And they have no business being a part of how we do things here in New Hampshire."
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Youngsters Introduced to Fishing at Free Event
WXOW
By Dan Springer
June 5, 2021
La Crosse area youngsters were introduced to fishing at the annual Free Fishing Day at Chad Erickson Memorial Park in La Crosse. The event, sponsored by the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO and other groups offered kids a chance to cast their line after receiving some free fishing gear. Kids between the ages of 2 and 17 who attended were given a free fishing pole and reel and a bag of goodies that included additional fishing gear. Bait was provided by Ace Hardware of La Crosse. Bill Brockmiller, treasurer of the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO said they host the event to encourage kids to get away from their screens and expose them to what may be a lifetime passion.