ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Wildfires ravage Western U.S. amid soaring temperatures, drought
People’s World
By Blake Skylar
July 12, 2021
The tragedy, as well as the continuing struggle of firefighters nationwide, highlights the harsh reality: that workers are on the front lines when it comes to these disasters. “Another threat to working people that the labor movement is central to is climate change,” said AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Liz Shuler. She added via Twitter, “My father and sister still live in Portland, Oregon where I grew up. What they have been through the past few years is very alarming. The fires, extreme temperatures, every bit of it is tied in some way to climate change.”
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Retail workers in unions reap higher wages even as U.S. organizers suffer setbacks
Reuters
By Richa Naidu
July 9, 2021
Reuters examined a three-year rolling average of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and found that the weekly pay differential between union and nonunion workers in the U.S. retail sector widened significantly between 2013 and 2019 - from nearly $20 to more than $50.
JOINING TOGETHER
Harvard Grad Student Union Votes To Extend Current Contract As Negotiations Continue
The Harvard Crimson
By Cara J. Chang and Meimei Xu
July 12, 2021
Members of Harvard’s graduate student union voted 61.5 percent in favor of a two-month contract extension last week, accepting the University’s offer to extend the contract to Aug. 31 as the two sides remain deep in negotiations. The Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Automobile Workers Bargaining Committee put the contract extension to a union-wide vote after a committee vote split 5-5. A total of 714 members, or 35 percent of eligible voters, voted on the extension between July 6 and July 9, according to HGSU-UAW President Brandon J. Mancilla.
IN THE STATES
Alaska workers stand up for equality (Opinion)
Anchorage Daily News
By Joelle Hall
July 12, 2021
The labor movement in America has always stood for fairness and equal opportunity. Collective bargaining as an idea rests on the principle that everyone must come together to achieve a common goal, regardless of background. This is why labor unions were able to lead some of the most important movements in American history, from the campaign for the 40-hour work week, to minimum wage and workplace safety laws. It’s also why we as Alaskan labor leaders are announcing that we stand with the recently created Labor for Equality Council, a group of unions representing 4.9 million workers, dedicated to passage of the Equality Act, which would ensure all LGBTQ workers and their families are able to feel safe and welcome in their workplaces and communities.
Blue Virginia
By Blue Virginia
July 12, 2021
Today, the Virginia AFL-CIO COPE Committee voted to endorse Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Hala Ayala for Lieutenant Governor, and Mark Herring for Attorney General for Virginia’s 2021 General Election. Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays said: “This election is the most important election ever. Working people across Virginia need a unified voice at the top of their ballot to ensure that their voices and rights are being heard, protected, and empowered. There is no doubt in my mind that Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, and Mark Herring will be a wheel of positive, forward-thinking change for the working families of the Commonwealth.”
Virginia AFL-CIO endorses Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, Mark Herring
Augusta Free Press
July 13, 2021
The Virginia AFL-CIO COPE Committee has endorsed Terry McAuliffe for governor, Hala Ayala for lieutenant governor, and Mark Herring for attorney general for Virginia’s 2021 general election. “This election is the most important election ever,” Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays said. “Working people across Virginia need a unified voice at the top of their ballot to ensure that their voices and rights are being heard, protected, and empowered. There is no doubt in my mind that Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala and Mark Herring will be a wheel of positive, forward-thinking change for the working families of the Commonwealth.”
VOTING RIGHTS
Case of Hervis Rogers 'Textbook Example' of Voting Injustice, Say Rights Advocates
Common Dreams
By Andrea Germanos
July 12, 2021
The Texas AFL-CIO said the case against Rogers had similarities with the one against Crystal Mason, another Black Texan, who was sentenced to five years in prison for casting an ultimately uncounted provisional ballot in the November 2016 election while she was on federal supervised release.
"This is a voter suppression prosecution, pure and simple, a poster child for Jim Crow 2.0," said Texas AFL-CIO president Rick Levy in reference to Rogers' case. "Unfortunately, it confirms that Texas' shameful legacy of disenfranchisement is alive and well and desperately needs fixing.”