Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
POLITICS
Advocacy group for retirees endorses Biden in reelection bid
The Hill
By Brett Samuels
Jan. 30, 2024
A grassroots group advocating for retired Americans endorsed President Biden in his reelection bid Tuesday, citing his accomplishments that have benefitted seniors during his first term in office. The board of the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), a nonprofit group with more than 4 million members founded by the AFL-CIO, voted Tuesday to make the endorsement official, according to a release provided exclusively to The Hill.
ORGANIZING
Duke Raleigh Hospital Maintenance Workers Vote to Join a Union
Indy Week
By Chase Pellegrini de Paur
Jan. 30, 2024
“We’re just trying to provide for our families, be treated fairly, and have our hard work respected,” said Duke Raleigh worker Corey Brown in a press release from the state AFL-CIO. “People have kids, houses, and lives at stake, and before the hospital could do pretty much whatever they wanted. Now we will have the power to secure our future together.”
Maintenance workers at Duke Raleigh Hospital vote to unionize
The Chronicle
By Jazper Lu
Jan. 29, 2024
“Congratulations to the workers at Duke Raleigh Hospital on winning the first union election in North Carolina this year,” MaryBe McMillan, president of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, said in a release. “They have joined a growing labor movement that saw historic victories in 2023, including by some 2,400 graduate student workers at Duke University, and we will stand with them in their fight for a first contract.”
Pitt graduate workers request union recognition
Trib Live
By Jack Troy
Jan. 30, 2024
Graduate workers at Pitt are asking for voluntary recognition of their union, claiming majority support for collective bargaining. Hundreds of graduate workers, United Steelworkers organizers and unaffiliated supporters gathered on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning Tuesday to deliver a letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel with a request.
Union workers secure wage increases at West Michigan Harding's stores
WWMT
By Stephanie Forth
Jan. 29, 2024
Union workers at Harding's stores in Hartford voted to ratify a new contract Friday. Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 951, or UFCW, voted on Jan. 26 in favor of a three-year agreement for Harding's Store #965 that would feature significant wage increases for employees.
JOINING TOGETHER
Columbus Museum of Art becomes first Ohio museum to ratify union contract
WOSU
By WOSU News Staff
Jan. 30, 2024
The Columbus Museum of Art announced Tuesday it has ratified its first contract with AFSCME Ohio Council 8. The museum is the first in Ohio to ratify a union contract. Brooke Minto, the museum's executive director and CEO, said in a released statement, "The Columbus Museum of Art is happy to have reached its first collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME Ohio Council 8. This commitment signifies a mutual desire between both parties to achieve an agreement that is both equitable for our colleagues and economically viable for the organization.”
Competitive wages focus of new union contract for DeKalb County nursing center employees
Daily Chronicle
By Camden Lazenby
Jan. 29, 2024
Higher wages to attract more employees was a focal point for the newly approved three-year labor contract for union workers at the DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The contract recently was approved and ratified by the union. It also was approved by the DeKalb County Board this month. Erik Thorson, spokesperson for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 Local No. 3537, said equitably increasing wages while keeping up with Illinois’ rising minimum wage was the primary goal of the union during negotiations with DeKalb County.
INCOME INEQUALITY
Lilly Ledbetter Act’s 15th anniversary: A milestone in fair pay (Opinion)
Alabama Political Reporter
By Bill Britt
Jan. 30, 2024
Yesterday, January 29, marked a notable milestone in the fight for gender equality in the workplace – the 15th anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. This landmark legislation, named after Alabama’s own Lilly Ledbetter, stands as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle against wage discrimination and the relentless pursuit of justice. Lilly Ledbetter’s journey began at Goodyear Tire & Rubber, where she served as a managing supervisor. It was here that she discovered the stark disparity in pay between herself and her male counterparts, a revelation that would set her on a path of legal battle and advocacy. Despite an initial victory where a jury awarded her $3 million – later reduced to $360,000 – the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. struck a blow against her fight. The Court ruled that her claim was time-barred, igniting widespread criticism and a call for legislative action.