Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
MUST READ
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler On Equal Pay Day
Los Alamos Daily Post
By Carol A. Clark
March 12, 2024
From AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler: As we observe Equal Pay Day today, we are reminded of the persistent injustice faced by working women across our nation. It is unacceptable that for the past 20 years the gender wage gap has remained largely unchanged as big corporations and the wealthy—along with many Republicans—resisted change.
POLITICS
Letter carrier robberies continue as the US Postal Service, union and lawmakers seek solutions
NBC Washington
By David Sharp
March 12, 2024
When the U.S. Postal Service launched Project Safe Delivery last year, officials pledged they would be “doubling down" on their efforts to combat growing rates of letter carrier robberies. The crackdown has led to hundreds of arrests, and robberies slowed toward the end of the year. But, overall, the number of postal carriers who were robbed in 2023 rose again and the number who were injured nearly doubled as criminals continue to target carriers for their antiquated “arrow keys” that allow access to mailboxes. This week, legislation is being introduced in Congress to accelerate the replacement of tens of thousands of mailbox keys, boost prosecutions and review sentencing guidelines. All of it can’t come soon enough for letter carriers.
Casey joins US Steelworkers union in call for investigation into China shipbuilding practices
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
By Kim Lyons
March 12, 2024
The United Steelworkers union on Tuesday filed a petition with U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, alleging China has used “protectionist and predatory policies” in global shipbuilding, calling on President Joe Biden to conduct a trade investigation into China’s practices in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors. China “has been relentless in their efforts to use commercial shipbuilding to dominate the full spectrum of global trade, choking out competitors, and it’s time for us to fight back,” David McCall, USW president, said at a press conference on Tuesday. “The U.S. was once a leader in this industry. But as our shipbuilding industry collapsed, our nation lost more than 70,000 shipbuilding jobs, not to mention all the secondary indirect jobs as well.” The USW was joined by four other unions on the petition — the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM); the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); and the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO (MTD). The petition cites Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the USTR to “respond to unreasonable or discriminatory foreign government practices that burden or restrict U.S. commerce.”
WDTV
By Stetson Miller
March 12, 2024
Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), the United Steelworkers (USW) and other unions called on the Biden administration on Tuesday to launch an investigation into what they allege are China’s unfair trade practices in the shipbuilding industry. “Today, we’re filing a petition with the USTR highlighting China’s web of protectionist and predatory policies in the transportation, logistics and shipbuilding sectors,” said David McCall, International President for the United Steelworkers.
ORGANIZING
MGM Dealers Now All-in with UNITE HERE after Narrow Union Vote…
WMASSPI
By WMASSPI
March 11, 2024
A touch under 300 employees at MGM Springfield have voted to join a union in an election the National Labor Relations Board held last week. The results from 247 poker and table game employees out of 282 eligible employees in the bargaining unit considerably expands the number of MGM employees with union representation. The parties have five business days to file objections before the NLRB certifies the results. The vote to join the New England Joint Board of UNITE HERE was a relatively close 130-117. The Joint Board says it faced unexpectedly stiff opposition from MGM, which may have depressed turnout and stunted support. Still, it is a welcome affirmation for labor especially amid recent negotiations between MGM Springfield and its existing unions.
WFYI staff announces intent to unionize
Current
By Tyler Falk
March 12, 2024
Content staffers at WFYI in Indianapolis shared with management Monday their plan to unionize with the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The staffers are seeking voluntary recognition of their union. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, staffers said they are looking to form the union to help improve diversity and inclusion at WFYI and to address “problems facing our organization,” including transparency and equity in compensation and “the continued revolving door of employee turnover.”
JOINING TOGETHER
Unions in Maryland rally in Annapolis to advocate for labor-friendly legislature
CBS News
By Jessica Albert
March 11, 2024
We are a week away from Crossover Day in the Maryland Legislature and labor unions across the state want to make sure their voices are heard. "It's a packed agenda for labor this year," Maryland/DC AFL-CIO President Donna Edwards said. The Maryland/DC chapter of the AFL-CIO held its annual rally on Lawyer's Mall in Annapolis Monday night, bringing together hundreds of members from about a dozen unions that represent construction workers, educators and private sector employees.
‘It takes a village’: Kansas City nurses rally for better working conditions
KCTV
By Nathan Brennan
March 12, 2024
On Tuesday, dozens of Kansas City nurses lined the sidewalk outside HCA Midwest Health Research Center to address critical issues with staffing, safety, and services at their hospitals. Nurses at the rally work at Research Medical Center in Kansas City or Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park. They’re represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United. The current union contract will expire on May 31. KCTV5 spoke with nurses at the rally who said the biggest issues within the hospitals are staffing and working conditions. “What we’re trying to do is get language codified into a contract that’s going to hold HCA accountable when they underserve our patients and nurses,” RN Jake Liston said.
Moore Signs New Agreement With AFSCME
WCBC
By Staff
March 12, 2024
Maryland’s Governor signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) last Thursday. Wes Moore’s signature is the final step to formalize the new contract with the state that over 99% of AFSCME members voted in favor of by ballot vote. State workers will get a 3% cost of living adjustment in July and those eligible for step increases will also receive one in July. The new contract runs through 2026.
Self-driving buses? Not a chance, drivers say
Axios
By Joann Muller
March 12, 2024
Unionized bus drivers have negotiated an unprecedented labor deal with a local transit agency that gives them veto power over autonomous vehicles (AVs). Why it matters: It's one way labor unions hope to protect drivers' jobs, even amid driver shortages — and part of a broader backlash against self-driving vehicles. Driving the news: The Transport Workers Union's new collective bargaining agreement with the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) includes first-of-its-kind language requiring the union's consent to implement any form of autonomous transportation.
Employees ratify TSA’s first union contract since rights expansion
Government Executive
By Erich Wagner
March 12, 2024
Employees at the Transportation Security Administration on Monday voted to ratify a new union contract with agency leadership that streamlines dispute resolution processes and expands policies promoting work-life balance like shift-trading. “The new agreement puts us on the road to full Title 5 rights, better retention at TSA and will greatly increase the quality of life for the TSOs that we represent,” said AFGE Council 100 President Hydrick Thomas in a statement. “It’s been a long journey since the beginning of our union, when we barely had any say in what happened in our workplace. This agreement is a testament to the power of union membership.”
Striking MASS MoCA workers say North Adams community, fellow labor unions have their back
WAMC
By Josh Landes
March 12, 2024
Museum attendant and North Adams resident Mike Boucher has worked at MASS MoCA for six years. Speaking to WAMC on the picket line along Marshall Street, he said the stakes of the work stoppage couldn’t be higher. “People's lives," said Boucher. "People can't pay the rents. They’re really high around North Adams and elsewhere in the Berkshires, and we're just trying to get a fair wage so people can eat and people can afford their rents.” The move to strike came six months after negotiations between the 120 UAW 2110 workers and museum management began.
WDIO
By WDIO
March 12, 2024
Good news for the citizens of Virginia who were watching a strike for almost a week. In a mediation session held on Tuesday, the two parties, Virginia and AFSCME Local 454, reached a tentative agreement and on the same date, the City Council voted to ratify the contract.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Majorities of adults see decline of union membership as bad for the U.S. and working people
Pew Research Center
By Ted Van Green
March 12, 2024
Majorities of Americans see the large reduction in the share of workers represented by unions over the past several decades as a bad thing for both the country and working people in the United States. 54% of U.S. adults say the decline has been bad for the country. 59% say this has been bad for working people.
EQUAL PAY DAY
It's Equal Pay Day. Women earn 84 cents for every dollar men make — or even less
NPR
By Andrea Hsu
March 12, 2024
Equal Pay Day has come around again, and it feels a little like Groundhog Day. Despite the annual reminder about how far into the new year women have to work to earn as much as men made the previous year, the wage gap remains persistent. Women working full time, year-round earn 84 cents for every dollar men make, inching up from 83.7 cents last year, according to the latest numbers from the Census Bureau.
Today is Equal Pay Day. Here's what the gender wage gap looks like in Maryland
CBS News
By Alexus Davila
March 12, 2024
Tuesday marks Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year a woman must work to earn what a man earned in the previous year. According to the Department of Labor, women make about 86 cents for each dollar a man makes in Maryland. The state's average gender wage gap is above the national average by three cents, according to the Department of Labor data. Though it's progress, some labor unions are demanding more to eliminate the gap entirely. Kenya Campbell represents a local labor union called AFT Maryland. She said racism and sexism still pose barriers for women in the workforce.
Equal Pay Day highlights an up to $1.2 million salary shortfall for women of color
CNBC
By Jessica Dickler
March 12, 2024
Equal Pay Day is a reminder of the persistent income inequality between men and women. As it stands, women earn just 84 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the National Women’s Law Center. “When you look at the cent number, it looks like it’s small,” Jasmine Tucker, the National Women’s Law Center’s vice president of research, said of the shortfall. “I don’t think that does justice to the actual losses.”
Rally outside City Hall calls for New York to close wage gap on Equal Pay Day
ABC7 NY
By Janice Yu
March 12, 2024
A rally was held at City Hall in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday in honor of Equal Pay Day. Organizers say the rally symbolized how long women must work into the current year to earn what men earned the year prior. This year's rally took place 40 days sooner than it did 20 years ago. Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Eric Adams and other city leaders stood on the steps with organizers from CWA Local 1180 and PowHer New York. New York has the third smallest wage gap in the U.S., but those at the rally said there is plenty of work to be done.