Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST LISTEN
Unions are taking more prominent roles in U.S. politics as support for labor rises
NPR
By Don Gonyea
Sept. 2, 2024
GONYEA: Democrats need labor to turn out. Liz Shuler is the president of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization. She says, in key battleground states, union members make up 20% of the vote. Plus, it's also significant that public support for unions is the highest it's been since the 1960s. LIZ SHULER: We've had historic highs. The last several years, young people under the age of 30 are the most pro-union, so what does that speak to? It speaks to the fact that the economy has been broken for young people for way too long.
MUST READ
AFL-CIO president: Union workers are powerful. We will decide this election. (Opinion)
Detroit Free Press
By Liz Shuler
Sept. 2, 2024
The AFL-CIO represents nearly 13 million workers in our federation across 60 unions. This time every year, we come together to put the labor back in Labor Day. As much as we love the barbecues, the mattress sales — this is our week. This is about recognizing and appreciating the workers who make this country run. Last year, we started a conversation about how workers are doing in this country. Some of these numbers may surprise you: 70% of Americans support unions, among young people under the age of 30, it’s nine in 10. Union workers are continuing to find their power in two very distinct ways.
POLITICS
No longer the candidate, Biden reemerges as top surrogate for Harris campaign
CNN
By Arlette Saenz and Betsy Klein
Sept. 2, 2024
Biden, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an interview with CNN, will be “the ultimate validator” for Harris with union workers. Shuler has noted that 1 in 5 voters in blue wall states Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota are union voters, and 22% of Pennsylvania voters are union voters – a group that roundly favors Harris. “He would be very motivating for people, and it’ll be just yet another asset that the campaign has in its toolbox that they can deploy,” Shuler said.
On Labor Day, Champions of Working Class Vow to Defeat Trump
Common Dreams
By Brett Wilkins
Sept. 2, 2024
In her second annual "State of the Unions" address, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of unions, highlighted the importance of organized labor in November's election. Shuler noted that 1 in 5 voters in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and, Minnesota is a union member, and that recent polling shows Harris with a 15-point lead over Trump among union voters. "Union workers are growing our power in this country in a way that we haven't seen in a generation. In November, that power could win the election for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz," she said, referring to the Minnesota governor who is the Democratic vice presidential nominee. "We can run up the margins where it counts," Shuler added. "When you ask a union member who their most trusted source in the world is on politics, it's not their friends, family, or loved ones—it's their fellow union member. There is no question that the road to the White House runs through America's union halls."
Kamala Harris in Detroit on Labor Day: 'Thank a union member'
The Detroit News
Kalea Hall, Craig Mauger and Grant Schwab
Sept. 2, 2024
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris promoted the "power of unity" during a Labor Day speech Monday in Detroit, vowing to fight for a future where every worker has "the freedom to organize." Surrounded by national union leaders inside Northwestern High School, Harris, the current vice president, said she wants to enact new legal protections for labor. When unions are strong, America is strong, Harris said during a 15-minute address. “Everywhere I go, I tell people, 'Look, you may not be a union member, you better thank a union member for the five-day work week,'" Harris told the crowd. "You better thank a union member for sick leave. You better thank a union member for paid leave. You better thank a union member for vacation time. “Because what we know is when union wages go up, everybody’s wages go up.”
Harris Finds Top Labor Allies Despite Questions on Her Plans
BNN Bloomberg
By Ted Mann and Josh Eidelson
Sept. 1, 2024
Harris’ allies argue she’s got a strong record of backing unions and just has to amplify that message. “It’s very much deeply ingrained,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an interview. She first met Harris in California during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign of Jerry Brown. “We were all over the state, on airplanes together, and I had a chance to really connect with her,” Shuler said. “The policies, of course, are still in formulation, but we know the values, and the values are that she sees workers as central.”
Local union workers gather to denounce Project 2025
WKBN
By Shianna Gibbons
Aug. 31, 2024
Public service union workers from the Association of Public School Employees and AFSCME Ohio Council 8 gathered outside the Council 8 building in Youngstown to denounce Project 2025 on Saturday afternoon.
VP Kamala Harris unveils her economic agenda during speech in battleground NC
The Herald
By Avi Bajpai, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Kyle Ingram and Emmy Martin
Aug. 31, 2024
In a statement praising Harris and her “worker-focused agenda” on Friday morning, NC AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan said that working families across the state “are sick and tired of struggling to survive on wages that barely cover housing and necessities, while companies price-gouge us just to pad their profits so CEOs can cut themselves massive checks.” McMillan said that the Harris campaign “knows what working people need are policies that will lower their costs, protect their wallets from rampant corporate greed, and help them save more of their hard-earned dollars.”
Bilingual billboards call Trump 'anti-unionist' in DNC Labor Day campaign
NBC News
By Suzanne Gamboa
Sept. 2, 2024
Bilingual billboards in English and Spanish calling former President Donald Trump an "anti-unionist" went up on Labor Day in high-traffic areas in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Democratic National Committee, which released the billboards, said in a news release provided first to NBC News: "We have unions to thank for gains in fair wages, worker protections, and health care."
Harris-Walz campaign readies Labor Day blitz, courting union votes alongside Biden
KFKA
By ABC News
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota will blitz the country on Labor Day, the Harris campaign said, as they make a concerted effort to court union workers ahead of the election. Harris will kick off Labor Day in Detroit, Michigan, meeting with union members and delivering brief remarks, the campaign said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Rep. Debbie Dingell will join Harris, the campaign said. Labor groups and leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, AFT President Randi Weingarten, Teamsters, the AFL-CIO, Building Trades, IATSE and the SEIU, will also join, the campaign added.
Kamala Harris speaking with union leaders in Detroit
CBS News
By Sara Powers
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Detroit on Labor Day to speak with labor union leaders and workers, her campaign announced. After the Labor Day celebration in Detroit, the vice president will travel to Pittsburgh to hold a campaign event with President Joe Biden. Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will be in Milwaukee for Labor Day, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Newport News, Virginia. These stops are all part of a Labor Day blitz in battleground states with the purpose of the visits aimed at "underscoring the importance of American workers and unions to building a strong middle class and growing the economy," according to Harris' campaign.
The labor movement could prove pivotal this election year
KACU
By Suzanne Nuyen
Sept. 2, 2024
Now add to that a presidential race in which both candidates are trying to court workers. In a speech delivered ahead of Labor Day, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler noted that union workers make up 1 in 5 voters in swing states. Keep in mind that nationwide only 1 in 10 U.S. workers are union members. That statistic suggests a far higher concentration of such workers in states where the election will be decided.
Harris set to oppose sale of US Steel to a Japanese firm during joint Pennsylvania event with Biden
AP News
By Colleen Long and Will Weissert
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to use Monday’s joint campaign appearance in the industrial city of Pittsburgh with President Joe Biden to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned — coinciding with the White House’s earlier opposition to the company’s planned sale to Nippon Steel of Japan. Harris “is expected to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned and operated and stress her commitment to always have the backs of American steel workers,” her campaign says.
Harris, Biden target union workers with Labor Day event
The Hill
By Miranda Nazzaro
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Harris and President Biden will appear together in Pennsylvania at a Labor Day campaign event Monday as the vice president seeks to shore up support from union workers ahead of November. The event in Pittsburgh will mark Biden and Harris’s first joint appearance on the campaign trail since she replaced him atop the Democratic presidential ticket.
Harris and Biden Will Make a Labor Day Pitch to Union Voters
The New York Times
By Nicholas Nehamas
Sep. 2, 2024
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will appear together on Monday in Pittsburgh to celebrate labor unions, a crucial mobilizing force for Democrats, at their first joint campaign event since Ms. Harris replaced Mr. Biden at the top of the ticket in July. In Pittsburgh, Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden will attend an event at a local union hall alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Senator Bob Casey, who is up for re-election. The Harris campaign said local and national leaders of major unions including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the United Steelworkers will attend.
“The Union Movement Is Very Excited About Harris and Walz”
The Nation
By John Nichols
Sept. 2, 2024
In his first solo appearance as the Democratic candidate for vice president of the United States, Tim Walz flew to Los Angeles to appear before 4,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the most powerful and engaged labor unions in the United States. Walz, for many years a dues-paying member of two public-sector labor organizations, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, thanked the assembled delegates for “having a fellow union member” as their convention speaker and declared, with as much passion as a Minnesotan can muster, that “AFSCME stands for all that’s right.”
Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz rallies union vote at Milwaukee Laborfest
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Hope Karnopp and Jessie Opoien
Sept. 2, 2024
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz returned to Milwaukee on Labor Day to speak to union members at Laborfest, his first time visiting the state since receiving Democrats' formal nomination for vice president. Walz, who Vice President Kamala Harris selected as her running mate last month, praised the Biden-Harris administration as "the most pro-union administration in American history" while addressing the festival in the sunny mid-afternoon. "We know exactly who built this country. It was labor that built this country," Walz told the crowd. "When unions are strong, America is strong."
Harris and Walz, in Crucial ‘Blue Wall’ States, Rally for Union Support
The New York Times
By Jonathan Weisman
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris, seeking to press her advantage with union voters, stormed into Detroit for a Labor Day union rally on Monday, telling organized-labor supporters that the country celebrates unions “because unions helped build America.” Ms. Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, were barnstorming through the so-called blue wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Labor Day, appealing to union voters as the ground troops of a campaign that has barely two months left. Ms. Harris was to appear in Pittsburgh on Monday evening with the man she seeks to succeed, President Biden. There, she planned to back Mr. Biden’s opposition to the proposed takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan. In Detroit, Michigan’s Democratic luminaries — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Debbie Stabenow, and hopefuls like Representative Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Ms. Stabenow’s Senate seat — shared the stage with Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers; Brent Booker, general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America; and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, among others.
In Labor Day union rally, Harris slams Trump for overtime benefits, tax cuts
The Hill
By Lauren Irwin
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Harris addressed a crowd of union members in Detroit on Labor Day, criticizing former President Trump for blocking overtime benefits and cutting taxes for the wealthy. Tyrese West, a member of Laborers’ International Union of North America, introduced Harris on Monday. She was joined on stage by several union leaders, including United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain.
Kamala Harris vows to protect workers' rights at Detroit rally on Labor Day
Detroit Free Press
By Clara Hendrickson
Sept. 2, 2024
In a city steeped in labor history, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris promised to protect workers' rights if elected and cast her Republican opponent former President Donald Trump as a foe to workers during a Labor Day speech on Monday at Detroit's Northwestern High School. "Always good to be in the house of labor," Harris said at the beginning her brief speech in the high school's gymnasium. When she took the stage, Harris hugged a group of union presidents who greeted her under a blue banner that read, "Union Strong for Harris-Walz." "Don't we love Labor Day?" Harris asked the sea of workers wearing their union T-shirts who applauded her. She repeated a familiar Democratic campaign refrain that unions helped build the middle class in the U.S.
Harris looks to tap into Biden's union support as she rallies with him in Pennsylvania for Labor Day
WABE
By Associated Press
Sept. 2, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden are co-headlining a campaign event Monday in the marquee battleground state of Pennsylvania as Harris balances presenting herself as “a new way forward” while remaining intensely loyal to Biden and the policies he has pushed. The pair will attend Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade and offer some remarks, the first time the two have shared a speaking slot on the political stage together since the surprising election shakeup that provided a fresh jolt of Democratic enthusiasm to the 2024 election.
Walz calls for protection of organized labor and workers' rights at Milwaukee union event
Fox 11
By Mallory Allen
Sept. 2, 2024
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz spent part of his Labor Day in Wisconsin, campaigning at a union celebration in Milwaukee. Gov. Walz and his wife, Minnesota's first lady Gwen Walz, made a stop Monday afternoon atLaborfest. It's an annual event hosted by labor unions and union members of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO. Walz took the stage to begin his remarks shortly before 3 p.m. Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who represents Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District, spoke prior to Walz.
Walz speaks with union members at Labor Day campaign rally in Milwaukee (Video)
PBS
By Michael Goldberg
Sept. 2, 2024
Walz acknowledged that his status as Kamala Harris’ running mate may have caused more disruption than usual at an already packed fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, a St. Paul suburb. But he said the increased attention gave him a chance to promote Minnesota’s economy and culture. “I think people are seeing that we’re getting to talk about Minnesota across the country, talk about the economy here, talk about things like the state fair, talk about agriculture,” Walz said. On Labor Day, Walz met with union leaders in Milwaukee.
Walz makes pitch to union voters at Milwaukee Labor Day festival
Wisconsin public Radio
By Sarah Lehr
Sept. 2, 2024
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz made his pitch to union voters Monday during a Labor Day festival in Milwaukee. Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, joked about “preaching to the choir” during the event which is sponsored each year by the Milwaukee-Area Labor Council and the AFL-CIO. “We got about 64 days to sing, choir,” Walz told the crowd gathered at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds just over two months ahead of Election Day. “We got 64 days to get to our relatives, to talk to them, to tell them what’s out there.”
IN THE STATES
Monday, it’s Pittsburgh’s Labor Day Parade
Pittsburgh Union Progress
By Bob Batz Jr.
Aug. 30, 2024
The march will take a while, as organizers are saying it’ll consist of thousands of union members and leaders, plus a long list of elected and would-be elected officials, community group members and some college and high school marching bands. Organizers on Friday afternoon announced that some of the elected and other officials attending are to be Governor Josh Shapiro, Lt. Governor Austin Davis, U.S. Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, AFL-CIO National President Liz Shuler, SEIU President April Verrett, United Steelworkers President David McCall, Ironworkers President Eric Dean, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen President Timothy Driscoll, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers President Kenneth Cooper, state AFL-CIO President Angela Ferritto and Secretary-Treasurer Maurice Cobb, and “hundreds of state and local elected officials.”
Strengthen Rhode Island’s economy by expanding access to unions
Boston Globe
By George Nee and Patrick Crowley
Aug. 30, 2024
This Labor Day, as leaders of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, we are proud to say Rhode Island continues to make tremendous legislative progress on issues affecting union members and all workers. For example, it is now a felony for employers to engage in wage theft by failing to pay workers. Rhode Island is applying strong labor standards in the renewable energy and cannabis markets. We’ve passed common sense gun safety laws, committed to replacing all water pipes that contain lead, and expanded the amount of time workers can access paid time off. We’ve even made enhancements to public service workers’ retirement benefits. All these changes make Rhode Island a better place for working-class people.
PA AFL-CIO chief, Erie native Ferritto: what Pa. workers have to celebrate this Labor Day (Opinion)
Erie Times-News
By Angela Ferritto
Sept. 2, 2024
As Keystone Research Center reports in The State of Working Pennsylvania 2024, and highlighted by the Economist magazine, the wages of a typical Pennsylvania worker now top those of a typical U.S. worker by about one dollar per hour, the same as the situation in 1979. Pennsylvania has made good progress recently rebuilding its once robust middle class. Other economic indicators also make clear that today's economy is delivering for Pennsylvania workers in a way that we haven't seen in 50 years.
Labor Day in New Jersey: It's better in a union (Opinion)
Asbury Park Press
By Charles Wowkanech
Sept. 2, 2024
As you celebrate Labor Day with friends and family, be sure to remember the sacrifices made by working families who have made the rights we enjoy today possible. Since the 19th century, Labor Day has served as a reminder to all that the labor movement drives our democracy, demanding justice, and equality for all. This Labor Day, we are proud to celebrate all the working men and women in our state. It is thanks to their efforts and achievements that New Jersey is at the very heart of the national labor movement. At the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, we have stood with New Jersey’s workers from every sector of the labor movement on the issues that matter most to them, working with legislators to promote the adoption of federal and state laws. In the last year, we walked the picket lines with nurses, electrical workers, educators, building trades and autoworkers. We also represented working families on issues including unemployment insurance for striking workers, paid family and sick leave, the prevailing wage, and ground-breaking legislation for cannabis workers, advocating for labor peace agreements. Committed to continuously updating our state’s transportation infrastructure to respond to the needs of working families, we supported New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, to ensure that we continue to attract business to New Jersey and keep our state competitive. However, as the November election approaches, the improvements that we have made on behalf of all workers are on the line.
Letter: Life is better in a union (Opinion)
Inforum
By Landis Larson
Sept. 2, 2024
Seven in 10 Americans support labor unions, a near 60 year high, according to the latest Gallup poll released this week. We at North Dakota AFL-CIO believe that life is better in a union, and that all workers deserve the opportunity for that better life. A union means access to a good, sustainable job, earning wages that help us afford a home and keep up with rising costs, and it means knowing that our retirement is secure. Our future—and the future of our families—is better in a union.
Thousands gather in downtown Pittsburgh for annual Labor Day parade
WTAE
By Carlos Cristian Flores
Sept. 2, 2024
On Monday, thousands of people joined in what organizers called the largest Labor Day parade in the country. Many believe it's a testament to the people of Western Pennsylvania and the work they do. "This is a blue-collar town. Labor built Pittsburgh. And we're a small part of that as we move Allegheny County forward daily," ATU PA Joint Conference Board President Ross Nicotero said. "Whether you're a union member or not, if you're enjoying a weekend, 40-hour workweek, paid holidays, great health care. Thank you, union member," said Allegheny-Fayette Labor Council President Darrin Kelly. Thousands of union workers marched the streets of downtown Pittsburgh alongside federal, state and local leaders. President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Angel Ferritto, described it as a show of strength. "This is what solidarity looks like. This is what celebration looks like. The fact that so many people come out today to march with their brothers and sisters and siblings within the movement. It really is heartwarming," Ferritto said. Pittsburgh in particular, Kelly believes continues to be a symbol of organized labor.
AFL-CIO holds Labor Day picnic to honor role of organized labor in American history
WBOY
By Jefferson Pan
Sept. 1, 2024
The AFL-CIO held a Labor Day picnic Sunday in Mannington to rally community support around the union and honor the achievements of organized labor in America’s history. United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts gave a speech chronicling how the fight of unions in the past helped provide laborers with benefits such as healthcare and pensions. Toward the end of his speech, Roberts invoked labor organizer Mother Jones as he spoke of the need for workers to advocate for themselves.
Maine's mill workers celebrate Labor Day, bring attention to contract negotiations
Fox23
By Allyson LaPierre
Sept. 1, 2024
The Central Maine Labor Council hosted a barbeque lunch on Labor Day weekend for workers at two Maine mills. Local union workers, state lawmakers, and supporters gathered at Poulin and Turner Union Hall to not only celebrate Labor Day but to try and make a change. "We are here today to support the Central Maine Labor Council, on the celebration on Labor Day and also in support of workers at Huhtamaki and Sappi mills who are currently in contract negotiation,” said Mark Brunton, MSEA president.
Celebrating the accomplishments of hard work on Labor Day
WV Metro News
By Chris Lawrence
Sept. 2, 2024
Labor Day is here and it’s a time to celebrate the working men and women of America. Organized labor makes a big deal out of the weekend and considers it a time to show pride in a day’s work and what it means to everybody. “This is the weekend we recognize and acknowledge what Labor has done to make this the greatest country on Earth,” said Josh Sword, President of the West Virginia AFL-CIO. According to Sword, the effort to organize and exercise the right to have a voice in the workplace is a reason so many jobs offer good salaries, strong benefits, and a safe work place. Those extend even to a lot of non-union jobs, but Sword said the union can still be credited for setting those standards. An annual survey put out by the National AFL-CIO along with other unions found this year 70 percent of respondents have a favorable view of unions.
Northern Kentucky Tribune
By Staff
Sept. 1, 2024
Federal investments have spurred a rapid recovery from the COVID-19 recession in Kentucky, and rules for spending that money combined with growing union activity are creating the potential for better job quality across the Commonwealth, according the new report, The State of Working Kentucky 2024. This report, released to coincide with Labor Day, describes hopeful signs of strong job growth in construction, energy and other industries and the potential for an upswing in manufacturing. New federal laws encourage or require the use of union labor, and Kentucky workers have demonstrated a heightened interest in unions in recent years with growth in union membership and labor actions and an uptick in workers filing for and winning union elections. “We’re witnessing an incredible resurgence of energy and unity among unions in Kentucky,” said Ashley Snider, senior campaign lead with the Industrial Division of the Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA). “Workers are coming together like never before to demand fair wages, better working conditions, and respect on the job.”
Local Labor Leader Discusses State Of Labor Movement, Hotel Strike, AI (Audio)
WATD
By Dan McCready
Sept. 2, 2024
Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, speaks with WATD’s Dan McCready about the state of the Labor Movement, a strike by hotel workers with UNITE HERE, and the challenges caused by AI, or Artificial Intelligence.
Union leaders rally South Florida workers on Labor Day to demand higher pay
CBS News
By CBS Miami Team
Sept. 2, 2024
It seemed only appropriate that on Labor Day, union leaders rallied workers in South Florida to demand higher wages amid rising costs across the area. The United Teachers of Dade, along with members of the South Florida AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America, the Transport Workers Union, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and state Senator Shervin Jones came together at UTD headquarters to discuss the importance of unions when it comes to demanding safe working conditions and fair wages. The South Florida AFL-CIO represents 52 affiliated local unions with more than 239,000 union members and retirees in the region. Representatives said Florida currently has the highest rate of inflation. Combined with a lack of affordable housing, skyrocketing insurance rates and limited healthcare access, they said it is one of the least livable states. Mayor Levine Cava said that needs to change.
‘Workers have a voice’: How Las Vegas unions think of Labor Day
Las Vegas Review-Journal
By McKenna Ross
Sept. 2, 2024
“In practice, being ‘a union town’ means that workers have a voice, are treated with dignity, and can count on their union to stand by them,” Pappageorge said in a statement. “We are proud of our 9 decades-long history of doing just that. Whether it’s through fighting for fair wages, pushing for the elimination of taxes on tips — while raising the minimum wage and ending the sub-minimum wage, or supporting our members through every evolution that Las Vegas undertakes, like the closures of the Mirage and Tropicana, the Culinary Union is here to stay — continuing to fight, win, and make Nevada a better place for all working families.”
Philly Labor Day Parade 2024: Mayor Parker, union workers unite
Fox29
By Greg Payne
Sept. 2, 2024
On a day many people take trips down the shore or enjoy cookouts, some flocked to the city to celebrate Union workers. Accompanying the sounds of drum beats, Philadelphia laborers, all uniting along Columbus Boulevard. Representing unions from all different sectors across the city and beyond. Leading the charge was Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. "How many of you knew that we’ve been doing this, this Labor Day parade and Labor Day parades across the country for over 125 years," said Mayor Parker.
Milwaukee Labor Day parade; union workers say sense of unity was strong
Fox 6 Milwaukee
By FOX6 News Digital Team
Sept. 2, 2024
Union workers filled the streets for Milwaukee's annual Labor Day parade on Monday, Sept. 2. While the parade did not have a specific theme, people FOX6 News talked with said the sense of unity was powerful. "We are all pumped, ready to go," said Rachel Meyers, USW Steelworkers.
Local labor organizations celebrate Labor Day with picnic, guest appearances
NBC26
By Karl Winter
Sept. 2, 2024
The Greater Green Bay Labor Council, part of the Wisconsin state American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), hosted a Labor Day picnic Monday at Bay Beach Amusement Park. This marked the 33rd annual Labor Council picnic, which organizers say honored workers of all professions. Guests of honor spoke from a 119-year-old podium, symbolizing the longevity of labor unions in greater Green Bay.
Local Union leaders show workers appreciation with a Labor Day picnic in City Park
WWLTV
By Winston Reed
Sept. 2, 2024
Local Union leaders and political leaders show their appreciation to American workers with a Labor Day picnic in City Park. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, representing over 12.5 million workers worldwide, is hosting the Labor Day picnic. AFL-CIO is a democratic organization, but the picnic is bipartisan. The makeup of union workers typically includes both Democrats and Republicans. CBS News says 71% of Americans approve of forming unions.
Labor Day: It’s Better in a Union
Insider NJ
By Charles Wowkanech
Sept. 1, 2024
As you celebrate Labor Day with friends and family, be sure to remember the sacrifices made by working families who have made the rights we enjoy today possible. Since the 19th century, Labor Day has served as a reminder to all that the labor movement drives our democracy, demanding justice, and equality for all. This Labor Day, we are proud to celebrate all the working men and women in our state. It is thanks to their efforts and achievements that New Jersey is at the very heart of the national labor movement. At the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, we have stood with New Jersey’s workers from every sector of the labor movement on the issues that matter most to them, working with legislators to promote the adoption of federal and state laws. In the last year, we walked the picket lines with nurses, electrical workers, educators, building trades and autoworkers. We also represented working families on issues including unemployment insurance for striking workers, paid family and sick leave, the prevailing wage, and ground-breaking legislation for cannabis workers, advocating for labor peace agreements. Committed to continuously updating our state’s transportation infrastructure to respond to the needs of working families, we supported New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, to ensure that we continue to attract business to New Jersey and keep our state competitive. However, as the November election approaches, the improvements that we have made on behalf of all workers are on the line.
Celebrate Labor Day with local BBQ picnics across the state from Montana AFL-CIO
Montana Right Now
By Bobby Lee
Aug. 30, 2024
This Labor Day Weekend, the Montana American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations (MT AFL-CIO) will be hosting Labor Day picnics across the state in celebration of Montana's workers. Picnics hosted by local labor organizations will take place in Helena on Friday, August 30, and in Missoula, Butte, Billings & Great Falls on Labor Day this Monday, September 2. “Labor Day is a day that was not gifted to us but was won by working people fighting for a better life in often dangerous conditions with few rights,” said Montana AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Jason Small. “It is a day that marks what we’ve accomplished together and a day that reminds us of the work still to do. Above all, Labor Day is about celebrating the dignity, creativity, and power of workers in all of our communities.”
Thousands of union members march in annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade in Philadelphia
6 ABC
By TaRhonda Thomas
Sept. 2, 2024
Dozens of unions and their members marched through Philadelphia on Monday for the 37th annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade. "We're here to support labor," said Vince Tarducci, a business agent with the American Postal Workers Union. That sentiment was echoed down Columbus Boulevard as thousands marched in the parade, which started at the headquarters for Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Hall in South Philadelphia. "Just being with my union brothers and sisters and enjoying the moment. I love being here. It's great," said Jerry Golden of UA Local 420. The annual parade served as a chance for local unions to stand united in their causes.
On Labor Day, celebrate pro-worker wins in Tennessee such as UAW Volkswagen union vote (Opinion)
The Tennessean
By Billy Dycus
Sept. 1, 2024
April 19th, 2024. For many Tennesseans, this was just an ordinary Friday. Working families throughout our state, however, likely remember this date for a different reason. In fact, the historic accomplishment associated with it is a big reason why there’s even more for our movement to celebrate this Labor Day. After two disappointing defeats over the past decade, workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers (UAW). The results weren’t exactly a nail-biter: nearly 75% of the workers who cast ballots decided that they wanted to become union members.
Labor Day is time for appreciation (Opinion)
The Summerville Journal Scene
By Kim Smith
Sept. 1, 2024
On this Labor Day, Sept. 2, 2024, let us take a moment to honor and appreciate all workers' hard work and dedication. Labor Day is a time to recognize the contributions of workers to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our nation, our state and our communities. Today, we celebrate the achievements of the labor movement and the rights and protections that have been won for workers. Let us not forget that the right to organize a union is a fundamental human right that empowers workers to come together, collectively bargain, and advocate for better wages, benefits and working conditions. It is a cornerstone of labor rights and plays a crucial role in ensuring that workers have a voice within the workplace. By exercising their right to organize a union, workers can strengthen their bargaining power, improve working conditions, and create a more equitable and inclusive work environment.
Labor Day message: United, we can improve Florida for all (Opinion)
The Apopka Voice
By Mike Williams, Daniel Reynolds, Andrew Spar and Vicki Hall
Sept. 1, 2024
One of the many ways that the COVID pandemic is continuing to play out is by workers realizing the power they have when they join together to demand fair pay, benefits, and working conditions. Recent polling shows that more than two-thirds of all Americans approve of labor unions; this marks the highest approval rating since 1965. Even with that high approval rating, we know that many in Florida would like to know more about what labor unions are, how they benefit the working class, and how to join the rapidly growing union movement. This Labor Day weekend, the leaders of Florida’s labor organizations wanted to answer those questions.
Thousands gather at GABP for annual Labor Day picnic celebration
WKRC
By WKRC
Sept. 2, 2024
Labor Day means more than the end of summer to many union workers. The annual AFL-CIO celebration was held on Monday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. The local gathering is one of the largest in the country, with thousands of union members in attendance.
NEGOTIATIONS & STRIKES
More than 10,000 US hotel workers strike during Labor Day weekend
CNN
By Chris Isidore
Sept. 1, 2024
More than 10,000 hotel workers at 24 hotels stretching from Boston to the West Coast to Hawaii went on strike early Sunday morning, disrupting travel during a busy Labor Day weekend. The hotels are reportedly still open but guests will deal with a skeleton staff unable to provide full services. UNITE HERE, the union representing the striking workers, says they are striking not just for better pay but also better working conditions, including the return of automatic daily room cleaning that many hotels dropped during the pandemic. “We’re on strike because the hotel industry has gotten off track,” Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE, said in a statement Sunday morning. “During Covid, everyone suffered, but now the hotel industry is making record profits while workers and guests are left behind. Too many hotels still haven’t restored standard services that guests deserve. Workers aren’t making enough to support their families. Many can no longer afford to live in the cities that they welcome guests to.”
Major hotel strike spreads across U.S. on Labor Day weekend
The Washington Post
By Lauren Kaori Gurley and Julian Mark
Sept. 1, 2024
Thousands of hotel workers in major cities across the country walked off the job Sunday morning in a strike wave expected to quickly reach other U.S. cities. The initial strikes, which involve mostly Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt properties, will last three days. More than 10,000 workers walked out at hotels in San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Honolulu, Kauai, Boston, Seattle and Greenwich, Conn., early in the day. The strikes could spread later Sunday or Monday to other communities, including New Haven, Conn.; Baltimore; and Oakland, Calif.
Boeing’s next big problem could be a strike by 32,000 workers
CNN
By Chris Isidore
Sept. 1, 2024
Boeing has experienced all manner of bad news in the last six years, and almost nothing but problems. Later this month it could add a strike by 32,000 workers to its list of woes. The contract between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists is due to expire at 11:59 pm PT on September 12. Without a new contract, the workers who build its planes in Washington state are set to start the first strike at the company in 16 years. And right now, the chances of a deal don’t look good, according to the head of the union local. “We’re far apart is on all the main issues - wages, health care, retirement, time off,” Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, told CNN this past week. “We continue to work through that, but it’s been a tough slog to get through.”
About 10,000 Hotel Workers Walk Off the Job on Labor Day Weekend
The New York Times
By Sydney Ember
Sept. 1, 2024
About 10,000 hotel workers in cities including San Francisco, Seattle and Boston walked off the job on Sunday in an attempt to disrupt Labor Day weekend travel after their union and some of the country’s biggest hotel companies failed to come to an agreement in contract negotiations. On Sunday morning, workers were striking at some Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton hotel properties, plus one Fairmont hotel, in eight cities across the United States: Boston; San Francisco; Seattle; San Jose, Calif.; Honolulu; Kauai, Hawaii; San Diego and Greenwich, Conn., according to UNITE HERE, the union. The workers, at 24 hotels total, included front-desk staff, housekeepers and other employees.
They walked off the job in August and remain on strike as Labor Day nears
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Savannah Sicurella and Michael E. Kanell
Sept. 1, 2024
Gus May has worked as a service technician for AT&T for 45 years. He’s spent his entire career with the company, having a front-row seat to the evolution of technology over the past four decades, and believes it is a great one to work for. But he and 17,000 other AT&T workers in Atlanta and across the Southeast are on strike, having walked off their jobs on Aug. 16 amid an impasse in contract negotiations. With so many workers walking picket lines instead of servicing business and consumer customers of the Dallas-based telecommunications giant, the stakes were high enough to draw Claude Cummings Jr., president of the 700,000-member CWA, to join several Atlanta-area picket lines on Friday, according to union officials.
Mission Hospital nurses vote overwhelmingly to authorize a strike
WLOS
By Marc Liverman and Dean Hensley
Sept. 2, 2024
Registered nurses at Mission Hospital have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. A news release sent to News 13 on Sept. 2 stated that the nurses voted for the strike for Mission Hospital's owner, HCA, to address patient safety concerns. The release said nurses voted 97 percent in favor to authorize their nurse bargaining team to call a strike, should they deem it necessary, stating that HCA has refused to address numerous patient safety issues. The nurses are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.
Boston hotel union Unite Here Local 26 warns citywide strike 'quite likely' within days
WCVB
By Rhondella Richardson
Aug. 30, 2024
Thousands of Boston hotel workers are on the brink of a citywide strike that would impact nearly three dozen properties across the Boston area on Labor Day weekend. Unite Here Local 26, which represents hospitality workers in Boston and Rhode Island, announced earlier this month that 99% of members voted in support of going on strike as soon as midnight on Saturday, when the current contracts expire. Advertisement
"A storm is brewing, and hotel workers are bringing the thunder," the union wrote in a statement on Friday.
Nurses at a Las Vegas hospital vote to authorize strike
Nevada Public Radio
By Anne Davis
Aug. 30, 2024
Nurses at Las Vegas’ Mountain View Hospital are demanding management hire and retain more nurses and guarantee staff work and meal breaks. The nursing staff made the demands after voting to authorize a strike this week. According to the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, 98 percent of the nurses at Mountain View Hospital voted in favor of the strike.
Boston hotel workers go on strike, call for better wages in face of high cost of living
Boston Globe
By John Hilliard
Sept. 1, 2024
Nearly 900 Boston hotel employees joined thousands of fellow hospitality workers across the country on the picket line Sunday to demand higher wages and better working conditions after failing to broker new labor agreements with the nation’s major hotel chains. The Unite Here labor union said 10,000 hotel employees at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels in eight cities, including Boston, went on strike Sunday. The strikes, which are expected to last two or three days, are calling for a reversal of pandemic-era staffing reductions in the hotel industry, which has not yet returned to pre-COVID levels, according to the union.
Cornell UAW employees agree on new labor contract
WSYR
By Max Bevington
Sept. 2, 2024
UAW workers at Cornell University voted to ratify a new labor contract with the University on Monday, September 2, ending a strike that started on August 19. More than 1,000 Cornell maintenance, dining and custodial employees who are represented by the UAW Local 2300 went on strike last month after not reaching a new labor agreement with the University.
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Ratifies Three Year Agreement
Opera Wire
By Francisco Salazar
Sept. 2, 2024
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra has reached a new three-year agreement with its musicians’ union. The news was announced in a joint statement that will see a 13.5 percent salary increase for all full-time musicians over the life of the contract and an additional work week beginning in the second year of the contract. There will also be a provision that could lead to more racial diversity among orchestra musicians. The agreement reached with the American Federation of Musicians, Local 342 notes that the minimum salary for CSO musicians will increase from $45,861 to $53,709.
Why Thousands of Hotel Workers Are on Strike
The New York Times
By Katie Robertson and Derek M. Norman
Sept. 2, 2024
Some 10,000 workers, including housekeepers, front-desk staff and servers, went on strike across the United States on Sunday after contract negotiations stalled. On Monday, nearly 300 hotel workers joined the strike in Baltimore on the busy Labor Day holiday weekend. The hotel workers are calling for higher wages, as well as the reversal of Covid-era staffing and service cuts. Housekeeping in particular has emerged as a key issue. During the pandemic, the union said, many hotels cut staffing and guest services like daily housekeeping and room service, which caused some workers to lose income and created a heavier workload for the remaining workers.
JOINING TOGETHER
Ahead of Labor Day, North Alabama unions stand in solidarity with striking AT&T workers
Alabama Political Reporter
By Staff
Aug. 30, 2024
In Alabama and across several other Southern states, 17,000 Communications Workers of America (CWA) members who work for AT&T Southeast are on strike over unfair labor practices. Huntsville’s CWA Local 3905 has approximately 250 members on strike. “During negotiations, management has refused to bargain in good faith with the dedicated workers who make their profits possible. The North Alabama Area Labor Council and labor unions around our region have these members’ backs and we are mobilizing to support them,” the release stated. “Our Labor Council has voted to approve a donation to help sustain the strikes in our community, UPS drivers represented by Teamsters Local 402 have pledged to not cross picket lines to make deliveries, and members from other labor unions are regularly showing up to support striking workers and make personal donations of food and drink. The labor movement’s biggest strength is our solidarity and union members in Alabama are ready to help our CWA siblings win this fight.”
LABOR HISTORY
Honoring Black labor leaders who pioneered workers’ rights
Rolling Out
By Amari Apple
Sept. 2, 2024
Black organizers have played a crucial role in advocating for workers’ rights long before the Civil Rights Movement. This Labor Day, we honor five influential Black labor leaders who fought tirelessly for better pay, workplace equality and the empowerment of workers.
LABOR LEADERSHIP
Meet one of America’s newest union leaders: Brooke Shields
The Washington Post
By Lauren Kaori Gurley
Sept. 2, 2024
Brooke Shields has taken over America’s stage actors’ union at a moment of crisis. While show-goers have flocked back to concerts and sporting events, live theater attendance still lags pre-pandemic times, sidelining the industry longer than others shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic. The storied Actors’ Equity Association union, representing 51,000 stage actors and managers from Broadway to San Francisco, is also fighting a high-profile battle for its first contract for Disneyland Resort performers in Anaheim, Calif. And there’s an ongoing strike against theaters for higher pay for shows in development. Plus, the union’s top legislative priority is to get Congress to rewrite tax policy so that unreimbursed business expenses are tax deductible again, a 2017 change that hit the industry hard.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Happy Labor Day weekend! These are the 10 most unionized cities in America
Quartz
By William Gavin
Sept. 1, 2024
Labor unions are having a bit of a comeback. Some 70% of Americans now approve of labor unions, up from 67% in 2023. This marks the second-highest approval rating for unions in almost 60 years, according to a recent Gallup poll; the only year during this timeframe with a higher approval rating was 2022, when support reached 71%. The past two years have featured pronounced union activity, from the United Auto Workers union’s push to win contracts with the Detroit Three — and beyond — to organizing movements at Amazon and Starbucks. Not to mention the writers’ and actors’ strikes of 2023 and the largest healthcare strike in U.S. history, as well as several ongoing — and potential — strikes that are poised to disrupt numerous industries.
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra performs at free outdoor concert for Labor Day Weekend (Photos)
Lancaster Online
By Logan Gehman
Sept. 2, 2024
The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra hosted a free outdoor concert Sunday in celebration of Labor Day weekend. On the stage in Binns Park on North Queen Street, Lancaster, in front of an appreciative crowd watching from lawn chairs, guest conductor Rebekah K. O’Brien led the orchestra through pieces that will be featured in concerts during the symphony’s upcoming 2024-25 season. Music ranged from John Williams’ “The Imperial March” (Darth Vader’s theme from “Star Wars”) to tunes from the George Gershwin musical “Crazy for You” to classical works by Johannes Brahms, Peter Tchaikovsky and Jean Sibelius. The concert was presented by Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, the city of Lancaster, the Lancaster County Community Foundation and the Music Performance Trust Fund (American Federation of Musicians, Local 294).
UNION BUSTING
Dallas Weekly
By Marlissa Collier
Sept. 2, 2024
A firestorm is brewing in the arts community as the Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) faces allegations of union-busting following the dismissal of its entire main company. The dancers, represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), claim they were terminated in retaliation for their decision to unionize. The dismissal came just months after the dancers voted unanimously to unionize with the AGMA. The theater’s initial statement attributed the terminations to a playful video, posted to the dancers’ self-run social media account on June 21, 2024, that allegedly violated contractual terms and artistic standards. “Because this video violates our company policies for use of our name, brand, and does not reflect the organization’s values, we had an immediate and negative impact on our public image,” DBDT Executive Director Zenetta Drew recently told Dance Magazine.