MUST READ
Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president and ‘unequaled voice’ for workers, dies at 72
Safety + Health Magazine
August 6, 2021
Longtime AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka died from a reported heart attack Aug. 5. He was 72. A third-generation coal miner who was elected the youngest president of the United Mine Workers of America early in his career, Trumka had served as AFL-CIO president since his election in 2009. He was elected secretary-treasurer of the nation’s largest labor union in 1995. “He was always there,” President Joe Biden said of Trumka, whom he called a close friend. “He was an American worker, always fighting for working people, protecting their wages, their safety, their pensions and their ability to build a middle-class life.” AFL-CIO Communications Director Tim Schlittner touted Trumka’s “unparalleled leadership as the voice of America’s labor movement” while offering his sentiments in a press release. “Today, the 56 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO mourn the passing of our fearless leader and commit to honoring his legacy with action,” Schlittner added.
POLITICS
Biden honors 'close friend' Richard Trumka after hearing of his passing
NBC News
August 5, 2021
President Biden began remarks by remembering his close friend AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
JOINING TOGETHER
Tech Workers at the New York Times Want a Union
Jacobin
By Aaron Petcoff
August 2, 2021
In April, a majority of the approximately seven hundred technology workers at the New York Times — including programmers, designers, and project managers — announced the formation of a union, the New York Times Tech Guild. Management rejected their petition for voluntary recognition almost immediately. But if they do win recognition, the Times Tech Guild will be the largest union representing tech workers with collective bargaining rights in the United States.
Code for America employees are unionizing
The Verge
By Zoe Schiffer
August 4, 2021
Employees at Code for America (CFA) announced today they are unionizing with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 1010. Organizers say 62 people have signed authorization cards, meaning 77 percent of eligible employees have indicated their support for the effort.
What we learned from the strike at Frito-Lay for better pay and one day off (Opinion)
Kansas Reflector
By Tony Spicer, John Nave and Andy Sanchez
August 7, 2021
We observed something different this past month as the Frito-Lay Corp. and workers agreed on a contract at the Topeka facility. The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union Local 218 were out on strike for over three weeks. At the center of these failed talks were wage increases and forced overtime with no time off. The members there hadn’t received an increase in over 10 years. We have witnessed in past contracts between Frito-Lay and its workers that the union members would have informational pickets and the membership would approve the agreement and it was back to work with the same issues. However, this time was different. It was as if a sleeping giant was waking up, and the members had had enough. They voted a contract offer down. Many of the members who had been working at Frito-Lay for 10-plus years said they were fed up with the unbearable work schedules that included 70-80 hours per week with no time off, and no family time.
The NewsGuild just broke its annual organizing record — with five months to go
Poynter
By Angela Fu
August 3, 2021
More than 1,500 workers across 29 workplaces have joined the NewsGuild so far this year, setting a record for the organization, which is the largest union representing journalists. Since 2015, the NewsGuild has been on an organizing spree, unionizing local papers and national publications alike, as part of a larger labor movement within journalism. In 2019, a record 1,499 workers joined the NewsGuild. The union broke that record last week when Forbes editorial staff voted 67-7 to unionize. Over the past three years, the union has added on average more than 1,400 new workers each year.
IN THE STATES
Alabama AFL-CIO president comments on death of AFL-CIO president
Alabama Political Reporter
By Eddie Burkhalter
August 6, 2021
Alabama AFL-CIO President Bren Riley on Thursday commented on the death of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka at 72. The cause of death was not immediately announced, according to CNN, although Politico reported it may have been a heart attack. Trumka was the son of a coal miner, who went on to work in the mines himself before becoming an attorney with the United Mine Workers of America union’s Washington office after law school, CNN reported.
Unions Are the Heart of Arizona’s Political Change
The Nation
By C.M. Lewis
August 6, 2021
According to Arizona AFL-CIO President James McLaughlin—who also serves as president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99, the largest union in the state—it’s illegal and unconstitutional. “It’s an attack on many things,” said McLaughlin. “It’s an attack on the notion that states can’t mandate that employers provide a certain level of benefits package, which is a core ERISA [Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974] concept, it’s an attack on the notion that a contract is a contract, including collective bargaining agreements, and it’s an attack on the notion that the union is the exclusive representative and can negotiate on employees’ behalf.”
Detroit's annual Labor Day march canceled over virus concerns
The Detroit News
By Oralandar Brand-Williams
August 6, 2021
For the second consecutive year, the city's annual Labor Day march has been canceled because of concerns over rising cases of COVID-19 and the more contagious delta variant, officials said. Daryl Newman, president of the Metro-Detroit AFL-CIO, announced the cancellation Friday. The march is the second major event to cancel its plans despite the recent reopening of restaurants, theaters and other popular venues. Earlier this year, the North American International Auto Show canceled its annual event for the second time due to the pandemic, but show officials are planning an outdoor auto event in its place this September in Pontiac.