Outdated labor laws have hampered our fundamental right to join together and negotiate for better wages, benefits and working conditions. That's why we need the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which will empower America's workers and strengthen our democracy.
A frustrated Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear chided the Republican-led state legislature Friday for getting rid of the state’s mask mandate for public schools and banning any type of statewide mask mandate.
The legislature’s decision on the mask issues was “wrong” and puts him in a position of trying to fight the alarming spread of the coronavirus pandemic “with one hand tied behind my back,” said the Democratic governor.
When I was covering Kentucky politics for a living, I started a file folder labeled “Gutless Wonders.” It was about legislators and their lack of courage, which usually stemmed from an unwillingness to do things that they knew were worthy but might cost them their seats in the next election. I didn’t keep up the file very long; there were too many examples, and most of them were petty.
Throughout West Virginia, mine workers, activists and workers from around the world commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain over the Labor Day weekend. There were over 30 activities, from the northernmost part of the state close to Pittsburgh to the southernmost part of the state in Mingo and McDowell Counties.
If you’re anything like me, you spent the first months of summer excited to be back with family and friends – feeling free from the anxiety and challenges of a global pandemic. The emergence of the delta variant has once again introduced uncertainty and anxiety, but there’s something new this time – divisiveness and extremism that threatens the fabric of our communities.
The Senate convened at 9am and quickly passed SB 5 – the economic development bill with an appropriation of $410M. After their caucus, they passed SB 1 – related to Education which among other things ends the statewide mask mandate for childcare centers and schools, SB 2 – the healthcare bill related to COVID-19 and SB 3 – the $69M appropriation bill related to COVID-19.
