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Service + Solidarity Spotlight: California Labor Federation Wins New Protections for Workers Service + Solidarity Spotlight: California Labor Federation Wins New Protections for Workers Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. Last Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a package of bills to expand worker protections. The new state laws will provide a workers’ compensation presumption for front-line workers who are afflicted with infectious diseases on the job and a requirement for employers to give timely notification of COVID-19 cases in the workplace. The California Labor Federation, under the leadership of Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski (IAM), took charge of the fight for these new policies. “Since the pandemic began, the California labor movement has strongly advocated for the most robust worker protection policies in the country. Today’s signing of a package of bills to bolster worker protections as the COVID-19 crisis continues shows our commitment as a state to policies that put the health and safety of workers first,” Pulaski said. “While more work must be done in 2021 to strengthen protections to ensure essential workers putting their lives at risk return home safely to their families after each shift, today the governor gave a much-needed boost to all workers across the state.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 09/23/2020 - 09:50 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Sep 23
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CDC Continues to Choose Politics Over Science CDC Continues to Choose Politics Over Science On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finally acknowledged airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 disease. But this long awaited recognition was promptly retracted from its website Monday morning with the message, “Posted in error.” The initial, quiet posting on Friday was not an error; they were facts, based on evidence that reflects our current state of knowledge and supported by scientists and occupational safety and health professionals throughout the world. Early in the pandemic, evidence suggested SARS-CoV-2 spread distances through the air, and the current science is now overwhelming. In basic terms, “airborne” transmission means that small virus particles we emit when we cough, speak or breathe can travel distances through the air, linger in the air and make others sick, compared to person-to-person contact and “droplet” transmission, which refers to the large, heavy particles that fall down after they are exhaled. Airborne viruses can spread rapidly throughout groups and are much more contagious than those limited to droplet transmission. Environments that put workers at greater risk of airborne viruses include:
- Indoor environments.
- Poorly ventilated spaces.
- Crowded conditions.
- Settings with individuals known to be infected (e.g., health care).
- Reducing the number of people in a setting.
- Spacing people far apart.
- Reducing the time that people spend in the same spaces.
- Ensuring adequate ventilation.
- Reorganizing the workplace, break times and schedules.
- Using certified respirators that filter small aerosolized particles for workers in high-risk settings.
- Early identification and reporting to local health authorities of COVID-19 cases in the workplace.
- Notification of COVID-19 cases to employees and non-punitive leave protections.
- Adequate training programs.
- Soundly supports strong, comprehensive and enforceable safety protections that go beyond sanitation recommendations, generic masks and the “six-foot rule.”
- Soundly supports the critical need for certified respiratory protection that filters out small, aerosolized particles for many high-risk workers.
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Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Solidarity and Cookies Lift Spirits at Operation Feed Atlantic City Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Solidarity and Cookies Lift Spirits at Operation Feed Atlantic City Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. Nurses bring their healing touch with them wherever they go, and on Thursday members of Shore Nurses Union/NYSNA in New Jersey added a touch of sweetness to the Operation Feed Atlantic City food-distribution program with a donation of 500 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies that will help lift the spirits of laid-off union members and the Atlantic City community. Operation Atlantic City, hosted by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and now in its eighteenth week, is one of the largest labor-sponsored food relief efforts in the United States. “We’re proud that our unions are part of the largest continuous food-distribution program in the state since the pandemic started,” said state federation President Charles Wowkanech (IUOE). “We're here because the need is still great. We still have thousands of people out of work, struggling to keep the roof over their heads and food on the table.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 09/22/2020 - 09:41 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Sep 22
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National Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Ernesto Galarza National Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Ernesto Galarza Throughout National Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling labor leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Hispanics and Latinos have contributed to our movement. Today's profile features Ernesto Galarza. Ernesto Galarza was born in Jalcocotán, Nayarit, Mexico, in 1905 and immigrated to California with his family after the Mexican Revolution began. As a youth, he assisted his family during harvest season, gathering his first experience as a farmworker. Because he had learned English in school, other Mexican migrant workers asked him to speak to management about polluted drinking water, providing him with his first experience in organizing and activism. Galarza attended Occidental College on a scholarship and worked summers as a farm laborer and cannery worker. After graduation, he attended Stanford University and earned a master's degree in history and political science. He continued his graduate studies while on a fellowship at Columbia University, where several of his research reports were published. Because of his experiences and education, he began to focus his efforts on improving the living conditions of working-class Latinos. This led to him being hired by the Pan American Union (later the Organization of American States) as a research associate. When the union created a Division of Labor and Social Information, Galarza was chosen to lead it. In the late 1940s, he was recruited by the National Farm Labor Union, which later became the United Farm Workers, to be director of research and education. Over the next several years, he helped direct numerous strikes and fought back against "right to work" laws. He became a leading figure in exposing abuse of Mexican American workers in government. In the ensuing years, Galarza became a leading writer on the plight of Mexican and Mexican American workers and the abuse of farmworkers. During his career, he wrote more than 100 publications and was a professor at the University of Notre Dame, San Jose State University, University of California, San Diego, and University of California, Santa Cruz. As an activist, scholar and organizer, it is hard to overstate the impact Galarza had on working-class Mexican American families and our broader culture. This post originally appeared on the AFL-CIO blog in 2018. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 09/21/2020 - 13:41 — Sep 21
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Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: United Steelworkers Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: United Steelworkers Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the United Steelworkers. Name of Union: The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW) Mission: The values upon which the USW was founded in 1942 still guide the organization today. These include:
- Uniting in one organization, regardless of creed, color or nationality, all workmen and working women eligible for membership.
- Increasing the wages and improving the conditions of employment of members by legislation, joint agreements or other legitimate means.
- Securing equitable statutory old-age pension, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance laws.
- Enforcing existing just laws and to secure the repeal of those which are unjust.
- Securing, by legislative enactment, laws protecting the limbs, lives and health of members, protecting their right to organize and other legislation as will be beneficial.
AFL-CIO Blog
- Service + Solidarity Spotlight: California Labor Federation Wins New Protections for Workers
- CDC Continues to Choose Politics Over Science
- Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Solidarity and Cookies Lift Spirits at Operation Feed Atlantic City
- National Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Ernesto Galarza
- Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: United Steelworkers