AFL-CIO Blog

  • In Memoriam: Union Members Lost in COVID-19 Pandemic
    In Memoriam: Union Members Lost in COVID-19 Pandemic As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the United States, our sisters, brothers and friends in the labor movement are among the first casualties. It is important for us to work together during this crisis to prevent further deaths. It is important to thank those who are doing the work to keep us safe and fed. It is important to remember those who we lost because of the coronavirus. This list includes those deaths we have currently learned of. If you aware of additional union members we should include on this list, please send details to [email protected] and we will add them to the list. Mark Blum of New York, SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity: "Though he was perhaps best known for the 1985 film 'Desperately Seeking Susan,' in which he starred alongside Madonna and Rosanna Arquette, he most recently appeared in supporting TV roles on the HBO series 'Succession,' the Netflix drama 'You' and Amazon's 'Mozart in the Jungle.' He was a staple in the New York theater community, frequently appearing on Broadway, including the revival of 'Twelve Angry Men,' though he appeared off Broadway much more often." SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said: “This is a painful loss to our SAG-AFTRA family. Mark Blum understood that all performers working in this industry share the same employers and that our strength depends on our unity. He was a visionary. Mark will be deeply missed, and our hearts go out to his wife, Janet Zarish, his friends and all of his loved ones.” Raul Clarke of New York, Transport Workers: TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano said: “I offer my deepest condolences to all of our Local 100 members at Big Bus here in New York and across the country. I can only hope and pray that this dark cloud over our country passes quickly.” Oliver Cyrus of Brooklyn, New York, Transport Workers: "We have lost a second union brother to the coronavirus. [Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority] Bus Operator Oliver Cyrus out of the Manhattanville Depot passed away today. Local 100 Vice President Richard Davis, who has known Brother Cyrus for most of his 21 years on the job, said he was 'a quiet, humble man. He was well liked by all his co-workers. The workers at Manhattanville are all very upset. There's a somber mood at the depot.'" Scott Elijah of New York, Transport Workers: In addition to his work for New York City Transit, Elijah was pastor of the Bethany AME Church in Yonkers. President Utano said "I wish I had the words to say to bring comfort to Brother Elijah’s family, his friends and co-workers in Track. But I don’t. I can only wish that the support our union will bring to his family now and into the future will bring them strength in their moment of grief." Paul Frishkorn of Philadelphia, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA: "Earlier this week, we lost a respected, longtime member of the American Airlines family, who tested positive for COVID-19. Our hearts go out to Paul’s loved ones, many of whom work for American." Jason Hargrove of Detroit, Michigan, Amalgamated Transit Union: Passed after coming in contact with an infected person on his bus route. He posted in a video before his passing: "Ya’ll need to take this serious. This is real." Ernesto Hernandez of New York, Transport Workers: Transit Authority Surface Vice President J.P. Patafio called Hernandez "a kind man who was loved and respected by his co-workers and [he was a] hard worker. His death is a shock to us all." Araceli Buendia Ilagan of Miami, Florida, nurses union, SEIU: Roy Buendia said: “My dearest sister, we admired you for your dedication on your profession….You’re a true ‘hero’ in this fight against COVID-19.” Patrick Patoir of Coney Island, New York, Transport Workers: TWU Local 100 Vice President Shirley Martin, who worked with Patoir for 29 years: "Patrick was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever known. He was always the first to help. If you wanted something done, ask Patrick. Everyone at Pitkin is in mourning. Many of his co-workers where in tears when they found out." Patrick’s brother, Wendell, is a Machinist at the Coney Island Wheel and Axle Shop. Patrick leaves behind his grieving wife and four children. Peter Petrassi of Long Island City, New York, Transport Workers: Interim New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg said: "Our hearts are absolutely broken. Peter was a vital member of our team, and a valued friend. We are honored to have worked with him, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones." Dez-Ann Romain of Brooklyn, New York, School Administrators: Allison Farrington, principal of Research and Service High School in Brooklyn, said: “She loved her kids, she loved her community, she loved service. You could see it in how she and her students would look at each other. I can’t imagine what they are dealing with now.” Scott Ryan of Everett, Washington, Amalgamated Transit Union: ATU International President John Costa said: “The tragic reality of this devastating and deadly pandemic has now taken the life of one of our own. I hope the entire continent will join us in a moment of silence tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET to remember Local 1576 shop steward Scott Ryan, who was just 41 years old. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Brother Ryan and his sisters and brothers of Local 1576 in Lynnwood, Washington.” Caridad Santiago of New York, Transport Workers: IB ImageStations Division Vice President Lynwood Whichard said Santiago's passing is a "terrible loss to the Local 100 family. She was a wonderful mother, loved by everyone. We are all praying for her family to get through this time of grief." Warren Tucker of New York, Transport Workers: IB ImageStations MTA Bus Vice President Peter Rosconi said that Tucker's passing was "tough to take. All of MTA is in mourning." Division Vice Chair Mike Capocci said, "He was such a sweetheart. This is such a shame." An autoworker (name withheld) from Wayne, Michigan, UAW: UAW President Rory Gamble said: "I’m very sad to report that we had one more UAW member fall to the virus yesterday, from Ford Michigan Assembly in Wayne, Michigan. I want to extend our sincere sympathies to family and friends." An autoworker (name withheld) from Sterling Heights, Michigan, UAW: President Gamble said: "Today, I am so sorry to report that one of our members at FCA Transport in Sterling Heights, Michigan, has died from the virus. I, along with Vice President Cindy Estrada and the entire International Executive Board extend our heartfelt sympathies and prayers to our dear brother’s family and friends." Two autoworkers (names withheld) from Dearborn, Michigan, UAW: Gamble said: "We have been notified today that two more members of our UAW family have fallen to the virus. One member worked at Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Stamping [plant] and a skilled trades brother who worked at the Ford Data Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Our prayers and support go out to their families and communities." Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 04/02/2020 - 10:37 Tags: COVID-19 — Apr 2
  • On the Front Lines: What Working People Are Doing This Week
    On the Front Lines: What Working People Are Doing This Week AFL-CIO Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week. Actors' Equity: AFGE: AFSCME: Air Line Pilots Association: Alliance for Retired Americans: Amalgamated Transit Union: American Federation of Musicians: American Federation of Teachers: American Postal Workers Union: Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA: Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers: Boilermakers: Bricklayers: Coalition of Black Trade Unionists: Coalition of Labor Union Women: Communications Workers of America: Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO: Electrical Workers: Fire Fighters: Heat and Frost Insulators: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers: International Labor Communications Association: Ironworkers: Jobs With Justice: Laborers: Labor Council for Latin American Advancement: Machinists: Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association: Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO: Mine Workers: Musical Artists: National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA: National Association of Letter Carriers: National Day Laborer Organizing Network: National Domestic Workers Alliance: National Nurses United: National Taxi Workers Alliance: The NewsGuild-CWA: NFL Players Association: North America's Building Trades Unions: Office and Professional Employees: Painters and Allied Trades: Plasterers and Cement Masons: Pride At Work: Professional Aviation Safety Specialists: Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: SAG-AFTRA: Seafarers: Solidarity Center: TCU/IAM: Theatrical Stage Employees: Transport Workers: Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO: UAW: Union Label and Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO: Union Veterans Council: UNITE HERE: United Food and Commercial Workers: United Steelworkers: United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers: Utility Workers: Working America: Writers Guild of America, East: Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/01/2020 - 11:23 — Apr 1
  • The New Front-Line Workers: The Working People Weekly List
    The New Front-Line Workers: The Working People Weekly List AFL-CIO Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List. The New Front-Line Coronavirus Workers: Grocery Clerks, Delivery Drivers: "Much of the American workplace has shut down, sending millions of employees home to wait out the coronavirus pandemic. Among those still on the job are grocery-store clerks, prison guards and delivery drivers. 'Who would have ever thought that we would be on the front lines?' said Joyce Babineau, a 67-year-old supermarket supervisor in Dartmouth, Mass., a coastal village 60 miles south of Boston." AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Discusses the Labor Movement’s Respose to the Coronavirus Pandemic: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka joined Bloomberg TV this morning to talk about the labor movement's response to the coronavirus pandemic and why we need to invoke the Defense Production Act." What Grocery Store Workers Need: "As of this writing, supermarket workers in Denver, Oregon and Washington state have tested positive for COVID-19. Here in New York City, two Trader Joe’s supermarkets have suddenly faced temporary closures after workers at the Soho and Union Square stores became confirmed cases of the disease. The closures at these stores, which have seen huge increases in customer traffic since the onset of the crisis, highlight the dangers grocery store workers—performing their jobs in close quarters with other workers and customers—are facing, typically for low pay and benefits. The situation is set to become even more precarious as more New Yorkers become ill, with the peak of the pandemic apparently still awaiting us weeks or even months in the future." AFL-CIO's Trumka: Coronavirus Relief Package 'Not Perfect' but 'Going to Do a Lot of Good': "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka expressed support for the coronavirus stimulus package moving through Congress, although he said it's 'not perfect'." ‘Just Keep the Faith’: Workers Are Stepping Up to Beat Coronavirus: "The Machinists union and the AFL-CIO have circulated a brief video of [Trevar] Smedal as part of an effort to highlight the role union workers have played in addressing the coronavirus outbreak. Looking into the camera, he tells an anxious America, 'Just keep up the faith. I know that my co-workers, we’re going to show up every day and we’re going to get out as many as we can.'" Nurses Call for More Protective Gear, Training in the U.S.: "In some parts of the country, nurses are already struggling to secure the equipment and training they need to safely care for their patients, while protecting themselves from the infectious disease. Without the proper protection or training, the risk is high for nurses, especially since they have the most direct contact with patients. To understand the impact this pandemic is having on nurses, The Takeaway spoke to Jean Ross, the president of National Nurses United, the largest organization of registered nurses in the United States, and Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, a registered nurse at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx and the president of the New York State Nurses Association." Who Is Most at Risk in the Coronavirus Crisis: 24 Million of the Lowest-Income Workers: "This week, unemployment claims soared as state and federal officials restricted public gatherings and shuttered stores to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. Using wage data from the U.S. Department of Labor and working conditions surveys from O*NET, we analyzed those who are most vulnerable." Unions: “Essential” Workers Need More Coronavirus Protection: "Union leaders, representing workers that have been deemed 'essential' as Illinois battles the coronavirus, called Monday for more protective gear to guard members against infection." Women's History Month Profiles: Roxanne Brown: "For Women's History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various women who were, and some who still are, leaders and activists working at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Today, we are looking at Roxanne Brown." Fighting the Coronavirus: Making Ventilators: "Trevar Smedal is a member of Machinists (IAM) Local 1406 employed at General Electric's Datex-Ohmeda in Madison, Wisconsin. He and his co-workers are in a race against the clock to produce ventilators needed in the worldwide fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the video to hear Trevar's story." Put Workers First: In the States Roundup: "It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states." Women's History Month Profiles: Jessie Lopez de la Cruz: "For Women's History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various women who were, and some who still are, leaders and activists working at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Today, we are looking at Jessie Lopez de la Cruz." Talking About COVID-19: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup: "In addition to the AFL-CIO's own 'State of the Unions,' there are a lot of other podcasts out there that have their own approach to discussing labor issues and the rights of working people. Here are the latest podcasts from across the labor movement in the United States." Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/31/2020 - 11:27 — Mar 31
  • Coping with Coronavirus: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup
    Coping with Coronavirus: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup In addition to the AFL-CIO's own "State of the Unions," there are a lot of other podcasts out there that have their own approach to discussing labor issues and the rights of working people. Here are the latest podcasts from across the labor movement in the United States. The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, and Chris Garlock have launched a new show, the Labor Radio/Podcast Weekly, which includes clips from various radio shows and podcasts that talk about labor, unions and working people's issues. If you are interested in getting your clips onto the show, contact [email protected] for more details. Building Bridges: "Nurses Blast Government and Hospital Readiness for Coronavirus," with Deborah Burger, practicing nurse, co-president of National Nurses United (NNU) and president of the California Nurses Association.  CTU Speaks!: Co-hosts Andrea Parker and Jim Staros speak with Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) officers, President Jesse Sharkey and Vice President Stacy Davis Gates, about the COVID-19 pandemic and its far-reaching impact on schools, the union, the city and the world. Then they interview Emily Hecht, the CTU delegate at Vaughn Occupational High School about how the school community is responding to the urgent needs of students and parents. Heartland Labor Forum: Talking with members of the League of Women Voters about their 10 recommendations for assuring that tax giveaways actually serve the public good, not private greed. Labor History Today: Talking to Kurt Stand about his last days of work before the COVID-19 shutdown, Carl Goldman about the 1913 textile strike in Haldeon, New Jersey, and Jessica Pauszek about Tough Annie, a wealthy woman who supported working women in London during the struggle for women's suffrage. Union City Radio: Union City Radio is aired seven days a week during the COVID-19 crisis. Recent episodes have interviewed teachers, transit workers, firefighters and hotel workers. Union Strong: A day in history that changed workplace safety. Willamette Wake-Up: Talking about labor and the Green New Deal with Mike Ellison and Marty Hart-Landsberg.  Workers Beat: The show airs 9 a.m. every Saturday morning on KNON 89.3 FM in Dallas. Hosted by Gene Lantz. Your Rights At Work: Helping D.C. workers cope with COVID-19 and discussing whether or not the stimulus bill is good news for America's workers. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 03/31/2020 - 10:48 Tags: Podcast — Mar 31
  • Women's History Month Profiles: Roxanne Brown
    Women's History Month Profiles: Roxanne Brown AFL-CIO For Women's History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various women who were, and some who still are, leaders and activists working at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Today, we are looking at Roxanne Brown. Roxanne Brown currently serves as international vice president at large for the United Steelworkers (USW). She has served USW's membership for more than two decades. During her career, she has helped advance legislation to strengthen U.S. defense procurement laws and shape environmental policies to benefit USW members with jobs. She helped build bridges between USW members and the Environmental Protection Agency to achieve mutually beneficial goals. She worked to rally 20,000 people to protect the steel industry from foreign dumping. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in New York. Through the And Still I Rise program, Brown wrote about her work. Here are some key excerpts. On the challenges of moving to clean energy:
    Much of the work that we’re trying to do is to help design good, sensible and reasonable clean energy policies that take my members into account on the industrial side, and in the building and construction trades. We want to ensure that all of us play a role in this new, emerging economy.
    On the gender wage gap:
    We have to create that equality across the board. Every wage gap that exists is money that’s leaving the pockets of women all over the country. I grew up in a single-family household. My mom was a single mom. Every penny counts when you’re a single mom. The labor movement understands that. This is why wage equality has been one of its biggest fights.
    On how she got into union work:
    I grew up around unions, but didn’t know what they were. I’m from Jamaica. My family settled in New York. The women in my family worked in healthcare and food services. An aunt who worked for the county hospital was a member of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA). She would take me to union picnics and union parties, but I had no idea what CSEA was. I just thought it was the hospital party. That was my very first experience with unions. I started with the Steelworkers when I was 19 years old. 
    On why she loves her fellow union members:
    My very first day with the Steelworkers, I met a group of legislative interns who were members. That is when I fell in love with my union, because I fell in love with our members. They were nontraditional and diverse. They were from all walks of life. We’re the largest union in the paper sector; the oil sector; chemicals and rubber; and the auto industry. We actually have more people working in the auto industry than the United Auto Workers because our members make the components for automobiles—steel, aluminum, seats, glass and tires—literally everything.
    On diversity in the labor movement:
    It is very helpful for the future and growth of our union for our members to be more comfortable with diversity, particularly as more and more public sector workers are organized and we get more nurses, bus drivers, and cab drivers in the fold. For our union to fully move into the 21st century, it needs to be inclusive. I’m part of us moving in that direction.
    On the purpose of unions:
    I want young people, people of color, immigrants, and women to know that unions are about power. They are about economic power. They are about educational power—because those wages allow people to send their kids to school. They are about financial power for the future, because a lot of these union jobs have very strong retirement benefits associated with them.
    Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 03/30/2020 - 11:03     — Mar 30