AFL-CIO Blog

  • Celebrating Pride: In the States Roundup
    Celebrating Pride: In the States Roundup It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter. Alabama AFL-CIO: Alaska AFL-CIO: Arizona AFL-CIO: California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: Connecticut AFL-CIO: Georgia State AFL-CIO: Illinois AFL-CIO: Indiana State AFL-CIO: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO: Maine AFL-CIO: Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Michigan State AFL-CIO: Minnesota AFL-CIO: Missouri AFL-CIO: Nevada State AFL-CIO: New Hampshire AFL-CIO: New York State AFL-CIO: North Carolina State AFL-CIO: North Dakota AFL-CIO: Ohio AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: Texas AFL-CIO: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO: Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/01/2023 - 14:50 — Jun 1
  • Pride at Work
    Pride at Work The labor movement is intersectional. This means we fight for all working people—no matter the gender, race, ethnicity or any other identity. Those identities intersect with your own identity as a worker, as a parent, as a sibling. In America, we believe all people should be able to work without fear of discrimination or violence. You should be able to work without hiding your light and without hiding your true, authentic self. LGBTQ+ people still lack basic federal legal protections in the workplace, which make them vulnerable to recent appalling and shameful actions by state legislatures. We have no tolerance for hate in our movement. The labor movement is fighting back with everything we have. And the best tool we have is a union contract. Union contracts are legally enforceable in every state. They protect LGBTQ+ workers from harassment, and can mean real progress for workers and our families to gain health care, savings, a future, and so much more. Check out some model contract language from our constituency group, Pride at Work. LGBTQ+ workers face retaliation and fear getting fired for standing with their co-workers. It’s hard for workers to see the very same corporations that celebrate pride turn around and hire anti-union-busting consultants and deny their workers the promise of a union contract. That’s why, this Pride Month, we want you to share what your union means to you. Share your story. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/01/2023 - 10:00 — Jun 1
  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFT Offers Free Resources for Pride Month
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFT Offers Free Resources for Pride Month 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. Today begins Pride Month, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is offering free resources for educators. The AFT resources are particularly important in the face of a recent trend of state legislatures attacking LGBTQ+ rights. The Share My Lesson website offers lesson plans, webinars, LGBTQ+ history lessons and blog posts on a variety of topics, such as how teachers can support LGBTQ+ students. Visit Share My Lesson for more.   Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/01/2023 - 08:28 — Jun 1
  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: James Ikehara
    Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: James Ikehara For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is James Ikehara of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. James Ikehara has been an AFA-CWA flight attendant based in San Francisco since 2011, when he started his career with Virgin America. Having triple heritage from a Filipina/Chinese mother born in Manila and an Okinawan father born on the island of Molokai. Ikehara is proud of his Asian American Pacific Islander heritage and the diversity he brings as secretary of AFA-CWA Local 29011 in San Francisco. He currently lives on the Big Island of Hawaii and was one of many volunteers at a recent “Malama Mauna Kea” event to protect the resources of the sacred mountain. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/31/2023 - 11:29 — May 31
  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Wins Union Election at EPA Facility in Michigan
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFGE Wins Union Election at EPA Facility in Michigan 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. Tricia Paff, president of AFGE Local 37, discovered that remote workers at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, were about to lose their union protections. Paff was on the AFGE-EPA contract negotiations team when she learned that remote workers at multiple EPA facilities were going to be removed from the bargaining unit after their duty station was changed. As Paff and the AFGE EPA Council were investigating the issue, the Ann Arbor human resource director confirmed that her facility was indeed one of the locations that would be affected. Paff was able to get the action postponed, and 19 remote workers were able to vote and retain their union protections.  Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/31/2023 - 08:50 — May 31