Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Ili Meaole
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Ili Meaole
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 Ili Meaole of AFGE.
Ili Meaole has dedicated more than 21 years of her life to the labor movement, fighting tirelessly for the rights of workers. Her journey began in 2002 when she joined the union and became a steward, driven by a desire to advocate for her colleagues. In 2008, she was elected as local secretary, working relentlessly to ensure equality in the workplace. Meaole continues to lead with determination as AFGE District 11’s elected National Fair Practice and Affirmative Action Coordinator. She is also a proud member of the AFGE Council of Prison Locals.
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 05/06/2025 – 09:42
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: IAM Members at Pratt & Whitney Go on Strike
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: IAM Members at Pratt & Whitney Go on Strike
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Approximately 3,000 members of Machinists (IAM) locals 700 and 1746 in Connecticut rejected the latest proposal from their employer, Pratt & Whitney, and launched a work stoppage early Monday morning to secure a fair contract.Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of defense company RTX, produces engines for both commercial and military jets. Workers at the aerospace manufacturer voted with about 77% in support of a strike after management failed to provide a deal that sufficiently addressed concerns over wages, retirement and job security.“Pratt and Whitney is a powerhouse in military and commercial aerospace products because our membership makes it so,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “This offer does not address the membership concerns, and the membership made their decision—we will continue to fight for a fair contract.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 05/06/2025 – 09:32
UNION PLUS – CAR RENTAL DISCOUNTS
Save up to 35%* off Avis car rental rates for your summer travel. Add coupon code MUGA087 for an extra $15 off $175* or more. Plus, sign up for Avis Preferred, the free loyalty program that offers fast app booking and expedited service. Up to 35% off Avis Car Rentals + $15 Off for Union […]
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Teamsters Statement on President Trump’s Union Job-Protecting Film Tariffs
(WASHINGTON) – The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and Teamsters Motion Picture Division Director Lindsay Dougherty on President Donald Trump’s announcement to place a 100 percent tariff on films produced abroad: “For years, Hollywood studios have hollowed out the industry by following Corporate America’s crooked playbook of outsourcing good […]
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April 2025 Wrench and Wood Newsletter
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Read More....Get to Know AFL-CIO’s Affiliates: Actors and Artistes
Get to Know AFL-CIO’s Affiliates: Actors and Artistes
This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we’ve covered all 63 of our affiliates. Next up is the Actors and Artistes (4As).
Name of Union: Associated Actors and Artistes of America.Current Leadership of Union: Gabrielle Carteris, president.Mission: The 4As works to advance and protect the welfare of the people who work to entertain and inform others in person and through every medium of recording and transmission. There are five member unions that make up the 4As. Actors’ Equity Association, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and SAG-AFTRA are directly affiliated with the AFL-CIO. Two other unions are part of the AFL-CIO through their membership in the 4As: the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) and the Italian American Actors (GIAA). Administrative functions of the 4As are handled by the Department for Professional Employees (DPE).
American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA)Mission: To represent performing artists and stage managers for live performances in the variety field.Current Leadership of Union: Judy Little serves as executive president. Other officers include Christopher Johnson (executive vice president), Susanne K. Doris (executive secretary-treasurer), Thania Guzman (director of membership) and Darlene Wendy Frank (national comptroller).Members Work as: Variety performers, including singers and dancers in touring shows and in theatrical revues, theme park performers, skaters, circus performers, comedians and stand-up comics, cabaret and club artists, lecturers, poets, monologists, spokespersons, and those working at private parties and special events.Industries Represented: Any performances in the variety area.History: AGVA was founded in 1939.Current Campaigns and Community Efforts: The AGVA Welfare Trust Fund is a self-funded major medical insurance plan, governed by a board of trustees, for the purpose of providing medical, optical and dental insurance coverage to eligible AGVA performers. AGVA offers current and previous members assistance through the Margie Coate Sick and Relief Fund, which is also regularly involved with other industry-related charities that benefit AGVA members, such as the Entertainment Community Fund, Episcopal Actors’ Guild, Catholic Actors Guild, Better Wellness, the New York Health Fair, Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative, Central Labor Rehabilitation Council, St. Malachy’s Actors’ Chapel and various telethons. The fund also presents regular variety shows using the talents of AGVA member performers (for which they are paid a fee for expenses) at various senior citizen facilities, hospitals, care centers, schools and public service locations throughout the country. AGVA also provides members with visa application assistance. Learn More: Website, Facebook, X
Italian American Actors (GIAA)Mission: Helping advance, promote, foster and protect the welfare of its members within its own jurisdiction and its sister unions. To preserve the history and awareness of Italian heritage among its members.Current Leadership of Union: Carlo Fiorletta is the president of GIAA. Other officers include Carolyn McDonough (first vice president), Debbie Klaar (second vice president), Mara Lesemann (secretary/treasurer), Simcha Borenstein (councilor), Ashley Wagner (councilor), Ron Piretti (alternate councilor), Regina M. Cafarelli (alternate councilor), Elaine LeGaro (alternate councilor) and Paul Borghese (president emeritus).Members Work as: Actors.Industries Represented: The arts and entertainment industries.History: GIAA was founded in 1937 as the Italian Actors Union to provide a voice for small ethnic theater groups. Since the 1990s, the group has been known as the Guild of Italian American Actors. Current Campaigns and Community Efforts: GIAA provides news and casting opportunities to its members. If members choose to have their headshot and resume included on the website, their information will be available to casting directors and agents who regularly use the site as a resource.Learn More: Website, Facebook
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 05/05/2025 – 13:05
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Angie Nguyen
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Angie Nguyen
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 Angie Nguyen of AFSCME.
Angie Nguyen is a home care provider in California, caring for her mother and aunt, both in their 80s. Originally from Vietnam, she moved to California in 1993 through help from the Humanitarian Operation Program. Nguyen has been a proud United Domestic Workers (UDW/AFSCME) member since 2008 and currently serves as a board member, committed to lifting up home care and family child care providers, clients and communities through collective action. She has helped grow the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance’s (APALA’s) membership in Orange County, organized activists for community actions and local elections, and worked with the Orange County Labor Federation to advance APALA’s mission.
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 05/05/2025 – 10:24
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Unions Ask Congress to Demand That President Trump Reinstate Fired NIOSH Workers
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Unions Ask Congress to Demand That President Trump Reinstate Fired NIOSH Workers
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
On Thursday, the AFL-CIO and 27 labor unions urged members of Congress to pressure the Trump administration to reverse its effort to gut the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). More than 85% of NIOSH staff have been placed on administrative leave and will be terminated in June without action. NIOSH plays a crucial role in protecting workers on the job, and without a fully staffed and functioning agency, the number of tragic and avoidable workplace injuries and fatalities will increase.“[I]n its attempt to restructure the Department of Health and Human Services using artificial intelligence, the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ functionally dismantled NIOSH—one of the most critical and impactful agencies to every worker in America, their families and to industries alike,” the labor organizations wrote. “This decision must be immediately reversed as it will take working conditions back centuries, when chronic occupational diseases and fatalities skyrocketed with no government agency to help identify causes and research interventions.”Read the full letter and list of signatories here.
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 05/05/2025 – 09:53
IAM Union Adopts Updated Branding in Nod to Proud Past, Bright Future Ahead
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2025 – IAM Union, formally known as the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, is responding to member feedback by updating its branding in an effort to further meet the needs of a diverse membership. The rebrand comes after IAM’s Committee on the Future (COTF) held 45 listening sessions in 29 cities across North America,
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IAM Members at Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut Vote to Reject Company Offer, Strike for Fair Contract
Approximately 3,000 members at IAM Union Locals 700 and 1746 in the greater Hartford, Conn., area have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s offer. The current agreement remains in effect through 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 4, when a strike will begin. “Our committee worked tirelessly to advance our member’s voices to the company, and the
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