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It's Better In A Union: 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 X (formerly Twitter). Alaska AFL-CIO:Week 2 of #LaborMonth2024 will be all about the #UnionDifference. Union members make more than their non-union counterparts and are more likely to have fringe benefits like healthcare. Simply put, #LifeIsBetterInAUnion! pic.twitter.com/Q19twRnteE— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) September 8, 2024California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:Support striking @unitehere hotel workers! https://t.co/oPh4lygtqh— California Federation of Labor Unions (@CaliforniaLabor) September 4, 2024Colorado AFL-CIO:Tonight we talk to Sophie Mariam, a labor policy analyst for the Colorado Fiscal Institute, about a study called The Rise of the Union Curious. https://t.co/M8v456DrPsLabor Exchange tonight KGNU 6:00 PM 88.5 FM / 1390 AM Denver and online on the podcast. https://t.co/xu9gEqEhK3— Colorado AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOCO) August 5, 2024Connecticut AFL-CIO:More union members are out hitting doors for pro-worker candidates in Meriden! #1u #LaborVotes pic.twitter.com/XKeLu5j987— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) September 7, 2024Florida AFL-CIO:Floridians increasingly can't afford Florida. This has to change. https://t.co/wcqH9G0IgC— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) September 9, 2024Georgia State AFL-CIO:We stand with you ❤️💪🏽#1u #unionstrong #unionproud #solidarity https://t.co/p0PNlH1QIA— Georgia AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOGeorgia) September 4, 2024Illinois AFL-CIO:We believe everyone should have access to a good paying job and the ability to retire with dignity. In fact, we believe that your ability to succeed in a job should depend on your craft and quality of work, not your gender.Learn more here: https://t.co/AVUklnHkWs#1u pic.twitter.com/2j2qyZ9xWo— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) September 7, 2024Indiana State AFL-CIO:#ItsBetterinaUnion pic.twitter.com/fYenQZNxqE— Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) September 4, 2024Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO:You're damn right they do! 💪 Order your shirt today: https://t.co/jbvyJIiTbo pic.twitter.com/odm25YisPF— Iowa AFL-CIO ✊ (@IowaAFLCIO) August 29, 2024Maine AFL-CIO:Anti-labor Federalist Society goon Leonard Leo, who helped tilt the Supreme Court against workers, is now bankrolling efforts to kill offshore wind & the thousands of local union jobs it will support in Maine.https://t.co/QRWnjdiZWm— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) September 6, 2024Massachusetts AFL-CIO:Excited to kick off our annual SkillsBuild Pre-Apprenticeship Program today @IUOELocal4! pic.twitter.com/nQOB8N8orQ— Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) September 9, 2024Minnesota AFL-CIO:Great day on the doors across Minnesota! When we elect Labor-endorsed candidates, working people win in St. Paul and Washington, DC! #BetterInAUnion #1u #Labor2024 #mnleg pic.twitter.com/ycCIEXLPYQ— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) September 7, 2024Missouri AFL-CIO:#Unions work best when we oppose #RightToWork and support policies that support #Workers. #1u #Solidarity pic.twitter.com/nmI7FLomX0— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) September 8, 2024Nevada State AFL-CIO:This morning we had a giant shredding truck in front of our offices & union workers demonstrated how Donald Trump’s Project 2025 would destroy workers’ rights and other freedoms affecting all Nevadans. We’re not going back! pic.twitter.com/gnmTDqdZqJ— Nevada State AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@NVAFLCIO) September 7, 2024New York State AFL-CIO:The Retail Worker Safety Act has been signed into law! Congratulations to @sappelbaum and @RWDSU; and a big thanks to @NYSenatorRamos and @KarinesReyes87 for sponsoring the bill, to @GovKathyHochul for signing it, and to the Senate and Assembly majorities for their support. pic.twitter.com/pVfFi6nPtR— NYS AFL-CIO // #UnionStrong (@NYSAFLCIO) September 6, 2024North Carolina State AFL-CIO:"NC should be the #1 state for both workers and businesses. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are interconnected." @votebraxton #ncpol #1u Read more at: https://t.co/pAJwADk1Ce— NC State AFL-CIO // #CountMeIn (@NCStateAFLCIO) September 9, 2024Ohio AFL-CIO:#ItsBetterInAUnion https://t.co/x8P0CyIot6— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) September 7, 2024Oregon AFL-CIO:Join #OregonLabor to kick off election season at a canvass in Portland for State Rep. and union member @Rep_HoaNguyen and @DanRayfield, our next Attorney General!Coffee, lunch and training provided.Sign up and get more info at https://t.co/B1B90w7Rqn pic.twitter.com/BC8sOS3paX— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) September 9, 2024Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:We need to talk to our fellow union members, our neighbors, our friends, and make sure they understand what’s at stake.Let’s get to work with @AlleghenyLabor and across the Commonwealth! #Labor2024 https://t.co/pfXwfq2Fiy— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) September 7, 2024Texas AFL-CIO:Strong take by @AustinChronicle as @afa_cwa seeks to improve working conditions at United Airlines by authorizing strike. Three years and still no contract?!? #FairContractNow #1u https://t.co/0C4JcUZHqP— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) September 6, 2024Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:Tim Walz Champions Unions in Milwaukee Labor Day Appearance https://t.co/pHPD7ypVsS— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) September 3, 2024 Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 09/09/2024 - 10:42Continue reading→

The Year of the Union Member: The Working People Weekly List 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. Kamala Harris and Labor Unions Need Each Other: “Union members should not allow themselves to be deceived by Trump again. But their leaders acknowledge that even with his track record, Trump’s allure for some is strong. ‘He’s been very effective at messaging working-class people,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told Politico recently, particularly on unfair trade policies and offshored jobs.”How Tim Walz Showed He Has Workers’ Backs: “Many of Cliff Tobey’s friends and neighbors struggled over the years to get their children to doctor’s appointments or pick them up when schools closed early during Minnesota’s brutal winters. Lacking paid sick and family time, the United Steelworkers (USW) activist recalled, they used vacation days to cover family emergencies even if that meant working themselves to the bone the rest of the year without a real break. That all changed in 2024 because of Governor Tim Walz. He signed a paid family leave act and other legislation that’s not only making Minnesota the ‘best state for workers’—as his administration declares—but showing working people across the country the kind of ally he’d be if elected vice president in November.”Infrastructure Law Creates Union Jobs : “As a union member for 37 years, I know the difference a good-paying, pro-worker job can make. I am proud to be a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and, for the last 12 years, business manager of Local Union 388 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. This year has been extraordinary for our union. We are just over halfway through the year and we have seen a great number of union job commitments across the state. Gov. Tony Evers coined this year ‘the year of the worker.’ I would add it is also the year of the union worker.”Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Encourages Boeing and Workers to Reach 'Fair Contract': “Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su on Wednesday encouraged Boeing and more than 30,000 of the planemaker’s factory workers to bridge a divide in negotiations and reach a fair contract, as a vote on a new deal looms on Sept. 12. Boeing’s Seattle-area workers, who produce the planemaker’s strongest-selling 737 commercial jet, are voting next week on their first new contract in 16 years, with the two sides still tackling demands such as job security.”UAW Members at Cornell Approve New Contract, Ending Strike: “UAW members at Cornell University have voted to approve a new contract with the university, officially ending the strike that disrupted campus operations at the start of the fall semester. The vote, conducted on September 1 and 2, saw 77% of union members favor ratifying the deal, which was reached on August 28 after weeks of negotiations. ‘The tentative agreement has been ratified, and the strike is officially over,’ said Lonnie Everett, UAW International Servicing Representative for Region 9, in the statement announcing the voting results. ‘Your unwavering solidarity and unity have led us to this historic moment.’”Lawmakers Unveil Federal Warehouse Workers Protection Bill: “Alarmed at the safety threats warehouse workers face nationally, especially if they work for Amazon and Walmart, a bipartisan group of four representatives unveiled federal legislation to mandate bosses disclose production quotas and banning production methods that endanger warehouse worker health and safety. ‘Businesses can keep workers safe and earn a profit, but that’s only possible with more transparency and more accountability to bring warehouse safety standards up to date,’ explained Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), a union electrical worker and co-chair of the Congressional Labor Caucus. ‘The increasingly dangerous working conditions at warehouses across the country that result from these quota systems are wholly unacceptable,’ added Norcross, former president of the South Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council and the measure’s lead sponsor.”Unions Are Taking More Prominent Roles in U.S. Politics as Support for Labor Rises: “Democrats need labor to turn out. Liz Shuler is the president of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization. She says, in key battleground states, union members make up 20% of the vote. Plus, it's also significant that public support for unions is the highest it's been since the 1960s. LIZ SHULER: We've had historic highs. The last several years, young people under the age of 30 are the most pro-union, so what does that speak to? It speaks to the fact that the economy has been broken for young people for way too long.”AFL-CIO President: Union Members Are Powerful. We Will Decide This Election: “The AFL-CIO represents nearly 13 million workers in our federation across 60 unions. This time every year, we come together to put the labor back in Labor Day. As much as we love the barbecues, the mattress sales—this is our week. This is about recognizing and appreciating the workers who make this country run. Last year, we started a conversation about how workers are doing in this country. Some of these numbers may surprise you: 70% of Americans support unions, among young people under the age of 30, it’s nine in 10. Union workers are continuing to find their power in two very distinct ways.” Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/06/2024 - 10:17Continue reading→