News

May Day Means Solidarity Today is May Day, or International Workers’ Day, the day the world celebrates the bravery of workers throughout history who have sacrificed for safety, dignity and justice on the job. We’re united in our resolve to fight for a better future for ALL workers abroad and at home, including those targeted by the DOGE/Project 2025 Agenda.That includes our International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) brother Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was ripped away from his family in Maryland and sent to a prison in El Salvador, and our Service Employees International Union (SEIU) sister, Rümeysa Öztürk, taken while walking to dinner in Massachusetts and thrown into a detention center thousands of miles away.Neither of these workers committed a crime. Our solidarity is our strength. We take pride in knowing that we are a global movement standing up to the billionaires who are threatening our rights and freedoms. Here are a few important ways you can get involved this May Day:Find an event near you! Get involved and join the fight for a better future for workers. President Trump’s executive order to eliminate the collective bargaining rights of hundreds of thousands of federal workers is blatant union-busting. Fill out this form to call your representative and tell them to overturn this executive order by supporting the Protect America’s Workforce Act! Or dial 844-896-5059. DOGE is gutting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the agency that conducts job safety research on things like asbestos, lead and silica. This is a gift to corporations that want to slash worker protections to create more profits. Call your member of Congress and demand that they save NIOSH! Fill out this form to receive a call or dial 844-292-9097.Working people won’t allow billionaires to divide us based on where we’re from.This May Day, we’re standing together to send a message loud and clear across the country and the globe: We’re united in our resolve to fight for a better future for all workers.Thank you for getting involved.  Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/01/2025 - 14:44Continue reading→

Worker Wins: A Pivotal Opportunity Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life. RWJBarnabas Clinicians Vote to Join AAUP: On Tuesday, 150 clinicians from RWJBarnabas Health voted to join the American Association of University Professors—Biomedical Health Sciences of New Jersey (AAUP-BHSNJ). RWJBarnabas is a network of independent health care providers in New Jersey, and after a 2018 agreement forged with Rutgers University, it became the largest academic health system in the state. Clinically Focused University Practitioners (CFUPs) are physician faculty members with 10% employment at Rutgers and 90% employment at RWJBarnabas. This role was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, depriving academic physicians of the union-negotiated benefits and protections that their 100% Rutgers-employed colleagues in the exact same departments and clinics enjoyed. They were previously excluded from union representation, a move that the union decried as illegal. CFUPs faced intimidation as management attempted to suppress union support, but ultimately they emerged victorious in their fight for equal benefits and protections. “We do not tolerate union busting or creating new inequities in the workforce,” said Todd Wolfson, national president of the AAUP and local president of the Rutgers AAUP. “The corporatization of academic medicine has worsened physician working conditions, patient care, and the training of medical students and residents. The AAUP and our physician faculty members are going to change that. We are already hearing from other RWJBH physicians about wanting to join our union, and we welcome them with open arms.Public Sector Union Referendum Clears Thresholds for Ballot Vote in Utah: The Utah lieutenant governor confirmed this week that a coalition of unions have gathered enough signatures for a referendum to overturn state legislation restricting collective bargaining rights for public sector workers. Labor unions across the state banded together to fight H.B. 267, which was authored by out-of-state anti-worker think tanks. This bill was passed by the state legislature in February and severely weakens the rights of public sector workers to bargain for fair wages and safe working conditions. Organizers submitted 320,000 signatures from voters calling for a vote to repeal the legislation. Unless opponents to the referendum remove enough signatures to disqualify it, voters will consider the measure either this fall or next.Showbox and Showbox SoDo Stage Crew Join IATSE and Ratify Contract: Workers at historic Seattle music venues, The Showbox and Showbox SoDo, are celebrating the ratification of their first union contract as Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15 members. This victory, which has been more than two years in the making, is historic because it marks the first nightclub to have a union-represented stage crew in the Seattle area. Technicians and stagehands successfully secured meaningful wins like substantial wage increases, vacation pay, retirement contributions and more. “This moment—it’s exciting, it’s historic, and it’s a pivotal opportunity for the union to build relationships and worker power with a previously un-represented subsector of the live event industry,” said Tiffany Youngblood, Showbox house steward and stagehand. “We organized because we wanted to improve conditions, increase transparency, and introduce industry-standard practices and benefits.”Judge Blocks Trump Executive Order Gutting Federal Unions: A federal judge issued an injunction Friday afternoon that temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ripping away collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Judge Paul L. Friedman, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the directive that aimed to invalidate union contracts covering federal workers at dozens of agencies was “unlawful.” The executive order was issued last month under the guise of protecting national security, but many impacted members don’t perform jobs related to counterintelligence or domestic defense. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) filed the initial complaint, and this ruling should prevent agencies from implementing the policy for now. “We commend the court for recognizing the Trump administration’s executive order stripping collective bargaining rights for what it was: illegal, retaliatory union-busting,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler in a press statement. “This was the most significant attack on workers’ rights in history, and if Trump was allowed to do it to federal workers, he would be able to do it to every worker in America, in every workplace and every industry. So this ruling to restore federal workers’ collective bargaining rights and reinstate their existing contracts—even if temporarily while the case continues in court—is an important first step.”Road Crew for ‘Chicago: The Musical’ Win Voluntary Recognition: Ten stage and wardrobe professionals, members of the Theatrical Stage Employees’ (IATSE) Associated Crafts and Technicians (ACT) Local, who work on Chicago Razzle Dazzle II LLC’s production of “Chicago: The Musical,” won voluntary recognition of their union. The voluntary recognition is part of a growing trend within North America’s live‑events sector. In recent years, the owners of concert tours, festivals and theatrical productions have recognized the tangible benefits of a unionized workforce. “We are elated to be joining the IATSE after longing for representation and a voice on the job,” the crew members said in a statement. “We are proud to finally be a part of this organization that stands for fair labor practices [and] worker representation and provides community in an ever-growing profession. We hope to be an example of the strength that comes from a united front in the fight for workers’ rights and are excited to return to the ‘Chicago’ tour with a union contract.” “Chicago: The Musical” debuted on Broadway in 1975 and remains one of the longest-running musicals in history, and these IATSE ACT members are part of the revival that first opened in 1996. “It’s an honor to welcome these workers into the IATSE family and provide a path for collective representation,” said IATSE Assistant Director of Stagecraft Stasia Savage. “While the workers on this production are overall quite happy, we standby to provide training, advocacy and protections.” Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/01/2025 - 11:50 Tags: OrganizingContinue reading→

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Wichita Symphony Orchestra Musicians Agree on New Contract 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. A total of 45 members of the Wichita Musicians’ Association, Local 297 of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), voted unanimously to approve a new contract, which will run through June 2028. In total, the contract covers some 80 orchestra musicians.The contract stipulates structured wage increases over three years, improved rehearsal pay policies, musician protections and refined language around artistic evaluations, a change in the hourly pay to a flat service rate for all musicians participating in rehearsals, among other improvements.“We are incredibly pleased with this outcome, which will further enhance our orchestra’s artistic quality and provide important stability for the years ahead,” the orchestra’s executive director, Tim Storhoff, said.  Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/01/2025 - 10:01Continue reading→

100 Days of Speaking Truth to Power In the past 100 days, President Trump, Elon Musk and their unaccountable DOGE have fired or targeted for firing at least 121,000 federal workers. They’ve been ripping up union contracts, cutting critical services we rely on and dismantling the fundamental freedom to organize for a better life.We were ready for Project 2025—but this governing agenda is Project 2025 on steroids. Everything from Medicaid and Social Security, the U.S. Postal Service and Department of Veterans Affairs programs, and cancer research and food inspections have been on the chopping block over the past few months to pay for even bigger tax cuts for billionaires and giant corporations. And in the meantime, costs for working families just keep going up and up.In short: This is the most anti-union, anti-worker barrage of attacks we’ve ever seen come from the White House.But you know what’s giving us hope right now? You. The power and solidarity of our 63 unions, our 15 million union members, and working people all across this country—standing up and speaking out for ourselves, our families, and our communities.The labor movement is leading the fight against this administration’s illegal actions and defending the jobs and services that people depend on. In the past 100 days, we’ve launched our own Department of People Who Work for a Living rapid response program to hold the DOGE accountable—and Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network to get workers the legal support they need to fight back.We have tens of thousands of people showing up to rallies, and protests, and town halls—working folks who are ready to do something. We have entire communities coming out to protect their immigrant neighbors. We have brave lawyers taking the fight to this administration and winning in court, so that thousands of Americans can return to their jobs.And we have people continuing to organize together and form unions in places we never have before, like the Deep South. Workers are saying: If the government isn’t going to fight for me, or raise my wages to a livable wage, I’ll stand with my co-workers and do it myself.The labor movement is under attack like never before, but we’ve never been more united—and the people united will never be defeated. Please watch and share:     View this post on Instagram           A post shared by AFL-CIO (@aflcio) If you’re looking for things to do right now on this 100 days marker, here are a few other ways you can get involved: Call Congress to restore federal bargaining rights now. Call your member of Congress and tell them to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act and to reverse the Trump administration’s executive order stripping the right to organize from hundreds of thousands of federal workers at more than 30 agencies. We are asking every single American who cares about the fundamental freedom of all workers to join a union to call their member of Congress right now at 844-896-5059.Find an event near you. Our union, state labor federation and local labor leaders are holding events all across the country every week to educate, organize, and mobilize working people. Keep checking in on our map to find an event near you.Join the Department of People Who Work for a Living, our own pseudo-government agency to expose the billionaire takeover. Share our content on social media and take action to stand up to the DOGE.Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network is uniting over a thousand lawyers to ensure working people get the support they deserve. Tell your friends by sending them to workerslegaldefense.org and donate to help support fired federal workers.Tell Congress to stop the cuts to NIOSH. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health researches worker exposures to heat and wildfire smoke, workplace violence, back injuries and other chronic diseases, and state-of-the-art technologies that keep workers safe in mines. Public pressure on Congress has already helped reinstate some NIOSH employees, at least temporarily. Tell Congress to keep workers safe and stop the cuts. Thank you for standing with working people these 100 days and every day. We are grateful to be in this fight with you.  Audrey Edmonds Wed, 04/30/2025 - 13:13Continue reading→

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Showbox and Showbox SoDo Stage Crew Join IATSE and Ratify Contract 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. Workers at historic Seattle music venues, The Showbox and Showbox SoDo, are celebrating the ratification of their first union contract as Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15 members.This victory, which has been more than two years in the making, is historic because it marks the first nightclub to have a union-represented stage crew in the Seattle area. Technicians and stagehands successfully secured meaningful wins like substantial wage increases, vacation pay, retirement contributions and more.“This moment—it’s exciting, it’s historic, and it’s a pivotal opportunity for the union to build relationships and worker power with a previously un-represented subsector of the live event industry,” said Tiffany Youngblood, Showbox house steward and stagehand. “We organized because we wanted to improve conditions, increase transparency, and introduce industry-standard practices & benefits.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 04/30/2025 - 10:50Continue reading→