AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Nonfiction Production Company McGee Media Ratify First Contract

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Nonfiction Production Company McGee Media Ratify First 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 McGee Media, the nonfiction production company behind PBS’ “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,” agreed to their first union contract. The contract covers 25 staffers who work as producers, researchers and archivists, and are now represented by the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). They unanimously voted to ratify the contract last week.The contract establishes 3% annual wage increases for union members and health care contributions through the Entertainment Industry Flex Plan. The three-year deal also requires 10 vacation days and a minimum of three sick days after two weeks of employment. The deal also includes language covering the use of AI in the workplace: It necessitates advanced notice and “discussion” if AI tools are used by the company.Members of the bargaining committee stated that the contract “sets a new standard for the documentary television industry and reflects the progressive values of McGee Media.”

Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 11/12/2024 – 09:51

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Shedd Aquarium Win Union Election

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Shedd Aquarium Win Union Election

Employees at the Shedd Aquarium overwhelmingly voted to join AFSCME Council 31, making them the latest workers at the cultural institution in Chicago who have decided to organize for an improved workplace.More than 75% of workers voted for the formation of Shedd Workers United. The 180-person union includes staff who work in guest relations, learning and community, development, and other departments. Workers initially announced their intent to join AFSCME in April, citing concerns with work-life imbalance, low wages and a lack of communication from management and more. Despite union-busting activities from management, workers remained steadfast in their fight for representation.“We formed our union because we care about our co-workers, we love the aquarium and we want to make it better for all. We won by overcoming management’s divisive anti-union campaign,” the Shedd Workers United organizing committee said. “With our victory, we urge management to take a new approach and respect us as equals as we take our seat at the table to negotiate our first contract.”

Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 11/08/2024 – 09:58

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Alaska’s Largest Newspaper Approve New Union

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Alaska’s Largest Newspaper Approve New Union

Workers in the newsroom at the Anchorage Daily News, the state’s largest newspaper, voted 13–4 for a new union. With the vote, the Anchorage Daily News becomes the only union newsroom in Alaska. The workers intend to advocate for fair wages, financial transparency and a sustainable workplace environment.“My generation of reporters, I feel like we just kind of expected to be doormats, and my professors told me—they’re like, look, you’re taking a vow of poverty when you start this career,” said Kyle Hopkins, a longtime reporter. “Nobody expects to get rich or even be anything beyond kind of middle class or even lower middle class, but I just want the people I work with—and myself, if I lose the ProPublica connection—to be able to pay for child care and health care. Just the bare minimum.”

Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 11/07/2024 – 10:10

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Weill Cornell Workers Successfully Vote to Form a Union with the TWU

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Weill Cornell Workers Successfully Vote to Form a Union with the TWU

Custodians, housekeepers and receiving clerks at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City successfully organized with Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 241. Workers at the medical facility will begin negotiating a first contract, seeking improved economic benefits and more security. Local 241 represents workers at Columbia University and other affiliated institutions in New York City. “This is a great victory for working families in New York City. We are ready and excited to work with Weill Cornell custodians, housekeepers, and receiving clerks to negotiate a first contract that improves the lives of workers and their families,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “We are proud to represent Weill Cornell workers as they negotiate their first contract. This organizing victory is a testament to what TWU locals and the International can achieve when we coordinate effectively,” Local 241 President Alex Molina said.

Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 11/05/2024 – 10:22

Happy Election Day, Kenneth! Go Vote for Harris-Walz

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Happy Election Day, Kenneth! Go Vote for Harris-Walz

Democracy is at the heart of America’s labor movement—and now it’s time to cast our votes.

We’ve still got a ton of work to do for Kamala Harris, Tim Walz and our pro-union candidates up and down the ballot before the polls close tonight. We all know this election will be close. Your voice truly can make the difference.Make a plan to vote! Start by looking up your polling location.Learn more about which pro-worker candidates have been endorsed by the AFL-CIO.Learn about your state’s voting rules.If you have any problems voting or see something strange at your polling location, contact our Election–Voter Protection Hotline:English: 866-687-8683Spanish/English: 888-839-8682Asian Languages/English: 888-274-8683Arabic: 844-925-5287Once you’ve voted, please tell all your friends and remind them to vote, too. Send a text or email. Post on your favorite social media account. Make a call to check in. If you find someone who needs a ride or a babysitter, please pitch in and help.And if you have some spare time today, grab your phone and make calls to our key union contacts in battleground states, reminding them to vote. You don’t even need to leave your desk or couch.Unions know how to get things done. Let’s go win big.

Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 11/05/2024 – 10:04

Happy Election Day! Go Vote for Harris-Walz

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Happy Election Day! Go Vote for Harris-Walz

Democracy is at the heart of America’s labor movement—and now it’s time to cast our votes.

Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 11/05/2024 – 10:04

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: UFCW Members at Fred Meyer and QFC Ratify New Contract

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: UFCW Members at Fred Meyer and QFC Ratify New Contract

After months of negotiations, members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 who work at Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Oregon and southwest Washington overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract.Fred Meyers workers in Portland went on strike in August in response to multiple unfair labor practices. The agreement covers more than 11,000 members and ensures higher wages, stronger health care and a stable retirement. Additionally, the new contract improves the process to address contract violations.“Our new contract gives me peace of mind knowing that my healthcare is protected and my wages will keep up with the rising cost of living,” said Dale Russell Cronin, a Fred Meyer worker and Local 555 board member. “I’m especially thankful for the improvements in dental benefits and retirement. It feels good to know we are a fighting union and when we work together, we win.”

Kenneth Quinnell
Thu, 10/31/2024 – 10:48

Ignore the Polls. This Election Is Within the Margin of Effort.

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Ignore the Polls. This Election Is Within the Margin of Effort.

Gwen Mills is the international president of UNITE HERE, the hospitality workers union. Before becoming the union’s first-ever female president earlier this year, she served as secretary-treasurer and political director, overseeing UNITE HERE’s swing state field canvass programs.I’m not anxious about the results of the election.

Don’t get me wrong, as the leader of a union of 275,000 hospitality workers in thiscountry, the outcome in November will have massive implications for us. Will we spendthe next four years on defense, fending off attack after attack as Trump and his alliesattempt to crush unions, deport our immigrant members, and take away women’srights? Or will we be able to stay on offense, with a Harris administration that enablesus to focus on improving wages and working conditions in the hospitality industry?We could spend a lot of time trying to read the tea leaves on races that are within themargin of error. Or instead of being anxious, we can instead focus our energy on themargin of effort. My union, UNITE HERE, is choosing the latter.UNITE HERE is running the largest independent labor-led canvass operation in thecountry. Over 1,400 housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, concessions workers, andmore have already knocked on over 2 million doors. By election day, we’ll be more than2,000 strong, aiming to hit at least 3.5 million doors in ten key battlegrounds.Close elections are won or lost on the ground. Billions of dollars will be poured into theairwaves, generating a cacophony of noise that many voters are desperate to tune out.The answer to cutting through the noise? A real person, from your community, knockingon your door to have a face-to-face conversation. It’s old-fashioned, lowercase “d”democracy. Neighbors talking to neighbors about the issues in their daily lives.We’re not your typical paid canvass. Our own union members—workers who areleaders among their co-workers, who know how to organize—take a leave of absencefrom their jobs to work full-time as canvassers. Every day, they’re out in theircommunities talking to other working-class voters with similar demographics about realkitchen table issues.When our members, predominantly women of color and immigrants, knock on theirneighbors’ doors, they bring a unique credibility. Through cycles of investment in realdoor-to-door organizers, we win elections, and we build the movement needed to pushthe winners to deliver for working people.For that reason, our canvassing program is about more than the immediate election.When we knock on doors in Philadelphia, our first question in hard-hit neighborhoods is:“Do you have a job?” We open the conversation with what’s really on their mind, andconnect people to hospitality training opportunities, pathways to a good union job. Andwe discuss politics and get out the vote.Gregory Moody was born and raised in North Philadelphia. He joined our hospitalitytraining program in 2022 and was trained as a cook. He was then hired at the stadiumsand became a member of UNITE HERE Local 274. Earlier this year he went on strikewith his coworkers to fight for fair wages, health benefits, and respect. Now he’sapplying the organizing skills he learned with the union to canvassing full-time forHarris, talking to his neighbors about their future.Nancy Chávez is a dishwasher at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and a member of CulinaryWorkers Union UNITE HERE Local 226. She’s a leader among her coworkers, andshe’s knocking on doors, talking to her neighbors about the economy and the fact thatLatinos can make the difference in this election.Kearra Rosales, a member of UNITE HERE Local 11, works alongside her aunt andgrandmother at the Downtown Doubletree in Los Angeles as a front desk agent. Lastyear she went on strike to protect healthcare and secure her grandmother’s access toinsulin. Now she’s knocking doors in Tucson for Kamala Harris to improve healthcareaccess in working class communities.The ground game is often dismissed, seen as a last-ditch effort. It shows in the $165million fundraising shortfall that grassroots groups are facing. But when elections arethis close, canvassers like Gregory, Nancy, and Kearra can make the critical differencewith voters who share their experiences and are on the fence about who to vote for, orwhether to vote at all.In 2020, Democrats won the decisive states of Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania byjust 124,608 votes combined. UNITE HERE mobilized over 440,000 infrequent voters tovote for Biden, including 125,000 who had not voted in the previous presidentialelection. In Nevada and Arizona, the number of these voters exceeded the margin ofvictory. That is the margin of effort.So in these final six days, don’t sit around fretting about the polls. Go knock on somedoors, or support groups that are.

Kenneth Quinnell
Wed, 10/30/2024 – 13:56

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Fred Meyer Workers Agree to New 3-Year Contract After Strike

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Fred Meyer Workers Agree to New 3-Year Contract After Strike

Thousands of Portland-area Fred Meyer employees went on strike in early September. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, the largest private sector union in Oregon, voted “overwhelmingly” to ratify a new three-year contract. The contract covers 4,500 workers for Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Oregon and southwest Washington. The contract provides higher wages, stronger health care, stable retirement and allows the union to better address contract violations.”This agreement ensures significant wage increases, maintains industry-leading healthcare coverage, enhances dental benefits, and strengthens retirement security for more than 11,000 workers,” Local 555 said.”This contract is a victory for members of Local 555, who showed strength and solidarity throughout the entire fight,” said Dan Clay, president of UFCW Local 555. “It was won by union workers coming together and by a community standing with them.”

Kenneth Quinnell
Tue, 10/29/2024 – 09:53

Get Out the Vote: In the States Roundup

Posted in: AFL-CIO

Get Out the Vote: 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:Life gets busy. Plan to vote at a time that best suits you! 🗳️Click the link below to find an early voting location near you. https://t.co/VxxbMInGim— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) October 25, 2024Arizona AFL-CIO:This morning we joined our fellow #UnionSiblings for a Labor Rally and canvass launch at Arizona Education Assiciation in support of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz!— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) October 12, 2024California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:It was great seeing so many union volunteers & elected officials out walking for @WillRollinsCA — Eight of our @californialabor Vice Presidents made it out today! Big turnout from @udw_union @CFTunion @CSEA_Now @UFCW @CAFirefighters @TheIronworkers @IBEW & more! pic.twitter.com/BISEsZEGij— California Federation of Labor Unions (@CaliforniaLabor) October 26, 2024Colorado AFL-CIO:Did you know union members get a free t-shirt when they volunteer with us? 👻 Join us today, link in bio pic.twitter.com/G9ZtOs63gp— Colorado AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOCO) October 24, 2024Connecticut AFL-CIO:Union members are getting out the vote for pro-worker candidates in Waterbury today! #LaborVotes #GOTV pic.twitter.com/YLHYAdHJDa— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) October 26, 2024Florida AFL-CIO:Early voting for the 2024 general election has started in several counties this morning. If you haven’t voted already, find a convenient early voting location close to you at https://t.co/EugzngMA1S!— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) October 21, 2024Georgia State AFL-CIO:Need a ride to the polls? Union members and workers’ rights supporters, get your voice heard. Rides provided by Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda from early voting to November 5, 2024. Schedule at https://t.co/a3DqfGznS0. 💪 #YourVoteMatters #UnionStrong pic.twitter.com/xg7BggVpEb— Georgia AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOGeorgia) October 15, 2024Illinois AFL-CIO:A big weekend in Rockford for their 5th annual Labor Recognition Banquet. Thank you RUL President Sara Dorner, IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea and UAW President Shawn Fain for reminding us that labor wins when we harness the power of a unified movement and voice. #1u pic.twitter.com/Tq4B7FUqQU— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) October 28, 2024Maine AFL-CIO:Today one of union canvassers knocked on our 20,000th door of the campaign season! Our goal is to knock on 25,000 doors to talk to voters about pro-labor legislative candidates in key battleground districts by the election. pic.twitter.com/PX2FJM0Ybq— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) October 24, 2024Massachusetts AFL-CIO:Working people are ready to elect @KamalaHarris, @JoyceCraigNH, @MaggieG603, and @ChrisPappasNH in New Hampshire! Huge crowd on the doors in Nashua this morning with the @NHAFLCIO #UnionStrong pic.twitter.com/MH6RbQASs5— Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) October 26, 2024Michigan State AFL-CIO:This is what standing with union workers looks like. While Trump trashes Detroit, insults auto workers, and brags about denying workers overtime, Kamala Harris is fighting to save the livelihood of the working class. https://t.co/RMjc7EbkIE— Michigan AFL-CIO ✊ (@MIAFLCIO) October 17, 2024Minnesota AFL-CIO:Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham writes: “Project 2025 calls for rolling back more than a century of progress that created America’s middle class. In effect, the American Dream could become a nightmare for working people.” https://t.co/nxT7S9F0vS #BetterInAUnion— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) October 28, 2024Missouri AFL-CIO:We had a great labor walk last weekend for @Shirleymata60 and @MaggieforMO! pic.twitter.com/sntNLgPDw1— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) October 27, 2024Montana State AFL-CIO:In the 2022 election, 6% of the Montana electorate effectively elected 88% of our State House, and 36 candidates had no opponent in the General election. That’s why we need elections that put voters first. For more information visit: https://t.co/jk4tIOFO8L #mtpol #mtnews pic.twitter.com/khXjDfcWW0— Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) October 24, 2024Nevada State AFL-CIO:“We are the ones who knock on doors!” What a treat to have Breaking Bad’s @BryanCranston help kickoff one of our final canvass launches. 9 days left and we’re giving it everything we’ve got for the #HarrisWalz ticket 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/orLEdt8mks— Nevada State AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@NVAFLCIO) October 27, 2024New York State AFL-CIO:At least 140 Trump advisers contributed to Project 2025. See how the plan would impact workers: https://t.co/i1RPsRIgSU— NYS AFL-CIO // #UnionStrong (@NYSAFLCIO) October 27, 2024North Carolina State AFL-CIO:We want the best education and the brightest future for our children, but how will Trump’s #Project2025 impact kids in North Carolina? Let’s break it down. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/2YcBTJNHoO— NC State AFL-CIO // #CountMeIn (@NCStateAFLCIO) October 25, 2024Ohio AFL-CIO:It’s never too early to talk about re-electing @SherrodBrown. Thanks to these @UAW members who were up at at the plant gates at 6am to talk with their coworkers about Sherrod and voting #YesOnIssue1 to end gerrymandering in #Ohio pic.twitter.com/1M4N7tkoRV— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) October 28, 2024Oregon AFL-CIO:The Oregon AFL-CIO is proud to endorse @RepTawnaSanchez for Oregon’s 43rd House District.Learn about all of Oregon’s labor endorsed candidates at https://t.co/B1B90w7Rqn.#ORpol #Labor2024 #Election2024 #Endorsement pic.twitter.com/xGrnZjyHWq— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 28, 2024Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:Thank you to card-carrying union member Dr. Jill Biden for helping us GOTV with the Delaware County CLC, @PFTLocal3, and @UFT!When we vote, we WIN!#labor2024 pic.twitter.com/gxLKUthhpT— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) October 26, 2024Texas AFL-CIO:Reminder: ALL workers – regardless of race, religion, or immigration status – deserve a living wage, the right to collectively bargain, and freedom from exploitation.Don’t let billionaires like Trump and Elon Musk divide us. We are strongest when we stand together.— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) October 28, 2024Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:An evergreen reminder from @IAM751’s Jon Holden:“All workers deserve a defined-benefit pension. It is a righteous fight to try to win it back.”🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/mqV5Ll45bE— Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) October 24, 2024Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:“Our union rights are definitely under attack, but not just union rights. All of our rights are under attack,” Freeman said. “We can’t let this man back in office.” https://t.co/7HFArljOEm— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) October 28, 2024

Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 10/28/2024 – 10:29