Outdated labor laws have hampered our fundamental right to join together and negotiate for better wages, benefits and working conditions. That's why we need the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which will empower America's workers and strengthen our democracy.
As the president of the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), I lead a coalition of 24 national unions representing more than four million professionals. Through bargaining for pay, benefits, and working conditions, our affiliates’ members have created sustainable, family-supporting careers in their industries. While these workplace improvements have raised standards for all professionals, employees of color tend to see some of the greatest gains from union membership.
Jordan Barab and David Michaels
on Monday, May 24 - 3:17pm
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement last week that fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks or socially distance came as a great relief to millions of people who have been vaccinated. But it has also led to confusion and chaos in workplaces and other locations where vaccinated and unvaccinated people mix.
In a stark illustration of how current U.S. labor law is tilted against workers, two experts on changing it—AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler and Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., a former top union organizer—say the Protect The Right To Organize (Pro) Act would have basically outlawed Amazon’s high-pressure tactics that defeated the union organizing drive at its big warehouse in Bessemer, Ala.
Richard Trumka and Sen. Jeff Merkley
on Wednesday, May 19 - 5:19pm
For months, the eyes of our nation were transfixed on a small suburb near Birmingham, Ala. Warehouse workers authorized the largest union election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The name of their employer is on over 5 billion packages sent annually: Amazon.
In response to the police killing George Floyd, 15 unions that represent law enforcement officers across the US have endorsed a blueprint for policing that includes an unprecedented shift in the way unions protect bad police officers, according to a copy of the plan obtained by CNN ahead of its release this week.
There’s a lot at stake for our families and communities in Boston’s next mayoral election. We have a chance to elect a leader who will advance OUR vision for racial, gender, and economic justice in our city. To decide who gets our votes, we need to know where the candidates stand on the issues that impact our lives.
This morning, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten delivered an impassioned address calling for a rebirth of our American public schools this fall. She offered a plan for a safe and equitable return to in-person learning that was filled with solid proposals such as offering enriched summer school programs. “I truly believe we have a rare chance to see a renaissance in America.
Anthony Ngo, an AFSCME Local 2620 member, travels a long way to and from work but wouldn’t change it. He works at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California, where he provides psychological counseling and group therapy to inmates. “It’s a great job—great pay and benefits, and I love the staff. And my union helps us out a lot,” said Ngo.
