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.
Liz Shuler Has Faith in Young Workers: “Liz Shuler has spent her career advocating for workers. The first female president of the AFL-CIO helped steer the labor giant—and its many unions—through the pandemic and the upheaval of working conditions. She got her start organizing at a local utility company and never looked back. We talked to her about young workers, picket lines, and building skills at the community level.”
Ørsted and NABTU Sign ‘Historic’ Project Labor Agreement for U.S. Offshore Wind: “‘This is what it looks like to put the words high-road labor standards into action,’ said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. ‘The partnership between Ørsted and NABTU is monumental, for the thousands of workers who will have great jobs, and for the example it sets for the U.S. offshore wind industry.’”
SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify Commercials Contracts Deal: “After a voting period of several weeks, SAG-AFTRA members have opted to ratify three-year successor agreements to the union’s commercials contracts. The vote saw 92.25% of members choosing ‘yes’ on the tentative deal, reached April 5 with advertising industry bargaining representative the Joint Policy Committee, the union announced Thursday. In a statement, union president Fran Drescher said, ‘We did it!’ She added, ‘As we move into a digital age, bold moves and structural changes had to be made. Our amazing negotiating committee heard what members needed and delivered new contracts with more money for streaming, more contributions to the health plan, limitations on self-tape auditions, hair and makeup equity, intimacy protections and more. These contracts create a baseline upon which to build a new future.’”
Washington, D.C.’s 500 Most Influential People: “Elected in August after the sudden death of Richard Trumka, Shuler is the first woman to lead the federation in its 66-year history. She advocated for workers’ strikes to place pressure on businesses and politicians.”
Union Movement Revved Up by Starbucks, Cannabis Workers: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler: ‘They’re fed up, They’re fired up and They’re not going to take it anymore’ ‘They see the power of the collective that they don’t have to just sit back and take it, the mistreatment, the poor wages, lack of safety and health conditions. That they can actually come together in a union and have more power.’”
30th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive®: Letter Carriers to Collect Donations: “The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its annual Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive on Saturday, May 14. The Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive, the largest food drive in the United States, was first held in 1983. The food drive is held annually on the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. The food drive helps feed millions of Americans and provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need, NALC said. NALC explained that customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 14. ‘Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and churches,’ NALC stated.”
Labor Exchange: AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Colorado AFL-CIO President Josette Jaramillo: “Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO, joins the Labor Exchange on this very special International Workers Day edition of the program. Josette Jaramillo hosts. She is a social worker in Pueblo and president of the Colorado AFL-CIO and AFSCME 1335. The AFL-CIO is the largest labor federation in the United States with 12.5 million members across 57 affiliate unions. They discuss the most pressing issues of the day including the great resignation, immigration and the importance of building new and innovative solutions to the problems facing workers.”
'Worker Injuries and Deaths Are Still Far Too Common': Americans Are Still Dying from Injuries on the Job—But Some Workers Are More Impacted than Others: “‘Worker injuries and deaths are still far too common,’ Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, said in a press conference Tuesday. ‘Every single day, 340 people die because of hazardous working conditions.’”
The Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class: “‘Over the past decade and a half, many young, college-educated workers have faced a disturbing reality: that it was harder for them to reach the middle class than for previous generations. The change has had profound effects—driving shifts in the country’s politics and mobilizing employees to demand fairer treatment at work. It may also be giving the labor movement its biggest lift in decades. Members of this college-educated working class typically earn less money than they envisioned when they went off to school. ‘It’s not like anyone is expecting to make six figures,’ said Tyler Mulholland, who earns about $23 an hour as a sales lead at REI, the outdoor equipment retailer, and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. ‘But when it’s snow storming at 11:30 at night, I don’t want to have to think, ‘Is the Uber home going to make a difference in my weekly budget?’”