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.
Boeing Workers Vote Overwhelmingly to Strike, in Defeat for Troubled Company: “Boeing workers picketed outside the company’s plants in Washington state early Friday morning after voting overwhelmingly to strike. Tens of thousands of machinists voted Thursday to reject a proposed deal between the company and the union that would have significantly boosted pay and benefits even as it fell short of other union demands. Some 96% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 voted in favor of the strike—far more than the two-thirds needed to launch the work stoppage.”
Harris Pushes for Labor Reforms, Union Support: “In an election year, Labor Day kicks off the official campaign season, and Vice President Kamala Harris kicked hers off with a bang. She had rallies in Detroit, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, all major cities in battleground states. Joined by local elected officials in each place, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz in Milwaukee, and President Biden in Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, flanked by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, teachers' union leaders Becky Pringle (National Education Association) and Randi Weingarten (American Federation of Teachers), Harris gave a rousing speech that reminded us that we have organized labor to thank for the eight-hour workday, pensions, paid vacations and health care, worker benefits that have now become standard.”
Trump and Harris, with Divided Labor Records, Grapple for Pennsylvania’s Union Voters: “The AFL-CIO, the largest umbrella organization for U.S. unions, gave Harris a lifetime score of 98% on her Senate voting record. Walz got a 93% rating for his votes from the AFL-CIO when he served in the House of Representatives. He belonged to the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union, while working as a high school teacher.”
TSA Officers Help Make Air Travel Safe. Workers Deserve Protections from Congress: “As the vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 777, which represents Transportation Security Officers at airports across Wisconsin and Illinois, I work on behalf of the hundreds of transportation security officers who ensure that our passengers fly safely in and out of airports in those states. We take pride in on our work, and with over six million passengers flying in and out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in 2023 alone, there's a lot of work to take pride in.”
AFL-CIO, Entertainment Unions Unveil Federal Priorities for Nonprofit Artists and Journalists: “The Department for Professional Employees, a trade department of AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the U.S., has put forward a slate of new federal policies it hopes can create more sustainable careers in the nonprofit arts and media sectors. The policies, which speak to concerns from nonprofit workers across 12 unions, including Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and more, call for stronger labor protections as part of federal funding received through the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, gaining seats on federal grantmaking councils for working professionals and updating federal grants in these areas, so that the funds are not limited to just one production or project.”
White House Calls for Stronger Labor Standards Across Federal Agencies: “President Joe Biden signed an executive order Sept. 6 calling on federal agencies to adopt a series of ‘high-road labor standards,’ according to an announcement from the White House, continuing the administration’s push toward expanding the federal workforce while pushing certain standards. The announcement calls the move the ‘first in history to specify a clear list of labor standards that all Federal agencies should look to prioritize.’”
Tim Walz Is a Dream Pick for the Labor Movement: “Walz has a strong Labor record to match. In a July 29 letter urging Harris to choose Walz, 26 Minnesota Labor leaders noted that Walz enacted paid family and medical leave for all families, provided unemployment insurance to hourly school workers, expanded the collective bargaining rights of Minnesotans, provided free school meals to every Minnesota student, appointed a Labor lawyer to lead the state Department of Labor and Industry, signed a tough law against wage theft by corporations and developers, and made it illegal for employers to force working people to attend anti-union meetings. The centerpiece of Walz’s Labor policy is… a law he signed in May 2023 that the news website Minnesota Reformer described as potentially ‘the most significant worker protection bill in state history.’”
Approval of Labor Unions Nears Record High: Gallup: “Seven in 10 Americans say they approve of labor unions, just shy of the record-high approval rating for organized labor, according to a new Gallup poll. The survey, released Monday, found 70% of Americans approve of labor unions, while 23% disapprove and 7% have no opinion. This is 1 point shy of the 71% reading in 2022, which marked the highest approval rating since 1965.”
A Campaign Kickoff, an Ode to Labor: “In an election year, Labor Day kicks off the official campaign season, and Vice President Kamala Harris kicked hers off with a bang. She had rallies in Detroit, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh, all major cities in battleground states. She was joined by local elected officials in each place, Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz in Milwaukee, and President Biden in Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, flanked by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, teachers’ union leaders Becky Pringle (National Education Association) and Randi Weingarten (American Federation of Teachers), Harris gave a rousing speech that reminded us we have organized labor to thank for the 8-hour workday, pensions, paid vacations and health care, worker benefits that have now become standard. Those benefits didn’t come without a fight, nor did the establishment of Labor Day.”
Walkout for Washington: “On Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 12 p.m. PT, AFSCME Council 28/WFSE-represented public service workers at state agencies, community colleges and four-year universities will Walkout for Washington to demand livable wages, safe staffing levels, and respect for the Washingtonians that depend on their services. Public workers organized in other unions are also joining these walkouts in a show of solidarity.”