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.
Brooke Shields, Actors’ Equity Rally in Times Square Ahead of Broadway Contract Negotiations: “The rally came as part of AFL-CIO’s—the largest federation of unions in the U.S., which includes Equity—national bus tour to rally workers in the two months leading up to Labor Day. On Thursday, several union leaders, including Shuler, spoke to the idea of ‘attacks,’ on workers across the country. Speaking after the rally, Shuler pointed to the mass layoffs of government workers, as well as the struggles among many workers, including the rising cost of living, healthcare costs, retirement insecurity and more.”
SAG-AFTRA Members Overwhelmingly Approve 2025 Broadcast TV Code: “By an overwhelming margin, SAG-AFTRA members nationwide have approved the 2025 broadcast television code, which covers recorded and live programming throughout the broadcast day. The code was ratified by 96.48% of members who voted, with just 3.52% voting against.”
Airline Pilots Outraged Over One-Pilot Proposal: “A federal advisory committee of pro-corporate aviation ‘experts’ is telling the corporate-friendly Trump regime there should be only one pilot, not two, in an airplane’s cockpit. Citing safety reasons, the Air Line Pilots (ALPA) strongly oppose that scheme. And so do 43 senators, from both political parties. The plan came to light when ALPA disclosed the lawmakers’ July 24 letter to Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, urging him to reject the scheme. They said having only one pilot in the cockpit while the other rests elsewhere on the plane is dangerous. Capt. Jason Ambrosi, the ALPA president, agrees vehemently.”
Local Labor Unions Join Together with Fundraiser for Homeless Families on Labor Day: “The Big Bend Central Labor Council is celebrating Labor Day on Sept. 1 by giving back to some of the most vulnerable members of the community. The group will be collecting donations from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the American Legion Hall to support homeless families in partnership with Capital City Youth Services, a local nonprofit that offers support to local youth and families in crisis.”
'It's Better in a Union' Bus Tour Comes to Hudson Valley: “‘Ripping away food from our children and our seniors, cutting funding from our schools...that our hospitals need...voting to give tax cuts to billionaires. Instead of working families who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads,’ said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO.”
Maine Trust for Local News Workers Rally to Expand Their Union: “About three dozen reporters, photographers, page designers and union activists gathered on a brown lawn adjacent to the Portland Press Herald offices and printing plant Tuesday morning to announce their drive to unionize news workers at all of the Maine Trust for Local News’ weekly and daily paper operations around the state. The News Guild of Maine, which is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, already represents about 150 workers at the Trust’s papers and aims to include the 50 or so remaining non-union jobs at the Sun Journal in Lewiston, The Times Record in Brunswick and the Trust’s 17 weekly publications. Workers at the daily Kennebec Journal are represented by a separate branch of the CWA and are in the process of merging with the guild.”
Labor Day 2025: More Protests Than Parades and Picnics: “Traditionally, parades, picnics, and barbeques happen on Labor Day, but this year will be significant for the more than 500 protests that will happen form one end of the country to the other. The AFL-CIO is backing events sponsored by labor federations in many cities and by coalitions like May Day Strong, Indivisible, the organizers of No Kings Day, and many other formations. Federation President Liz Shuler will be where the action is in Los Angeles and Teachers/AFT President Randi Weingarten will join Chicago Federation of Labor President Rob Reiter as headliners in the Windy City.”
Member-Organizers Drive a NewsGuild Surge: “The news industry has undergone a sea-change in the last two decades. Print readership of newspapers has declined sharply, while their digital readership has edged up slowly. Local newspapers have consolidated into ever larger chains controlled by private equity and vulture funds. Newer digital-only media sites have multiplied. Into this changing news landscape has come an influx of new journalists who bridle at the poor working conditions and low pay inflicted by media moguls building their empires on the cheap. Thousands of these media workers are finding a home in the NewsGuild.”
Groups Rally to Protect Social Security Benefits: “‘We’re here with the (American Federation of Government Employees) to really lift up how important it is to protect Social Security right now with so many other cuts being made to the social safety net,’ said Jessica Brittain, organizing director of Action Together NEPA. ‘It is more important than ever, especially after Medicaid now has been decimated. It’s not hard to see that Social Security is one of the next things on the chopping block.’ Groups attending the rally, which coincided with the 90th anniversary of the Social Security program, included Action Together NEPA, Affordable Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Policy Center, Pennsylvanians Together, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and For Our Future Pennsylvania.”
Danny Donohue, 81, Led CSEA for a Quarter-Century: “The tough-talking labor leader rose from the ranks to lead one of New York's most powerful public sector unions. Donohue died on Aug. 10 at age 81, according to a family obituary. In a release, CSEA praised him as ‘a towering figure in the labor movement, a fearless advocate for working people and a beloved friend to so many people.’”