AFL-CIO Staff

John Sweeney, who led an era of transformative change in America’s labor movement, passed away Feb. 1 at the age of 86. Sweeney was one of four children born to Irish immigrants in a working-class Bronx neighborhood shortly after the Great Depression. His parents, James and Agnes Sweeney, worked as a bus driver and a domestic worker, respectively. Sweeney always understood the struggles and the pride of working people.

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Amtrak honors the legacy of Transportation Trades Department President Larry Willis, who died from injuries he sustained in a cycling accident.

Today, The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and the AFL-CIO marked the 57th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, where four girls were killed after white supremacists bombed the church on Sunday, Sept. 15, 1963, with a candlelight vigil and 10-point pledge for social, racial and economic justice.

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the country, working people are looking for ways to join together to form a union in our workplaces and negotiate for strong health and safety protections. The AFL-CIO is launching a new “Am I Safe at Work?” web tool to raise awareness of what a safe workplace should be, and how a union can help achieve those goals.