Michael Gillis

After years of dealing with an intransigent governor, the Maine AFL-CIO is advancing a pro-labor agenda in the state after victories at the ballot box last year. With their endorsed candidate for governor elected to the Blaine House with strong union support, the door is now open for opportunities to pass meaningful legislation for the working people of Maine.

Anthony Nolan, a New London, Connecticut, city councilman and member of AFSCME Local 724 won his race yesterday in a special election to fill an open seat in the state legislature.

Despite the number of victories in congressional and gubernatorial races across the country in 2018, many of the top labor-endorsed candidates in Ohio lost their elections. The losses were a disappointment to Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga, but he recognized the need to get to work to make the best of the situation. "It was a tough loss in the election, we had higher hopes," Burga said. "We didn’t have any time to waste lamenting the loss, we had to get to work preparing for a new incoming governor and a new legislature." And prepare they did.

The 2018 Manufacturing Apprenticeship Accelerator Forum took place in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday.  The forum included presentations from a number of participating organizations including the United States Department of Labor, Ohio AFL-CIO, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Chicago Women in Trades and the National Urban League, along with a number of private employers and workforce training providers.

Building on the achievements of the past, newly elected labor leaders and young workers are spreading optimism across the country. Inspired by the history and mission of the labor movement, a new generation of workers and activists are assuming leadership roles as the ranks of young union workers continue to grow.

“Our movement is made up of working people of all parties and ideologies,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler told a crowd of more than 300 labor leaders and activists gathered at the AFL-CIO Northeast District Meeting in Silver Spring, Md. “What unites us is work and the desire for a better life. Improving the lives of union members and all working people must be our guiding light in politics.”