Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s this week’s Working People Weekly List.
7 Labor Activists You Should Know About for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: “Each May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, when we celebrate the accomplishments, culture and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Today, we are going to take a deeper look at members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community who have advanced the cause of worker justice. Here are seven labor activists who you should know about for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.”
The Future of Work in a Digital Age: “In Washington, D.C., yesterday, leaders and advocates for working people came together to discuss the future of work. The occasion was the first meeting of the AFL-CIO Commission on the Future of Work and Unions. The commission was created by a resolution at the federation’s 2017 convention and is designed to rethink ways of building bargaining power and providing economic security for millions of Americans.”
10 Things Working People Should Know About the Caravan Arriving in California: “As Central American families who have made the perilous journey through Mexico arrive at the U.S. border, here are 10 key things working people should know.”
Led by Labor: Earned Sick Days Become Law: “Organized labor marked a major victory today as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a statewide earned sick days policy into law. The result is that more than 1 million workers in New Jersey will no longer have to choose between their health and their paycheck.”
Letter Carriers’ ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ Drive Is May 12: “For the 26th year in a row, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will be conducting its ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ Food Drive. Every year on the second Saturday in May, postal carriers, in addition to their regular workload, collect food from people in more than 10,000 cities across the country. Each year, it is the largest one-day food drive in the world.”
Celebrating Workers on May Day: What Working People Are Doing This Week: “Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here’s a look at the broad range of activities we’re engaged in this week.”
Overdue for Overtime: “When President Donald Trump abandoned the Department of Labor’s new overtime protections, he cost working people over $1 billion in annual wages. Now we’re standing up for a fair return on our work and fighting for the Restoring Overtime Pay Act, which would extend overtime pay protection to millions of working people.”
Another Organizing Victory in the South: IBEW at Atlanta Gas Light: “Last week, working people scored another notable victory in the South, when 700 working people at Atlanta Gas Light voted to join the Electrical Workers (IBEW). Here is what organizers on the ground said about the victory.”