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.
Black and Latino Workers Die on the Job at Disproportionate Rates, New Report Shows: “‘The alarming disparities in workplace fatalities among workers of color are unacceptable, symptomatic of deeply ingrained racial inequity and the need to pay increased attention to the dangerous industries that treat workers as disposable,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement.”
Biden Labor Department Finalizes Pro-Worker Rules on Overtime, Retirement Savings: “Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said the nation's largest labor federation has ‘been pushing for the fiduciary and overtime rules since the Obama administration.’ ‘It's really this simple," said Shuler. ‘Every worker deserves their fair share of the wealth they help create and every worker deserves to make sure their hard-earned money is secure.’”
President Biden Speaks at 2024 NABTU Conference: “‘You had my back in 2020, and because of you, I am standing here as president of the United States of America,” said President Biden at the start of his remarks at the 2024 North America’s Building Trades Unions' conference in Washington, D.C. The president spoke on his strong support for unions as he touted his policy achievements, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. He touched on growth in the economy, infrastructure investment, and job creation, as well as highlighting the policy differences between his administration and that of former President Trump.”
AFL-CIO: Global Warming a Union Issue Because It’s a Workers’ Issue: “The ongoing story of global warming is littered with ravaged livelihoods, devastated towns, and lost lives. It chronicles a tragic plight for everyone in its path, and it’s a narrative that fossil fuel interests would prefer to sweep under the rug. Many look to Earth Day as a clarion call to take action in the wake of this crisis, and the AFL-CIO held an event on April 22 to do just that. It was the first national convening of a united coalition of labor, racial justice, and environmental justice organizations to hold a discussion on how climate change is impacting workers and their communities.”
White House Calls on Pension Funds to Adopt Stronger Labor Standards: “White House officials will meet on Tuesday with leaders from five major pension funds who have committed more than $1 trillion in capital requiring robust labor standards in private-equity investments, in an effort to push more funds to follow suit. The Biden administration is touting these commitments as public pension funds amass growing holdings in private equity firms, which have been blamed for driving down wages, fighting unionization, and cutting jobs. Administration officials, including National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, have been in talks to encourage pension fund managers to adopt higher labor standards in their private equity investments.”
Biden Rule Grants Overtime Pay to 4 Million U.S. Workers: “The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled a rule extending mandatory overtime pay to an estimated 4 million salaried workers, going even further than an Obama-era rule that was struck down in court. The U.S. Department of Labor rule will require employers to pay overtime premiums to workers who earn a salary of less than $1,128 per week, or about $58,600 per year, when they work more than 40 hours in a week.”
Biden’s 401(k) Advice Rule Finalized Over Wall Street Objections: “The US Labor Department has released a closely watched rule that will expand strict fiduciary standards of conduct to cover more retirement plan advisers, and has already drawn ire from Wall Street. The rule from the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration could equip regulators with more power to oversee Wall Street heavy hitters and require companies to comply with expensive disclosure exemptions.”
Federal Trade Commission Approves Ban Of Noncompete Agreements: “The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday voted 3-2 in favor of adopting a historic and far-reaching ban on noncompete agreements, potentially giving more leverage in the job market to millions of U.S. workers. The agency has said that the agreements, in which workers are forbidden from seeking a job with a competing business for a certain period of time, lead to an ‘unfair method of competition’ and violate federal law. The vote by the agency’s five commissioners this week means the ban will move forward.”
Vice President Harris Announces Final Rules Mandating Minimum Standards for Nursing Home Staffing: “The federal government is for the first time requiring nursing homes to have minimum staffing levels after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed grim realities in poorly staffed facilities for older and disabled Americans. Vice President Kamala Harris announced the final rules on Monday before a trip to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where she will talk to nursing home care employees about their work. In the battleground state, Harris also will hold a campaign event focused on abortion rights.”
Volkswagen ‘the First Domino to Fall’ After Union Vote, Says UAW President: “After celebrating his union’s historic victory at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, told the Guardian that he was confident of more unionization wins at auto plants across the U.S., saying: ‘The workers at VW are the first domino to fall. They have shown it is possible,’ Fain added in an interview on Sunday evening. ‘I expect more of the same to come. Workers are fed up.’ The three-day unionization vote at Volkswagen ended last Friday, with the union winning overwhelmingly, 2,628 to 985—the first time workers at a foreign-owned auto plant in the south have unionized.”
President Biden Delivers Remarks at IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference: “President Joe Biden delivered remarks at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Construction and Maintenance Conference on Friday at the Washington Hilton. The IBEW represents more than 800,000 active members and retirees who work in many fields including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government, according to its website.”
Maine Can Help Our Nation Regain Shipbuilding Dominance: “China is now building warships at a rate that could rival the United States during wartime. As international president of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local S6 member and former pipefitter at Bath Iron Works, I write with a sense of urgency and deep concern for the future of our shipbuilding capabilities, as recent reports have pointed out that Chinese shipyards are thriving and primed to build at wartime rates, while U.S. shipbuilding is struggling to keep up. The Alliance for American Manufacturing just released a video, citing a leaked Navy briefing slide, showing China’s shipbuilding capacity is 232 times greater than the United States. The IAM and four national labor unions filed a petition urging President Joe Biden to launch an investigation into China’s predatory trade practices and get America’s shipbuilding industry back on track.”