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.
'We Got the Power.' Union Members Rally in Atlanta for Workers' Rights: “Union members from across the Southeast gathered in Atlanta on Tuesday evening for a Workers Over Billionaires rally. Atlanta is the latest stop on the AFL-CIO’s ‘It’s Better in a Union’ bus tour. Speakers discussed federal funding cuts, ongoing lawsuits against the Trump administration, and the future of labor organizing.”
'The System Is Rigged': CEOs Made 285 Times More Than Their Workers in 2024: AFL-CIO Report: “‘Corporate CEOs are raking in millions, and now they'll get another kickback from President Trump's tax cut gift and anti-worker agenda,’ said Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO.”
American Postal Workers Union President Sounds Alarm on Privatization: “‘There is an intensified effort really coming from the billionaires and Wall Street about privatizing the public United States Postal Service,’ APWU president Mark Dimondstein said in an interview with the Daily Montanan. ‘Which means either breaking it up in whole or piecemealing it out whole or in part to private companies that then decide who gets mail under what conditions, based on whether somebody can make a profit.’”
AFL-CIO Message for Workers: ‘It’s Easy to Get Discouraged, but We Have Something They Don’t’: “We caught up with AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler shortly after the event and asked her what the organization hopes to accomplish with the tour. ‘People feel kind of powerless right now,’ she said. That’s a direct result of GOP attacks on the laws and structures that have long provided some protections to workers. ‘We’re trying to uplift the impacts on working people, make them real, because we’re bringing the human face to what’s happening out there, and then channeling workers’ frustrations and anger into action.’”
New AFL-CIO Campaign Hosts Town Halls, Panels to Advocate for Workers' Rights in South Carolina: “The South Carolina AFL-CIO has launched a new campaign aimed at advancing workers' rights and equity across the state by unifying them, their families, organizations, and elected officials under a common banner in the face of challenges posed by new federal legislation. The Advancing Workers Advocacy Rights & Equity (AWARE) Campaign kicks off with a town hall and panel on Thursday, July 24 in Rock Hill, marking the beginning of a short tour around the state with several different events and guests aimed at building connections and strengthening statewide collective advocacy efforts, according to the South Carolina AFL-CIO. Thursday's panel will feature South Carolina AFL-CIO Vice President Lindsay McClelland, Brandon Upson with the organizing group The New Progressive South, Catawba Central Labor Council President Jason Wells, and Rev. Jason Myers with the Chester Worker Center.”
It's Better in a Union! Liz Shuler on the Power of the People: “Early this month, the AFL-CIO launched the ‘Better in a Union Bus Tour’ where union leaders and members will be traveling to stops in 26 states across the country in order to amplify workers’ voices. Now, Jen is joined by Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, to discuss the bus tour, how cuts to the federal government hurt working Americans the most, and why the labor movement is the backbone of democracy.”
Northampton County Announces New Contract with AFSCME Employees: “Northampton County and its county employees union have reached a new three-year contract for employees in four bargaining units, officials announced Monday. The new agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1265 covers 911 center supervisors, many union employees working for the county court and youth care workers running the juvenile justice center, among others.”
AFL-CIO Bus Tour Stops in Michigan at Rally vs. ’Big Bad Bill’: “Trade unionists and retirees gathered at noon Thursday outside the headquarters here of United Auto Workers Region 1 as part of the AFL-CIO’s ‘Better In A Union’ bus tour. The federation’s tour will crisscross the country over the next several weeks leading up to Labor Day to denounce the billionaire-backed Trump administration’s attacks on working families and trade union freedoms. Especially on workers’ minds here is the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ just passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. The bill slashes worker protections, guts safety nets and healthcare for millions, eliminates environmental protections, and locks in indefinite, massive tax cuts for the capitalist class.”
Union Workers at Corning Nursing Home Ratify Three Year Contract, Wage Increase: “Union nursing home workers at Corning Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare ratified a new labor contract on July 4. Workers received wage increases and benefits expansions in the contract. The previous contract for Corning Center union members expired April 30. Health care workers at the nursing facility, represented by the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, will receive increases in new hire and longevity wages, shift differentials and employer-provided pension contributions.”