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.
'Blatant Attempt to Bust Our Unions': Trump Admin Moves to Gut Labor Protections at Veterans Affairs: “Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said that ‘every American who cares about the fundamental freedoms of working people should be outraged by this attack on workers' ability to speak out and stand up at the VA.’ ‘It's clear this is explicit retaliation against VA workers whose unions are standing up to the administration's illegal actions in court and in the streets,’ said Shuler. ‘The Trump administration may think they can rip up our contracts and silence anyone who pushes back against their unlawful and anti-worker actions, but we aren't going anywhere. The labor movement will continue to fight this all-out assault on workers with everything we have—and we're calling on Americans across this country to join us.’”
Fred Redmond: Trump Didn’t Just Fail to Protect Black Jobs. He’s Leading Us to Black Unemployment: “President Trump likes to say he is delivering for working people. He promised on the campaign trail that he would protect ‘Black jobs.’ But like so many of his promises, it is an empty one. In fact, we have been living with the effects of Trump’s policies since he took office in January and the only thing he has delivered for us is employment uncertainty and financial insecurity. The July jobs report that came out last week is starting to reflect that.”
Veterans Affairs Terminates Federal Union Contracts: What To Know: “The announcement has drawn significant ire from some of the unions affected. AFGE President Everett Kelley said the union was being punished for ‘speaking out against the illegal, anti-worker, and anti-veteran policies of this administration.’”
U.S. Labor Day Rallies Planned to Protest 'Trump's Authoritarian Anti-Worker Agenda': “In a separate action, the AFL-CIO is organizing nationwide rallies, picnics, and parades as part of its Workers' Labor Day, following a Workers Deserve Labor Day week of action. The union has spent two months crisscrossing the country on a bus tour, highlighting workers' organizing efforts and fights to win fair contracts and working conditions. Despite Trump's deregulatory attacks on workers, the AFL-CIO noted that more than 70% of Americans and nearly 90% of people under 30 support unions. ‘The fight for freedom, fairness, and security has never been more popular,’ said the union.”
Oregon Unions Secure Pay Raises, More Remote Work Flexibility for State Workers: “Most state employees in Oregon will see bigger paychecks and expanded benefits next February under tentative labor agreements reached between the state and its two largest unions. After months of negotiations, state officials agreed to give 6.5% cost-of-living raises over the next two years to members of the Oregon chapters of SEIU and AFSCME, which represent the bulk of the state’s 45,000 full-time workers.”
Spike Lee, Adam McKay and Over 2,000 Writers Decry Trump’s ‘Un-American’ Actions in Open Letter: “More than 2,300 members of the Writers Guild of America, including Spike Lee and Adam McKay, have signed an open letter decrying the actions of Donald Trump’s administration that represent ‘an unprecedented, authoritarian assault’ on free speech.”
American Federation of Government Employees Rally Outside Veterans Hospital: “Early Monday morning, around 20 demonstrators stood on the sidewalk outside the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital to show support for federal workers and veterans. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) planned this rally because they feel there is an attack on the federal workforce, which could impact veterans’ access to health care and benefits. Carol White is the Local 547 Legislative Political Coordinator and she said they want to support federal workers and those who work with veterans.”
AFL-CIO Rolls Out Nationwide Plans for Labor Day: “The AFL-CIO is stepping up its campaign against Donald Trump’s attacks on workers and depredations against their unions both in the streets and in courts—again—as July turned into August and headed for Labor Day. The ‘streets’ part will stretch from New York, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles to Dallas, Decatur, Corpus Christi, the Twin Cities, St. Louis, Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Seattle and D.C., with more sites for rallies, speeches, leafleting, picnics and worker leaders campaigning, all on Labor Day.”
All Major Las Vegas Strip Casinos Are Now Unionized in Historic Labor Victory: “For 25 years, her employer, the Venetian, had resisted organizing efforts as one of the last holdouts on the Strip, locked in a prolonged standoff with the Culinary Workers Union. But a recent change in ownership opened the Venetian’s doors to union representation just as the Strip’s newest casino, the Fontainebleau, was also inking its first labor contract. The historic deals finalized late last year mark a major turning point: For the first time in the Culinary Union’s 90-year history, all major casinos on the Strip are unionized.”