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Speech

Trumka: Working People Will Not Settle

… remarks at the Christian Science Monitor Breakfast:  Good morning and happy early Labor Day. As always, thank you to the Christian Science Monitor for hosting us, and thanks to each of you for being here today. I’ve been in the labor movement for more than 50 years. I’ve never witnessed a moment … to hear their concerns, hopes and experiences.  We need President López Obrador to show us how Mexico will guarantee the right to raise wages through free and democratic unions. If that doesn’t happen, working people across North America will …
Speech

Trumka to OPCMIA Convention: Our Economy Doesn't Work When Work Doesn't Pay

… you, Brother Pat [Finley] . Thank you for your truly overly generous words of introduction. And thank you for inviting me to your convention. I’m honored to join you here. Thank you! Pat, you’re a good union man. And I’m proud to call you my … me tell you how much I admire your union, your members bring tremendous skill and professionalism to masonry and plaster work and all of your trades. It’s hard work, physically taxing and complicated, but your training is top-of-the-line, and … to build a better life for themselves and their families. That’s one hell of a fine legacy, a legacy to be proud of. And right now, today, veterans are still finding a home with OPCMIA, through the Helmets to Hardhats program. That’s a modern …
Blog

Working People Are Watching, Mr. President

… To Washington, D.C. insiders, this month’s budget negotiations are just the latest partisan exercise in a series of manufactured crises that too often result in short-term solutions. But for those who live and work outside of the Beltway bubble, much more is at stake. … What happens in the coming days has the potential to fundamentally shift the balance of power in the workplace. Nothing less than the right to dream, live, work and retire in security is on the table as Congress faces key decisions and deadlines. It is hard …
Executive Council Statement

Working Families Must Be Together, and Free

… In our founding documents, the unions of the AFL-CIO dedicated ourselves to improve the lives of working families and to “fulfill the yearning of the human spirit for liberty, justice and community.” These ideals compel our labor movement to … country is an affront to labor's values and a clear threat to the freedoms we all hold dear. Family is the reason we go to work every day. America’s unions categorically reject policies that tear families apart. Yet what we see in our country today …
Executive Council Statement

2004 George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award—Mikhail Volynets, President of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine

… workers’ rights, democracy and social and economic justice.  His personal and the Confederation's numerous contributions to building democracy over the past nine years were critical to the success of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. The Confederation has developed in spite of daunting obstacles.  In the past … was stricken by political repression, economic violence and social isolation.  Authoritarian political leadership linked to unregulated economic fiefdoms led to extreme abuses of power, rising economic paralysis, ubiquitous corruption, and …
Blog

Working People Unite: ‘I'm with Chuck’

… In response to President-elect Donald Trump’s Twitter attack on United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1999 President Chuck Jones, AFL-CIO … conviction and integrity who would do anything for his union brothers and sisters. USW President Leo W. Gerard is exactly right—Chuck is a hero. An attack on him is an attack on all working people. Chuck is right to call out the president-elect for inflating the number of jobs that will be saved at Carrier. He understands better …
Speech

Trumka on Labor Day: Work Lifts Us Up

… Happy Labor Day! It’s great to be in Pittsburgh! Everything comes together on Labor Day. First, we’re here to celebrate work. Work lifts us up, gives us dignity, provides for our families. And Labor Day is all about lifting ourselves up, about … we also appreciate the rights we have in this great country, the rights to free speech and free assembly, including the right to stand together on the job in a union to bargain collectively for a better life, so our economy can work for all of …
Blog

Building a New Future for Working Families

… Our worlds have been turned upside down in the past 20 months, as we have adapted how we worship, work, educate our children, grocery shop and so much more. This also has been a time when many of us more fully realized the … suffocating impact. … As a nation we recognize that we were kept safe and comfortable because of workers, from health care to first responders to grocery workers to farmworkers. We have come to appreciate how essential their contribution is to our … Day, let's honor all of these workers and recommit ourselves to support them in securing their rights. Pope Francis got it right in a speech in June, when he challenged us, saying, “Let us look for solutions that will help us build a new future of …
Page

Building Power for Working People

… A union is you and your co-workers coming together as a team to make improvements at your workplace. Union members work together to negotiate and enforce a contract with management that guarantees the things you care about like decent raises, affordable …
Executive Council Statement

Approving a Permanent Charter for Working America

… Executive Council approved and embraced the creation of Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, in order to provide a vehicle for workers who do not enjoy the benefits of union representation at work to join the AFL-CIO as associate members and participate in the labor movement’s policy and electoral advocacy on behalf … is clear.  Working families need a strong collective voice to fight for good jobs, health care, pension security, and the right to organize.  Working America gives voice to millions of hard-working Americans who want to participate in these public …