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Passaic County Central Labor Council Encourages Education with Awards for High Schoolers

… words. And for those of you that know me, words are usually my thing. There is so much that I am grateful for and want to share. It was an incredible night and to me, it was more than 100 years in the making. … Last week, the Passaic County … more than 20,000 silk mill workers who were on strike for some of the basic working rights we have today⁠—the eight-hour work day, child labor laws and workers' rights. Labor union organizers from the Industrial Workers of the World held rallies … made sure we understood that the roots of our family coming to America, that all we had, could have possibly started right here in the crowd. There were things I knew about my dad when he passed away. Creating union opportunities within our …
Executive Council Statement

Nat LaCour

… On January 3, 1961, his first day of work as a high school biology teacher in New Orleans, Nat LaCour signed up with the American Federation of Teachers. The academic year had begun four months late thanks to local turmoil over school integration. LaCour knew the AFT had supported integrated schools when many others in Louisiana … task force. Thanks in large part to his vision and hard work, the Teachers are a powerful example of a union that defies right-wing ideologues and union-busters and helps hundreds of thousands of working people join its ranks. As a member of the …
Convention Resolution

Resolution 12: Ensuring that Public Education Remains a Beacon of Democracy

… have a bright future. It is an economic necessity, an anchor of democracy, a moral imperative and a fundamental civil right. The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the importance of in-person schooling and underscored that public schools are the bedrock of every community. As educators, we constantly strive to help all schools provide the highest standards for teaching and learning. Public schools may be the last institution that, … and technical education; and ensuring a greater focus on teaching and learning, not testing. The AFL-CIO will continue our work with Congress and state and local school boards and governments to ensure the following for educators, school employees, …
Press Release

Acosta Testimony Raises Serious Questions and Doubts

… Statement by AFL-CIO President Trumka on the testimony of Labor Secretary nominee Alex Acosta to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: Alex Acosta’s testimony today raises serious questions and doubts whether he is committed to making life better for working families. Mr. Acosta’s nomination was a major improvement over the previous nominee, based on his qualifications, yet he offered no indication that he would use those qualifications to stand up for workers. The Labor Secretary is not just another Cabinet member – his or her actions directly impact our …
Blog

The Lessons of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Are Still Relevant 107 Years Later

… top floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but their ladders weren’t tall enough to reach the impacted area. Trapped inside because the owners had locked the fire escape exit doors, workers jumped to their … States and abroad, the AFL-CIO took a strong stand at our 2017 Convention, passing a resolution on worker safety : The right to a safe job is a fundamental worker right and a core union value. Every worker should be able to go to work and return home safely at the end of the day. Throughout our entire history, through organizing, bargaining, education, …
Speech

Trumka to Steelworkers: You Know How to Win

… Thank you, Brother Stan [Johnson] . But, listen, before we go on, let’s take a moment of silence to honor those men and women we have lost to workplace accidents or chronic diseases. God bless their memories. Sisters and … of division. We have got to be clear-eyed, because our jobs and wages and the future of our country are on the line, right now. It’s time for us to step up in our communities and in this election season. So I look forward to joining the … are too high. He says he’ll bring back steel. He says he’ll bring back coal. Baloney. Remember, Trump supports right to work 100 percent. You think he has any interest in fighting for us? Trump would never take our trade cases seriously. He …
Blog

By Our Hands: New Silica Rules Might be Too Late for Me, But It’s Never Too Late to Save a Life

… We’ve got simple names. My older brother was a union Ironworker. Our dad was a truck driver, and my younger brother fell right in there with him. I don’t know how I got to be a Bricklayer . I guess I was in the right place at the wrong time. My first brick job was at Fort Sill, Okla. For two … for thousands of years. You see the way bricks can tie together to keep a wall or building secure and standing. It’s a work of art. One old guy I worked with was named Dale Brennan. He took me under his wing and got me going to church. He took …
Speech

Trumka: Hilda Solis Put The 'Labor' Back in Labor Department

… for former Labor Secretary Hilda Solis:  Thank you, Jane (Oates), for that kind introduction and for the outstanding work you did at the Employment and Training Administration. I also want to thank Secretary Acosta and all the hard-working employees of the Department of Labor for hosting us today. It is an honor … time, and I had a kind of duty to other women to walk in and sit down on the chair that was offered, and so establish the right of others...to sit in the high seats." More than 75 years after Perkins made history, Hilda Solis didn’t just sit in …
Blog

A Year with Donald Trump: The Miseducation of Betsy DeVos

… Working people warned that President Donald Trump's appointment of Betsy DeVos to lead the Education Department would be a disaster for our families and our communities. Over the past year, DeVos has waged an all-out assault on our public education system and made it harder for students to learn and grow. Here are the most egregious actions from the Trump-DeVos education team:  … Trump's budget would cut 13% … programs, which provide before- and after-school care for 1.6 million children, making it possible for parents to go to work. Proposed an 18% cut to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which could lead to 160,000 being eliminated …
Executive Council Statement

Protecting Workers From COVID-19

… The failure to keep working people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the devastating loss of life, severe illness and … transportation, essential goods, jails and prisons—but without the necessary protections to keep themselves safe at work and many have died. Health care workers and systems have been overwhelmed with a surge of sick patients, resource … of existing laws to make it illegal for employers or any party to retaliate against or fire workers for ensuring our right to be provided safety protections from COVID-19. These include raising safety and health concerns and wearing our own …