Future of Work

What We’re Doing

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The Future of Work in a Digital Age

In Washington, D.C., yesterday, leaders and advocates for working people came together to discuss the future of work. Here are some of the key tweets from the discussion.
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By Our Hands: From Southwestern PA to South by Southwest

I’ll be honest, the last place I expected to be on a Thursday in March was Austin, Texas, at South by Southwest. As president of the 12.5 million member AFL-CIO, I spend my days advocating for working people on picket lines and in the halls of power. I grew up about 1,500 miles from Austin in the small town of Nemacolin, Pennsylvania. I followed my father and grandfathers into the coal mines, using that experience as the foundation for my career as a trade unionist. “Another day. Another dollar in the hole,” my dad used to say before we left for work. So my journey from digging coal in rural America to a discussion about the “robot uprising” and the “future of work” was a long one indeed.
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Taking the Wheel: A New Generation Is Driving the Future of the Labor Movement

Building on the achievements of the past, newly elected labor leaders and young workers are spreading optimism across the country. Inspired by the history and mission of the labor movement, a new generation of workers and activists are assuming leadership roles as the ranks of young union workers continue to grow.
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Unions are Fighting for Families by Supporting Women and Rejecting the Status Quo

Women in the workplace have made major strides. Women currently make up 48% of the workforce and are the sole or primary breadwinner for 40% of families in the United States. Yet most family responsibilities still rest on women’s shoulders and, too often, women put in a full day’s work only to come home and clock in for a second shift.
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Credential Engine to Bridge Gap Between Skilled Workers and Companies That Need Them

In a new op-ed for Fortune, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon announce a project designed to bring together highly skilled, credentialed working people with companies that need their specific skills.
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Workforce Intermediaries Advance Equity and Diversity Through Apprenticeship

As we kick off National Apprenticeship Week, it is more important than ever to shine a light on the ways government agencies, employers and joint labor-management programs can focus their resources on fostering greater equity, diversity and inclusion in the American workforce.