Just days before the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade and investment deal was signed, a human rights experts warned against it.
New Legislation Would Finally Grant TSA Officers the Same Workplace Protections as Other Federal Employees
TSOs say they’re tired of being treated like second-class federal employees
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) enthusiastically supports a new bill from Congressman Bennie Thompson (Miss
New Legislation Would Finally Grant TSA Officers the Same Workplace Protections as Other Federal Employees
The Future for Black Workers
The AFL-CIO on Feb. 4 launched the first in a series of nationwide symposiums to address the growing economic inequality among U.S. workers – particularly African Americans. Working in partnership with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), the AFL-CIO intends to identify the many ways systemic racism affects black workers, and provide real policy solutions to address the growing disparity.
The typical black household now has just 6 percent of the wealth of the typical white household, according to a Demos report, “The Racial Wealth Gap.” “We need to fix the rules of our economy to treat everyone the same,” said AFL-CIO Exec. Vice. Pres. Tefere Gebre in his welcome address. People of color need the biggest ladder to move up to the middle class, and that way is through public-sector employment, he added.
The steady loss of public-sector jobs after the Great Recession disproportionately affected African Americans. And with the looming threat of an adverse decision in the Supreme Court case, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, the black middle class might become obsolete.
“We realize that black workers are the canary in the mines. Everything that happens to labor will happen to us harder,” cautioned the Rev. Terry Melvin, president of CBTU and co-author of “A Future for Workers: A Contribution from Black Labor.”
“Black workers comprise the segment of the working class that normally is subject to the forward thrusts of employer offensives. It is the segment of the working class that suffers the most from unemployment and underemployment,” the report concludes.
Now more than ever, African-American workers need good jobs with strong benefits and wages. And just as urgently, labor needs to organize black workers to grow the labor movement.
Londrigan: Judge's Ruling Against County RTW Ordinance a Victory for Kentucky's Working Families
Federal District Judge David Hale’s decision striking down Hardin County’s “right to work” ordinance was a victory for Kentucky’s working families, said Bill Londrigan, president of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO.
Londrigan: Judge's Ruling Against County RTW Ordinance a Victory for Kentucky's Working Families
Why Shouldn't Education Be Free?
Why shouldn’t higher education be free for everyone?
Higher education is not a commodity. It is a social good. It’s increasingly necessary to get a good, middle-class job. A more highly educated workforce can be more adaptable and make the country more competitive. So why shouldn’t it be free for everyone?
How TPP Could Make Our Economy Worse
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a so-called “trade deal” that could cost 448,000 U.S. jobs, suppress U.S. wages, and irreparably weaken our democracy and sovereignty.
Trumka: TPP Is a New Low
In a new op-ed for the Hill, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka explains the key reasons why the Trans-Pacific Partnership is bad for working people, both in the United States and overseas. Trumka describes the deal by saying that “the TPP is a giveaway to big corporations, special interests and all those who want economic rules that benefit the wealthy few.”
Trumka: TPP Is a New Low
{$excerpt:n}
5 Reasons that Rosy Predictions About the TPP Are Wrong
One of the billionaires crusading to cut working people’s Social Security now has his sights set on making the Trans-Pactific Partnership look like a sweet deal. Hint: It’s not.
Pete Peterson’s think tank, Peterson Institute for International Economics, just released a study in January 2016 predicting great economic growth from the TPP. But the PIIE methods are so detached from reality that the conclusions are wrong. Here are the reasons why.
5 Reasons that Rosy Predictions About the TPP Are Wrong
{$excerpt:n}
West Virginia, the Latest Battlefront in the Conservative Assault on Working People
The story is very familiar. It comes right out of the extreme, pro-corporate playbook. In this case, literally.
West Virginia, the Latest Battlefront in the Conservative Assault on Working People
{$excerpt:n}
NLRB Judge Rules Walmart Wrongly Fired Strikers
An administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Walmart retaliated against workers for participating in strikes. Walmart claimed that the workers’ actions were not protected under the National Labor Relations Act and that it was legitimate to fire the employees for violating the company’s attendance policy. Judge Geoffrey Carter ruled against Walmart.
Source: AFL-CIO Now Blog