AFL-CIO Blog

  • Economy Gains 1.4 Million Jobs in August; Unemployment Declines to 8.4%
    Economy Gains 1.4 Million Jobs in August; Unemployment Declines to 8.4% The U.S. economy gained 1.4 million jobs in August, and the unemployment rate declined to 8.4%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The improvements reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that previously was curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the August job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:                 Last month's biggest job gains were in government (344,000), retail trade (249,000), professional and business services (197,000), leisure and hospitality (174,000), education and health services (147,000), transportation and warehousing (78,000), other services (74,000), financial activities (36,000), manufacturing (29,000), and wholesale trade (14,000). Employment changed little in mining, construction and information in August. In August, the unemployment rates declined for teenagers (16.1%), Black Americans (13.0%), Hispanics (10.5%), Asians (10.7%), adult women (8.4%), adult men (8.0%) and White Americans (7.3%). The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) rose in August. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/04/2020 - 10:10 — Sep 4
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Labor Movement Steps Up to Provide Disaster Relief Following Hurricane Laura
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Labor Movement Steps Up to Provide Disaster Relief Following Hurricane Laura Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. In response to the devastating destruction of Hurricane Laura, which hit the Gulf Coast the hardest last week, a relief staging location has been set up at United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 198 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Over the weekend, Local 198, Teamsters locals 270 and 988, and the Louisiana AFL-CIO hosted a milk giveaway (pictured above). Unfortunately, the Electrical Workers (IBEW) union hall in Lake Charles was destroyed. President Rick Levy (TSEU/CWA) of the Texas AFL-CIO is working on delivering generators to Louisiana AFL-CIO President Louis Reine (SMART). The Louisiana AFL-CIO is also organizing a gift card drive for those in need. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/04/2020 - 09:30 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Sep 4
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Boilermakers Score Legislative Victory in New Jersey
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Boilermakers Score Legislative Victory in New Jersey Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) and Boilermakers Local 28 were successful in their efforts to enact a state law that will require New Jersey high-hazard facilities, including refineries and certain chemical plants, to employ a skilled and trained workforce. The measure, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on Aug. 13, will require 60% of the workforce to be graduates of approved apprenticeship programs, or equivalent, by 2024. The law also requires workers at high-hazard facilities to receive the state prevailing wage rate for their given occupation. “We have a lot of nonunion [workers] coming into the area that just aren’t trained,” said Local 28 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer James Chew. “Before, we’ve had issues of very shoddy maintenance done where people get hurt. With this bill, we’ve tried to nip it in the bud so our workers are safer, and we can put longevity into these plants so they don’t shut down for accidents.” Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 09/03/2020 - 09:40 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Sep 3
  • Labor Radio Podcast Network Expands to More Than 60 Members in Four Countries
    Labor Radio Podcast Network Expands to More Than 60 Members in Four Countries Launched in April, the Labor Radio Podcast Network has recently expanded to more than 60 labor-related shows in four countries. The voices of the working class often get overlooked in the corporate-controlled media. The goal of the network is to help raise the voices of working people and organized labor to demand and achieve better treatment from workplaces and elected officials. “The explosive growth in members of the Labor Radio Network in a few short months is testament to a movement that will continue to expand in the coming months and years,” said network founder and producer Chris Garlock, who is also communications director for the Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO. Garlock hosts and produces several labor radio and podcast shows, including Union City Radio and Your Rights At Work on WPFW 89.3FM, the Labor History Today podcast and the new Labor Radio Podcast Weekly podcast.  The Labor Radio Podcast Network is both a one-stop shop for audiences looking for labor content and a resource for labor broadcasters and podcast hosts. Resources include a weekly podcast (Labor Radio Podcast Weekly, available on most podcast platforms) summarizing shows produced by network members, marketing on social media, a website listing network shows and how audiences can find them, a database for contacting expert guests, access to a private listserv for network members, and a weekly video call to increase solidarity and support among members. Visit the links below to hear the voices of working people. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 09/02/2020 - 13:19 Tags: Podcast — Sep 2
  • AFL-CIO Launches New Web Tool to Help Workers Win Safety Protections at Work
    AFL-CIO Launches New Web Tool to Help Workers Win Safety Protections at Work As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the country, working people are looking for ways to join together to form a union in our workplaces and negotiate for strong health and safety protections. The AFL-CIO is launching a new Am I Safe at Work? web tool to raise awareness of what a safe workplace should be and how a union can help achieve those goals. The web tool contains fundamental information to empower workers to identify key COVID-19 risks in our workplaces, provides tools to join together with co-workers for better safety protections and guides workers on how to contact a union to help negotiate with an employer for safer working conditions. “No one should be at risk of acquiring COVID-19 because they are working tirelessly to provide necessities for their family and our country,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “Working people have organized to fight for safer working conditions for decades, forming unions to win protections and save lives. This web tool will help workers demand safer workplaces as the federal [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] fails to hold employers accountable. We will do all we can to help keep all workers safe, but federal OSHA needs to issue an enforceable, emergency workplace COVID-19 standard.” This pandemic has particularly affected women and people of color. From nurses who take care of the sick to teachers and meat processing and transit workers, every day working people are risking our lives. One of the goals of this online resource is to provide information that can save lives. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the AFL-CIO has been at the forefront of fighting for safer workplaces across our country. Once again the labor movement is stepping up, sharing key tools and resources to help workers come together and demand change during this pandemic. This site is a critical tool that empowers workers to fight for COVID-19 and other safety protections and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 09/02/2020 - 10:31 — Sep 2