AFL-CIO Blog

  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers in Georgia and North Carolina Speak Out at DPWL Public Hearings
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers in Georgia and North Carolina Speak Out at DPWL Public Hearings Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. As part of a nationwide series of Department of People Who Work for a Living (DPWL) events taking place this month, the Georgia State AFL-CIO and North Carolina State AFL-CIO held public hearings last week to discuss how cuts to federal funding and jobs have impacted local residents. Workers in Warner Robins, Georgia, and Asheville, North Carolina, bravely spoke out about how attacks on federal agencies by Elon Musk’s DOGE are threatening their local economy, jeopardizing critical funding for important social services we all rely on, and putting the most vulnerable in danger. Local lawmakers and union leaders attended the events to hear this powerful testimony and speak about what we can do to fight back. Rep. Austin Scott (Ga.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) were both invited to listen to the concerns of constituents from their respective states, but both failed to make an appearance. “Those patients that I get up and take care of every day, that's what's important to me,” said Lori Hedrick, a nurse at Mission Hospital in Asheville. “These Medicaid cuts that are being proposed [are] going to be devastating to so many of them. We're just going to experience an overload, a much worse staffing crisis. Emergency room wait times, that's going to become even worse.” “It’s not a political job that I do,” said Abby Tighe, a former probationary worker at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who spoke at the Warner Robins hearing. “It’s not a political job that anyone at the CDC does. We are here to serve the American people, and we should be supported by the executive branch and by the legislative branch to do that work.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 04/22/2025 - 09:59 — Apr 22
  • Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Amalgamated Transit Union
    Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: Amalgamated Transit Union This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 63 of our affiliates. Next up is the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). Name of Union: Amalgamated Transit Union Mission: To fight for the rights of transit workers and promote mass transit. Current Leadership of Union: John A. Costa is the current international president of ATU. After the tragic death of ATU International President Larry Hanley in May 2019, Costa was elected by the ATU General Executive Board. He was elected international president in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 by delegates at the ATU International Convention. He had served as an international vice president since 2010. Previously he was chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council from 2008–2010. A native of Newark, New Jersey, Costa launched his career in organized labor at NJ Transit in 1981, joining ATU Local 819. In 2001, after serving his local in various capacities, he was elected president—a position he held for three consecutive terms before moving on to become chair of the ATU New Jersey State Council and then ultimately ATU international vice president. He also previously served as vice president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and vice president of the Essex-West Hudson Labor Council. He lives in Monmouth County, New Jersey, with his wife and has two daughters and three grandchildren. Yvette Trujillo serves as international executive vice president, and Kenneth R. Kirk serves as international secretary-treasurer. Current Number of Members: Over 200,000. Members Work as: Metropolitan, interstate and school bus drivers; paratransit, light rail, subway, streetcar and ferry boat operators; mechanics and other maintenance workers; clerks, baggage handlers, municipal employees and other occupations. Industries Represented: Transit and allied workers in the United States and Canada. History: As industrialization advanced in the United States in the late 1800s, more and more workers needed transportation and workers to run that transportation. Mass transit workers in the early days largely worked with horses that pulled streetcars. The drivers often worked 18-hour days while the horses worked four hours a day or less. The harsh treatment, lack of benefits and low pay planted the seeds for the rise of ATU. Early on, there were numerous attempts to form a union of transit workers, but efforts had little success until 1888, when Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, led efforts to organize the streetcar workers. In 1892, the first convention of what would become ATU was held in Indianapolis.  Although the year after the first convention was challenging, the union became a beacon of hope for transit workers. Within that first year, 28 local divisions were formed and the first Canadian local was chartered in 1893. Seven years later, membership had reached 8,000. In the years that followed, ATU continued to expand rapidly amid an era of strikes and violence. The stronger the organization became, the more impact it had. ATU not only pushed for labor reforms such as the six-day workweek and the eight-hour day, but championed technology and rules that made mass transit safer for both workers and riders. Current Campaigns: The ATU-COPE political action committee is the voice of transit workers, school bus employees and over-the-road bus workers at all levels of government. The Government Affairs Department is dedicated to protecting the jobs and working conditions of all ATU members; it monitors legislation impacting transit, school bus and intercity bus transportation at the federal and state levels.  Community Efforts: In pursuit of its values and mission, ATU has community partnerships with a wide variety of organizations, including the AFL-CIO; BlueGreen Alliance; Coalition for Smarter Growth; Good Jobs First; Industrial Areas Foundation; International Transportation Learning Center; Jobs to Move America; Jobs With Justice; People’s Action; PowerSwitch Action; Sierra Club; Transportation Equity Network/Gamaliel; Transportation for America; Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; Transit Riders for Public Transit; Transit Workforce Center; U.S. PIRG; and Working America. The Black Caucus is dedicated to the empowerment of all working men and women within ATU. The Women’s Caucus takes on the issues that women face daily, finding collective solutions. The Latino Caucus upholds the rights of Latinos and others to fully develop their cultural traditions. The International PRIDE Caucus serves as a gathering place for members who identify as LGBTQIA+ and allies, providing networking and team building across different properties, roles, levels, races, abilities and ethnic backgrounds. ATU publishes a blog, the ATU Dispatch member newsletter, and In Transit, a quarterly magazine covering labor and transit news from the United States and Canada, the activities of the international union, and feature stories about local unions and members. ATU provides training and education for members. The ATU Disaster Relief Fund helps members affected by tragedies. ATU sells merchandise in its online store. Learn More: Website, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/21/2025 - 12:00 — Apr 21
  • You Made This Possible: The Working People Weekly List
    You Made This Possible: The Working People Weekly List Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List. Unions Form Pro Bono Legal Network for Federal Workers Targeted by Trump: “‘We are still operating as though there is a rule of law,’ Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said of the network’s intent to bring individual cases through the administrative board process. ‘We are suing when things go awry, but we are watching closely to see that the rule of law holds.’” AFL-CIO Plans Nearly 400 Events to Protest Government Overhaul: “The AFL-CIO will launch nearly 400 events nationwide over the next two weeks in an effort to push back on the administration’s changes to the federal government. The events are organized under the AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living campaign—a shot at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Some of the events, beginning during this two-week congressional recess and going until April 28, will be rallies outside federal agencies and protests outside lawmakers' offices. But the centerpiece will be 19 ‘field hearings,’ according to Eddie Vale, who is consulting with the AFL-CIO. Workers from across different unions and sectors will be able to share their stories and solutions to the Trump administration's cuts.” ‘You Made This Possible’: Labor Organizers Submit Twice the Signatures Needed to Put Bargaining Ban to Voters: “Labor groups submitted some 320,000 signatures Wednesday, more than double the number required, in their effort to repeal an anti-union bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature this year. The overwhelming number makes the union’s Protect Utah Workers campaign the largest signature-gathering campaign in state history. Union members lined up Wednesday morning to unload and deliver about 20 bankers boxes of signature packets to the Salt Lake County Clerk’s office before gathering outside and singing ‘Solidarity Forever,’ a popular anthem of trade unions.” U.S. Labor Groups Sue Over ‘Ignorant’ Cuts of Programs Fighting Child Labor Abroad: “Shawna Bader-Blau, the executive director of the Solidarity Center, a non-profit working in more than 90 countries to improve worker standards and conditions, said the cuts reduced the organization’s budget by 20%, in addition to 30% cuts through USAID cuts. ‘It’s a devastating, huge impact. The Solidarity Center is very often in countries where they are the only external support for trade union organizing and the advancement of worker rights. If we have to leave, we’re not replaced,’ said Bader-Blau. ‘It’s critical to the American economy that American workers not be forced to compete with extremely exploited workers in other countries, up to and including forced and child labor in supply chains.’” Unions Sue to Reverse Trump’s Dismantling of Labor Mediation Agency: “The AFL-CIO, the United Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Government Employees and nearly a dozen other unions joined in the suit, saying cuts to the agency endanger both workers and the economy. The cuts stem from a March 14 executive order that calls for a near-elimination of the agency and six others in the interest of the president’s government-slashing agenda led by the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).” SMART Union Demands Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Worker Illegally Deported by Trump: “The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART) is calling on Americans to contact their representatives and senators to demand the Trump administration facilitate the immediate return of a Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian national legally living in the U.S. with no criminal record, was arrested by ICE agents in Baltimore last month on accusations of being an MS-13 gang member. Abrego Garcia, who hasn’t been charged or convicted of any crime, has since been detained at the Center for Terrorism Confinement, a maximum-security prison accused by human rights groups of torture and due process violations.” Chicago Teachers Reach Contract Deal for First Time in More Than Decade Without Strike: “For the first time in over a decade, Chicago’s public school teachers have a new contract without a strike or threat of a walkout. The four-year agreement includes pay hikes, hiring more teachers and class size limits. While negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and the district didn’t escalate this time, there was unprecedented turmoil surrounding the unusual yearlong talks. The drama included the school superintendent’s firing, the entire board resigning and historic elections that tested the union’s power.” Commercial Actors Union Reaches Agreement on New Labor Contract: “The labor union representing around 133,000 commercial actors and singers reached a tentative agreement with advertisers and advertising agencies for a new collective bargaining agreement. SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Police Committee announced their tentative deal April 12 after the union extended its contract deadline several times. SAG-AFTRA said in its statement that the agreement would go up to the union’s national board for review and then to a ratification vote for members.” Over 200 Hennepin County Physicians Certified as First to Unionize in Minnesota: “Around 250 doctors at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) have been certified as the first unionized resident and fellow physicians in Minnesota, according to union officials. The physicians are represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local of the Service Employees International Union (CIR/SEIU), who said the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services made the certification on April 3.” Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/21/2025 - 11:41 — Apr 21
  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses at Hawaii’s Wilcox Medical Center Ratify New Contract that Raises Pay, Includes Safer Staffing Levels
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses at Hawaii’s Wilcox Medical Center Ratify New Contract that Raises Pay, Includes Safer Staffing Levels Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. After nearly a year of negotiations and a three-day strike in January, nurses who work at Wilcox Medical Center in Hawaii voted to approve a new three-year contract that went into effect this week. The new agreement covers about 160 Wilcox nurses, members of the Hawaii Nurses’ Association (HNA), and increases pay and improves staffing levels at the medical center. HNA is affiliated with Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 50. Negotiations began May 6, 2024, and the nurses have worked since August without a contract. In February, the Kauai County Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the state legislature to implement safe nurse-to-patient ratios at hospitals. “It has been a relentless battle for almost a year,” said HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yuu. “After countless hours of organizing over 35 bargaining sessions, a three-day strike, and a Kauai County resolution, we are finally seeing a breakthrough.” The agreement includes pay increases that provide a 6% pay increase this year and 4% each in the second and third years of the contract. It also includes longevity pay increases. Staffing guidelines have been set up that align with national professional nursing organizations. The agreement also features a new Staffing Council made up of Wilcox nurses and nurse leaders who will meet regularly about staffing issues and needs. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/21/2025 - 08:54 — Apr 21
  • Worker Wins: Good Union Jobs Strengthen Communities
    Worker Wins: Good Union Jobs Strengthen Communities Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life. New York Alamo Drafthouse Strike Ends After Workers Secure New Contract: After 58 days on strike, workers at two New York City Alamo Drafthouse locations will return to work. UAW Local 2179 reached a deal with management over layoffs that the union claimed violated labor law, and the union approved the agreement. The agreement will reinstate the 70-odd staffers who were cut at the theaters as well as restore their previously accrued paid time off, sick time, seniority and hire dates. The union will return to negotiating its first union contract. “Strike won! All jobs are back!” the union announced on social media. “We will be returning to work officially on April 18 but feel free to start patronizing the Alamos in [Brooklyn] and Manhattan as soon as today.” Crew Members of Spiegelworld’s ‘Atomic Saloon Show’ Organize with IATSE and Ratify First Contract: Forty-six production crew members at Spiegelworld’s “Atomic Saloon Show” organized with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 720 and ratified their first contract. The unit includes specialized roles across audio, lighting, wardrobe, wigs, props, rigging, automation and more, with members who work at both the “Atomic Saloon Show” at The Venetian hotel and the now-closed show “OPM” at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Spiegelworld is known for its eccentric and adult-oriented Las Vegas productions, including “Absinthe,” “DiscoShow,” and “Atomic Saloon Show.” The unionization effort began when several on-call workers were denied cost-of-living raises and the crew members were further subjected to anti-union “captive audience” meetings held by management. The contract includes significant wins, including full health care coverage, retirement savings access extended to all employees, wage parity across roles, minimum call guarantees and a structured process to resolve concerns collaboratively with management. “Now that these workers are union, on-call crewmembers can access additional jobs through our dispatch system, helping them get the hours they need to make a decent living,” said IATSE Local 720 Representative Cliff Paschall. “And as always, good union jobs strengthen communities by putting more money into the hands of working people, which supports local businesses and economic growth.” SMART-TD Yardmasters Reach Tentative Contract Agreement with BNSF: The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Yardmasters and BNSF Railway reached a tentative, five-year collective bargaining agreement. The agreement covers more than 320 yardmasters and provides a 3.5% average wage increase per year over the next five years, more vacation time earlier in yardmasters’ careers and improved health care benefits. “This tentative agreement provides paid sick leave, rest days for the extra board, improvements to healthcare, and a compensation package,” said Yardmasters General Chairman Matthew Burkart. “This is the first time the yardmaster craft has seen significant quality of life advancements since 1997.” This latest tentative agreement follows the recently announced national tentative agreement with the Machinists (IAM). IAM Local Lodge 2003 Members Ratify Strong Tentative Agreement at Fort Novosel: Approximately 3,400 members of IAM Local Lodge 2003 ratified a robust new agreement with M1 Support Services and its subcontractors at Fort Novosel, Alabama. The five-year agreement covers workers performing aircraft maintenance and flight support. Highlights include annual general wage increases of 4%, 3.5%, 3.5% and 3%; improvements to overtime polling/scheduling; recognition of Juneteenth as an additional holiday; enhanced vacation scheduling; maintenance of leading medical coverage while managing costs; preservation of the current IAM pension along with increased contributions to 401(k) plans; and successful efforts to fend off several job descriptions that threatened to undermine seniority rights. “We are the heart of what keeps Fort Novosel running smoothly,” said Local Lodge 2003 Negotiating Committee Chairman Chris Kelley. “Through hard work, unity, and a commitment to the process, we’ve negotiated a deal that reflects the value our members bring to the table, ensuring our voices were heard and concerns addressed.” Equator Coffees Workers in California Join UFCW: Workers at Equator Coffees in Los Angeles voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770. The workers are employed as baristas, shift leads and prep cooks. Workers organized because they were concerned about insufficient pay and scheduling and wanted a voice in the workplace. They look forward to negotiating their first union contract. “Upon the win of our union election, I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my co-workers as we come together to address our needs for steady hours, work meals, and a livable wage,” said UFCW member Nicole Territo. “This victory is a step toward a stronger, more supportive workplace, and I’m looking forward to working together to make meaningful changes for all of us. Let’s elevate the specialty coffee narrative from social justice buzzwords to bold actions that honor both coffee quality and the fight for justice.” SEIU Members at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus Secure Fair Contract Through Historic Arbitration Decision: Members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa who work at the Mayo Clinic-Saint Marys Campus in Minnesota are celebrating the news of huge gains for 1,600 front-line health care workers following a long fight that ended with the process heading to a three-person arbitration board. The arbiters spent months hearing testimony before issuing the binding decision. Highlights of the contract include wage increases of between 16.5% and 41% over the term of the new contract; a new minimum wage of $20 per hour that will increase to $21.74 per hour minimum in Year 3 of the contract; retroactive pay of up to $10,000 for raises back to April 23, 2024; and a cap on mandatory overtime hours. “It has been a long time coming, but these amazing results showcase the power of our union and move us towards the pay and respect we deserve for our critical work,” said Kirsten Schultz, a patient care assistant and SEIU member at Mayo. “These wage increases are so amazing and I’m so proud we stood strong to win this contract. These wage increases are some of the biggest we’ve ever seen and the back pay is going to be amazing for so many people. We’re proud of the work we did and all the work we continue to do. We’re thankful for all of the public support we have and continue to receive to make sure the workers who make Mayo run are treated with the respect we deserve.” Avelo Flight Dispatchers Vote to Join the TWU: On Wednesday, flight dispatchers at Avelo Airlines voted to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU). With their successful vote, workers at the ultra-low-cost airline based out of Houston, Texas, are joining the ranks of their peers at Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and other airlines who are already represented by TWU. The newly minted union members are looking forward to negotiating a contract that will address quality-of-life issues and correct pay imbalances. “Our immediate next step is to win that all-important first contract that will significantly improve the quality of life for Avelo Flight Dispatchers and their families,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “The TWU’s strength in organizing new work groups and bargaining game-changing contracts continues to pay off as more workers vote to join the TWU.” Illinois State University Faculty Union Secures Tentative Agreement: On Friday, members of the United Faculty of Illinois State University (UFISU), which is affiliated with University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Local 4100 and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), reached a tentative agreement and averted a strike. The union represents tenured and tenure-track faculty at the institution, and this is their first collective bargaining agreement since securing recognition. Members held nearly 50 negotiation sessions with administrators to reach this deal, with details around pay being one of the remaining sticking points ahead of the final round of discussions on Friday. “This agreement is going to be transformative for the way that our members take on their jobs,” said Keith Pluymers, an associate professor of history at Illinois State University (ISU) and a member of the bargaining team. “We have clarified and solidified a lot of the conditions of work that we have. In places where there was uncertainty, this contract is gonna provide certainty. We’ve worked to address a number of really longstanding issues at ISU. And we think this contract—it’s not gonna take care of everything, but we think this is a great start that’s gonna do a lot to ensure ISU is a great place to work moving forward.” Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 04/17/2025 - 10:13 — Apr 17