AFL-CIO Blog

  • Pride Month Profiles: Matteo Hintz
    Pride Month Profiles: Matteo Hintz For Pride Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ workers who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Matteo Hintz of AFSCME. Matteo Hintz serves as the Penn Museum Workers United chapter chair for AFSCME Local 397. Because unionizing at cultural institutions is relatively new, many museum workers have no prior experience in organizing. As chapter chair, Hintz uses his passion for labor rights and knowledge of working-class history to educate and embolden his co-workers. Hintz’s grandfather was union, his dad is union, and he is carrying on that legacy. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 06/17/2025 - 09:14 Tags: Pride — Jun 17
  • Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Vermont Hospice Workers Vote to Join AFT
    Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Vermont Hospice Workers Vote to Join AFT 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. Earlier this month, staff at the University of Vermont (UVM) Health Network Home Health & Hospice voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming a union with AFT Vermont, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Members of Hospice United perform a number of essential duties related to palliative and end-of-life care for patients with terminal illnesses. Despite a powerful 88% of workers voting to form Hospice United, administrators are still trying to challenge the inclusion of certain positions in the bargaining unit—such as chaplains and bereavement coordinators. Staff aren’t deterred however, and are looking forward to beginning negotiations on a first contract. “We’re doing this to build a better hospice,” said Lindsay Gagnon, a hospice nurse practitioner at UVM. “We deserve fair caseloads, so we can give each patient and family the best care possible at the end of life. We deserve fair pay that reflects the highly skilled and specialized care we provide. We deserve respect and a voice, to ensure every team member has what they need to thrive while doing the work we are so passionate about.” Nicole DiVita, the president for Healthcare at AFT Vermont, added: “This is a big win. When healthcare workers have a say in their workplace, care gets better for everyone. We’ve seen over 700 new members join AFT Vermont in just the last few months—it’s a powerful time for healthcare workers in our state.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 06/17/2025 - 08:58 — Jun 17
  • Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: BCTGM
    Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: BCTGM 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 Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM). Name of Union: Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. Mission: The primary goal of the BCTGM has not changed in more than 130 years—to bring economic justice in the workplace to all workers in our jurisdiction and social justice to workers throughout the United States and Canada. Current Leadership of Union: Anthony Shelton has served as BCTGM international president since he was elected to fulfill the term of David B. Durkee, who passed away on March 30, 2020. He was unanimously reelected on July 29, 2022, by delegates to the 41st BCTGM Constitutional Convention. Prior to that, Shelton served as BCTGM international secretary-treasurer. Shelton has been a member of BCTGM since 1973 when he became a member of Local 25 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In March 1992, Shelton was appointed as Southern Region international representative, a position he held for 23 years. He was elected as international vice president of the Southern Region in September 2015 and reelected in 2018. Shelton is a second-generation BCTGM member, his father, Walter Shelton, having been a member for 62 years. David Woods serves as international secretary-treasurer and director of organizing. BCTGM has five international vice presidents: Roger Miller (East-Central Region), Zach Townsend (Southern Region), Jason Davis (Midwest Region), Ron Piercey (Canadian Region) and Shad Clark (Western Region). Members Work as: Manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers. Industries Represented: The BCTGM represents working men and women at some of the most widely recognized companies in the baking, candy, snack food, dairy, tobacco and grain milling industries in North America. History: The Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union of America, one of the pioneers of the North American labor movement, was organized in 1886. In 1957, the American Bakery and Confectionery Workers’ International Union was formed. The two organizations united in 1969. The Tobacco Workers International Union was founded in 1895 and was also at the forefront of the labor movement. As it and the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union of America shared many common goals, both organizations came to realize those goals could best be achieved through a merger. That merger, creating the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers (BC&T), took place in 1978. The American Federation of Grain Millers (AFGM) had roots tracing back to the late 1800s. In 1936, the National Council of Grain Processors was formed when federal grain milling unions agreed to unite as a national union under the American Federation of Labor. In 1941, the council was renamed the American Federation of Grain Processors and in 1948 was granted an international charter as the AFGM. Shared goals and industries led to the Jan. 1, 1999, merger between the BC&T and AFGM, resulting in the BCTGM. Current Campaigns: BCTGM provides a list of products made by members.  Community Efforts: BCTGM publishes a blog and has a podcast, “The BCTGM Voices Project.” BCTGM partners with the United Way and provides the David B. Durkee scholarship for members and their children.  Learn More: Website, X, Instagram Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 06/16/2025 - 14:20 — Jun 16
  • Pride Month Profiles
    Pride Month Profiles For Pride Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ workers who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Here's who we've featured so far:   Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 06/16/2025 - 11:05 Tags: Pride — Jun 16
  • ‘The Best Organizer Is a Bad Boss’: The Working People Weekly List
    ‘The Best Organizer Is a Bad Boss’: 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. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the Value of Trump: ‘The Best Organizer Is a Bad Boss’: “Liz Shuler has a tough job. It’s not just tough to do. It’s tough even to define. As the president of the AFL-CIO, a 70-year-old federation of 63 national and international unions representing more than 15 million workers, she is the leader of the American labor movement. But ‘labor’ is not a monolith. She represents NFL players, government workers, Hollywood writers, hotel janitors. Shuler, who became the first woman to run the AFL-CIO when she was elected in 2021, doesn’t negotiate pay rates or mediate disputes between workers and management.” Shuler: Trump Killing Energy Projects Will Kill Thousands of Union Jobs : “The Labor Movement condemns the Department of Energy’s decision to cut $3.7 billion in funding for new energy projects and take away tens of thousands of good union jobs from America’s workers. President Trump promised a new era of American dominance in energy and manufacturing, but his administration is now taking away the jobs that are critical to making that happen. In states like Alabama, Ohio and Texas, workers have lost their jobs; their families have had the rug ripped out from under them; and we will all lose out on the environmental, economic and national security benefits of the cutting-edge technology they were going to build. Their work would have boosted the economies in those states, provided consumers with affordable energy, developed our fast-growing clean energy economy, and advanced America’s technological competitiveness on the world stage. The Trump administration must reverse course and bring back these energy projects, for the good of America’s working families, our communities, and our global competitiveness.” How Immigrants and Labor, Long Joined in L.A., Set the Stage for Protest: “‘Our country suffers when these military raids tear families apart,’ said Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, standing in a cluster of signs reading, ‘Free David.’ ‘One thing the administration should know about this community is that we do not leave anybody behind!’ Mr. Huerta was released on bail later in the day and still faces charges.” L.A. Labor Stands Up for Immigrants After Huerta Arrest: “On Monday, June 9, labor unions, elected officials, advocacy groups, and community members rallied in Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles to protest the arrest of David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California (SEIU). But as April Verrett, president of SEIU International, said in a statement condemning Huerta’s arrest, ‘this struggle is about much more than just one man.’” Government Workforce Reductions Hit Black Employees Hardest: “Recent federal workforce reductions are having a disproportionate impact on Black employees, raising concerns about long-term economic stability and representation in public service, according to new reports. Black workers make up nearly 19% of the federal workforce, despite accounting for about 14 percent of the overall U.S. population, according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Historically, federal employment has provided a critical pathway to the middle class for Black Americans, offering stable wages, benefits, and protection from private-sector discrimination.” Ohio Electrical Workers Unite to Support Solar Jobs, Federal Tax Credits: “‘Clean energy tax credits are putting IBEW members to work in every state—and there are still hundreds of billions of dollars in projects ahead,’ said IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper. ‘Stripping these investments now hands the advantage to foreign competitors, particularly China, and tells American workers their jobs don’t matter.’” They Served the Nation. Now, These Veterans Say They’re Protesting to Save It: “Later in the afternoon, Cecil Roberts, a sixth-generation coal miner and combat veteran of the Vietnam War, climbed upon the stage, the bright white dome of the Capitol gleaning behind him. ‘I’m glad people recognize the service of people who were in the Army,’ said Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America. ‘But we shouldn’t be having a parade until every veteran has the health care they deserve.’” U.S. Added 139,000 Jobs in May as the Labor Market Steadily Cools: “The United States added 139,000 jobs in May, more than expected but pointing to a labor market that continues to slow. The employment data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics exceeded forecasts for about 120,000 payroll gains but marked a decline from the revised 147,000 jobs added in April. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, remaining near historic lows.” Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 06/16/2025 - 11:02 — Jun 16