APWU Says Honor Vets with Jobs
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On Veterans Day today, lawmakers will make a lot of speeches honoring the service of the nation’s military veterans. But many of these same lawmakers are backing legislation that could cost the jobs of 26,000 veterans who work for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
The bill (H.R. 2309), sponsored by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), was approved by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Oct. 13. It would force the Postal Service to lay off as many as 120,000 workers, including veterans who served our nation.
The Postal Workers (APWU) and Mail Handlers, an affiliate of the Laborers (LIUNA), have launched a new TV ad (see above) that salutes the nation’s “real life heroes” and urges viewers to tell their representatives in Congress to vote ”No” on H.R. 2309 when it comes to the House floor for a vote.
Our nation’s veterans are real-life heroes. But when they come home, they don’t want a parade, they want a job.
Trumka Joins Working Ohioans to Get Out the Vote Against Issue 2
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Deborah Dion with the Ohio AFL-CIO field program sends us this.
Speaking at a Cleveland rally on the eve of Nov. 8, Election Day, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka brought down the house yesterday when he spoke passionately about why we must join together and beat back Issue 2/ S.B. 5. More than 500 union volunteers from 30 different local unions as well as community activists and Columbia University students from New York City rose to their feet repeatedly cheering before hitting the doors to canvass city neighborhoods to spread the message about voting “No” vote on Issue 2/S.B. 5.
“No fight is more important than the one right here in Ohio,” said Trumka.
Because no one, no governor, no state legislature should have the power to rob us of the fundamental right to bargain collectively. [Gov.] John Kasich cannot take that away from us. The people of Ohio have spoken and will not stand for it. They want to take away our rights, our dignity, and the ladder to the middle class.
Ohio Federation of Teachers President Sue Taylor, Laborers Local 310 Business Manager Terry Joyce, North Shore Federation of Labor President Loree Soggs and Executive Secretary Harriet Applegate of the North Shore Federation joined President Trumka at the rally. Says Taylor:
Infrastructure Investment in Aberdeen Builds Bridges and Economy
There are reams of reports, tons of studies and rivers of statistics that prove investments in infrastructure pay off in jobs and economic boosts to the communities. When more people have good paychecks in the pockets, they pump money into their local economies.
But it’s the up close and personal examples that can be the most convincing to anyone who doubts the economic wisdom of spending money to create jobs by rebuilding roads, bridges and schools.
Before Senators cast their voites on the Rebuild America Jobs Act—we’re talking primarily to you, Republican lawmakers—they should read this article from the Seattle Times on how a massive bridge building project in Aberdeen, Wash., “is pumping new life into a once-thriving timber town that fell on hard times and stayed that way for years.”
In February, the Washington State Department of Transportation chose Aberdeen as the site to build 33 new huge pontoons—some as long as a football field and weighing 11,000 tons each—for a new bridge on state Highway 520.
While the project itself creates some 300 well-paid jobs, “it’s not the only burst of recent good news for Aberdeen.” Read the rest of this entry »
Thousands of Ohioans Mobilize to Urge ‘NO’ Vote on Issue 2
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AFL-CIO Field Communications Coordinator Andrew Richards sends us the latest from Ohio.
Thousands of Ohio working families went door to door canvassing across the state over the weekend to get out the vote against Issue 2/S.B. 5. With a little more than two weeks left until Election Day, Nov. 8, Ohioans are working furiously to talk with as many Ohioans about how Issue 2/S.B. 5 is unsafe, unfair and has hurt our communities because it takes away the ability of public employees to collectively bargain for a middle-class life. In Cincinnati, Ohio Federation of Teachers/AFT President Sue Taylor joined workers and community members to kick off a get-out-the-vote event before working families fanned out across the area to knock on doors.
(If you’re in Ohio, pledge to vote “NO” on Issue 2 and vote early. Click here.)
Thousands Rallied to Support Postal Workers, Save 120,000 Jobs
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Thousands of postal workers and their supporters held rallies in 492 locations across the country yesterday to protect the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and save 120,000 jobs.
Members of the four USPS employee unions—the Postal Workers (APWU), Letter Carriers (NALC), Mail Handlers, an affiliate of the Laborers (LIUNA), and the Rural Letter Carriers—and our allies held events in every congressional district as part of a national “Save America’s Post Office” day of action.
Under the guise of a “budgetary crisis,” some in Congress are going after the USPS, proposing massive cuts and job cuts—including laying off 120,000 workers, closing thousands of post offices, eliminating Saturday mail service and closing mail processing facilities. The rallies yesterday urged lawmakers to save the USPS by supporting H.R. 1351. Introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), the bill would restore financial stability to the Postal Service.
Support Postal Workers: Join Sept. 27 Rallies to Save 120,000 Jobs
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In every state across the country, members of the postal unions and community supporters will rally tomorrow, Sept. 27, in a national day of action to protect the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and save 120,000 jobs. Most rallies will take place from 4–5:30 p.m. local time.
Click here to find the Sept. 27 rallies near you.
Under the guise of a “budgetary crisis,” some in Congress are going after the USPS, proposing massive cuts and layoffs—including laying off 120,000 workers, closing thousands of post offices, eliminating Saturday mail service and closing mail processing facilities.
Momentum Grows for NLRB Rule Changes
Momentum is building as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) gears up to hold hearings next week on its proposed rule designed to ensure a fair process for workers who want to vote on whether to form a union. More members of Congress and academics have joined a growing group of working people and workers’ rights advocates in voicing their support for the rule changes.
Here are a few of the people and organizations who’ve spoken out for the rule change.
Laborers (LIUNA) President Terry O’Sullivan:
The common-sense reforms the NLRB has proposed will begin to bring union elections into the 21st century and are a step toward reducing the possibility of unscrupulous employers interfering with the right of workers to make an informed decision on whether to unionize.
Job Safety Laws Must Not Go Backward
In Michigan yesterday, workers not only honored those killed and injured on the job as part of Workers Memorial Day ceremonies at the state Capitol in Lansing, they warned that plans to dismantle the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) and repeal the state’s workplace safety law would put workers at risk.
UAW Region1C Director Norwood Jewell said:
We remember those that are injured and it brings to light the fact they are talking about defunding MIOSHA. We still have people dying in workplaces. We have come too far to go backwards.
Michigan AFL-CIO Health and Safety Director Derrick Quinney says, “Even in a common-sense topic like public safety, our Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation in Michigan that will repeal the Michigan Occupational and Safety Health Act in favor of a federal OSHA program.”
Instead of stripping away our law that we know works, why not update it with further rules and regulations to keep our workers safe on the job?
The real goal of our Republican legislature is to take away workers’ rights and weaken the role of protecting workers in the public. These are the same coordinated attacks that are happening in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio. This isn’t about the budget—these attacks threaten the economic security and safety of all workers.
Read more here.
Elsewhere on Workers Memorial Day, Mike Staley of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 649, offered a prayer during services at Laborers (LIUNA) Local 538 in Galesburg, Ill.
Rebuilding the Infrastructure Is a ‘No-Brainer’
When President Obama announced his plan to rebuild our nation’s transportation infrastructure, he was affirming what the AFL-CIO and the union movement have been saying for years: Our crumbling infrastructure needs rebuilding and doing so would put thousands of people back to work.
Today, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Treasury Department released a report spelling out the benefits of investing in our infrastructure, saying “well designed infrastructure investments have long term economic benefits” and “the middle class will benefit disproportionately from this investment.” The report also points out that a huge majority of Americans support infrastructure investment.
Laborers Rejoin AFL-CIO
Today, the Laborer’s (LIUNA) officially rejoined the AFL-CIO. The 500,000-member LIUNA brings the AFL-CIO’s total membership to 12.2 million workers in 57 unions, including the 3.2 million members of the AFL-CIO community affiliate Working America creates a strong and powerful voice for working families.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the LIUNA reaffiliation comes “at a critical moment for working people.” He said that LIUNA members—the vast majority of whom work in the construction industry—have been particularly hard hit in today’s economy.
As working people fight to rebuild a middle-class economy, now is the moment for a unified labor movement. Together, we will work to create good jobs and elect leaders who stand with working people. Read the rest of this entry »
