The labor movement, the AFL-CIO and the nation lost a legend today. Rich Trumka devoted his life to working people, from his early days as president of the United Mine Workers of America to his unparalleled leadership as the voice of America’s labor movement.
He was a relentless champion of workers’ rights, workplace safety, worker-centered trade, democracy and so much more. He was also a devoted father, grandfather, husband, brother, coach, colleague and friend. Rich was loved and beloved.
Today, the 56 unions and 12.5 million members of the AFL-CIO mourn the passing of our fearless leader and commit to honoring his legacy with action.
Standing on Rich’s shoulders, we will pour everything we have into building an economy, society and democracy that lifts up every working family and community.
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The data validates their perception. Since 1979, wages for workers in the bottom 90% grew by less than 24%. The decline in union representation has lowered the median hourly wage by $1.56, a 7.9% decline (0.2% annually), from 1979 to 2017.
The past year has exacerbated real economic and social difficulties for working people in the United States and has only made pre-existing disparities worse.
Our decades-old labor laws are no longer equipped to protect worker voice on the job or to promote collective bargaining as originally intended.
In truth, the PRO Act merely codifies the NLRB’s existing practice, which has been in effect for over six years, to ensure workers have access to convenient and timely information leading up to the election.
Eligibility list privacy concerns are a red herring created by employer groups and corporations who fundamentally oppose the PRO Act.
The NLRB itself and multiple federal courts have acknowledged that the very eligibility list requirements found in the PRO Act do not pose increased privacy concerns.
Passage of the #PRO Act is the top priority of the labor movement. It is supported by the AFL-CIO and its 56 affiliated unions. The #PROAct has also been endorsed by unaffiliated international unions and a wide variety of civil rights, religious, and environmental organizations.
Strengthening outdated labor law is key to rebuilding the economy and restoring fairness to the workplace. We urge you to support this vital legislation.
To date, you have heard from workers, union leaders, and allied organizations about the urgent need to pass the #PROAct, which would give workers a voice at the table to bargain for better wages, retirement, health and safety standards, and other vital benefits.
The AFL-CIO urges support of the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act (#HR1065), and to oppose any motion to recommit. This common sense legislation will promote workplace gender equity, healthy pregnancies, and the economic security of pregnant and parenting women and their families.
The bill’s protections are particularly important now, as many workers return to the workplace and all workers struggle to stay healthy during the ongoing #COVID19 pandemic.
Over the last several decades, there has been a dramatic demographic shift in the workforce, with families increasingly depending on women’s income. There are more pregnant workers than ever before, and they are working later into their pregnancies.
The AFL-CIO, @SEIU, the SNITIS and @Public_Citizen announced today that they have filed the first complaint under the Rapid Response Mechanism of the #USMCA against Tridonex, an auto parts factory located in Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico.
The case will test whether Mexico’s labor reforms and USMCA’s Rapid Response Mechanism can deliver for Mexican workers denied their fundamental right to organize and bargain for better wages and working conditions.
For two years, workers at Tridonex have been harassed and fired for trying to organize with SNITIS, an independent Mexican union of their choice, to replace a corrupt “protection” union.
NEW: The AFL-CIO labor federation says it’s spending seven figures on television and radio ads aimed at bolstering Senate support for the #PROAct, which would make it easier for workers to join unions.