Labor & Employment Law

Hall of Fame Honors Three Women Labor Trailblazers

Posted on May 17, 2013
Three pioneering and historic women labor trailblazers were inducted into Labor?s International Hall of Fame Thursday night. The award ceremony honored Evelyn Dubrow, Viola Liuzzo and Anna ?Annie? Klobuchar Clemenc posthumously...

Republican Filibuster Next Battle for NLRB Nominees?

Posted on May 16, 2013
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been under ?relentless political attack [and] many elected officials are actively trying to shut the NLRB down,? said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said this morning as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee (HELP) opened confirmation hearings on a package of nominees to the board.

High-Tech Firms Want Low-Wage?Not U.S.?Workers

Posted on May 16, 2013
Before a company, say Oracle, would be allowed to recruit and hire foreign workers under the H1B visa program in the draft of the immigration bill now under consideration in the Senate, it first must give U.S. workers who are equally or better qualified the first shot at the jobs...

Getting to the Root of the Immigration Debate

Posted on May 16, 2013
Recently, the Heritage Foundation released a report condemning the current push for resolving America?s moral dilemma over immigration. One of its co-authors, Jason Richwine, has a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. But, it turns out that his dissertation concluded that Hispanic immigrants have low intelligence and will have grandchildren in America, with low intelligence...

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Machinists Honored for Boston Bombing Response

Posted on May 16, 2013
Three members of Machinists (IAM) Local 264 in Boston were honored for their bravery and quick thinking in response to the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15. John Foley, Dave Litif and Mike Rown, who were volunteering at the finish line of the marathon, immediately moved to tear down barricades around the blast site to help people leave the area and began treating the wounded.

Durazo: 'Los Angeles...the Low-Wage Capital of the Nation'

Posted on May 16, 2013
Journalists are fixated on union members' donations to the Los Angeles mayoral race to elect Wendy Greuel, Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, writes in a Los Angeles Times column. But one issue is being largely ignored: the working poor...

Mo. House Passes Paycheck Deception, but Veto Expected

Posted on May 15, 2013
The American Legislative Exchange Council, its corporate backers and extremist Missouri lawmakers may have won the first round in their drive to silence working people with a paycheck deception bill, when the House gave it final approval (86-69) earlier this week.

Home Defenders League Sponsors Wall Street Accountability Week of Action

Posted on May 15, 2013
The Home Defenders League is holding a Wall Street Accountability Week of Action in Washington, D.C., from May 18-23. Families directly affected by the foreclosure crisis are traveling to the nation's capital to make their voices heard. On May 20, at 1:30 p...

Stop Aspiring Citizen Deportations, Groups Tell White House

Posted on May 15, 2013
The Obama administration should suspend deportations of aspiring citizens who would be eligible for a pathway to citizenship under a commonsense immigration reform bill that is under consideration in the U.S. Senate, a group of labor?including the AFL-CIO?Latino and other immigration reform advocates told the White House earlier this week.

Effort to Stop Koch Brothers? Takeover of L.A. Times Gains Momentum

Posted on May 15, 2013
Don?t sell out to the Koch brothers / Don?t let the brothers in the door / We don?t want them taking over / That is what we?re marching for!That  was the message, as sung by acclaimed musician Ry Cooder, carried by hundreds of Los Angeles residents who marched and rallied Tuesday to urge Oaktree Capital Management not to sell the respected Los Angeles Times to right-wing extremists David and Charles Koch...

Bangladesh Government Moves to Ease Unionization

Posted on May 15, 2013
The Bangladesh Cabinet approved a change to the nation?s labor laws that it says would enable workers to more freely form unions. The proposal, which must be approved by Parliament, would allow workers to join unions without showing the list of union supporters to factory owners to verify their employment?a practice that effectively makes it impossible for unions to gather sufficient support to register with the government because factory owners often penalize or fire workers who support unionization.

U.S. Brands and Retailers Should Sign the Bangladesh Safety Accord

Posted on May 14, 2013
Rana Plaza, the Bangladesh factory that collapsed three weeks ago, killed more than 1,100 workers, many of them young women. This tragedy adds to the more than 1500 Bangladeshi workers killed in preventable fires and building collapses since 2005. Documents found at the factory show that the workers produced for big names in global retail revealing the link between poor workers in Bangladesh and major retail  brands...

Attack on NLRB Goes Beyond Washington, Costs Illinois Worker His Home

Posted on May 14, 2013
Marcus Hedger, illegally fired in 2010, will have to wait even longer to get his job back if the Senate fails to confirm President Obama?s bipartisan nominees to serve on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).Call your senators toll free at 1-888-264-6154 and tell them to confirm the board nominations now.

Tacoma Union Members Make It a Banner Year for Union-Made Peanut Butter Donations

Posted on May 14, 2013
Alice Phillips of Tacoma, Wash., is a union leader who?s willing to create a little buzz.At least, that?s the sound the clippers will make when Phillips, the IBEW business manager, fulfills her pledge to get a Mohawk haircut if the members of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 483 would double last year?s donation of union-made peanut butter as part of the Letter Carriers? National Food Drive...

Colombia: Many Women Workers Face Job Discrimination

Posted on May 14, 2013
In Colombia, ?even when there?s an improvement in the overall economy, women don?t see any improvement,? says Sohely Rua Catañeda. As a result, many women who are unable to secure formal employment are forced into the informal sector to support themselves and their families, laboring as domestic workers or street vendors...

Join the Fight for a Living Wage

Posted on May 14, 2013
Across the country, low-wage workers at McDonald's, KFC, Jimmy John?s and other service-sector jobs are joining together to improve wages and working conditions for the entire industry. This growing movement is one of the largest grassroots workplace mobilizations in recent history...

IAM, TWU Come Together at ?New? American Airlines

Posted on May 14, 2013
The Machinists (IAM) and the Transport Workers (TWU) have reached a partnership to jointly represent nearly 30,000 ground workers at the ?new? American Airlines following the merger of American Airlines and US Airways.

Take Action to Increase the Minimum Wage in Minnesota

Posted on May 14, 2013
Both houses of the Minnesota legislature have passed bills to increase the state's minimum wage. The two bills are different, however, and they each need to approve an identical bill. The Minnesota AFL-CIO is calling on the state's residents to contact members of the state Senate to ask them to pass legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $9...

What Planet Is the Washington Elite on in Debating Social Security?

Posted on May 14, 2013
The National Academy of Social Insurance, a Washington-based organization of academics and policymakers who are experts on Social Security and other parts of the Social Security Act, released a recent survey of what Americans think about Social Security and how to ?fix? it...

California Unions Launch 'Short and Strong' Student Video Contest to Capture Immigration Stories

Posted on May 14, 2013
Taking their cues from the young immigrant students, known as the Dreamers, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and UNITE HERE, the restaurant and hotel workers union, want to encourage more young students to share their stories of immigration?either their own or somebody else?s?with the country, especially with national lawmakers who may vote on an immigration reform bill as soon as later this year...

Ironworkers' ?Countdown to Zero? Reducing Workplace Deaths

Posted on May 13, 2013
In January 2012, the Ironworkers launched a new worksite safety campaign, with the goal of ?zero fatalities, and the first figures in show that Countdown to Zero? is making a difference and saving lives (see chart inside post).

Join Steven Pitts Wednesday to Discuss How We Build a Stronger Labor Movement for People of Color

Posted on May 13, 2013
Join us Wednesday at 1 p.m. EDT for this week?s live online discussion with with Dr. Steven Pitts, labor policy specialist at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. He is hosting our second online conversation on how we build a better future for working people and a bigger and stronger movement.

Trumka: The 'Grand Bargain' Is a Dead End

Posted on May 13, 2013
Most voters agree that big corporations and the wealthy should start paying their fair share in taxes. But, of course, big corporations and the wealthy don?t want to do that. They want to pay less, and they are used to getting their way. So what do you do?

This Week?s Opportunity: Get Our Labor Board Working Again

Posted on May 13, 2013
President Obama has nominated five people to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Two are Republicans. All are waiting for confirmation by the Senate. Let your senators know these nominees should be confirmed so the NLRB can get back to work. (To find your senators? phone numbers, call the U...

My Story: Winning a Union at Pomona College

Posted on May 13, 2013
May Day was extra special for me this year. My heart was filled with joy and pride because it was my first day as a member of UNITE HERE.

LAX Project Provides Wealth of Experience for IBEW Apprentice

Posted on May 13, 2013
We?re following the story of Hannah Cooper, an apprentice with Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 11 in Los Angeles. Here?s her latest report and check out her first entry.For the past year and a half, ­­I?ve had the great fortune of working on the new addition to the Tom Bradley International Terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)...

New Hampshire Letter Carrier Rushes Into Burning Building Looking For Trapped Residents, Still Delivers All His Mail

Posted on May 12, 2013
Letter carrier and union member Tom Sapienza was making his rounds Saturday when he came upon a burning building. Without hesitation, he and several others entered the building to look for trapped residents. No one was seriously injured in the blaze...

Electrical Workers Help Preserve the History of the USS Midway

Posted on May 11, 2013
In this video, members of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the Electrical Workers (IBEW) explain how they help keep the USS Midway, which is now a museum, up to date and running smoothly, preserving an important bit of American history.

New EPI Report: Health Care Cost-Sharing Hurts Consumers

Posted on May 10, 2013
Cost-sharing, which is mistakenly embraced as a reform tool by some health care economists, will neither make care more affordable nor improve public health, says an important new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

Detroit Fast Food Workers' Strike Shuts Down Locations

Posted on May 10, 2013
Fast food workers at more than 60 restaurants in Detroit walked off the job Friday. This may be the largest fast food strike in American history, involving more than 400 workers from McDonald's, Long John Silver's, Burger King, Popeyes and KFC...

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