AFL-CIO Blog

  • Pride Month Profiles: Meg Jansen
    Pride Month Profiles: Meg Jansen For Pride Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ Americans who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Today's Pride Month profile is Meg Jansen of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Meg Jansen is an active member who works as a barista at Giant Eagle. She submitted the winning design for UFCW OUTreach’s Pride T-shirt design contest. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 06/17/2022 - 10:00 Tags: Pride — Jun 17
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFL-CIO Sports Council to Be the Voice of Union Athletes
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: AFL-CIO Sports Council to Be the Voice of Union Athletes Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story. With more and more professional athletes joining together in unions, our labor movement is founding the AFL-CIO Sports Council. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler announced the formation of the new council, which will strengthen union athletes across the sports industry. Founding members of the Sports Council include NFL Players Association (NFLPA), United Football Players Association-USW, NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA), USWNT Players Association (USWNTPA) and USL Players Association-CWA (USLPA-CWA). “We love the sport that we play, but the issues that our members face are universal ones,” said NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke. “As we come together to form the new AFL-CIO Sports Council, our capacity to win justice on the field for players, and to act in solidarity with workers off the field, will only increase.” Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 06/17/2022 - 09:32 — Jun 17
  • Pride Month Profiles: Brian Gambino
    Pride Month Profiles: Brian Gambino For Pride Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various LGBTQ+ Americans who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Today's Pride Month profile is Brian Gambino of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) member and First Officer Brian Gambino developed his passion for aviation at a young age, growing up under the final approach path for runway 22L at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. His interest became what is now a 16-year career at three ALPA carriers, and his passion is just as strong now as it was at the start. Outside of flying, Brian spends his time advocating for change through the work of the NGPA, the worldwide LGBTQ aviation community. As the organization's president, he leads the charge on diversity, equity and inclusion issues facing the LGBTQ+ community in aviation. Whether he's traveling in a JetBlue Airbus crossing the Atlantic or leading a seminar on inclusion, you’re sure to see Brian living out his passion with a smile on his face. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 06/16/2022 - 09:42 Tags: Pride — Jun 16
  • Organize & Rise: In the States Roundup
    Organize & Rise: In the States Roundup It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on Twitter. Alaska AFL-CIO: Arizona AFL-CIO: California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: Colorado AFL-CIO: Connecticut AFL-CIO: Georgia State AFL-CIO: Indiana State AFL-CIO: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO: Maine AFL-CIO: Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Michigan State AFL-CIO: Minnesota AFL-CIO: Missouri AFL-CIO: Nevada State AFL-CIO: New Hampshire AFL-CIO: New York State AFL-CIO: North Carolina State AFL-CIO: North Dakota AFL-CIO: Ohio AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO: Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: Rhode Island AFL-CIO: Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council: Texas AFL-CIO: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO: Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 06/15/2022 - 11:38 — Jun 15
  • Biden Declares Unyielding Support for the Labor Movement as We Fight to Build an ‘Economy That Works for Working People’
    Biden Declares Unyielding Support for the Labor Movement as We Fight to Build an ‘Economy That Works for Working People’ “It’s good to be home,” President Biden began, as he took the stage at the AFL-CIO Convention. He heralded labor’s fight to transform our economy, including winning passage of the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “The infrastructure law is about more than rebuilding our infrastructure, it’s about rebuilding the middle class,” Biden said. Delegates rose in applause as he called on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which will allow more workers to have a voice on the job. Biden also spoke about what his administration is doing to blunt the economic impact of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused gas and food prices to skyrocket in recent months. “When we work to bring down gas and food prices, we can save families’ money on other items,” he explained. “We can change the dynamic for working-class families” by expanding affordable child care and capping the price of insulin. “We can do all this. All I’m asking is the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans to begin to pay their fair share of taxes,” he said. Biden pointed out that the tax rate on America’s workers is much higher than the effective tax rate on greedy corporations and billionaires. And while anti-union senators propose to sunset Social Security and Medicare, and undermine the Affordable Care Act’s protection for people with pre-existing conditions, Biden made clear that he and the labor movement will always stand in their way. “We’re not going back to the false promise of trickle-down economics. We’re going forward.” “We’re counting on you again to build this country for all of us,” the president told the assembled delegates. “I promise you, I’m going to keep fighting for you. Are you prepared to fight with me?” The answer from workers in the hall was unanimous and in one collective voice: “Yes!” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 06/15/2022 - 11:04 Tags: AFL-CIO Convention — Jun 15