AFL-CIO Blog

  • Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Mayra Muñoz
    Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Mayra Muñoz Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Hispanics and Latinos have made to the labor movement. Today's profile features Mayra Muñoz. Mayra Muñoz has been the president of UAW Local 1850 (Asociación Empleados del ELA), which represents nearly 350 members who work at Puerto Rico's largest credit union. Muñoz has served as the local union's president since 2009. Muñoz fought tirelessly to protect UAW members and win better wages and benefits despite the economic challenges on the island. Muñoz is currently the president of CAP Puerto Rico. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/16/2022 - 10:30 — Sep 16
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Rocker Tom Morello Holds the Line with UMWA Members on Strike at Warrior Met Coal
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Rocker Tom Morello Holds the Line with UMWA Members on Strike at Warrior Met Coal 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. Hundreds of members of the Mine Workers (UMWA) have been on strike against Warrior Met Coal in Alabama for nearly a year and a half. These union members are standing strong, demanding a fair contract that repays them for the sacrifices they made several years ago to bring Warrior Met Coal’s predecessor out of bankruptcy. The UMWA strikers have received support from the entire labor movement throughout their courageous fight against management greed. Rock star Tom Morello (AFM) rallied with UMWA members on strike Wednesday to give them his support and solidarity. Morello performed his labor rock anthem, “Hold the Line,” about brave union members across the country who are standing up for dignity and justice at work. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 09/16/2022 - 10:03 — Sep 16
  • Workers Need Stronger Labor Laws Now More Than Ever
    Workers Need Stronger Labor Laws Now More Than Ever Nearly 20 years after the publication of Kate Bronfenbrenner’s groundbreaking report on the state of organizing, she testified this week before Congress to preview new data showing that working people continue to face significant barriers in their efforts to form a union. Her testimony was given during a hearing before the House Education and Labor Committee on corporate union-busting and removing barriers to organizing. Bronfenbrenner’s testimony highlighted that while election win-rates have increased, the level of opposition workers face has intensified. Her analysis is further evidence for why we must pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. “Strengthening our labor laws has never been more urgent,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in response to the new data. “The working people who keep our economy going each day deserve the freedom to join or form a union without intimidation and fear. All workers deserve dignity and respect on the job.” Approval of unions has reached 71%—the highest rate in nearly 60 years—and a significant portion of workers report that they would join a union if they could. Despite this unprecedented period of organizing, with millions of workers standing up nationwide to demand fairness on the job, the conditions that workers face have not changed much over the past two decades. Bronfenbrenner’s findings show that a majority of companies still hire union-busting firms to deploy aggressive anti-union campaigns to thwart worker organizing. Rates of retaliation, coercion, threats and intimidation remain inexcusably high: 
    • Eighty-five percent of employers used captive audience meetings while 71% used one-on-one meetings to harass workers. 
    • Forty-four percent interrogated workers about union activity. 
    • Forty-five percent threatened workers with plant closings, outsourcing or contracting out of their work.
    The evolution of technology has allowed employers to introduce newer and so-called softer tactics to prevent organizing. Bronfenbrenner found that surveillance of workers has doubled and this includes monitoring through phones, computers key cards, social media and more. Email communication has jumped from 3% to 43%, and employers now use text messages 18% of the time to contact workers with anti-union messages. While this data primarily shows employer opposition only after workers have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), it does not reflect what workers know from lived experience—about how increased surveillance and other tactics are used by employers to mount anti-union campaigns even before a petition is filed. These tactics continue to have a chilling effect on working people’s desire to organize and improve their workplaces. Workers have had to be more cautious in filing petitions for elections with the NLRB because employer misconduct so often precludes a fair election. And even when workers are successful in organizing by going through the NLRB election process, only 36% of elections result in a first contract within the first year while 44% still do not have a union contract within three years. Without strong labor laws, workers will remain vulnerable to corporate abuse and overreach. Building a more equitable economy requires that employers be held accountable for violating workers’ rights. Read Bronfenbrenner’s full testimony here. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 09/15/2022 - 14:30     — Sep 15
  • Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Aldo Gomez
    Hispanic Heritage Month Profiles: Aldo Gomez Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, the AFL-CIO will be profiling leaders and activists to spotlight the diverse contributions Hispanics and Latinos have made to the labor movement. Today's profile features Aldo Gomez. Aldo Gomez is a first-generation American, and his family is originally from Guatemala. He recently led a Pipeline and Pawprints fundraiser, where he raised nearly $10,000 to save dogs and cats from euthanasia. He coordinated the donations with his company, which matched member donations dollar for dollar. In his job, Gomez plans and oversees distribution projects to help ensure safe operations. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 09/15/2022 - 11:52 Tags: Hispanic Heritage Month — Sep 15
  • Freight Railroad Worker Stories: Dennis Sabina of TWU
    Freight Railroad Worker Stories: Dennis Sabina of TWU At a recent virtual U.S. Freight Railroad Worker Town Hall, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, President Greg Regan introduced a group of workers who explained the challenges they’ve faced in their three-year fight for a new contract with U.S. freight railroad companies:
    Since 2015, seven major railroad companies made $146 billion in net profits off the backs of these workers. That’s the most money they’ve ever made in the history of railroading—even more than the Gilded Era railroad robber barons. During this same time period, the companies eliminated 45,000 jobs from the industry. Instead of recognizing the value of these workers, the companies have enacted massive job cuts and offered the remaining workers a net pay cut and worse health care benefits than they have now. This is unacceptable.
    In the coming days, the AFL-CIO will share the stories of these workers. Check back here every day for more. Today’s story comes from Dennis Sabina of the Transport Workers Union (TWU). Dennis works as a carman at Norfolk Southern in Conway, Pennsylvania. Sabina said: “I’ve been a railroader for 17 years. When I started, there were around 100 people and now we're down to about 50, so we've lost half of our workforce. We’ve also lost a lot of equipment that we used to have, like cranes, that we would use in our daily job function. Yet they expect us to keep everything moving the same as it was five or 10 years ago. “In my department, they aren't hiring. So I still have six students that are laid off, and the railroad isn't bringing them back even though they clearly need more workers. It's all about the bottom dollar for them. “All the layoffs and everything obviously have put us all into a position to work more. Obviously, that's going to take a toll on our bodies.   “Meanwhile, the workforce has gotten older. Our median age is about 50 years old, I would say. There’s a lot of wear and tear. We're walking on uneven surfaces, and it's just easier when you're 25. Your knees and back and shoulders are wearing out and you slow down over the years. “I just had a knee replacement because of the walking conditions. Instead of paying to have smooth walking surfaces, the railroad lets us pay the price. We worked through the pandemic; while the management people stayed at home, we had to come and produce for them and keep the trains moving." Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 09/15/2022 - 10:30     — Sep 15