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Updated: 1 hour 5 min ago

Trumka: TPP Is a New Low

Wed, 02/03/2016 - 13:00

In a new op-ed for the Hill, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka explains the key reasons why the Trans-Pacific Partnership is bad for working people, both in the United States and overseas. Trumka describes the deal by saying that "the TPP is a giveaway to big corporations, special interests and all those who want economic rules that benefit the wealthy few."

5 Reasons that Rosy Predictions About the TPP Are Wrong

Wed, 02/03/2016 - 09:10

One of the billionaires crusading to cut working people’s Social Security now has his sights set on making the Trans-Pactific Partnership look like a sweet deal. Hint: It’s not.

Pete Peterson’s think tank, Peterson Institute for International Economics, just released a study in January 2016 predicting great economic growth from the TPP.  But the PIIE methods are so detached from reality that the conclusions are wrong. Here are the reasons why. 

Union-Made Super Bowl Party Shopping List

Tue, 02/02/2016 - 12:30

On Super Bowl Sunday next week, some of our larger and faster union brothers—members of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA)—will be battling it out in Santa Clara, California, at Super Bowl 50. While the Super Bowl carries a union label, from players to broadcast crews to stadium workers—your Super Bowl party spread can, too, with union-made in America food and drinks.

West Virginia, the Latest Battlefront in the Conservative Assault on Working People

Tue, 02/02/2016 - 11:00

The story is very familiar. It comes right out of the extreme, pro-corporate playbook. In this case, literally.

Working People Battle Snowzilla: Winners and Losers of the Week

Tue, 02/02/2016 - 07:30

Each week, we take a look at the biggest friends and foes of labor. We celebrate the workers who are winning big and small battles, and we shame the companies or people who are trying to deny working people their rights.

The Working People Weekly List

Sun, 01/31/2016 - 08:00

Every week, we'll be bringing you a roundup of the important news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here's this week's Working People Weekly List.

The SAG Awards Ceremony Is Tonight!

Sat, 01/30/2016 - 08:00

It's almost that time of year again, when the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony highlights the best acting in last year's movies and TV shows. The live awards ceremony will air tonight at 8 p.m. (pre-show begins at 6 p.m.). Learn more and follow the awards on Twitter.

Look to Honduras for Reasons the TPP Will Fail

Fri, 01/29/2016 - 14:00

The U.S. government claims the labor protections in the Trans-Pacific Partnership are “gold standard,” but we need to look no further than Honduras to see how inadequate and unenforced labor obligations endanger workers’ lives and weaken workers' rights.

NLRB Judge Rules Walmart Wrongly Fired Strikers

Fri, 01/29/2016 - 11:00

An administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Walmart retaliated against workers for participating in strikes. Walmart claimed that the workers' actions were not protected under the National Labor Relations Act and that it was legitimate to fire the employees for violating the company's attendance policy. Judge Geoffrey Carter ruled against Walmart.

Will the 2016 Presidential Election Be Decided by Voter Suppression Laws?

Fri, 01/29/2016 - 07:00

In 2016, 10 states will be putting into place restrictive voting laws that they will be enforcing for the first time in a presidential election. These laws range from new hurdles to registration to cutbacks on early voting to strict voter identification requirements. Collectively, these 10 states are home to more than 80 million people and will wield 129 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency.

The Costs of New Jersey's Alternative Pension Investments Are Unjustified

Thu, 01/28/2016 - 11:00

New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech responded to the State Investment Council’s 2015 Annual Report, condemning the exorbitant fees paid to Wall Street firms.

Check Out These Inspiring Highlights from the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference

Thu, 01/28/2016 - 10:00

If you weren't able to make it to Washington, D.C., for the 2016 AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference, you can see highlights from the inspiring event in this new video from the Transport Workers (TWU). 

Florida: It Is Time to Show State Workers Some Respect

Wed, 01/27/2016 - 13:00

Florida is a large and diverse state. In the time and distance it takes to drive from Pensacola to Key West, you could drive from Madison, Wis., to Washington, D.C. During those more than 12 hours of non-stop driving, more than 400 more people would have moved into the country's third most populated state.

With Gov. Snyder Failing to Fix the Problem, Working People Step Up in Flint Water Crisis

Wed, 01/27/2016 - 11:00

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has been rightly criticized for how he has handled the water crisis in Flint. In his State of the State speech earlier this month, he had a chance to take the crisis head on and failed to do so. Working people, on the other hand, are stepping up where Snyder has failed.

Where Are the Jobs? New Reports Show TPP Fails Workers

Wed, 01/27/2016 - 10:00

When it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the operative question for Americans to ask is “Where are the Jobs?” According to two new independent analyses, they’re nonexistent.

Pro 'Right to Work' Politicians in West Virginia Attack Working People on the State Senate Floor

Tue, 01/26/2016 - 07:58

West Virginia state Sen. Robert Karnes (R) doesn't think too highly of every day working people trying to create a better life and earn wages to sustain a family on. In fact, he called the concerned citizens who attended a recent "Right to Work" bill debate "free riders." Watch the video above.

Karnes is one of the republicans in leadership in the West Virginia Senate pushing a bill that out-of-state corporate CEOs just love. One that would lower wages, make workplaces less safe, increase poverty and lower access to adequate health care. It's clear the Republican leaders don't think too highly of West Virginia's working people. 

The Working People Weekly List

Fri, 01/22/2016 - 13:37

Every week, we'll be bringing you a roundup of the important news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here's this week's Working People Weekly List.

Here’s Some History to Help Understand the Racial Wealth Gap

Fri, 01/22/2016 - 09:59

Next month is Black History Month. We will hear stories about black Americans and their successes in this country against the barriers (slavery, Jim Crow, poll tax just to name a few) thrown in their paths. Yet for every success story, there is still the nagging fact that the median net wealth of white households is 12.2 times greater than that of black households.

One Union Summer Later, Three Found Their Calling as Organizers

Thu, 01/21/2016 - 11:00

Meet Tarah Taylor, Lynda Berg and Shaine Griffin from the class of Union Summer 2014. These superstar summeristas are working alongside nurses, and one another, as union organizers with California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United in the fight for working people. Now the three of them work together in Southern California, and Shaine and Tarah are even roommates.

By Our Hands: A Sex Advice Columnist Says Unions Are Great

Wed, 01/20/2016 - 12:00

Today, the AFL-CIO is launching a new online magazine through Medium called “By Our Hands.” This new feature will highlight the stories of working people and national figures—and some that may come as unexpected such as from sex advice columnist and gay rights activist Dan Savage in the first offering. This periodical publication will include content from the AFL-CIO and contributing authors. Make sure to check it out often, and we’ll be sure to pass along some of the top content as it comes.

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