AFL-CIO Blog

  • Washington Labor Leader Jackie Jeter Retiring
    Washington Labor Leader Jackie Jeter Retiring Chris Garlock Longtime labor activist Jackie Jeter (ATU), president of the Metropolitan Washington [D.C.] Council, AFL-CIO, will retire at the end of January after a lifelong career in the labor movement. In addition to her incredible leadership with the council, Jeter served as an elected official with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 in Forestville, Maryland, for more than 25 years. She began as a shop steward for rail operations in 1994 and was elected assistant business agent, first vice president and financial secretary-treasurer before becoming president in 2007. With every new position, Jeter set a historical precedent as the first African American woman to hold those offices. Jeter also made history at the council when she became its first female president in 2016. Previously, she served on the council’s executive board from 1996 to 2002.  Jeter told the council that now is the right time for this decision. “When I retired from the ATU, I promised myself that I would give back to those who have given me energy, strength and unconditional love all these years, and that’s my family,” Jeter said. “My tenure at the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, has been a special experience capping a long career in the labor movement, and I’m especially grateful to the council’s board and staff, as well as to all of our wonderful affiliated locals who work so hard and so effectively every day for working men and women throughout the region.” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) thanked Jeter for her service: “Throughout her career, Jackie never stopped protecting and championing the rights for working people. The labor movement has deeply benefited from her hard work and dedication, and we will miss her dearly.”  The entire AFL-CIO wishes her a long and happy retirement. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 01/28/2020 - 10:36 — Jan 28
  • No Más! Campaign Calls for Chilean Government to Protect Human Rights
    No Más! Campaign Calls for Chilean Government to Protect Human Rights CUT Since last October, sparked by a hike in public transportation fares, a broad alliance of Chile's unions and other social movements have been protesting against low wages, the high cost of basic necessities and persistently high social inequality. The country's extreme model of privatization of most public services and basic programs in health care, social security and education has guided most public policy since the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973–1990). Since October, the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), Chile's largest labor organization has convened three general strikes, the largest of which brought more than 1 million people into the streets.  The government reacted to the protests with repression and violence reminiscent of the Pinochet era, leading to the deaths of at least 29 people, thousands of grave injuries and numerous rapes while protesters were in police custody. In response, 18 members of the U.S. House of Representatives called on the U.S. Embassy in Chile to defend the fundamental rights of the Chilean people and encourage the pursuit of peaceful, democratic dialogue. The constitution drafted and imposed by the dictatorship in 1980 has blocked substantive changes to the extreme free-market model that has created a small wealthy class while making working peoples' and retirees' lives precarious and stressful, with most jobs paying too little to afford expensive privatized education, health care and pensions while investing little in public systems in these basic areas.  For too long, Chile has been held up as an example for developing countries to follow to advance economically by extreme free-market measures while avoiding larger issues of sustainability, democracy and inclusion. With recent sustained protests, Chileans are overcoming that legacy in the face of excessive violence by the government and are claiming their rights. As result of sustained protest, nearly all Chilean political parties agreed to hold a referendum in April about replacing the constitution written under the Pinochet dictatorship. Chile has the opportunity to build a sustainable future with social justice.  During this transition, the government must protect and respect human rights. As the CUT opened its 12th national congress on Jan. 24, bringing together its unions and an international delegation representing more than a dozen countries, CUT launched the campaign Chile: No Más! to mobilize the international community to increase attention to ongoing human rights violations in Chile and pressure the government to honor its commitments to human rights and democracy. The AFL-CIO has joined this effort.   Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 01/27/2020 - 11:01 Tags: Chile — Jan 27
  • A Friend of the Workers: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup
    A Friend of the Workers: Labor Podcast and Radio Roundup In addition to the AFL-CIO's own "State of the Unions," there are a lot of other podcasts out there that have their own approach to discussing labor issues and the rights of working people. Here are the latest podcasts from across the labor movement in the United States. Building Bridges: Which of the 2020 Candidates Is a Friend of the Workers?: "With Shaun Richman, program director for the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Center for Labor Studies at SUNY Empire State College....[We] talk about what the top Democratic Party contenders for the presidency are proposing to better the 'state of the state' of working men and women, as they ready themselves for the Iowa caucuses. We’ll also discuss who supports and the likelihood of the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which is scheduled to be introduced in the House of Representative in early February." Heartland Labor Forum: Neoliberalism: "This week on the Heartland Labor Forum: Recently workers in France and Colombia have shut down their economies when confronted with pension reforms, which attacked their livelihoods. Tune in Thursday to the Heartland Labor Forum to hear from union leaders in both countries about why they’re in the streets and what a general strike is. Thursday at 6 p.m., rebroadcast Friday at 5 a.m. on KKFI 90.1 FM or streaming at kkfi.org." Labor History Today: UAW’s Punch Press Strike Daily: "The Cool Things from the Meany Archives' crew features the Punch Press, an autoworker strike publication. Also this week, Saul Schniderman remembers contributions to labor history by both Johnny Paycheck and Bruce Springsteen." Union City Radio: Latest D.C. Labor News: "Bus strike ends; D.C. wage theft; NABET-CWA members at CNN win $76 million in back pay; the toll on firefighter health; repealing the Veterans Affairs' fraudulent “right to work.” Union Strong: Television Diversity Tax Credit: "The Television Diversity Tax Credit Bill has been signed into law. We talk to Lowell Peterson, executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East, to find out how it will change what we watch on television and the new opportunities it will create for writers and directors, who until now were overlooked." WorkWeek Radio: Iran War and Labor And Fraud in California: "WorkWeek looks at the growing war threat of war by the U.S. when Donald Trump ordered the murder of the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. We interview retired International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 Secretary-Treasurer Clarence Thomas, who visited Iraq and met with trade unionists, Kambiz Sakhai, a labor political educator from Iran, and Alison Weir, with If Americans Knew. Then WorkWeek looks at the growing corruption scandal at the Fraud Assessment Commission, where the former Gov. Jerry Brown appointed disgraced former director Christine Baker of the Department of Industrial Relations to the FAC. We interview former Cal-OSHA Medical Director Dr. Larry Rose and former SEIU 250 Executive Board member and Kaiser Sacramento worker Dina Padilla. She is a longtime advocate for injured workers." Your Rights at Work (WPFW 89.3 FM, Washington, D.C.): "Big win against wage theft in the District; Cinder Bed Road bus strikers win new contract; women leaders get empowered." Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/24/2020 - 12:39 Tags: Podcast — Jan 24
  • Safety in the Skies: What Working People Are Doing This Week
    Safety in the Skies: What Working People Are Doing This Week AFL-CIO Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week. Actors' Equity: AFGE: AFSCME: AFT: Air Line Pilots Association: Alliance for Retired Americans: Amalgamated Transit Union: American Federation of Musicians: American Postal Workers Union: Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance: Association of Flight Attendants-CWA: Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers: Boilermakers: Bricklayers: California School Employees Association: Coalition of Labor Union Women: Communications Workers of America: Department for Professional Employees: Electrical Workers: Farm Labor Organizing Committee: Fire Fighters: Heat and Frost Insulators: International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers: Ironworkers: Jobs With Justice: Labor Council for Latin American Advancement: Laborers: Machinists: Metal Trades Department: Mine Workers: Musical Artists: National Air Traffic Controllers Association: National Association of Letter Carriers: National Domestic Workers Alliance: National Federation of Federal Employees: National Nurses United: National Taxi Workers Alliance: The NewsGuild-CWA: NFL Players Association: North America's Building Trades Unions: Office and Professional Employees: Painters and Allied Trades: Plasterers and Cement Masons: Professional Aviation Safety Specialists: Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union: SAG-AFTRA: Seafarers: Solidarity Center: Theatrical Stage Employees: Transport Workers: Transportation Trades Department: UAW: Union Veterans Council: UNITE HERE: United Food and Commercial Workers: United Steelworkers: United Students Against Sweatshops: United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers: Utility Workers: Working America: Writers Guild of America, East: Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 01/24/2020 - 10:23 — Jan 24
  • ‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: Healing a Community
    ‘State of the Unions’ Podcast: Healing a Community AFL-CIO On the latest episode of "State of the Unions," podcast co-hosts Julie and Tim talk with Rev. Leah Daughtry, CEO of "On These Things," about Reconnecting McDowell, an AFT project that takes a holistic approach to revitalizing the education and community of McDowell, West Virginia, and how her faith informs her activism. Listen to our previous episodes: “State of the Unions” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you can find podcasts. Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 01/22/2020 - 12:30 Tags: Podcast — Jan 22