AFL-CIO Blog

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Gary Lam
    Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Gary Lam For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Gary Lam of the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). As Local 891's first assistant editor, Gary Lam started his career with IATSE in 2001. He is in his third term as the co-chair of the Editing Department and is currently on the Negotiations Committee for Local 891. Lam is actively involved in the training initiatives in his local, which focus on reaching younger and less-experienced nonunion workers to help sharpen their skills and set them up for success in the entertainment industry. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/06/2022 - 11:00 — May 6
  • Economy Gains 428,000 Jobs in April; Unemployment Steady at 3.6%
    Economy Gains 428,000 Jobs in April; Unemployment Steady at 3.6% The U.S. economy gained 428,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continuing strong job creation numbers are a clear sign that the worker-friendly policies implemented by President Biden are having a positive impact on working people. In response to the April job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted:         Last month’s biggest job gains were in leisure and hospitality (+78,000), manufacturing (+55,000), transportation and warehousing (+52,000), professional and business services (+41,000), financial activities (+35,000), health care (+34,000), retail trade (+29,000), wholesale trade (+22,000) and mining (+9,000). Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including construction, information, other services and government. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for teenagers (10.2%), Black Americans (5.9%), Hispanics (4.1%), adult men (3.5%), adult women (3.2%), White Americans (3.2%) and Asian Americans (3.1%) showed little or no change over the month. The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed in April and accounted for 25.2% of the total unemployed. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/06/2022 - 10:01 — May 6
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: NABTU Secures Landmark Offshore Wind Project Labor Agreement
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: NABTU Secures Landmark Offshore Wind Project Labor Agreement 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. Earlier today, there was a major victory for America’s pro-union clean energy future. During a press conference at the AFL-CIO headquarters, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and Ørsted signed a project labor agreement (PLA) to construct the company’s U.S. offshore wind farms with America’s union workforce. Members of the Biden–Harris administration, including Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, took part in the celebration. The first of its kind in the United States, the National Offshore Wind Agreement (NOWA) sets the bar for working conditions and equity, injects hundreds of millions of dollars in middle-class wages into the American economy, creates apprenticeship and career opportunities for communities most impacted by environmental injustice, and ensures projects will be built with the safest and best-trained workers in the country. Authorized by 15 international union presidents and their local affiliates, the NOWA covers all of Ørsted’s contractors and subcontractors that will perform offshore wind farm construction from Maine down to Florida. This PLA is a significant milestone because it creates an example for offshore wind and other clean energy firms to follow: one where labor standards, environmental protection and good business practices can and should go hand in hand. As AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler remarked, “This is what it looks like to put the words ‘high-road labor standards’ into action.” This high-caliber agreement for working people and the planet reminds us that clean energy jobs can and will be good-paying, family-sustaining union jobs. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/06/2022 - 09:36 — May 6
  • Every Week is Teacher Appreciation Week: In the States Roundup
    Every Week is Teacher Appreciation Week: 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: California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: Colorado AFL-CIO: Connecticut AFL-CIO: Florida AFL-CIO: Indiana State AFL-CIO: Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO: Maine AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Michigan State AFL-CIO: Minnesota AFL-CIO: Missouri AFL-CIO: Nevada State AFL-CIO: New Hampshire AFL-CIO: New Jersey State AFL-CIO: New York State AFL-CIO: North Carolina State AFL-CIO: Ohio AFL-CIO: Oregon AFL-CIO: Rhode Island AFL-CIO: Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council: Texas AFL-CIO: Virginia AFL-CIO: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO: West Virginia AFL-CIO: Wisconsin State AFL-CIO: Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/05/2022 - 14:00 — May 5
  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Sabrina Liu
    Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Sabrina Liu For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Sabrina Liu of the United Steelworkers. Sabrina Liu founded the Pittsburgh chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) in 2019 after years of hard work. As an immigrant herself, she dedicates her time to helping other immigrant workers fight back against oppression and unfair and unsafe working conditions. In 2020, she helped increase census responses, turned out votes in crucial states for the presidential election and organized efforts to distribute financial assistance during the pandemic. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 05/05/2022 - 11:00 — May 5