Republican Senate leaders are so frightened that a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) might actually have an open mind about workers’ rights, that in two purely partisan maneuvers, they’ve blocked a majority vote on one of President Obama’s nominees for an NLRB seat. Read More>>

Earlier this week, we noted a new study that predicts health insurance premiums will jump between 10 percent and 11 percent this year. Now a new government report says health care costs last year took the biggest bite ever out of the nation’s economy. Read More>>

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis says workers face increasing obstacles when they try to form unions and “we need to restore their freedom to do so.” In testimony before the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee today, Solis looked back at the department’s actions in 2009 and forward to its 2010 agenda. Read More>>

click here to see something truly amazing.

Last night, I was in the House gallery for President Obama’s State of the Union address. After our collective wake-up call in Massachusetts, I was eager to hear the president’s plans for 2010 and beyond.

Please take a moment to watch this video and pass it around.

Click here to view the video.

 

 I recently posted the following comment on my facebook page: "I was wondering how many union organizations: Local Unions, Central Labor Councils, Union Retiree Organizations, Area Labor Federations, District Councils, Lodges, State Federations or Councils, National and/or International Unions have their own websites? If you have a web site or know of a web site please comment with the URL (Uniform Resource Locator more commonly known as the web address).   "

Below is the link to my facebook page, Please use it to post your comment to this message.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000221392267

Please join me and  show that Organized Labor is embracing technology and create a massive list of comments, with URL's (web addresses).

Please, share this post with your friends, too! 

Thank You!
 

Due to numerous requests, here is President Trumka's speech at the National Press Club from today:
http://www.c-span.org/Watch/Media/2010/01/11/HP/R/28205/AFLCIO+President+Offers+Vision+for+Labors+Future.aspx

Please feel free to forward.

 




Click here and enjoy .

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Area Labor Federation produces a quarterly newsletter for the delegates of the NWPA ALF, the ten (10) Central Labor Councils and their Affiliated Local Unions. You must sign in to view this article.

To view it you must be a registered member of our site! To register for the first time click the "Not registered" link and sign up. After completing your registration you can return to the article and view it.

This information came from Don Siegel of IBEW, which he recently sent to his members, I have taken the liberty to edit it to be more inclusive to the entire labor movement.

We need to organize a new generation of workers into unions. While we tend to believe that this new generation is indifferent to unions we also know that they know very little about unions.

Mr. Siegel found this link to a video about a protest against the CEO of Whole Foods who recently wrote an op ed in the Wall Street Journal about health care reform. Needless to say the CEO, John Mackey, didn’t think that the health care reform that was being proposed was worth consideration and went on to say among other things that health care is not a right but rather a privilege.

This link will take you to a 6 minute video that I think is worth your time for two reasons. Number one it takes John Mackey to task for his public denunciation of the cu rrent health care reform proposal and number two and much more importantly please take notice of the age of most of the protesters. They are certainly not from my generation and we should take some comfort in that. This group could teach some of us some new things about civil disobedience not to mention the raw courage it takes to expose your self publicly for a cause you believe in. I encourage you to watch the whole video and consider that this is the generation that we need to bring into our union.

They may not know much about unions but they sure know how to engage in concerted activity. They are creative, committed, energetic and determined when they find something that they can believe in. They are an example of what the labor movement can become if we can connect with their passions. The challenge is ours to reach out to a new generation of union members and I hope that this video shows that they are ready, if we are willing to take the time to listen to their concerns and explain how unions can be a part of the solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APs76Cd6fbI 

Find Your Elected Officials Enter a 5 or 9 digit zip code below /> /> />

 Place 9 digit zip code in to find all of your elected officials. If you do not know the 9 digit zip code press find buttton and complete the form that will appear. This will enable you to find any 9 digit zip code of any address in the United States.

If you only enter first five digits you can only locate your Federal Officials and Governor.

You can learn a vast amount about your elected officials from the various links that will be made available by using this "Elected Officials Look-up Feature" you call also email them directly.

Please utilize this tool for the benefit of yourself and your members. Thank you!

by Michael Morrill
Keystone Progress

The figures are staggering. Unemployment at 8.5 percent. Record new unemployment claims. By one measure, unemployment and underemployment at 15.6 percent. And only 37 percent of unemployed workers collecting unemployment benefits.

Hardworking families are struggling to get by, and too often, they don't know where to turn for help. Read more...

Due to so many conflicts in scheduling the NWPA ALF Meeting has been changed from Wednesday, December 16th to Tuesday, December 15th. The location and times remain the same: 6:00 PM for the Executive Board and 7:00 PM for the Delegates Meeting. We will still be meeting in the 1st floor meeting room of the AFSCME DC 85 office which is located at 1276 Liberty St. Franklin, PA 16323.

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

The Drawing for the Stereo offered to Members completing an E-Activist Card with a valid email, will be drawn at the meeting like planned the onl change is the date. Good Luck!

When we talk to our elected or appointed officials in our area, it is helpful if we know if they are or have been a member of organized labor. The AFL-CIO has designed a form named the Target 5000 Survey that would make it easier for us to track those individuals and use them as our first point of contact at their level of public service, if needed.

 

We encourage members of organized labor who are seeking public office to also complete this form. Read more...

Click here to look up either find your elected officials or look-up the last 4-digits of your zip code.

The resource link below will connect you to a power point presentation developed solely to emphasis the importance of the Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations. Please take the time to view it.

  

 The Northwestern Pennsylvania Area Labor Federation (ALF) would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us.  This invitation is extended to all local unions and AFL-CIO recognized Constituency Groups in the 19 Northwestern Pennsylania Counties in our jurisdiction.  Please take a few minutes to read more.....