AFL-CIO Blog

  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Colorado Restaurant Workers Rally for Unemployment Insurance Extension and Distribute Groceries to Unemployed Workers
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Colorado Restaurant Workers Rally for Unemployment Insurance Extension and Distribute Groceries to Unemployed Workers Chase Woodruff 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. Colorado Restaurant Workers United, a joint project of Denver DSA and UNITE HERE Local 23, rallied outside of U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s downtown Denver office in support of the extension of federal unemployment benefits. In addition to delivering the message “We Feed You, Don’t Let Us Starve,” the participating organizations bagged and distributed groceries to unemployed working families. Participating along with Restaurant Workers United were Local 23, the Colorado AFL-CIO, the Denver Area Labor Federation, Denver DSA, SEIU Local 105 and Colorado Jobs With Justice. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 08/11/2020 - 10:06 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Aug 11
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses National Day of Action Advocates for Safety for Patients and Hospital Workers
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses National Day of Action Advocates for Safety for Patients and Hospital Workers NNU 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. Thousands of nurses rallied across the country last week as part of the National Nurses United (NNU) day of action. The more than 200 actions at hospitals were focused on saving the lives of nurses, other health care workers and patients. The nurses demanded proper infection control practices, most importantly providing nurses optimal personal protective equipment and mandating safe patient care ratios. The registered nurses of NNU also called for the Senate to pass the HEROES Act and for elected officials everywhere to address the underlying conditions that have exacerbated the effects of the pandemic, such as racial injustice, high unemployment and hunger, and the failure to value human lives over profit. Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 08/10/2020 - 13:22 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Aug 10
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Ironworker Blazes a Trail for Women of Color
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: Ironworker Blazes a Trail for Women of Color 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. Consuela Poland is a member of Ironworkers Local 22 in Indianapolis. Having been the only woman of color in her welding class seven years ago, she is now trying to encourage workers like her to join the trade. “Being new to the industry you don’t know what questions to ask, you don’t know who to talk to, no one teaches you that stuff,” she told The Indianapolis Star. “If they don’t feel confident enough to go buy their own supplies, then there’s a chance they won’t keep welding. There’s a chance they give up.” Poland founded the Latinas Welding Guild in 2017 to mentor and empower the Latina community and women in central Indiana through welding. Local 22 in Indiana represents more than 1,000 members in Indianapolis, Terre Haute and Lafayette, and only 11 of those members are women. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 08/07/2020 - 12:12 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Aug 7
  • Economy Gains 1.8 Million Jobs in June; Unemployment Declines to 10.2%
    Economy Gains 1.8 Million Jobs in June; Unemployment Declines to 10.2% The U.S. economy gained 1.8 million jobs in July, and the unemployment rate declined to 10.2%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The improvements reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that previously was curtailed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the July job numbers, AFL-CIO Chief Economist William Spriggs tweeted: Last month's biggest job gains were in leisure and hospitality (+592,000), government (301,000), retail trade (258,000), professional and business services (170,000), other services (149,000), health care (126,000), social assistance (66,000), transportation and warehousing (38,000), manufacturing (26,000), financial activities (21,000) and construction (20,000). Mining lost 7,000 jobs in July. In July, the unemployment rates declined for teenagers (19.3%), Black Americans (14.6%), Hispanics (12.9%), Asians (12.0%), adult women (10.5%), adult men (9.4%) and White Americans (9.2%). The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed in July. Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 08/07/2020 - 11:30 — Aug 7
  • Service + Solidarity Spotlight: WSLC’s Foundation for Working Families Donates to Those in Need
    Service + Solidarity Spotlight: WSLC’s Foundation for Working Families Donates to Those in Need FFWF 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 those stories every day. Here’s today’s story. The Foundation for Working Families (FFWF) is the charitable nonprofit formed by the affiliated unions of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) to assist working families in times of hardship or disaster. Since the pandemic started in March, the FFWF has been giving $300 grocery store gift cards to families suffering extraordinary economic difficulties. “The Foundation for Working Families is an important part of the WSLC and its affiliated unions’ work,” said WSLC President Larry Brown (IAM). “Helping families get through difficult times, like many are experiencing amid this pandemic, is what unions have always done. We lift each other up, particularly when some of us are struggling, so we can get through those hard times and ultimately share in the prosperity we have created together.” The foundation will soon deliver its one-thousandth gift card since the outbreak started, having given nearly $300,000 in donations to help families get through these difficult times. Click here to donate to FFWF. Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 08/06/2020 - 16:33 Tags: COVID-19, Community Service — Aug 6