by Team AFL-CIO | Apr 9, 2020 | Uncategorized
We’re here for you and all of our families.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of millions of working people and our families, and the labor movement has been working tirelessly to limit the impact of this crisis on our health and livelihoods. We worked to make sure the relief packages Congress recently passed put the needs of working families and our communities first.
To help navigate these new and expanded federal and state benefits and assistance programs, we put together an online resource that has information about unemployment benefits, paid leave, health insurance and community assistance resources.
Find resources about unemployment insurance and other benefits and programs to help workers impacted by COVID-19 here.
This resource contains the most relevant services and programs in your state to help you find the relief you and your family need. Simply select your state and the category of resources you’re looking for, and we’ll point you to the organizations and agencies that can help.
These are trying and uncertain times. But the labor movement is here for you. We are your resource to help you and your family through this crisis.
Find resources about unemployment insurance and other benefits and programs to help workers impacted by COVID-19 here.
We will continue to improve this online resource to help you find the critical programs and benefits for you and your family.
In Solidarity,
Team AFL-CIO
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by Team AFL-CIO | Feb 3, 2020 | Uncategorized
Right now, Congress has a critical opportunity to strengthen workers’ rights.
Lawmakers, in 2019, introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, H.R. 2474, which would give millions of America’s workers additional protections to organize and negotiate for better pay and benefits, and a voice on the job.
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on this crucial piece of legislation. But greedy CEOs will do everything they can to oppose working people standing together.
Can you make a call right now to tell your representative to pass the PRO Act?
It’s no secret that the right to form a union is under attack. “Right to work” laws are spreading, while wages have stagnated. More than ever, we need our lawmakers to stand up for working people’s rights—that’s where the PRO Act comes in. It would:
- Penalize employers who violate workers’ right to organize.
- Help workers secure a first contract.
- Protect workers who go on strike.
- Close loopholes that allow companies to misclassify workers as independent contractors.
Working people deserve the right to organize and demand living wages, safe workspaces and good benefits—and it’s up to our members of Congress to protect and strengthen that right. Call your representative and tell them to stand up for working families and pass the PRO Act!
In Solidarity,
Team AFL-CIO
by Team AFL-CIO | Dec 10, 2019 | Uncategorized
After many rounds of negotiations, and tireless support from allies like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sens. Sherrod Brown and Ron Wyden, I’m writing to tell you that the AFL-CIO is endorsing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
We knew this deal was too important to get wrong or be rushed. In the face of pressure, working people persevered, winning truly enforceable labor standards and an elimination of special carve outs for big corporations. Also, the USMCA now closes loopholes designed to make it harder to prosecute labor violations.
The USMCA is far from perfect. It alone is not a solution for outsourcing, inequality or climate change. Successfully tackling these issues requires a full-court press of economic policies that empower workers, including the repeal of tax cuts which reward companies for shipping our jobs overseas.
But there is no denying that the trade rules in America will now be fairer because of our hard work and perseverance. More than 16,000 of you signed our petition to tell Congress that we deserve a trade deal that works for all of us.
This is your victory.
In Solidarity,
Rich
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Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
by Team AFL-CIO | Apr 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
31,000 workers at Stop & Shop supermarkets across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have gone on strike.
Management at Stop & Shop presented its “final offer” to workers, which included significant cuts to health care, massive increases (more than 100% in some cases) to workers’ health care premiums and replacing wage increases with so-called bonuses. This represents a massive step backward, with many workers facing reduced weekly earnings if they agree to this final offer.
On top of this, Stop & Shop’s parent company reported more than $2 billion in profits last year. This is not the time to ask for concessions. Rather, this is a time to invest in the workers who have made Stop & Shop so successful and profitable. They deserve and have earned a better life.
The workers, who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, need your help to win a fair contract. Here is how you can help:
- Sign the petition to Stop & Shop management to let them know you stand with UFCW members as they fight for a fair contract.
- Continue to shop union. UFCW members work at a number of other supermarkets across the region. If you can’t shop at a union store, please shop elsewhere, but do not cross the picket line at Stop & Shop.
Thank you for your support as these 31,000 workers go out on strike for fair wages, decent benefits and a secure retirement. I will continue to update you as the strike progresses.
In Solidarity,
Rich
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Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
by Team AFL-CIO | Mar 26, 2019 | Uncategorized
We are closer than ever to a historic vote to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour nationwide.
For millions of working people across the country, working 40 hours or more per week is not enough to make ends meet. In fact, one in nine U.S. workers are paid wages that leave them in poverty, even when working full time and year-round.
A new bill in Congress will gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. This is an easy and necessary way to lift millions of working people out of poverty and get our economy moving.
Three weeks ago, lawmakers in the House brought that bill one step closer to a floor vote. Now, we’ve got to keep the momentum going.
We are counting on you to call your congressperson today. Help us get this bill passed! When you click to call, you’ll automatically be connected with your representative.
This is our chance to make a $15 per hour minimum wage a reality for ALL workers. Tell your congressperson that raising the wage is a win-win for workers and the economy. Raising the wage will mean our neighbors can worry less about where their next meal comes from or how to pay for rent. And it will improve the local economy and help small businesses.
Call the House and tell your congressperson to co-sponsor the Raise the Wage Act and vote yes when it comes to a floor vote.
Thank you for standing up for workers.
In Solidarity,
Rich
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Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
