I’m a former West Virginia newspaper reporter, staff writer for the United Mine Workers Journal and managing editor of the Seafarers Log . I came to the AFL- CIO in 1989 and have written for several federation publications, focusing on legislation and politics, especially grassroots mobilization and workplace safety. When my collar was still blue, I carried union cards from the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers, American Flint Glass Workers and Teamsters for jobs in a chemical plant, a mining equipment manufacturing plant and a warehouse. I’ve also worked as roadie for a small-time country-rock band, sold my blood plasma and played an occasional game of poker to help pay the rent. You may have seen me at one of several hundred Grateful Dead shows. I was the one with longhair and the tie-dye. Still have the shirts, lost the hair.
The Union Sportsmen's Alliance ( USA ) Adopt-a-Park initiative is ensuring that outdoor enthusiasts with mobility issues will be able take full advantage of a dedicated trail at Virginia’s York River State Park near Williamsburg.
Right-wing, extremist billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch have ended their pursuit of the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune Co. newspapers after months of protests by community groups, journalists and other free press advocates.
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, hundreds of residents, union members, faith leaders and City Council members who back the bill will speak out about why retail workers in the District of Columbia deserve a fair living wage. Join them at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, 3000 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.
Who doesn’t love a heist movie? It’s great escapist fare. You get clever jewel thieves, bold bank robbers and elegant and suave con artists. But when you take that adventure out of the world of fantasy and into the real-life boardrooms, corporate offices and Washington hideaways and the loot isn’t sparkling diamonds and gold bars but the homes, savings and jobs of regular working stiffs, you get “ Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?
Now streaming live—and free—here , in honor of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Labor Day, “ Heist ” traces how American corporations orchestrated the dismantling of middle-class prosperity through rampant deregulation, the outsourcing of jobs and tax policies favoring businesses and the wealthy.
Nine former and one current Walmart worker, protesting what they charge is Walmart’s retaliation against workers who have spoken out for justice or taken part in strikes, took arrest Thursday afternoon after they sat down and locked arms in front of Walmart’s Washington, D.C., federal lobbying office. Two other activists supporting the workers also took arrest.
Cincinnati voters will decide this fall on a ballot measure to eliminate pensions for city workers that was written by an extremist right-wing think tank , funded by unnamed out-of-state interests and promoted by tea party activists.
In a victory for some 3,100 retired Mine Workers (UMWA) members and a setback for Peabody Energy and its attempt to duck its health care obligations, a U.S. Court of Appeals’ bankruptcy appellate panel today reversed a lower court’s ruling that would have allowed Peabody to shed its responsibilities.
Several unions representing Detroit city works and retirees challenged Detroit’s claim for bankruptcy protection. The challenges were filed Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit, the court which will determine if the city is eligible for bankruptcy protection. AFSCME Council 25 said the city has not proven it is insolvent and has not negotiated in good faith with its creditors.
Walmart’s going to feel some of that infamous Washington, D.C., summertime swamp heat Thursday, when 10 recently fired Walmart workers will be joined by community, faith and union supporters outside the low-wage retail giant’s D.C. federal lobbying offices.
The noon demonstration is the kickoff of a campaign by Walmart workers to end what they say is Walmart’s retaliation against workers for exercising their rights and freedoms, including the right to join unions.
Walmart reported last week that sales at its U.S. stores had unexpectedly declined . Walmart tried to explain its shrinking sales away by citing outside factors such as higher gas prices and payroll taxes.
But, say many market observers, the real cause lies within Walmart itself—the largest private-sector employer in the United States and the poster child for low-wages.
It’s been four years since low-wage workers got a raise. Sign the petition to tell Congress it’s time to raise the minimum wage.
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