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AFL-CIO Now

Showing blog posts tagged with workers' rights

Early Reports in on May Day Actions for Workers' and Immigrant Rights

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO photo

Several major May Day/International Workers' Day marches and rallies—especially in Los Angeles and Las Vegas—are set for late afternoon and early evening start times. But here’s a quick look at some updates from May Day events and tweets from the day’s early actions.

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Bangladesh: Six Arrested in Building Collapse; Death Toll 377, but Hundreds Missing

Lily Gomes and Rukshana Yasmin, Solidarity Center staff in Dhaka, check on an injured garment worker. Photo courtesy of Solidarity Center

UPDATE 04/29/2013: The death toll as of this morning stands at 377 and hundreds of people remain missing, reports The New York TimesCNN reports that authorities have arrested six people: three factory owners, two government engineers and the owner of the building, Sohel Rana—a local-level leader of the ruling Awamil League— who was caught as he tried to flee the country.

More than 300 workers now have been confirmed dead from Wednesday’s building collapse in Bangladesh. Some 2,200 survivors have been pulled from the ruins of what is being called one of the worst manufacturing disasters in history. More than 3,000 garment workers were on the job when upper building floors pancaked on top of each other.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered the arrest of the building’s owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana, a local leader of ruling Awami League's youth front, who told factory operators the building was safe. Hasina also has ordered the arrest of five garment factory owners.

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Why Marriage Equality Matters to America's Unions and Working Families

Photo courtesy of Pride at Work's Facebook page.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in cases that could lead to marriage equality for same-sex couples, an issue of particular importance to working families and America's union members. 

"Working people believe in equality and fairness and that’s why we are happy to stand with millions of Americans and with President Obama in supporting marriage equality," said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in a statement. "LGBT working people face numerous inequities in the workplace and in society as they struggle to care for their families."

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AFL-CIO Files Supreme Court Amicus Briefs to Support Marriage Equality

Last week, the AFL-CIO, along with the National Education Association (NEA) and Change to Win, filed amicus briefs challenging the constitutionality of California's Prop. 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Same sex couples do not have the same access to workplace and health care benefits and the AFL-CIO supports equal rights. 

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Broken Immigration Systems Puts Workers' Rights on ICE

Broken Immigration Systems Puts Workers' Rights on ICE

A new report outlines how employers across the country are gaming today’s broken immigration system to exploit immigrant workers and evade both labor and immigration laws. The report by the National Employment Law Project (NELP) uses two dozen case studies—including the recent action at Palermo’s Pizza—as examples of employers’ use of immigration enforcement or the threat of it to retaliate against workers who seek their basic workplace rights.  

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Trumka Calls Court Ruling on NLRB Appointments 'Radical and Unprecedented'

Trumka Calls Court Ruling on NLRB Appointments 'Radical and Unprecedented'

A panel of Republican-appointed judges, including one who has, according to Think Progress, previously suggested that all business, labor and Wall Street regulation is constitutionally suspect, ruled that President Obama’s 2012 recess appointments of three members to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are invalid. Senate Republicans had been blocking confirmation votes on the three before the president's action.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called the ruling "shocking."

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10 Reasons All Workers Benefit from Fixing the Immigration System

Workers' Defense Project Photo

The AFL-CIO and America’s union movement, along with a broad coalition of other groups, is mounting a new campaign to build a common-sense immigration process that includes a road map to citizenship and one that guarantees immigrant workers the same workplace rights and protections all workers deserve.

We know that immigration reform can be a controversial issue among our union members and all workers. But immigration reform with a path to citizenship and workplace rights doesn’t just benefit aspiring citizens and their families, it's good for all workers. Here are 10 reasons why. 

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Workplace Advice: Passed Over

Workplace Advice: Passed Over

Passed Over is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question: 

I have been working for a company for about two years. The company recently acquired another company. There were many layoffs as the companies merged. I was moved over to another department. A director-level position was created in this new department and someone was given the promotion. The rest of us never knew about the position and certainly didn't have a chance to apply for it. The person receiving the promotion has a lot less experience and qualifications for the job. When I confronted his boss about this, he minimized the importance of the role. Is it legal to promote someone into a new position without allowing others to apply, especially if the person who was promoted is less qualified?

—Pamela, Massachusetts

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Michigan Workers Set for Huge Rally Against ‘Right to Work’ for Less

Michigan Workers Set for Huge Rally Against ‘Right to Work’ for Less

Thousands of union members, community activists and workers’ rights advocates will march on the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday as the state legislature is expected to take its final step in ramming through—without public debate or hearings—a divisive “right to work” for less bill.

The action—organized by a growing coalition of labor, community, faith and other groups—will begin at 8 a.m. at the Lansing Center at 333 E. Michigan Avenue and the march to the state Capitol kicks off at 9 a.m. For more information, visit WeAreMich.org.

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