AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka delivered a speech today stating that labor is not ready to endorse a candidate for the 2016 presidential election, a message that has been characterized as a “memo to Hillary” by Politico. Trumka said that working men and women are looking for a candidate that can deliver on the “American Promise,” and that they “will not settle for less” than a candidate who meets this standard. “Standing with working people once in a while won’t work. Candidates can’t hedge bets any longer.” Despite this strong rhetoric, according to Politico, “Trumka and organized labor will probably have little choice but to get on board the Clinton bandwagon.”
Workers marched in Raleigh, North Carolina today calling for improved worker safety precautions, WNCN reports. The march, organized by AFL-CIO, comes one month after three workers were killed, and a fourth injured, in a scaffolding collapse. According to WNCN, the AFL-CIO has said that the recent fatal accidents are an indicator that state officials have done a poor job responding to worker safety issues. The union also says that the state has done a “poor job” reporting work-related deaths in the state. While the state cites 33 deaths in 2013, the “Bureau of Labor Statistics cites 104 workers were killed on the job in 2013 in North Carolina.”
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December 12
OH vetoes bill weakening child labor protections; UT repeals public-sector bargaining ban; SCOTUS takes up case on post-arbitration award jurisdiction
December 11
House forces a vote on the “Protect America’s Workforce Act;” arguments on Trump’s executive order nullifying collective bargaining rights; and Penn State file a petition to form a union.
December 8
Private payrolls fall; NYC Council overrides mayoral veto on pay data; workers sue Starbucks.
December 7
Philadelphia transit workers indicate that a strike is imminent; a federal judge temporarily blocks State Department layoffs; and Virginia lawmakers consider legislation to repeal the state’s “right to work” law.
December 5
Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros., Gen Z men are the most pro-union generation in history, and lawmakers introduce the “No Robot Bosses Act.”
December 4
Unionized journalists win arbitration concerning AI, Starbucks challenges two NLRB rulings in the Fifth Circuit, and Philadelphia transit workers resume contract negotiations.