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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May 21
UAW backs legal challenge to Trump “gold card” visa; DOL requests unemployment fraud technology funding; Samsung reaches eleventh-hour union agreement.
May 20
LIRR strike ends after three-day shutdown; key senators reject Trump's proposed 26% cut to Labor Department budget; EEOC moves to eliminate employer demographic reporting requirement.
May 19
Amazon urges 11th Circuit to overturn captive-audience meeting ban; DOL scraps Biden overtime rule; SCOTUS to decide on Title IX private right of action for school employees
May 18
California Department of Justice finds conditions at ICE facilities inhumane; Second Circuit rejects race bias claim from Black and Hispanic social workers; FAA cuts air traffic controller staffing target.
May 17
UC workers avoid striking with an 11th-hour agreement; Governor Spanberger vetoes public employee collective bargaining protections; Samsung workers prepare for an 18-day strike.
May 15
SEIU 32BJ pioneers new health insurance model; LIRR unions approach a strike; and Starbucks prevails against NRLB in Fifth Circuit.