Articles: Got a Bad Boss? You Could Be in Luck
Region: United States
Posted by Mike Hall to AFL-CIO NOW There are some pretty bad, downright nasty bosses out there and if you work for, or once worked for, the worst of the worst, Working America’s third annual My Bad Boss Contest wants to hear from you. The contest kicks off today and runs through Aug. 19. Not only does it give you a chance to vent, but you could also win: First prize: A week’s free stay at a condo of your choice in one of more than 50 countries. You&rsq... more
Views: 797Union and Environmental Groups Parade 'Toxic Trade'
Region: United States
Posted by Mike Hall to AFL-CIO NOW In the 1950s, the movie monsters and creatures that threatened the American way of life came from black lagoons, outer space and atomic bomb tests. In the 21st century, there’s a real-life threat to the nation and the globe—toxic trade that kills jobs and the environment—and it came from the “free trade” laboratory. Today, a 20-foot tall “Toxic Trader” monster—gripping a lead-tainted Thomas the Tank E... more
Views: 740McCain: Social Security a 'Disgrace'
Region: United States
Posted by Tula Connell to AFL-CIO NOW Struggling homeowners will need Social Security and Medicare now more than ever, according to a new study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). Due to the collapse of the housing market, the vast majority of Americans have accumulated little or no wealth—and so will be almost completely reliant on Social Security and Medicare to support them in their retirement years. Given how many more of us will be dependent upon t... more
Views: 1257Unions Lend Helping Hand to Midwest Flood Victims
Region: Iowa
By James Parks for AFL-CIO NOW As last month’s devastating floods in the Midwest crept toward Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dean Shannon, secretary of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7101, came home to find a Weather Channel van parked in front of his house. “Dean, this can’t be a good sign,” Joie Welsh, the local president who had driven Shannon home, says she told him. Shannon and his wife managed to pack and move a few things but not nearly what they’d... more
Views: 1639Wal-Mart Seeks to Deny Workers’ Disability Benefits—Again
Region: United States
Posted by James Parks to AFL-CIO NOW Last week, Wal-Mart trotted out a new corporate logo in the hopes of turning around its public image as a company that cares more about the bottom line than its employees and customers. But don’t tell that to Jimmy Singleton and Deborah Shank. Back in November, the retail giant, which made nearly $13 billion in profits last year, sued Shank, a former employee who suffered permanent brain damage in a car accident, to get back $470,000 it sp... more
Views: 1481U.S. Poverty Far Worse Than the Numbers Show
Region: United States
Posted by James Parks to AFL-CIO NOW With the cost of almost every basic necessity going up, more and more Americans are facing the possibility of slipping into poverty. While the United States is the richest nation in the world, nearly 40 million Americans, roughly the population of California, officially live below the poverty line and millions more struggle to get by every month. Over the past seven years, the number of poor Americans has increased and inequality has increased. ... more
Views: 1547Northwest Pilots, Broadway Actors Settle Labor Contracts
Region: New York
By May Silverstein for AFL-CIO NOW Northwest pilots, Broadway actors and utility workers are among those reaching contract agreements in recent days, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work. SETTLEMENTS ALPA, Northwest Airlines: Air Line Pilots (... more
Views: 1029NLRB Upholds Workers’ Vote for UAW at Foxwoods Casino
Region: Connecticut
Posted by James Parks to AFL-CIO NOW Workers at Foxwoods Resort Casino called for bargaining for a first contract to begin immediately, following the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB’s) unanimous decision to certify the UAW as the elected representative for casino dealers. UAW Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn, who directs the union’s Technical, Office and Professional Organizing Department, says: "Workers have spoken, the labor board has ruled, and it&rsqu... more
Views: 1371McCain's Colombia Policies Hurt Workers Here and Abroad
Region: United States
By Seth Michaels for AFL-CIO NOW While Sen. Barack Obama campaigns in America’s heartland over the Fourth of July holiday, Sen. John McCain is heading out of the country. He’s on his way to Colombia, where he plans to stump for anti-worker trade deals like the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Apparently McCain decided, in the midst of a hot presidential election season, his time is best spent showing he’s on the side of Big Business—by supp... more
Views: 905Honor Officer Rivera: Don't Slash Prison Staffing Budgets
Region: California
By James Parks for AFL-CIO NOW For years, AFGE’s Council of Prison Locals (CPL), the union representing correctional officers in the nation’s federal prisons, has been pushing for more funding and staffing to safely maintain our nation’s prisons and surrounding communities. The union warns that staffing levels are decreasing while inmate population levels are increasing, leaving the correctional officers and the communities in grave danger. Tragically, on June 20, those wa... more
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