Fusao Ohori, a Representative of the All-Japan Seamen’s Union - which Represents the Crews of Ships at Sea - flew from Tokyo to walk Picket Lines with Locked-Out Longshore Workers in Vancouver and Portland. Along with Ohori’s visit, the All-Japan Seamen’s Union contributed one million yen to the ILWU. That translates to an estimated more»

National AFL-CIO News Now Editor’s Note: Berry Craig, who serves as Recording Secretary for the Paducah-based Western Kentucky AFL-CIO Area Council and a Professor Emeritus of History at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, is a Former Daily Newspaper and Associated Press (AP) Columnist and currently a Member of American Teachers Federation more»

According to an Analysis Conducted by Think Progress, the Geismar, Louisiana Petro-Chemical Plant that recently Exploded – which Killed One Person and Injured another 73 - had Not Been Inspected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) since 1993. And Explosions and Other Accidents at Uninspected Plants are becoming Alarmingly more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: While Perusing the Social Network Facebook, Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper Recently Ran Across the following Thought-Provoking Information that We Would Like to Share with our Many Viewers/Readers:

(PITTSBURGH) – Union Members Represented by United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1343 have Ratified a New, Six Year Contract at Caterpillar’s South Milwaukee Plant. USW District 2 Director Michael Bolton Praised the Hard Work of the Local Union Negotiating Committee and the Members of Local 1343 for their Solidarity during Contract Negotiations, more»

(MICHIGAN) - This is How Hope Turns Into Despair: More than a year since they Voted to Form a Union, Panera workers in Michigan are Still Waiting. The Franchisee that owns the Panera Bread Stores in the Region Refused to Recognize the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Union as the Official Representative of the Bakers and Refused to more»

(BUFFALO) – After meeting for 18 Hours, Kaleida Health and the Three Unions that combine to Represent 7,000 of its Employees Failed to Come to an Agreement on a New Master Contract. Negotiations could Resume later this Month. A Federal Mediator has Submitted Several Dates for Both Sides to Consider, including June 18, the 19th and the 20th. Kaleida more»

Just in Case You Haven’t Taken the Time to Watch the June Edition of WNYLaborToday.com’s New Labor News TV Magazine… Western New York Labor News… NOW!... as yet, here’s what You’re Missing: You probably don’t realize it, because you can’t see it from Street-Level, but the more than 30-million-dollar Maid more»

(CHEEKTOWAGA) – Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 815/Erie County Unit #1 President Joan Bender has announced her Retirement after more than 40 years of Service to her Public Employees Union and its combined 5,000 Members, CSEA announced today (Thursday, June 13th). Bender, an Amherst Resident who was also an Employee of the Erie County more»

(BUFFALO) – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union today (Wednesday, June 12th) pressed the Leadership of Buffalo’s Public School (BPS) System to Reverse Deep Cuts to the District’s Instrumental Music Programs, saying the Systemic Elimination of Music is Depriving the City’s Children of the Rich, Well-Rounded Education They more»

States That Reject Medicaid Expansion Will Spend Billions More To Cover Fewer According to a New Study in the Journal Health Affairs, States would Save Money by Accepting the Medicaid Expansion in President Obama's Health Care Law. The Study finds that14 of the States that have Rejected the Expansion will Spend a Combined $1 billion More on Uncompensated more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Retired National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 3 President Robert McLennan, who now serves as Labor Liaison for State Senator Tim Kennedy of Buffalo, announced during the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council Meeting that was held on Tuesday Evening (June 11th) that the Buffalo-Western New York Region more»

(ISRAEL) - Just days after the Young Workers at Israel's Burger Ranch Fast-Food Chain Organized Themselves, the Labor Union for Youth and Hareshet - the Young People’s Federation - announced that within Less than A Day they’d Succeeded in Signing Up Enough Workers at McDonald’s to set up a Workers' Union there as well. These Labor more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168 Cast Their Ballots as a Three-Day Strike Vote winds down Today (Wednesday, June 12th). A total of 7,000 Union-Represented Kaleida Health Workers are Voting on whether to Strike the Buffalo Health Care Provider as Negotiations on a New Master Contract are more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT)/ Painters District Council 4 Business Manager Mark Stevens (Pictured on the Left) and Lamar Advertising/Buffalo Vice President/General Manager Rick Dvorak (On the Right) pose outside Lamar’s Downtown Buffalo Headquarters. The Union and Management more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: State Senator Tim Kennedy addresses a Group of 50 Area Labor Leaders and Delegates who attended Thursday’s (June 6th) Labor Roundtable that was held in concert with State Assemblyman Sean Ryan and the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) in Suburban Buffalo. (WNYLaborToday.com Photo) more»

(BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS) - Competing Chants Pierced the Air and Punctuated One Another as a Wal-Mart Rally and a Union-Backed Protest took place some 50 feet apart last week outside the Massive Retailer’s Annual Meeting in Bentonville Arkansas. On a Public Sidewalk across from Wal-Mart’s Headquarters, International Wal-Mart Workers and Fired more»

(COLUMBUS, OHIO) – Labor Unions are making Clear their Opposition to Two Bills Aiming to Strip Ohio Labor Organizations of their Power to Compel Membership and Automatically Collect Dues. Hundreds showed up last week at the Ohio Statehouse, where the first - and probably the Last - Hearing was being held on so-called Right-to-Work (For Less) more»

NYSUT Editor’s Note: An Estimated 20,000 Teachers, Parents, Students, Union Members and Community Allies of Education (Pictured Above) took part in a Massive Rally that was held in Albany on Saturday (June 8th) for the Reduction of State-Mandated Testing and Additional Funding for Education. You can learn more about the One Voice United Rally at more»

(BUFFALO) – New York State Senator Tim Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy, the Daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and president of the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights (Pictured Above/Photo Courtesy of Senator Kennedy’s Staff), joined with Local Workers and Advocates in Buffalo on Friday (June 7th) to Rally Support behind the Statewide Farm Workers more»

(WASHINGTON) - The Nation’s Economy added 175,000 New Jobs in May and the Jobless Rate Slightly Increased to 7.6% compared to April’s 7.5%, according to figures Released on Friday (June 7th) by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The 175,000 New May jobs outpaced April’s Job Growth by 10,000 and marked 38 Straight Months of Tepid more»

(BUFFALO) – Two-hundred-and-seventy 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union) Healthcare Workers East-Represented Workers at the Harbour and Hawthorn Multi-Care Centers on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo have Overwhelmingly Ratified a New Three-Year Contract, which Union Officials say Maintains Current Health Benefits, Increases Pension more»

(COOPERSVILLE, MICHIGAN) – More than 100 Workers and Community Supporters recently Rallied to Oppose the Firing of Four Local Michigan Workers by Dahlgren Industrial, which fired the Workers in Retaliation for Organizing a Union and Raising their Voices about Safety Concerns. In addition, the Workers are also demanding that Companies which Benefit more»

(MEMPHIS) – International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1288 came to the rescue of Velma Massey, an 87 year-old Memphis woman who had received a Cut-Off Notice from Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) this month due to an Outstanding $4,251.66 Bill. “I had a Water Leak and then everybody knows my Gas was three-hundred dollars more»

(WISCONSIN) - Last week, 150 Members of the Palermo Workers Union and their Allies Marched 18 miles from the Palermo's Pizza Plant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the Mequon Home of Palermo’s Co-Owner Angelo Fallucca to Demand that He and his Brother and Co-Owner, Giacomo, meet with them in their On-Going Dispute over Workers’ Rights. A year ago, the more»

(VERMONT) - A month after the Vermont Legislature Approved A Bill Allowing Home Care Workers to Collectively Bargain, more than 4,500 Home Care Workers have Filed an Election Petition seeking to Form a Union. Because of the New Law, more than 7,000 Workers are Now Eligible to Join a Union, and many participated in a March to File the Petition. The Election more»

(BUFFALO) – Early next week, more than 7,000 Union-Represented Kaleida Health Care Employees will have the Opportunity to Vote on whether or not to Authorize a Work Stoppage a Kaleida Health’s Buffalo Health Care Facilities. Once the Strike Vote is taken, and if Approved, the Unions’ Bargaining Committee will be Free to Issue a 10-day more»

(ALBANY) – The Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act (A6571/S3691-A) passed the New York State Assembly Health Committee in Albany Today (Tuesday, June 4), which Protects Patients by Setting a Safe Limit to the Number of Patients a Nurse can be Forced to Take On at Once. On Surgical Recovery Units, many New York Registered Nurses (RNs) are being more»

(ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA) – Union-Represented Locomotive Builders are demanding that General Electric (GE) Stop the Transfer of Nearly a Third of the Plant’s Jobs to a Non-Union, Lower-Wage Factory in Texas and are Rallying to Draw Public Attention to the Decision. The Three Actions - One for Each Shift - follow the Profitable Factory’s April more»

(WASHINGTON) - The Head of a Major Labor Union is warning Senate Democrats that those who aren't willing to take on Republicans over the Obstruction of Presidential Nominees - and Deploy the So-Called Nuclear Option, if necessary, for Confirmation - will lose the Union's Support. "We're done," a frustrated Communications Workers of America (CWA) President more»

News, Notes & A Bunch Of Observations Made While Covering The Western New York Labor Community Over The Past Several Weeks: It was an Interesting Past Week with WNYLaborToday.com First Reporting on Lackawanna’s Lucarelli’s Banquet Center and Mobile Catering Company telling Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper that He Wanted a Union for his more»

Fighting For Quality Care In New York Communication Workers of America (CWA) Members from several CWA District 1 Health Care Coordinating Council Locals were among the 1,500 Health Care Worker Activists who recently Rallied and Lobbied at the State Capitol in Albany to Build Support for Two Critical Bills: Safe Staffing and Safe Patient Handling. CWA more»

Trustees Reports: Social Security Steady, Medicare Financial Outlook Improved The Social Security and Medicare Trustees have issued their Annual Reports on the State of the Two Programs’ Finances. Social Security, according to its Trustees, has a $2.7 trillion Surplus, Enough to Fully Meet the Demands of a Growing Retiree Cohort through 2033 – more»

(ALBANY) - In a Vocal Pushback against Out-of-Control Standardized Testing, the Out-Sized Influence that Giant Testing Companies are having on Teaching and Learning, and New York’s Inequitable School Funding System, a Coalition of Parents, Educators, Community Members and Students will Rally in early June in Albany to Fight For The Future Of Public more»

(BUFFALO) – Kaleida Health and its Three Labor Unions: Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17 and 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union) United Healthcare Workers East, which combine to Represent 7,000 Kaleida Employees - have agreed to a Three-Week Contract more»

(ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA) – Four-hundred Food Service Employees at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California are being Laid Off and 500 New Employees are being hired in their place. The Food Service Employees are being Laid Off because the Contract ended for Company they worked for. The New Company taking over at the Honda Center - Anaheim Arena Management more»

(BOSTON) – An Ohio-Based Painting Company has been Sued for Failing to Pay more than $2 million in Wages to its Employees in violation of the Massachusetts Prevailing Wage and Overtime Laws, and for Engaging in Unfair Competition and Violating the Massachusetts False Claims Act, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced. The Lawsuit filed in Suffolk more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper has previously reported on the Influx Of Union Candidates Running For Public Office This Year Highlights Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s Meet The Candidates Night. Check out our Labor News Report and Stay Tuned for our upcoming June Edition of more»

(QUEENS, NEW YORK) - Workers at a Queens Car Wash are the first Carwasheros East of Los Angeles to win a Collective Bargaining Agreement. The New Contract, announced Tuesday (May 28th) by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), is a part of the Union Movement’s continuing effort to bring Workplace Justice to Low-Wage Immigrant more»

(WASHINGTON) – National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is Warning of the Dangers of Selling the Tribune Newspapers to the Koch Brothers: “It is Hard to Imagine how the Tribune Newspapers would continue to Provide Quality, Independent Journalism to the Communities they serve if they were Under the Control of the Koch Brothers.” As such, more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Lucarelli’s Owner Mike Lucarelli (Pictured Above) tells Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper that he played a Major Role in helping convince his own Workers who are employed by his Lackawanna-based Banquet Center and Mobile Catering Company that they needed Union Representation from SEIU (Service Employees more»

(WASHINGTON) - American Airlines (AA) Mechanics and Related Workers filed for an Election today (Tuesday, March 28th) with the National Mediation Board (NMB) as part of a months-long effort to become Teamsters. The Petition for an NMB Election comes on the heels of a similar move by US Airways Mechanics seeking Teamster Representation who filed for their more»

(OREGON) – The Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA), which represents more than 19,000 Education Professionals across the State of Oregon, scored Two Organizing Victories last week and will now Exclusively Represent Workers at Mount Hood Community College Head Start and a Non-Affiliated Group of Classified Employees within the Klamath Falls City more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: One of Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper Facebook Friends posted the following this morning on Memorial Day 2013: 116,000 American Troops died in World War I; 405,000 in World War II; Another 58,000 in Vietnam; 36,000 in Korea; and 6,280 in Iraq and Afghanistan. Enjoy your picnic today. That's what they died for. more»

(QUEENS, NEW YORK) - It wasn't a Rolling Stones Concert that drew 800 Men and Women to Camp Out for Five Days in Queens - it was The Chance at Landing a Coveted Union Job Opening. The New York Times reported a Union Elevator Mechanic Job prompted nearly 1,000 Young Workers to haul out Tents and Mattresses into The Great Outdoors of Long Island City at the more»

(WASHINGTON) - As millions of Americans are enjoying the Memorial Day Weekend, the United States remains alone among the World's Advanced Economies in its Lack of Guaranteed Paid Vacation Time for Workers, according to a New Report. In an Update to an Earlier Analysis, the Left-Leaning Center for Economic and Policy Research looked at the Vacation Policies more»

New York State Alliance Holds Its Convention New York’s Annual State Alliance For Retired Americans Convention took place in Albany late last week, drawing more than 60 Delegates. Featured Speakers included: Dani Pere, who serves as Director of Field Mobilization for the National Alliance; and Eric Kingson, Co-Director of Social Security Works; as more»

(SEATTLE) - The Collapse of the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Skagit River in Washington State last week “is a Sober Reminder” to State Lawmakers of the Need for a Transportation Revenue Package, says Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) President Jeff Johnson. The Bridge, which is located about 60 miles north of Seattle, Crashed into the River more»

When most People think about Union Members, they probably picture Blue-Collar Workers in Factories. Maybe even Teachers, Police, Firefighters and other Government Employees also come to mind. But Workers in many more Fields come together in Unions to have a Voice On The Job to Improve their Lives and the Lives of their Families - from Rocket Scientists at more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: While perusing the Social Network Facebook, Your Regional, On-Line Labor Newspaper ran across the following Thought-Provoking Information that we would like to share with our many Viewers/Readers: