(KINGSTON) - Benedictine Hospital Registered Nurses (RNs) in Kingston took another step toward winning a first contract when they voted resoundingly to keep their Professional Nurses Union - the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA). Originally voting for representation in 2008, this election reaffirmed the Nurses' commitment to their profession, their more»

(BUFFALO) - Community, Faith and Labor Leaders from the Statewide Getting Our Money’s Worth Coalition gathered in Downtown Buffalo earlier this week to call on New York’s Elected Leaders to implement better solutions to the jobs crisis, as the array of representatives came together to release their own recommendations in the form of a new report that more»

(WASHINGTON) - Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Employees across the country have elected the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) as their exclusive Union Representative by an 8,903-to-8,447 vote over the National Treasury Employees Union, AFGE Officials announced today. After the election, AFGE National President John Gage more»

(WASHINGTON) - Forty-five students from across the United States begin their Union Summer Internships this week in eight cities. The students will be working on Community and Labor Movement-Building Projects in Charlotte, North Carolina, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Twin Cities, Minnesota, Los Angeles, California, New Orleans, Louisiana, more»

Statement by National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Election Standards: Although we’re still reviewing the proposed new changes from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), they appear to represent a Common Sense approach to clean up an outdated system and help ensure that Working Women and Men can make more»

(ALBANY) – The Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) - New York's Leading Union – announced today (Wednesday, June 22nd) that it has reached a tentative contract agreement with New York State on a five-year deal to avert impending layoffs of CSEA-Represented State Employees. The agreement was reached after challenging negotiations with the Cuomo more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: As many as 150 Labor Leaders and Union Members from a variety of Chautauqua County and Western New York Labor Unions and Organizations rallied in Dunkirk late Tuesday to protest the nationwide attack on Workers’ Rights and to send a clear and loud message to elected representatives in the Southern Tier and across New more»

(WASHINGTON) - The United Steelworkers (USW) have released a letter the Union has sent to every member of Congress urging they vigorously oppose Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia because economic facts show the deals will “undermine our economic recovery, further decimate American manufacturing and jobs, and deepen the economic more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: More than 100 Public Employees Federation (PEF) Members rallied in Downtown Buffalo today as part of a Statewide PEF Protest over Governor Andrew Cuomo’s threat to eliminate the jobs of nearly 10,000 State Workers if Labor Unions fail to agree to $450 million in concessions. (WNYLaborToday.com Photo) (BUFFALO) – more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Cory McCray, who serves as chairman of the Baltimore, Maryland-headquartered Young Trade Unionists Group (pictured above in one of WNYLaborToday.com’s “It’s Cool To Be Union” T-Shirts), has been reported on and profiled by WNYLaborToday.com several times in recent months. WNYLaborToday.com has also re-published more»

Alliance Executive Director Coyle Stresses Disagreement With AARP Regarding Social Security Benefit Cuts A story that appeared in The Wall Street Journal states AARP (American Association of Retired People) supports cutting Social Security Benefits. “AARP does not speak for all Seniors and on this topic probably not for many of their own members,” more»

New Jersey Public Workers Protest Sell-Out By State Legislators About 10,000 Communications Workers of America (CWA) Members and Union Activists from New Jersey filled the streets late last week outside the State Capitol in Trenton to protest a deal between Republican Governor Chris Christie and some Legislators that would take away the right of Public more»

News, Notes & A Bunch Of Observations Made While Covering The Western New York Labor Community Over The Past Several Days: WNYLaborToday.com would like to wish each and every Father across Western New York a tremendous Fathers’ Day. To all those Dads who are working hard to positively shape the lives of their children, as well as those Fathers who more»

(BUFFALO) - Despite agreeing on a contract extension through June 27th, the three Unions that are negotiating a new Master Contract at Kaleida Health say if an agreement is not reached that protects patients and the profession in the years ahead, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168, 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare more»

More Than 700,000 Ohioans Sign S.B. 5 Repeal Petitions How’s this for some fast work? In just two months, Workers, Activists and other volunteers in Ohio have collected 714,137 signatures of Buckeye State voters to place on the November ballot the repeal of Republican Governor John Kasich’s bill that eliminates the Collective Bargaining Rights of more more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Representatives of the Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council (pictured above) gather behind the 2011 Harry S. Jordan Scholarship Winners during the Council’s Annual Dinner Celebration that was held in Niagara Falls Wednesday evening. The award winners - seated from left to right, are: Aidan McDonough, Erin more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Buffalo Common Councilman, the Reverend Darius Pridgen, addresses Locked-Out, Union-Represented Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York Workers outside the Buffalo Health Insurer’s Downtown Headquarters during a prayer vigil attended by a number of Labor, Community and Faith-based Representatives on Thursday (June more»

(BUFFALO) – Union-Represented Workers at Absolut Care have overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement in votes held across Western New York, 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East Officials have announced. The new Labor Deal covers as many as 1,000 Certified Nursing Assistants more»

(ALBANY) – Ken Brynien, the president of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF), provided New York State Legislators with a number of ways to prevent and reduce abuse and neglect at facilities operated by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) earlier this week at a Legislative hearing held on Safety and Quality of more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Micaela Shapiro-Shellaby (pictured on the left), a representative of Buffalo’s Coalition for Economic Justice, joins Austin Guest of the Alliance for a Greater New York, who plays a “super-sleuth” searching for a “good jobs plan.” The skit was used to underscore the need for better solutions to the jobs’ more»

(PHILADELPHIA) - In solidarity with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) at the Port of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Central Labor Council has issued a resolution in support of the boycott of Del Monte Products: WHEREAS, after a 22-year working relationship with the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) at the Port of more»

More than a million Public-Sector Workers will take strike action in the Fall unless Ministers pull back from its proposed pension changes, it was claimed. The leader of the country’s largest Public-Sector Union said 1.2 million local Authority and Health Service Workers were “on the road to industrial action.” It could lead to months of industrial more»

(BUFFALO) – Representatives of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17 and 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East announced today the three Unions will hold a Strike Authorization Vote that impacts nearly 8,000 Workers at Kaleida Health in Buffalo as more»

(IRVING) – Union-Represented Workers at TLC Lakeshore Nursing Home have unanimously ratified a new contract, 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East Officials announced. The new contract covers the 48 employees who work as Certified Nurses’ Aides (CNAs), Support Service Aides, Activity Leaders and Rehab Aides. The more»

(WASHINGTON) - The Nation's largest Labor Union is threatening to challenge the powerful chairman of the Senate Banking Committee in the 2014 elections, if he allows a key set of new executive pay regulations be weakened. The surprising remark occurred during a panel discussion moderated by The Huffington Post at the Social Investment Forum Conference on more»

The following statement was issued by Denis Hughes, president of the 2.5-million member New York State AFL-CIO, regarding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Tier VI Pension Proposal: “Unfortunately, the Tier Six Legislation proposed represents another ‘step backward’ for all Working Men and Women in New York State. Even worse, it serves as a more»

CWA’s Verizon Bargainers Focus on Health Care as Talks Near/District 1-New York, 2 & 13 Members Can Offer Input Through On-Line Surveys Communications Workers of America (CWA) Members of the Verizon Bargaining Committee from New York-New England (District 1) and the mid-Atlantic (Districts 2 and 13) met Friday for a day-long discussion on more»

(PITTSBURGH) – The United Steelworkers (USW) have announced the Union is prepared to respond to an application filed last week with the National Mediation Board (NMB) which, if granted, would interfere with its status as the bargaining representative of approximately 400 Flight Attendants employed by Colgan Air. The USW is vowing to fight to defend the more»

It’s Back… Social Security Privatization Bill Introduced On Capitol Hill It’s a bad idea that just won’t go away, Social Security Privatization is once again back in the public debate with the recent introduction of a bill in Congress to create Private Savings Plans in lieu of Social Security. The legislation, H.R. 2109, was introduced by Texas more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Peter Rickman (pictured above) is a 29-year-old Union-Represented Teaching Assistant with the Teaching Assistants’ Association at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which represents 3,000 Members. Rickman, who grew up in a Union Family in Neenah, Wisconsin – “where manhole covers and Kleenex tissues more»

(WASHINGTON) – National Secretary-Treasurer AFL-CIO Liz Shuler has announced the 2nd Annual Young Workers Summit will be held at the end of September in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last year more than 400 Young Activists and Union Workers met in Washington for the first National Young Workers Summit and launched a long-term outreach program to Working People more»

News, Notes & A Bunch Of Observations Made While Covering The Western New York Labor Community Over The Past Several Days: Anyone who participated in (pictured above/WNYLaborToday.com Photo) or watched last week’s Informational Picket held by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168, 1199 SEIU (Service Employees International Union) more»

(ROCHESTER) - With just days to go in the State Senate Legislative Calendar before the June 20th scheduled adjournment, leading New York Marriage Advocates and Governor Andrew Cuomo are still pushing forward with what everyone involved insists is an unprecedentedly unified front - one they say has held firm since the earliest days of the new governor’s more»

Retailing Giant Wal-Mart faced an unusual request when it sought government approval recently to buy a chain of stores in South Africa. Labor Groups there first asked for traditional protections, such as job security and a commitment from the new managers to buy merchandise from local suppliers. Then they called on Wal-Mart to end its long-running battle more»

(NEW YORK CITY) - Hundreds of Union Members gathered in front of the famous Macy’s Store in Herald Square yesterday to call on the retail chain’s management to bargain in good faith with Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU) Local 1-S and negotiate a fair contract for the 4,000 Union Workers employed there. The hot sun was no match for more»

(ALBANY) - The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) was appalled to learn today of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plans to move forward with thousands of Public Employee layoffs while PEF’s Contract Negotiating Team continues to wait for a response from State Negotiators in the Union’s attempt to reach an agreement. “We have a concrete offer more»

(ALBANY) - The 600,000-Member New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union is blasting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s newly-proposed Tier VI Pension, which NYSUT says would produce no short-term savings for school districts and taxpayers. Furthermore, NYSUT Officials are calling the governor’s pension proposal "an assault on Middle-Class Workers and a more»

(BUFFALO) – New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes, whose Labor Federation represents 2.5 million Union Members, blasted Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York/HealthNow Inc. at the bargaining table yesterday (Wednesday, June 8th), expressing his outrage that a company, which built its business in cooperation with Organized Labor, would more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Tom Coppini serves as Financial Secretary of IUE (International Union of Electricians)-CWA (Communications Workers of America) Local 81495, which represents nearly 200 Members who are employed at three Rochester-area companies and is a member of the Rochester and Genesee Valley Area Labor Federation. A frustrated and more»

National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka amplified his call for a politically-independent Labor Movement Tuesday and said Unions too often are holding "a canceled check" after Election Day. Trumka rallied hundreds of Nurses at a conference hosted by the National Nurses United. The Nurses are in Washington this week to lobby lawmakers for a financial more»

(AMHERST) – Newly-elected 26th District Congresswoman Kathy Hochul personally thanked nearly two dozen Labor Leaders today for Organized Labor’s efforts here in Western New York during her successful campaign, saying: “You had my back early and it was your boots on the ground effort, one that I have never seen before,” that worked to put a Democrat more»

(PITTSBURGH) - United Steelworkers (USW) International President Leo Gerard issued the following statement in response to today’s announcement made by U.S. Ambassador Ron Kirk on the outcome of consultations with China on Wind Energy Subsidies following a Union-filed Section 301 petition last September on Clean Tech Energy Issues: "The Steelworkers Union more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: More than 3,000 Union Members (some of which are pictured above/WNYLaborToday.com Photo) took part in two individual and massive informational pickets held today outside Buffalo General Hospital in the City’s growing Medical Corridor. The informational actions were taken to focus public attention on Kaleida Health’s more»

(BUFFALO) – Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) International President Michael Goodwin and New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes will join OPEIU Local 212’s Bargaining Committee when negotiations on a new contract with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York/HealthNow New York, Inc. resume on Wednesday. The more»

President’s Message From New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes regarding recommended changes to a proposed State Law that would finance various Transportation-Related Capital Projects across New York: The P3 Bill (S. 5445 Fuschillo, et al) would authorize the New York State Department of Transportation, the Thruway Authority and the more»

News, Notes & A Bunch Of Observations Made While Covering The Western New York Labor Community Over The Past Several Days: Unfortunately, this is turning out to be the “Summer of Labor Disputes” here in Western New York with the lock-out of nearly 400 Union-Represented Workers at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Buffalo, the extended Master Contract more»

Two Missouri CWA Members Dead In Catastrophic Joplin Tornado/AT&T Mobility Store Demolished As Workers Try To Huddle In Bathroom Two Communications Workers of America (CWA) members were killed in the May 22nd tornado that tore Joplin, Missouri in half, leaving nothing but a broad swath of rubble where homes, businesses, big box retailers, a more»

2010 Alliance Voting Record, Compiling Key Congressional Votes, Is Now Available Last week, the Alliance For Retired Americans released its 2010 Congressional Voting Record, which details the votes of every U.S. Senator and Representative on key issues affecting current and future retirees. The document is available at http://bit.ly/kpet7N. “At a more»

National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka comments on the May Employment Figures: The gain of a meager 54,000 jobs in May is a sign of real danger for Working Families and for the recovery. The Private Sector added only 83,000 jobs, which is less than a third of the average of recent months and far too few to absorb new entrants into the Labor Force, more»

(WASHINGTON) – In what was yet another successful Nationwide Food Drive spearheaded by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), an amazing 70.2 million pounds of food was collected on Saturday, May 14th at a time when hunger across the United States is a growing problem. And, in figures just released, NALC Branch 3 in Buffalo/Western New more»