WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Gene Grabiner, who teaches Sociology at Erie County Community College’s (ECC) City of Buffalo Campus, has been a New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union Member for 36 years. Grabiner, who holds a PhD, is a State University of New York Distinguished Service Professor, who also serves as a Delegate to the Buffalo more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Part of the more than 100 Western New York Union Leaders, Union Members, Elected Officials and Candidates For Public Officials (Pictured Above/WNYLaborToday.com Photo) rallied in the Southern Tier City of Olean Saturday to focus a spotlight on a recent Plant Closing and the shipment of American Jobs to Mexico. (OLEAN) more»

(GOUVERNEUR) – New York State Nurses United (NYSNA)-Represented Nurses in this Rural Upstate New York Village say the suspension of operations at E.J. Noble Hospital could be a “matter of life or death” for area Residents – and that they will work with Hospital Management and State Officials to keep it open. Residents will have to drive more than more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Gene Grabiner, who teaches Sociology at Erie County Community College’s (ECC) City of Buffalo Campus, has been a member of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) for 36 years. Grabiner - who is currently represented by the Faculty Federation of ECC, which has 466 full-time and 400 part-time Union Members - recently more»

(NEW YORK) - The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union, in partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute, are proud to announce the 2nd Annual Speak Truth To Power Student Video Contest – which kicks off on September 27th with a gathering of Teachers, Students, Human Rights Activists, more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Local 1690 President/Business Manager Mike Randolph (on the left) and Local 169 Vice President Jason Gunsolus stand outside Olean Advanced Products’ Manufacturing Plant in the Cattaraugus County City of Olean. Local 1690, which currently represents more»

(BROOKLYN) - Four weeks after an assault sent her to the Emergency Room, Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RN) Eurica Walters-Rodney is still waiting to hear back from the New York Police Department’s 79th Precinct – while her assailant remains a free man. On August 10th at Brooklyn’s Woodhull Medical Center, a Psychiatric Patient jumped the counter, more»

A group of Coal Miners in the State of Ohio feel they would’ve been fired if they did not attend an August 14th event with presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney and contribute to his Campaign - and to make matters worse, they lost a day of pay for their trouble. In phone calls and e-mails to WWVA Radio Host David Blomquist, Employees at more»

Ryan International Flight Attendants Ratify First Contract Ryan International Flight Attendants have voted to ratify their First Contract, ensuring Job Security and other Protections for nearly 200 AFA-CWA Members. "Ryan International Flight Attendants worked hard to achieve the Workplace Protections and Professional Standards provided by an AFA Contract," more»

(BUFFALO) – The cornerstones of the National Affordable Care Act are efforts to contain the Rising Cost of Health Care and enhance the Quality of Care delivered to Americans. BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and Kaleida Health are addressing these elements through a Pilot Program for Individuals undergoing Coronary-Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) more»

America’s Workers are existing on the edge of Financial Disaster: 40% say they live Paycheck-to-Paycheck, according to a recent CareerBuilder Survey. Worse, 37% say they sometimes need to rely on the next payday to make ends meet. Although the percentage of those literally Living for Payday has decreased from 42% in 2011 and from 46% in 2008, the height more»

(CENTRAL ISLIP) – The Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) is hailing a Federal Court blocking an attempt by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano to unilaterally reopen Union Contacts. The lawsuit, filed by CSEA in June, protects the Rights and Benefits of 6,000 CSEA-Represented Nassau County Employees, but also has Broad National Implications more»

(NEW YORK CITY) – Nearly two weeks ago, four people locked themselves in a room to end the Con Edison Lock-Out of 8,500 Union Members of Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA). According to Local 1-2 spokesman John Melia, UWUA’s President Michael Langford, Local 1-2’s President Harry Farrell and Con Ed’s CEO Kevin Burke - aided by more»

(SACAMENTO, CALIFORNIA) - Workers at Ace Tomato in California are tired of waiting. They’re also tired of dirty bathrooms, the lack of fresh water and decades of low pay. You might ask, why don't they vote for a Union? They did - back in 1989! But, more than two decades later they’re still waiting for a Contract. And the Agricultural Labor Relations more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: A number of Southern Tier Labor Leaders, Union Delegates and Memberswere part of an overall group of 80 individualswho attended the United Way’s 19th Annual Salute to Labor Dinner that was held Wednesday (August 1st) evening at the Jamestown Elks Lodge. Pictured Above (from Left to Right): United Way Of Southern more»

(AURORA, COLORADO) - Members of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) were some of the First Responders at the recent Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater shooting. Aurora Local 1290 Firefighters not only assisted at the Movie Theater, but also at alleged shooter James Holmes’ apartment. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this more»

(UTICA) - Nearly 100 Registered Nurses (RNs) at Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare in Utica have overwhelmingly voted for Union Representation with Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1126, Representatives from CWA District 1 Healthcare Coordinating Council’s Office in Buffalo informed WNYLaborToday.com this afternoon (Thursday, July 26th). By an more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Members of the Jones Beach (Long Island) Lifeguard Corps/New York State Lifeguard Corps see their affiliation with the New York State Teachers (NYSUT) Union as a pathway to improving Working Conditions and keeping the Public safer. Pictured Above (Photo Courtesy of Miller Photography via www.nysut.org): Three new and more»

(HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA) - Leo Gerard, who serves as President of the United Steelworkers Union, is calling November’s Presidential Election “the most important” in the past 80 years when it comes to the future of Labor Unions in America. Gerard, speaking in Homestead on Saturday, said ballooning Corporate Money in Politics threatens to overwhelm the more»

National AFL-CIO News Now Editor’s Note: This is a cross-post from The Huffington Post by Harold Schaitberger, who serves as General President of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF): There's an oft-repeated myth being fed by many that claims the Defined Benefit Pension Plans available to most Public Employees are going bankrupt. While more»

The furor is growing since it was reported last week that the spiffy Red, White and Blue Outfits U.S. Olympians will wear in the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in London were Made in China. U.S. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat-Nevada) blasted the Committee’s choice to off-shore the Olympians’ Uniforms: “I think the Olympic more»

Labor Unions intend to make Workers’ Rights a big issue in November and are reaching beyond their Traditional Membership Base to rally workers ahead of an Election that’s projected to be very close. “Are you with us? Are you with the American People?,” National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka asked at a press conference during the week as he more»

The Top 1% is scared about People like The Nails Ladies having the Vote. The Wealthy know that Economic Inequality is rising and the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision is enormously unpopular. Turning Unions into Bogeymen is inevitable. And so the Right Wing is excited about a Wall Street Journal article purporting Union Spending on Politics is far more»

(WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA) - Six Members of Ironworkers Local 489 picketed earlier this week outside the $35 million Science Building being constructed at Wilkes University, upset that an Out-Of-Town Company - rather than Local Workers - was hired to erect the Building's Steel. The news comes just days after the City of Scranton moved to pay its Public more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The proposed deal between Verizon Wireless and the Big Cable Companies will cost Workers and Communities 72,000 jobs, according to a new report made public by the Communications Workers of America. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Department of Justice are reviewing a proposed deal that would allow Verizon more»

(NEW YORK) - Renewed talks between Consolidated Edison and its Labor Union yielded no results Thursday (July 5th), allowing a five-day lockout that has idled 8,500 Utility Workers to continue. The meeting at an undisclosed site in New York City, which included Mediators to help Con Edison and the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 hammer out a new more»

(NEW YORK) – Responding to Consolidated Edison closing Walk-In Centers, suspending Meter Readings and limited work on Major Construction Projects in New York earlier this week after contract talks between the New York City Utility and its Unionized Workers broke down in the middle of a wave of extremely hot weather, New York State AFL-CIO President Mario more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: The following appears via msnbc.msn.com and was authored by Herb Weisbaum, also known as The Consumer Man: The Nation’s Health Insurance Companies will refund approximately $1.1 billion to their Customers this Summer – just one of the new benefits of the Health Care Reform Law. The U.S. Health and Human Services more»

Not often does a Billionaire Chief Executive of a Prominent American Brand assert that our system is effectively broken. Yet, this is what Howard Schultz, Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks, essentially told The Huffington Post this week when we sat down to discuss the open letter he was about to address to the Nation. A few weeks earlier, he’d been more»

(ALBANY) – New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union President Richard Iannuzzi has been named to the Board of Directors of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights, one of the World’s Foremost Human Rights Organizations. In announcing his appointment, RFK Center President Kerry Kennedy earlier this week cited Iannuzzi’s more»

(COLUMBUS, OHIO) - A Coalition of Labor Organizations, on behalf of the tens of thousands of Ohio Voters they represent, have asked a Federal Court in Columbus to issue an injunction holding that the Ohio Law that requires the rejection of thousands of Provisional Ballots every Election for reasons attributable to Poll Worker Error unconstitutionally denies more»

(ALBANY) - New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) President Richard Iannuzzi says the Privacy Bill that has been passed by both Houses of the STATE LEGISLATURE accomplishes two important goals: It stops the shameless media exploitation and distortion of Evaluation Information, and it appropriately keeps Teacher Personnel Records confidential. In addition, more»

June 22nd Is Day Of Action For Verizon & Verizon Wireless Workers Thousands of Union Members are expected to be joined by Community Partners in a National Day of Action for Verizon Workers on June 22nd. Activists again will protest the Telecommunications Giant’s insatiable greed. Verigreedy Verizon is a $100 billion Company that has made tens of more»

(ALBANY) - The New York Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) could have saved State Taxpayers $9.5 million last year if it had cut its dependence on costly Private Consultants by half and let its own Employees do the work instead. That’s the finding of a new report released by the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF), which more»

USW Says Building New Bridge With Domestic Steel Is A Victory For Both U.S. & Canadian Workers (PITTSBURGH) - The United Steelworkers (USW) is praising the announcement made by the United States and Canada involving a deal to build a new bridge between the Canadian City of Windsor, Ontario and the American City of Detroit, Michigan – which serves as more»

(ALBANY) – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union is calling for a major overhaul of New York’s Standardized Testing System, saying the nearly 4,500 minutes, or 74 hours, the average Student spends on Standardized Testing over their school years profits giant Testing Companies, but cheats Students out of a rich and full education. While more»

NMB Orders Union Vote For American Airlines Agents In a big victory for Democracy and the Right to Vote, the National Mediation Board (NMB) last week decided to move forward with the Union Representation Election for nearly 10,000 American Airlines Agents - despite the carrier's efforts to block the Vote. "It is the NMB's long-standing policy consistent more»

(ALBANY) - The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) is one of the top four State Agencies that relies on Consultants to do work that State Employees can do for less, and, the State is continuing toward a costly pattern of hiring more consultants while allowing the number of DOT Employees to hit an all-time low, a report conducted by the Public more»

From The National AFL-CIO News Now Blog: Hilton Boston Workers Persist To Form Union With UNITEHERE! Congratulations to the newest Members of UNITEHERE! In the face of Management roadblocks, the persistence of 75 Housekeepers, Front Desk Attendants and others at the Hilton Boston Downtown has resulted in a successful effort to Unionize. The Workers waged more»

Despite caring for Society’s most precious members, In-Home Child Care Providers typically face very Low Pay and Poor Access to Benefits and Training Opportunities. Two new studies find that Unions offer an array of Job Improvements to Child Care Providers, which serve to improve the Quality of Care given to Children. In February, the Economic more»

(ALBANY) - The New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) has released its third in a series of reports on how much money New York State wastes by relying on costly consultants to do the work State Employees can do for less. The report - New York State’s Contracting Out IT Consultants: A Plan To Save $99 Million By Reducing IT Consultant Waste more»

Are you or is someone you know trying to complete a College Degree? If so, now is the time to do something about it, and the National Labor College (NLC) can get you started toward completing your degree as soon as this Fall. NLC is the only Accredited Labor College dedicated to educating Union Members and their families and tuition is highly discounted more»

(ALBANY) – Earlier this week inAlbany, hundreds of Grassroots Lobbyists from the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union vigorously pressed Lawmakers to enact State Legislation protecting the Privacy Rights of Teachers by shielding their evaluations from exploitation by the Public and News Media. “This is an opportunity for Legislators and the more»

(ALBANY) – In the latest in a series of success stories involving New York State’s Public Education System, a National Magazine has ranked New York second in the Nation in the number of Gold Medal High Schools that are doing an exemplary job of preparing Students for College. However, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union says deep cuts in more»

(ALBANY) - Despite deep cuts to programs triggered by the first year ofNew YorkState’s Property Tax Cap, Voters gave Students and their local Schools their strong backing by adopting 96% of School Budgets, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union reports. Voters acrossNew Yorkapproved 597 School Budgets, with 24 budgets going down in defeat on more»

(NEW YORK) - This Thursday, 4,000 Working Bedside Nurses, all Members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), will gather in New York City to set a new, aggressive course for their Union - including a major push to pass Statewide Legislation mandating Safe Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratios. With more than 37,000 Members across the more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: This is an extremely important cross-post for both Union Leadership and Young Union Members from the Electrical Workers (IBEW) via the National AFL-CIO News Now Blog (http://www.aflcio.org/). The one-two punch of a crippling recession and widespread Anti-Worker Legislation has left many Working Families in the United more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: An estimated 75 Labor Leaders and Representatives of Labor Unions from across Erie and Niagara Counties recently attended Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Western New York’s Labor Roundtable Event that was held at the Health Care Company’s Downtown Buffalo Headquarters. (WNYLaborToday.com Photo) (BUFFALO) – Working more»

Members of the 99% Power Coalition disrupted Verizon's Annual Shareholder Meeting in Huntsville, Alabama, six separate times – and in each instance, a group of protesters interrupted the proceedings using “Mic Check” tactics, followed by chants such as “Shame On You!,” “Verigreedy!” and “People Over Profit!” After each occurrence, the more»

(ALBANY) – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union today (Monday, April 23rd) launched a three-week, Statewide Radio and Television Ad Campaign to tout the good work of Teachers in improving Student Performance in our Public Schools, and to urge Voters to avoid deeper cuts to School Programs by approving Local School Budgets on May 15th. The more»