(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – After five Employees who all worked in the same New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) office building in Buffalo - and who all had been diagnosed with brain cancer - passed away, Public Employees Federation (PEF) Representatives are calling on the state to move current Workers to another building. James more»

UUP Editor’s Note: Pictured above, State University of New York/Buffalo State United University Professions (UUP) Members and students get ready for today’s #FundSUNYNow rally. UUP Officials called on New York State to invest more state funding into SUNY Campuses. (Photo Courtesy of UUP Via The Social Network Twitter) (BUFFALO, NEW YORK) more»

Credit Reporting Company Experian estimates the average household income in the United States was $79,834 in 2019 - the good news is that this is up from $77,762 in 2018, a gain of $2,072 (2.7%). The bad news is that Americans' debts are typically rising just as fast, or even faster, than their income. As one of the three major credit bureaus that tracks more»

(AMHERST, NEW YORK) – Back in 2017, United University Professions (UUP) Member and Labor Activist Jacqui Berger made a decision to run for public office for the first time - and in the process not only won a seat on the Amherst Town Board, but was the top vote-getter with 14,418 votes. Now, just two years later, Berger is running for the 61st more»

CWA Editor’s Note: Patrick Weisansal II, who is employed as a Radiologic Technologist at Buffalo’s Kaleida Health, serves as the Director of Mobilizing and Organizing for Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168. An issue doesn’t need to violate contract language to spark a winning fight, as this story from my Union more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – The New York State United Teachers’ (NYSUT) Fund Our Future Bus Tour visited Western New York schools on Friday (February 7th) to draw attention to the severe impact a lack of state funding has had on schools statewide. Union activists also highlighted the need for new revenues that will enable the state to tackle more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Union’s Fund Our Future Statewide Bus Tour in in Western New York today (Friday, February 7th) with stops at schools in the Niagara Falls, Williamsville and Kenmore-Tonawanda School Districts. The goal is to draw attention to the severe impact a lack of New York State more»

(AKRON, NEW YORK) – A short Strike conducted by 35 International Association of Machinists (IAM)-represented Workers at the LVD Strippit Incorporated Plant in the Town of Akron is over after a newly-negotiated, three-year contract was unanimously ratified today (Thursday, February 6th), IAM District 65 Assistant Directing Business Representative Pete more»

(AKRON, NEW YORK) – Contract talks continued for a third straight day (Wednesday, February 5th) on a new contract for 35 striking International Association of Machinists (IAM)-represented Workers employed at the LVD Strippit Incorporated Plant in the Town of Akron, just a day after three Union Members who were walking the line were hit and injured by more»

(IRVING, NEW YORK) – 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is criticizing the closing of Lakeshore Hospital’s Emergency Room as those in this Chautauqua County Community rallied outside the Medical Facility to blast the Hospital Administration’s “devastating” decision that will negatively impact area residents. more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 4 Members in Buffalo conduct a protest outside a local PPG Retail Store late last week as part of their Union’s national call to boycott Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG), the second largest paint manufacturer in North America, more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Following the sale of The Buffalo News to Lee Enterprises earlier this week, Buffalo Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 31026 is “pledging to do everything in its power to safeguard the work” their members do “and the people who do it.” Buffalo’s major daily newspaper will more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 4-0598 President Greg Birkemeier (holding the USW Flag) poses with Niagara-Orleans Labor Council President Jim Briggs, who also serves as Sub-District Director for USW Region 4, outside the Olin Corporation Plant in Niagara Falls. Local 4-0598 will be honored tonight more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured Above, Denise Abbott - the first woman to lead the Buffalo AFL-CIO Central Labor Council since it was officially founded back in 1957, and John Mudie, outgoing Buffalo Labor Council President, take a moment to enjoy the Holiday Season at the Labor Council’s Annual Christmas Party in December. more»

The time is ripe for STRIKE! The Game of Worker Rebellion, a board game where you mobilize Workers around your city to defeat a nefarious mega-corporation. With Workers joining together and taking action around the country - from Teachers to Tech Workers, Hotel Employees, Nurses, Gig Economy Contractors and so many more – we haven’t seen this more»

(LANSING, MICHIGAN) - The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to partner in conservation and public access projects on lands and waters managed by the USACE. This partnership agreement between the Nation’s fastest-growing non-profit conservation organization more»

On what would have been his 91st birthday, we celebrate the towering legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - his moral force as a faith leader, his devotion to non-violent resistance and, of course, the sacrifices he made to end legalized segregation in the South. But there is an often-overlooked aspect of his work: Dr. King was one of his era’s most more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - The Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) has released a disturbing School Safety & Unacceptable Learning Conditions Survey, and in the process is calling for mandatory intervention services for suspended students to prevent future suspensions “The ‘very disturbing response from hundreds ‘of Teachers (749), from (61 more»

(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) - Social Studies Teacher Rakia Hardaway boarded a bus for Albany this week, wearing bright lipstick and an optimistic orange dress. She joined colleagues and officers of the Rochester Teachers Association (RTA) and the Rochester Association of Paraprofessionals (RAP) for a trip to the Capitol to make things right for a high-needs more»

In 2019, the Union Organizing wave that began rising in 2018 crested, with Employees at Digital Publishers including Quartz, BuzzFeed News, Wirecutter and The Ringer and Legacy Media Companies such as Hearst and NBC News all organizing. Over the past five years, the ranks of the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), which counts Employees from Vice, more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Two farm associations are suing New York State for clarification of a new Farm Labor Law that takes effect today (Wednesday, January 8th). The Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act, which was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo this past July, grants Agricultural Employees one day of rest per week and overtime pay after 60 hours more»

(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) - A handful of the 109 teaching positions cut from the Rochester City School District (RCSD) in December have been saved, according to the head of the Rochester Teachers Association (RTA). RTA President Adam Urbanski says, for now, the number of layoffs has decreased to 97. The decrease is due, in part, to some Teacher resignations, more»

(WINNIPEG, CANADA) - Several Staff Members from a Unionized Tim Hortons location recently picketed at the corner of Winnipeg's Portage Avenue and Main Street, with their Union saying they were locked out following failed negotiations. Workers United Canada tweeted a photo of Workers and people protesting in solidary, holding signs solidarity, holding signs more»

(CHAUTAUQUA, NEW YORK) - It's a little unusual for high school students to applaud their teacher, but that's exactly what happened when Chautauqua Lake's Gwen Mueller told them she won a private screening of "The Aeronauts" movie just because she loves using the American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) Share My Lesson website. "I showed them the trailer for more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Parents and Teachers have sued the Buffalo Public Schools, charging that more than 90% of high school students are deprived of New York State-required art and music courses. “For over a year, parents and teachers have sought to have the Buffalo School Board provide secondary students with state-required art and music more»

(BOYNE CITY, MICHIGAN) - When Bernie Hellstrom picked up an obstruction on his boat's sounder, he knew something big was there, but he had no idea how historic it was - or that he would discover it with an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Brother. "I was just thinking, 'Let's see what's here,'" Hellstrom said. "I had ‘no idea more»

(PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA) - The United Steelworkers (USW) Union has filed a lawsuit to protest Alcoa’s termination of Life Insurance Benefits for 8,900 Union-represented Retirees. Alcoa operates a plant in Massena, New York that employs 350 union members. Alcoa informed the Retirees by letter on December 4th that it would eliminate life insurance more»

(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) - More than 1,000 Rochester Teachers, parents and students showed up at Thursday’s (December 19th) “Rally to Spare Our Students” and the City School Board meeting to demand that the board reject the superintendent’s ill-conceived plan for disruptive mid-year cuts. As dusk fell, Local Union Presidents Adam more»

(PEMBROKE, NEW YORK) – It was a good question to ask Randy C. Reeves, The Trump Administration’s appointed Veteran Affairs’ (VA) Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs: Where will you get those highly-skilled Vets needed to help build a build a new $30 million-plus National Veterans Cemetery in Genesee County? But what several Buffalo more»

(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Workers have a new Labor Contract. Almost five months after talks officially launched with ceremonial handshakes between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and FCA, the company's U.S. Workers okayed a new four-year deal, following approvals of similar agreements at General Motors (GM) and Ford. The UAW said more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – It was not one of your typical industry jobs, moving a 35-foot-wide, 30-foot-high, 60-foot-long, 25,000-pound sculpture made up of nearly dozens of aluminum canoes that was featured outside the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo to another location on its grounds as work began on a two-year, $160 million expansion project. more»

(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) - Hundreds of students across the Rochester City School District protested the School District’s recently proposed layoffs of more than 200 district Employees on Monday (December 9th), just days after Rochester Teachers Association (RTA) Members rallied against what is being called a Christmas Massacre Layoff Plan. On Thursday more»

(CLARENCE & ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK) – A combined 30 SPoT Coffee Workers who are employed at the Buffalo Coffee Chain’s Clarence and Orchard Park locations have voted to Unionize with Workers United, it has been announced. And, SPoT Management has signed on to a Non-Interference Agreement with the new Local of Workers United “and is more»

How healthy is the U.S. job market, really? This remains a major question among economists and Federal Reserve officials, many of whom believe a historically low jobless rate means the U.S. economy is at, or near, what experts call "full employment." Earlier this year, Wall Street cheered the July Jobs Report showing a robust gain of 209,000 net new jobs, more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The November 2019 report from the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution titled Meet the Low-Wage Workforce, co-authored by Nicole Bateman and Martha Ross, paints a devastating picture of the reality of Working Class Life in the world’s wealthiest country. The study concentrates on the years following the more»

At a 2016 conference for women in construction, Ironworker Bridget Booker stood up and recounted how, as a second-year Apprentice, she miscarried after a very heavy day on the job. Booker told the audience she felt she had had no option but to continue to work when she became pregnant. Without work, she would not only have lost her earnings, but also her more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Organized Labor has joined with a host of Local and National Environmental Justice and Racial Justice Organizations supporting former Non-Union Tesla Workers who are now speaking out against alleged racist conditions inside Tesla’s sprawling Buffalo Solar Production Facility, as well as calling on New York State and the more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Communication Workers of America (CWA)-represented Employees at the University of Buffalo (UB) have won a massive wage increase - which comes two years after the launch of a Living Wage Campaign at UB by Members of the Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU-CWA) Local 1104, which represents 5,000 Teaching and Graduate Assistants more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Thousands of dollars in food and gift certificates that have been donated by Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) Members will be distributed on Tuesday (November 26th) to more than 200 needy families throughout the Buffalo area through several charitable and non-profit groups in an effort to “make sure those families enjoy a more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Union-backed Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) was passed in the House Thursday (November 21st) by a vote of 251-to-158. The measure will help protect Hospital, Psychiatric, Behavioral Health Care, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Workers and others by requiring the more»

(EAST BRIDGEWATER, MASSACHUSETTS) - When Tara Williams thinks about how her life has changed in the past few months, she attributes the transformation to her new career in construction. Following a divorce that left her and her two children homeless, the 42-year-old worked various types of jobs and settled in East Bridgewater, becoming a Construction more»

(CANADA) - About 3,000 Workers of Canadian National Railway, the country’s largest railroad operator, are out on Strike, Labor Union Teamsters Canada said after both parties failed to resolve contract issues. "Conductors, Trainperson and Yard Workers at Canadian National Railway are now officially on Strike," the union said in a tweet. Canada, one more»

(NEW YORK CITY) - On Veterans Day, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Chris Shelton announced the creation of the CWA Veterans for Social Change Program and a new National CWA Veterans Committee. As part of the CWA Veterans for Social Change launch, CWA Military Veterans joined more than 40 Veterans from across the country for an Organizing more»

(WESTERN NEW YORK) - The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) this week recognized 52 Electrical Workers from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals 2104 and 2032 for their participation in a Statewide Apprentice Training Program. The Clean Energy Jobs Program, now running for two more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - With the reinstatement of two Workers who were fired during a recent and successful Union Organizing Campaign, along with receiving full back pay, a community-wide boycott of Buffalo’s coffee chain has come to an end with Organized Labor coming together to publicly announce that “Buffalo’s Got A Union SPoT.” more»

(TONAWANDA, NEW YORK) – Over the weekend, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 135L and its Membership were recognized for raising and donating $10,000 to the not-for-profit Western New York Heroes, Incorporated, which was used to purchase and train two service dogs for Veterans who were returning home from war. But what made the eyes of those Union Reps more»

The tight Labor Market in the U.S. is leading to a shift in the balance of power between Labor and capital, giving more leverage to Workers. This manifests itself in a variety of ways. For instance, Workers are less reluctant to leave their jobs in search of better pay or working conditions. This is showing up in the rate of Workers quitting their jobs more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Your On-Line Labor Newspaper highlighted the campaigns of several Union Members who ran for Public Office during the 2019 November Election, including: Westchester-Putnam AFL-CIO Central Labor Body Director Jennifer Puja, who won her race for the White Plains Common Council; and Joe Cantafio, a New York State United more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - The Buffalo Newspaper Guild (BNG) Executive Committee has unanimously voted to approve the merger agreement with the Buffalo-Niagara Typographical Union No. 9/Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 14148. Typographical Union President Harold Rehm and Guild President Sandy Tan signed the merger agreement, which was immediately more»

Last year, nearly half a million Workers went on Strike across the Nation, the largest number since 1986, when the country’s union Membership Rate was considerably higher (17.5%) than it was in 2018 (10.5%). This year, while the official numbers aren’t out yet, the momentum is anything but slowing down. Take these two examples: the more»