(WILLIAMSVILLE, NEW YORK) – Reviving and continuing to grow the Labor Movement by focusing on organizing all Workers and laying the groundwork for an eventual change of leadership at the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) were the highlights of the WNYALF’s 2019 Annual Meeting held Saturday (March 23rd) at the United Auto more»

So many Construction Workers wear them, but do they know much about them? When were the first hard hats manufactured? How has the design changed through the years? Who manufactures the six million “skull buckets” sold each year to protect workers’ heads? The hard hat concept comes from Bullard, a 100-year-old, family-owned manufacturer more»

(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) is reminding New Yorkers just how “sweet” Union Membership is, announcing the launch of the second annual Our Voice, Our Values, Our Brackets challenge taking place during March Madness. The “Sweet Sixteen” event - which coincides with the NCAA Division I more»

The Trump Administration's decision to alter the way it punishes nursing homes has resulted in lower fines against many facilities found to have endangered or injured residents. Federal records show that the average fine dropped to $28,405 under the current administration, down from $41,260 in 2016, President Obama's final year in office. The decrease in more»

(PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA) - Boyd Young, the United Steelworkers (USW) President Emeritus who guided two of the USW’s predecessor Unions - the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical & Energy (PACE) Workers International Union and the United Paperworkers International Union (UPIU) through historic mergers, passed away last week. Young (pictured below) more»

After decades of decline, the past year has seen a dramatic revival in Labor militancy. Public School Teachers have been at the forefront of this resurgence, starting with a dramatic wildcat Strike in West Virginia in February 2018, then a wave of Teacher Strikes that swept the Nation, moving from Red States like Arizona and Oklahoma to Blue California and more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - A new report, titled: Labor Takes The High Road - How Unions Make Western New York More Prosperous & Equitable, underscores the worth and impact of the region’s Labor Unions, which have proven to raise benefits and wages, improve working conditions, make investments in their communities, increase civic engagement, and promote more»

In response to public pressure and increasing scrutiny over the pay of its Warehouse Workers, Amazon enacted a $15 Minimum Wage for all its Employees in November, including its Workers at its Grocery Chain Whole Foods, which it purchased in 2017. All Whole Foods Employees paid less than $15 an hour saw their wages increase to at least that, while all other more»

(LOCKPORT, NEW YORK) – In was back in May 2014 that the late Christ Sposito, who was presented with the Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation’s (WNYALF) Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Labor Council Award, stole the show with this speech on what ‘being Union’ meant to him and what his Union-provided Health Care Coverage did for him more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The 57th Annual Variety Kids Telethon raised more than $1.03 million over the weekend - with Organized Labor from across Western New York accounting for more than $46,000 of that total, Labor Organizers tell WNYLaborToday.com. The dollars raised by the Western New York Labor Movement goes to support the Union-built John R. more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - A recent battle in Buffalo dramatically shows the impact of Teacher Unions on students and educational excellence. Litigation brought by the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) stopped the city school district from inflicting severe damage to the educational program at City Honors, a magnet school with students in grades five through more»

(CHEEKTOWAGA, NEW YORK) - Despite an aggressive company-funded Anti-Union Campaign, Workers employed at the Suburban Buffalo Wendt Corporation - a Cheektowaga-based auto shredding manufacturer, voted by a 70% margin to form a Union in June 2017 and affiliated with Ironworkers Local 576. However, Workers learned that the company’s unlawful activity more»

(DERBY, NEW YORK) – Even though the New Era Cap Company has negotiated severance packages for its 200 Communications Workers of America (CWA)-represented Workers at its Derby Plant just south of Buffalo in what appears the final nail in their decision to move the plant to a Non-Union Facility in Miami, there’s been a sudden outpouring of support more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET)-Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 25 President Roy Schrodt (on the right) and WKBW-TV/NewsChannel 7 Steward David Morrales show off a copy of the four-year contract agreement that was recently reached at the ABC-TV Affiliate more»

Newsweek Editor’s Note: Sharon Block serves as Executive Director of the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and was a Member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under President Obama. Labor Law in our country is profoundly broken. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is the Federal Statute that protects the right of more»

Top on the long list of worries for most graduating students is the prospect of finding a job. Each day a hiring manager doesn’t e-mail us back or a website removes a job listing - and the looming anxiety of paying back exorbitant student loans draws closer - our desperation grows. Soon, we abandon pipe dreams of a livable salary with health more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The Western New York AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation (WNYALF) is recognizing the closure of the New Era Cap Company’s Derby Plant after a weeks-long fight to keep it open as the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has formally bargained final Worker Severance Packages, but in turn is publicly criticizing the company for more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – As the Communications Workers of America (CWA) confirmed the Union has negotiated severance packages for around 200 soon-to-be terminated Workers employed at the New Era Cap Company’s area manufacturing plant, Unions and their allies who are trying to save the Derby Facility have sent a letter to Major League Baseball (MLB) more»

According to the official records, U.S. Workers went on Strike seven times during 2017. That’s a particular nadir in the long decline of Organized Labor: the second-fewest work stoppages recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) since the agency started keeping track in the 1940s. There was little reason to believe 2018 would be more»

I’ve always admired strong women, beginning with my mother and grandmother. Strong women form the bedrock of any civilization and men would be foolish to dispute this: Perhaps the strongest woman who ever lived was Mary Harris “Mother” Jones. Born in Ireland not long before the Irish Potato Famine, Jones was forced to immigrate to the more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - A $425 million investment by General Motors (GM) in its Tonawanda Engine plant bore its first fruits Friday (January 8th): the latest technology that will go into the next generation Ecotec 4-cylinder engines that will power the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu and 2013 Cadillac ATS. GM and United Auto Workers (UAW)-represented Employees showed more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Once again, representatives from area Unions picketed outside New Era Cap’s grandiose Downtown Buffalo Headquarters on Tuesday (February 5th) in a continuing effort to get the world-renown professional sports capmaker to change its mind and not move 200 Union-represented local jobs to a Non-Union Plant in Miami. The more»

(ATLANTA, GEORGIA) - The winning players in Sunday’s Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta were guaranteed bonuses of $118,000 under their Union Contract for around three hours of work. That’s about 3.5 times the annual wage rate for the security guards working the event and it makes for a showcase in Income Inequality and job insecurity. The more»

In 2009, Progressive Democrats were working on the most significant Labor Law reform in decades. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would allow Workers to form Unions by rounding up a majority of signatures in their workplace - a process known as “Card Check” - thereby avoiding a Secret Ballot Election and any Anti-Union Campaign from more»

(EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA) - Here’s the change-up. Ready for it? OK, now stay balanced even as the news crosses the plate: Under Armour is out - the Swoosh is in. Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced Nike will be, starting in 2020, the official provider of the league’s on-field uniforms and footwear, confirming speculation that surfaced last more»

Air Traffic Controllers hold the trump card (pardon the expression) in upcoming negotiations between Republican President Donald Trump and Congressional Democrats over border security. That’s because Trump and the Republicans know that another shutdown would likely cause a repeat of what happened last Friday, when so many of the Nation’s Air more»

(KENMORE, NEW YORK) - Since she was a child, Denise Grandits wanted to be a Teacher, but then her life happened: marriage, kids and before she knew it, she was 20 years deep into her career working for a large health care organization in Western New York. “I had a boss who saw something in me and said I should pursue my master’s,” said more»

(ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK) - Christopher Koch, whose family owns the world-renown New Era Cap Company, was a product of the Lake Shore Public School System and has been proudly recognized on the school’s Wall of Fame for his and his Buffalo-headquartered professional sports cap manufacturer’s growth and stature in the industry. However, those who more»

It's becoming an annual ritual. The Koch-funded cluster of groups, which has long abused their 501(c)3 IRS "charitable" designation by working to destroy political enemies, has concocted another "Union Busting" Toolkit, giving ammunition and guidance to Republican Politicians on how to attack and dismantle a major funder of the Democratic Party. The more»

(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced more than $35 million was returned to over 35,000 victims of wage theft in 2018. Since the Governor took office, the State has recovered and returned more than $285 million to more than 250,000 Workers - the highest total in the Nation. “New York State will not tolerate theft of wages in any more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – If you were at the 2019 Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Labor Council’s Annual Awards Dinner up in Niagara Falls Wednesday (January 16th) evening, you would have heard a theme that was underscored by several speakers: Labor must work hard to get out the vote - and in the process, get more and more Labor Leaders and Union more»

The Capital Times Editor’s Note: John Nichols is Associate Editor of The Capital Times. To Directly Access Nichols’ Labor Perspective, Go To: more»

(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) - General Motors CEO Mary Barra dismissed the possibility that Elon Musk's Tesla could acquire one of GM's soon-to-be-idled U.S. factories. Barra acknowledged talk about the prospect of Tesla acquiring GM's plant in Detroit or its plant in Lordstown, Ohio - both of which are set to close soon unless they are assigned new vehicles to more»

(DERBY, NEW YORK) – While it may be considered an uphill battle at this point, Unionists and Elected Officials who rallied outside the New Era Cap Company’s Derby Manufacturing Facility on Wednesday (January 9th) afternoon delivered a message to New Era Workers who’d just walked out of the plant as their shift ended: “We’ve got more»

bendbulletin.com Editor’s Note: Both Julie Bostrom and David Hilderbrand are experienced Registered Nurses and leaders on the Oregon Nurses Association’s contract negotiation team at St. Charles Bend Medical Center in Bend, Oregon. We’ve sat directly across the table from St. Charles Medical Center executives for more than seven months more»

EducationPost.org Editor’s Note: Zachary Wright, a National Finalist for the United States Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship, is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Relay Graduate School of Education, which serves the Philadelphia and Camden areas. Prior to that, he was the 12th-grade world literature and AP Literature more»

For years, many Labor Experts seemed ready to write the obituary of Strikes in America. In 2017, the number of major Strikes - those involving more than 1,000 Workers - dwindled to just seven in the Private Sector. Indeed, over the past decade, there were just 13 major Strikes a year - on average. That’s less than one-sixth the average annual more»

(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) - Teachers at the largest network of charter schools in Chicago celebrated their historic win: In the first ever Strike at a charter school, more than 500 Teachers walked out of their classrooms in December to demand better conditions for both themselves and their students. It worked and now they're inspiring other charters to follow more»

For the volunteer Tradeswomen who came together over several cold, wet weekends earlier this year in the Spring to build a tiny-house village for homeless women in North Seattle, the ultimate reward wasn’t necessarily their finished handiwork. Rather, it was the confidence and camaraderie the project inspired for many of the crew who, for the first more»

Few anticipated a Labor upsurge in the United States in early 2018 and fewer still expected a blaze to ignite among teachers in West Virginia or for it to spread to Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, and Colorado. Ellen David Friedman poses one of the questions which immediately springs to mind: “Why is this stunning revolt occurring where Unions are weak, more»

Google the phrase “Unions are dying” and you’ll see a host of news stories reporting this demise over the past year - celebrated on the Right, lamented on the Left - but, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of this death have been greatly exaggerated. Union Membership has been in decline in the United States for the past 40 years as a more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – In a self-described “way to give back” to the Buffalo Community this Holiday Season, the United Steelworkers (USW) Women of Steel Group donated 700 knitted scarves, hats and gloves on Thursday (December 20th) at several area locations, hanging them from trees and tying them to fences for those in need to take. "The more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Workers at Tesla’s Solar City Plant in Buffalo are attempting to Unionize in order to demand better compensation and improved workplace conditions. The United Steelworkers (USW) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are leading a joint drive to organize different job descriptions - production and more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The United Steelworkers (USW) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) announced today that workers at Tesla’s solar panel factory in Buffalo will hold a Union Organizing Drive. In 2013, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the solar manufacturing investment as part of his “Buffalo Billon” more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Saying New Era Cap Company’s recent announcement to close its Union-represented manufacturing plant in the Town of Derby and move it to a Non-Union operation in Miami was nothing more than “Union Busting,” dozens of area Labor Leaders were joined by area Clergy and Elected Officials late Monday (December 10th) more»

(ACROSS THE STATE OF NEW YORK) - With the attack on Labor Unions, especially from organizations such as New Choice NY, on the upswing, the Public Employees Federation (PEF) is not only heightening its Member Engagement Campaign, but taking part in a statewide campaign to let the public know that State Employees are proud to be “Union Strong.” more»

(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) - The United Auto Workers (UAW) Union is formally challenging General Motors Company's plans to idle four U.S. plants next year. A week ago, GM said it would stagger production-stops at Detroit-Hamtramck, Lordstown, Ohio, Warren Transmission and Baltimore Operations - leaving the facilities "unallocated" at the height of the latest more»

In late 2008, General Motors (GM) was in bad financial shape, to say the least. Poised to run out of cash by mid-2009, the company asked Congress for help - but it declined to act. Then-President George Bush, however, stepped in with a government “bridge loan” of $17.4 billion. President Barak Obama followed suit in 2009, approving billions more»

Queer Eye’s Grooming Expert and resident Jesus lookalike Jonathan Van Ness talked Labor Unions on his podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, which I had no idea existed until two seconds ago. “I feel like over my life, I’ve heard a lot about Unions,” Van Ness said. “I think Jimmy Hoffa. I think mob, I think - I more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Seven former Employees of Buffalo’s Rowhouse Bakery & Restaurant have filed suit in the U.S. District Court alleging its owners - Sean Tuohey, Myriah Jaworski, and Mark Jaworski, kept tips intended for Employees, required Workers to work off the clock, and refused to pay them for overtime, extra-long shifts and benefits that more»