On Friday Congress voted overwhelmingly to stall Fast Track, when Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) was soundly defeated. Our allies in the House heard our voices and took a stand for working families. But the fight isn’t over. Once and for all, legislators need to stop trade deals that are negotiated in secrecy and that do […]
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Congress votes on Fast Track on Friday, June 11! Call Congress ay 888-804-8311 and say NO to Fast Track!
Congress votes on Fast Track on Friday, June 11! Call Congress ay 888-804-8311 and say NO to Fast Track!
‘Right to Work’ Debunked: Economists Find Anti-Worker Laws Lead to Lower Wages
Contradicting arguments typically used to advance so-called Right to Work legislation, new research from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) shows that wages and benefits are actually lower in states with such anti-worker laws on the books. The paper, released as part of EPI’s Raising America’s Pay project, finds that the negative impact of Right to […]
Protesting Senator Bill Nelson’s Orlando office over Fast Track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
A diverse group of motivated and concerned Americans gathered together to protest Fast Track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership in front of Senator Bill Nelson’ office in Orlando, including the Machinists Union, CWA (Communication Workers of America), and the Main Street Alliance. Other protests are taking place at all […]
Obama vetoes Republican bid to block union election rules
(Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday vetoed a measure by Republicans in Congress that would have blocked a government labor agency’s rules designed to speed up the time it takes to unionize workers. The rules would shorten the period between a union filing a petition to represent workers and an election, from the […]
Fast Track Legislation
Legislators have introduced a bill that is bad for democracy and bad for America. The Fast Track legislation (S. 1900 and H.R. 3830), introduced by Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), would establish a process that allows no amendments and limited debate on such trade deals as the […]
Machinist Union Members Storm Congress on Fast Track and the TPP
Hundreds of Machinist Union members from across the country stormed the halls of Congress on March 5, 2015, urging their legislators to vote against Fast Track legislation, which is key to passing a very dangerous trade bill called the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Local members including IAM District 166 Business Representative Nick Mrdjenovich, IAM 2061 […]
Long Beach to pay back wages to employees forced to take furloughs in 2009
Impacts of the Great Recession continue to reach into the city of Long Beach’s coffers, with a recent court decision requiring the city to pay around $4 million in back wages. The state appellate court ruling stems from a city management decision in May 2009 to furlough most city employees for a week without pay […]
Flight attendants narrowly reject American Airlines contract
By the slimmest of margins, members of the union representing flight attendants at American Airlines Inc. and US Airways Inc. voted down a tentative agreement on a new contract Sunday. The dispute now goes to binding arbitration. Members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants rejected the deal by 16 votes out of more than […]
Unionization is good for business and labor
The impending election and the Fairpoint strike have catalyzed many conversations about today’s role of labor unions. Common misconceptions that are being voiced over and over again are based on a combination of old stereotypes from the industrial age and general misinformation. I recently was involved with organizing one of the most innovative collective bargaining […]