Jobs and Economy

Years after the official end of the recent recession, America is still in a jobs crisis. Although job growth is slowly picking up steam--with steady private sector job creation--we still have a long way to go. Job losses came on top of decades of inadequate job growth, wage stagnation and growing inequality. The U.S. economy is increasingly imbalanced, with the top 1 percent holding more than 40 percent of the nation’s wealth.

The AFL-CIO is ready to work with anyone—business, government, investors—who wants to create good jobs and help restore America's middle class and challenge policies that stand in the way of giving America the chance to go back to work. The union movement is partnering with such organizations as the Clinton Global Initiative to find innovative ways to create good jobs that support workers and their families.

More about this issue:

Apr 21, 2023 | News Story

Actors’ Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers working in live theatre, applauded the reintroduction of the bipartisan Performing Artist Tax Parity Act (PATPA).

Apr 14, 2023 | News Story

On Monday, Attorney General Letitia James and more than ten labor unions joined forces to rally for a $21.25 minimum wage in the final state budget.

Apr 14, 2023 | News Story

Actors’ Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers working in live theatre, and The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, announced yesterday that they have reached a new, three-year collective b

Apr 14, 2023 | News Story

Tens of thousands of people who work for New York City will soon get their first raise since the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the city’s largest municipal employee union – AFSCME District Council 37 – earlier this month voted 97.7% in favor of the citywide economic contract.

Apr 14, 2023 | News Story

The New York City Council this week resoundingly passed a resolution demanding Wendy’s join the Fair Food Program, a groundbreaking initiative that guarantees the rights of farmworkers on farms under its protection.

Apr 14, 2023 | News Story

More than 40 progressive organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Sierra Club, Women’s March, and GreenPeace, have voiced their support for unionizing Starbucks workers in a letter to the company’s new CEO, Laxman Narasimhan.

Apr 14, 2023 | News Story

April 4 was the 55th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Apr 28

Join the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) for our annual Workers’ Memorial Day event to honor those who have died or suffered injuries or illnesses while on the job, to recognize the sacrifices made by all essenti

Apr 7, 2023 | News Story

In the latest addition to the wave of organizing sweeping NYC and universities across the US, a majority of 300 student workers at Mount Sinai’s Icahn Graduate School of Medicine have signed up to form their union, Sinai Student Workers-UAW.

Apr 7, 2023 | News Story

Since January, Equity has been in negotiations with The Broadway League for a new agreement covering the shows they send out as national tours.