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:
The re-opening of NYC live music, arts and culture is continuing as the New York Philharmonic gave its first public performance after a historic hiatus of more than 13 months. Orchestra members are covered under a union contract with Local 802.
On Wednesday, just ahead of Earth Day, the United Federation of Teachers, District Council 37, 32BJ SEIU, the New York City Building and Construction Trades Council, the New York City Central Labor Council, Climate Jobs NY and others launched the Carbon Free and Healthy Schools campaign.
The New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO strongly supports the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, which will help to protect not only against storm damage and flooding on the scale of Hurricane Sandy, but also against the long-term threat of continuing sea-level rise.
On Tuesday, a majority of over 650 tech workers at The New York Times announced that they have formed a union and are seeking voluntary recognition from the company. More than 1,300 editorial and business staff at the Times are already represented by The NewsGuild of New York.
Local 338 Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU)/United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), announced that workers at Sunnyside* (operated by Cresco Labs) have ratified their first union contract, which comes just weeks after the passage of the Marijuana Taxation & Regulation Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has signed an agreement with AFGE removing anti-worker provisions from the contract and taking steps to renegotia
Yesterday, unionized editorial employees at Ziff Davis — Mashable, PCMag and AskMen — walked off the job for 24 hours to protest the company’s failure to agree to a living wage for all employees and to demand that management bargain in good faith.
The budget deal passed in Albany this week represents a crucial step forward for promoting good, family-sustaining, community-supporting union jobs in the renewable energy sector.
In addition to the renewable energy job standards detailed above, the newly-passed state budget includes several other important victories on behalf of working people. Among them:
Yesterday, working people across our nation flooded the Senate phone lines with support for the PRO Act as part of the AFL-CIO National Day of Action. Our outdated labor laws are no longer strong enough to protect us in the workplace.