Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Lab professionals at Labcorp held a union election from March 1 to 3, where 434 workers voted to join the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The new union members work at labs in Portland, Oregon, and Salmon Creek, Washington, and include medical technologists, lab specialists and phlebotomists. The workers are the latest in a wave of health care unionization.
“I am excited that lab professionals at Labcorp have finally won a union and can now advocate for better wages, benefits and working conditions,” said Meagan Hollis, a medical laboratory scientist at Labcorp. “When we come together as health care professionals, we have the strength to make huge changes that can benefit the future of our entire health care system.”
It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on X (formerly Twitter).
Alaska AFL-CIO:
Teachers go above and beyond in the classroom every single day. We will keep fighting until every single teacher has the opportunity to retire with dignity and has enough resources in their classroom to deliver high-quality education. #PensionsForPublic #RaiseTheAKBSA pic.twitter.com/80eVOkwf9X
— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) May 7, 2024
Arizona AFL-CIO:
📢 Exciting News! 📢 Arizona AFL-CIO has just released additional endorsements for AZ House and Senate races on our Facebook/Instagram! While more are yet to come, you can check out the full list and learn how to get involved this election cycle at https://t.co/UjQplals8f. pic.twitter.com/oLADFJxVjj
— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) May 3, 2024
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:
Congratulations to the graduates from our Alameda Organizing Institute! 40 labor warriors came through our training with new skills & tools for organizing their fellow workers and are already hard at work making sure our union siblings are represented & protected! @AlamedaLabor pic.twitter.com/SZXCASHlhx
— California Labor Federation (@CaliforniaLabor) May 7, 2024
Colorado AFL-CIO:
We look forward to the Governor bringing Colorado closer to a Workers' Rights state and signing the Worker Freedom Act! @GovofCO #coleg #copoliticshttps://t.co/uPI7SH2h8J
— Colorado AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOCO) May 5, 2024
Connecticut AFL-CIO:
Senate Majority Leader @senatorduff helps make the case for #UIforStrikingWorkers! Working people shouldn't have to choose between better working conditions or putting food on the table. #LevelThePlayingField
Take Action: https://t.co/kaWtA5S6hY pic.twitter.com/Av68NiBBvI— Connecticut AFL-CIO (@ConnAFLCIO) May 1, 2024
Florida AFL-CIO:
Florida's teachers deserve a lot better.
That's it, that's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/ExbKLSDkoG— Florida AFL-CIO (@FLAFLCIO) May 6, 2024
Georgia State AFL-CIO:
Happy National Nurses Day to our everyday heroes! Today, we celebrate your unwavering commitment and compassion. 🎉🩺 It’s time we stand together to ensure our nurses have the support, benefits, and respect they deserve. #SupportNurses #NursesDay2024 🌷🤝 @NationalNurses pic.twitter.com/cXC8509lBk
— Georgia AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOGeorgia) May 6, 2024
Illinois AFL-CIO:
The @IllinoisEPI's Chief Economist, Frank Manzo, recently published an op-ed analyzing the economic repercussions of a public labor shortage. Read the full article here: https://t.co/HIObzT9AUR pic.twitter.com/AEKqa0DC0B
— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) May 7, 2024
Indiana State AFL-CIO:
All across the state, in all types of industries, Hoosiers are joining unions! Our movement is building momentum. https://t.co/G7mhPHYwli
— Indiana AFL-CIO (@INAFLCIO) May 3, 2024
Maine AFL-CIO:
"When we don’t have enough staff to redirect patients, it can be very dangerous. I carry my two front teeth in a container in my purse as a reminder of what can go wrong." — Sally Nichols, Riverview Psychiatric Centerhttps://t.co/Puo817SirD #mepolitics
— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) May 8, 2024
Massachusetts AFL-CIO:
This #MayDay, we’re standing up for our planet 🌎 and all workers—including immigrants and those displaced by climate disasters or conflict. Join us. https://t.co/CfpZGBbxJX pic.twitter.com/22ZY1pymPq
— Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) May 1, 2024
Michigan State AFL-CIO:
That union-made stage sure is a beautiful sight.
Draft weekend made possible by union workers. Shoutout to the crew – from IATSE stagehands to the crane operators – who built a record-breaking draft. And of course, shoutout to @NFLPA fighting for players on and off the field✊ https://t.co/xQBw8nSNQX— Michigan AFL-CIO ✊ (@MIAFLCIO) April 28, 2024
Minnesota AFL-CIO:
Congratulations to all the graduates of our 3-Day AFL-CIO Organizing Institute! Looking forward to seeing how you will help empower working Minnesotans. pic.twitter.com/iryKTwuub9
— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) May 3, 2024
Montana State AFL-CIO:
When we focus on working people, we focus on what matters. Because workers ARE the economy. #mtpol #mtlabor #unionstrong https://t.co/aNAv2N8SeH
— Montana AFL-CIO (@MTaflcio) May 2, 2024
Nevada State AFL-CIO:
Help us Stamp Out Hunger in tandem with the National Association of Letter Carriers at ULAN! They need volunteers for their food drive THIS Saturday from 2:30-5pm. pic.twitter.com/t6grBSFttQ
— Nevada State AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@NVAFLCIO) May 7, 2024
New York State AFL-CIO:
ICYMI: Workers’ Compensation Should Cover Mental Injury, Too by President Mario Cilento in the @timesunion https://t.co/B7VUrwdKQr
— NYS AFL-CIO // #UnionStrong (@NYSAFLCIO) April 29, 2024
North Carolina State AFL-CIO:
“Rest in peace my dear son,” said Mr. Gilgor. “May your memory be a blessing." Community Honors 217 North Carolina Workers Who Died on the Job https://t.co/S2hTKJubWR #WorkersMemorialDay #1u
— NC State AFL-CIO // #CountMeIn (@NCStateAFLCIO) May 2, 2024
North Dakota AFL-CIO:
Congratulations IAM local 2525! https://t.co/ReE5bM8P8y
— North Dakota AFL-CIO (@NDAFLCIO) May 7, 2024
Ohio AFL-CIO:
This is how @AFLCIO #Union members help end #gerrymandering with the @CitizenMapsOH campaign and @OhFairDistricts. And yes, we got plenty of signatures, too. pic.twitter.com/v28QIhTHRE
— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) May 4, 2024
Oregon AFL-CIO:
“Unionized workers in the U.S. saw record raises, while nonunion workers’ pay barely beat inflation over the past 12 months, the latest government data show.”#ItsBetterInAUnion #TheUnionDifferencehttps://t.co/0BJCHYU7nB
— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) May 7, 2024
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:
We will never stop saying that when we stand together in solidarity, great things WILL HAPPEN! Congratulations @GETUPgrads on your union win! #YearOfTheWorker ✊✊✊ https://t.co/N2rUDrrZYG
— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) May 3, 2024
Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council:
Next Saturday (May 11th), the @NALC_National's Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is set to take place.
It's very easy to participate. Simply leave a bag of non-perishable food items at your mailbox on May 11th, and your letter carrier will handle the rest! #StampOutHunger #1u pic.twitter.com/9vL82aIhaj— Tennessee AFL-CIO (@tnaflcio) May 4, 2024
Texas AFL-CIO:
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!
Today we honor our Texas teachers, who have continued to fight for their students and communities in the face of nonstop attacks on public education. #1u pic.twitter.com/IARssx33Cn— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) May 7, 2024
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:
Support locked out Boeing Fire Fighters‼️
💥 Join them on the picket line:
Auburn, Everett, Frederickson, Renton, Moses Lake, Seattle
💥 Donate to the lockout fund:
Venmo, PayPal, or check
Picket sign-up & lockout fund info: https://t.co/vBCgSUszqg pic.twitter.com/y8cEdDp8j1— Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) May 6, 2024
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:
President Biden visiting Racine, expected to highlight $3.3 billion investment from Microsoft https://t.co/mJgd6fYrKZ via @journaltimes
— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) May 8, 2024
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States.
Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
Report Exposes Racial Disparities in Workplace Safety: “‘These alarming disparities in workplace fatalities among workers of color are unacceptable, symptomatic of deeply ingrained racial inequity and the need to pay increased attention to the dangerous industries that treat workers as disposable,’ remarked AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler in a statement.”
Congress Has the Opportunity to Keep Millions of Americans Connected: “The internet is one of America’s greatest success stories and is now an essential part of daily life for millions of people around the world. Through significant investment, innovation and the hard work of thousands of people building modern and innovative broadband networks, we’re close to making the internet accessible to all Americans—regardless of where they live. The digital divide is a persistent challenge, but it’s one Verizon Communications and the Communications Workers of America are committed to solving.”
Citing Infrastructure Spending and Jobs, Philly Construction Union Endorses Biden: “Union leaders from the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council announced their endorsement of Joe Biden for president at an event at their headquarters. The endorsement comes on the heels of a major national union endorsement, the North America’s Building Trades Unions. Leaders and members pointed to the Investing in America plan as the catalyst for the endorsement. ‘A lot of my members have been out working on the infrastructure bill,’ said Francis McLaughlin, business manager for International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 21 (IUPAT).”
EPA to Ban Most Uses of Methylene Chloride: “The Environmental Protection Agency will ban most industrial and commercial uses of the carcinogenic chemical methylene chloride, under a final rule announced April 30. A solvent widely used in bathtub refinishing, as well as in paint strippers, cleaners, adhesives and sealants, methylene chloride has contributed to the deaths of 88 workers since 1980, EPA says. Most of the cases stemmed from exposure during home renovation contracting. In some instances, the workers were fully equipped with personal protective equipment.”
Urge DHS to Protect, Empower Immigrant Workers: “Around the world, workers’ lives, livelihoods and rights are under attack. Climate disasters and conflicts are displacing people from their homes, and are increasing risks for working people and all our families. In the face of those challenges, we stand united in our fight for justice for all workers at home and abroad. Immigrants and refugees have always helped to build, feed and care for our nation, and we will not allow them to be treated as a second class of exploitable workers. The AFL-CIO is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take action today to help tear down barriers to worker organizing and empowerment, so that all working people in our country can live and work safely and with dignity.”
AFL-CIO: The Fights for Climate Justice and Racial Justice Are Intertwined: “‘Thinking about movements coming together in the same room today made me think of Dr. King and what he said,’ remarked AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond, the highest-ranking African-American leader in the labor movement. ‘During his days, a term like environmental justice didn’t really exist, but he understood how interconnected these challenges were. Structural racism, economic injustice, and underinvestment in Black and brown communities. He told us in 1967 that the cities were gasping in polluted air and enduring contaminated water. What’s equally important is that he knew the solution, how important it was to stand together in solidarity. Organized labor can be one of the most powerful interests to do away with this evil that confronts our nation that we refer to as discrimination.’”
These Are the Most Dangerous Jobs in America: “Fatalities are on the rise, in part, because some employees are afraid of potential retaliation if they highlight dangerous conditions at their job, resulting in many workers operating in an unsafe environment, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement. Employee overdosing on drugs while at work, deadly violence against co-workers and suicides have also contributed to the jump in workplace deaths, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”
Workers and Activists Across Europe and Asia Hold May Day Rallies to Call for Greater Labor Rights: “Workers, activists and others across Europe and Asia took to the streets on Wednesday to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and government labor policies and calls for greater labor rights. May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed in many countries to celebrate workers’ rights. May Day events have also given many an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands.”
Poor People’s Campaign Emphasizes Moral Resurrection of Economic Rights: “‘There is no greater form of oppression than when a country that has immense resources and wealth allows its people to suffer and die from a lack of resources,’ said Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of AFL-CIO. ‘Poverty is a failure of the system, it exists because we allow it to exist.’”
Pro-Worker Rules to Help Millions; Republicans Blast Them: “Union leaders cheered—and corporate-backed congressional Republicans slammed—three new Biden administration decisions to help workers and consumers. With deadlines for announcing new federal rules looming, the Labor Department issued two. One orders investment managers for pension plans to put recipients, not themselves, as the top priority. The other raises to $58,656 annually on January 1 the amount of money a worker can earn before becoming ineligible for overtime pay. ‘Expansion of the federal overtime rule will help millions more workers earn the pay they deserve,’ said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. ‘Some public service workers–including those in child welfare, mental health and substance abuse counseling–have been ineligible for overtime pay despite modest wages and the long hours they put in at essential jobs,’ he explained.”
Biden Praises UAW-Daimler Truck Agreement as a ‘Testament to the Power of Collective Bargaining’: “President Joe Biden praised the United Auto Workers and Daimler Truck for reaching a tentative in the eleventh hour Friday night, preventing a potential strike affecting 7,300 workers. ‘This agreement is a testament to the power of collective bargaining and shows that we can build a clean energy economy with strong, middle-class union jobs,’ Biden said in a statement Sunday.”
Labor Leaders Honor Key Bridge Victims on Workers Memorial Day: ‘We Have More Work To Do’: “Sunday was Workers Memorial Day, an annual day of remembrance for laborers killed or hurt on the job, started in 1989 by the AFL-CIO. Thousands of workers nationwide are estimatedby the organization of labor unions to be injured or killed on the job each day, and the issue became front and center in Baltimore on March 26 after the six men, all employees of Brawner Builders, died while working an overnight shift filling potholes on the bridge that was struck by a cargo ship early that morning.”
Latino Workers Are Disproportionately at Risk of Dying While Working, Study Shows: “Latinos face a disproportionate risk of dying while on the job in the United States, a new report by AFL-CIO found. Fatality rates have been increasing over the years and continued doing so in 2022, the year analyzed by the organization, reaching 4.6 per 100,000 workers. That is 24% higher than the national average and a 24% increase over the past decade.”
On Workers Memorial Day, AFL-CIO’s Shuler Says Workers Still Pay‘Ultimate Price’: “Even after decades of enforcement, activism and union campaigning, ‘workers are still paying the price every day’ in deaths and injuries on the job ‘for corporate greed,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler says. Flourishing a copy of the federation’s 33rd annual report, ‘Death on the Job: A Toll of Neglect,’ Shuler told a Labor Department audience the job of campaigning to cut the toll is incomplete. Workers and their allies must lobby for tougher laws against companies and more enforcement, too, she said.”
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Steven Moy of the Electrical Workers (IBEW).
Steven Moy is a member of IBEW Local 3 in New York. He comes from a family of labor activists, including his young daughter who belongs to SAG-AFTRA. He began his career as a Local 3 apprentice in 1994. Since then, he's been active in the Asian American Cultural Society, where he filled several positions, including president. He was elected to the APALA National Executive Board in 2011. In 2012, Moy was appointed president of the New York City chapter of the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus. In January 2015, he was elected as president of the New York City chapter of APALA.