The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has long been Washington, D.C.’s premiere stage for the arts and culture — originating with a 1958 act of Congress to advance artistic excellence as a symbol of U.S. cultural soft power. But under the second Donald Trump administration, the center has become the backdrop for much harder political conflict, as well as […]
After five years without a pay raise, United Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), and United Airlines reached an historic tentative agreement for 28,000 Flight Attendants. The agreement includes: Industry-leading compensation Hotel, scheduling, reserve and other improvements In the first year alone, Flight Attendants will gain 40% of total economic […]
The strike of members of the Hollywood Writers Guild two years ago brought some big gains for writers but has also brought an additional effect. Inspired by the writers, about 22,000 of the entertainment industry’s lowest paid workers have organized, led by the newly-formed Production Assistants United. They include early career workers like production and […]
FLASH! At least half a dozen USAID employees who spoke to reporters after they thought they had been fired by the Trump administration have now received notices from the foreign aid agency’s internal human resources office that they are facing investigation for participating in interviews. The workers, received an email in recent days carrying the […]
In the 1950’s one out-of-three American workers belonged to a union. Today, only 10.7 percent are union members – in the private sector, the number is down to a pitiful 6.4 percent. The decline in union membership has been a prime factor in the rise in inequality, the declining voter turnout among low-income workers and […]
AFT SUES ADMINISTRATION OVER VIRTUAL SHUTDOWN OF LABOR MEDIATION SERVICE The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and 10 other unions have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to prevent the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)’s dismantling. FMCS is a federal agency that mediates labor disputes in both public and private sectors and […]
In its latest union busting attempt the Trump administration is suing the American Federation of Government Employees to invalidate its collective bargaining contract. Using an obscure provision of the law, President Trump issued an executive order March 27 excluding government agencies from long-standing unionization rights if he determines that those agencies are primarily engaged in […]
UNION HITS SPEEDUP ON POULTRY PRODUCTION LINES Adding another item to the attack on workers the Trump administration is dishing out, the US Department .of Agriculture on March 18 issued waivers to rules that limit line speeds in pork and poultry production plants across the country. The faster line speedups cuts down the time workers […]
FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) online interview with Eric Blanc, assistant professor of labor studies at Rutgers University, author of Red State Revolt: The Teacher Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics; We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing Is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big . This piece has been lightly edited for space and clarity. Eric Blanc: It’s […]
WORDS OF CAUTION OVER TRUMP LABOR SECRETARY PICK PROVE TRUE When Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) was first chosen by Donald Trump to be Secretary of Labor, some saw it as an act friendly to unions and a possible glimmer of hope. But many labor leaders, including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and National Education Association President […]
