Pollster: The Political Battle for 2016 Has Begun

January 22, 2015
By John Zogby

Washington, DC—The battle for the presidential elections in 2016 has begun. A President who has taken credit for extricating the U.S. from two major wars in the Middle East just launched a new one on Tuesday evening, figuratively speaking. The battlefield is more about the future than the present.

President Obama Advocating for Working Families

January 22, 2015
By Richard L. Trumka, AFL-CIO President

Washington, DC - President Obama eloquently and forcefully advocated for working families throughout his State of the Union Address. The President’s focus on raising wages through collective bargaining, better paying jobs, a fairer tax code, fair overtime rules, and expanded access to education and earned leave sent the right message at the right time.

A Wage Floor Forces Employers To Pay Better

January 22, 2015
By Oren M. Levin-Waldman, Ph.D.

It has become a staple of the neoclassical economics model that when productivity increases, then so too will wages. Why is this? Because in a competitive market each worker receives the value of his or her marginal product, which is the amount of an increase in say a unit of labor.

Hunts Point Workers Ratify Contract

January 22, 2014
Neal Tepel

Bronx, NY – Workers at Hunts Point Market voted on January 21st to approve a three year contract with 97% of workers voting "yes."  The 1,300 members of Teamsters Local 202, will receive significant wage increases in each year of the contract.

Working Folk With City IDs Can Bank Amalgamated

January 21, 2015
By Marc Bussanich

New York, NY—As soon as Mayor Bill de Blasio announced new municipal identification cards for mostly undocumented immigrants, Amalgamated Bank was one of three banks to accept the new ID cards as proof of legitimate documentation so that immigrant workers could more easily bank.

Obama Gives Due to LiUNA and the Building Trades

January 21, 2015
By Neal Tepel, LaborPress Publisher

Washington, DC -- LeDaya Epps, one of First Lady Michelle Obama's guests at last night's State of the Union address, was given an opportunity to enroll in an apprenticeship-readiness program sponsored by the Los Angeles and Orange County Building Trades Council. As a single mother caring for three children, finding meaningful employment was paramount.

Buses Matter Too: MTA Plan Needs Improvement

January 21, 2015
By Mark Henry, President and Business Agent ATU 1056 and
John Lyons, President/ Business Agent, ATU 1179

Fully funding the MTA Capital Plan matters less than correctly funding needed projects. The plan inadequately supports Queens bus service. As labor leaders whose members service Queens residents, businesses and institutions, we remind those who support full funding for the MTA capital plan “as-is” to advocate the plan meets the needs of bus riders.

Worker Profile: Meet UFCW Local 1500’s 'Battling' Barbara Balos

January 20, 2014
By Joe Maniscalco 

Mineola, NY - In her 25 years with UFCW Local 1500, Barbara Balos, 48, has helped run several major chain supermarkets throughout the city. For the last several years, the Long Island mom has been the non-foods manager at a bustling Bronx Pathmark, overseeing ordering, deliveries and more. Balos has a knack for getting things done - and that steady determination has not only helped her employers succeed, it’s also helped win better conditions for co-workers; raise a ton of money for numerous charitable organizations, and even change the way New York State protects its children. 

Cuomo Appoints Quinn as Advisor

January 20, 2015
By Stephanie West

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has appointed Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a Special Advisor.  Quinn served as a member of the New York City council from 1999-2013 and, in 2006, was elected the first female Speaker.

Crumbling Infrastructure is a Disaster Waiting to Happen

January 20, 2015
By Sherrod Brown

Cleveland, OH—The infrastructure that helped create America’s middle class is crumbling, while Republicans continue to block funding for high speed rail. Here in Ohio, nearly a quarter of our bridges are classified as either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.

McDonald's Worker Slams Fast Food 'Hypocricy'

January 19, 2015
By Joe Maniscalco

Los Angeles, CA- The latest McDonald’s commercial recently rolled out during the NFL playoffs and Golden Globes Awards has already been lambasted for what many see as a particularly cynical effort to exploit American tragedies like September 11th and the Boston bombing. However, according to many low-paid McDonald’s workers, the “Signs” spot also showcases the multinational fast food chain’s obvious hypocrisy regarding livable wages and workers’ rights.

We Don’t Just Need ‘More Jobs’—We Need Higher Wages

January 19, 2015
By Leo Gerard, United Steelworkers President

The recent jobs report set off cheering: a quarter million positions added in December; unemployment declining to 5.6 percent. This good news arrived amid a booming stock market and a third-quarter GDP report showing the strongest growth in 11 years.

Strike Averted at Hunts Point

January 19, 2015
By Neal Tepel

Government Finally Out of Teamsters’ Hair

January 19, 2015
By Marc Bussanich

New York, NY—One day after the Teamsters Union and the attorney for the Southern District of New York filed an application with a chief judge in the district requesting an end of decades of government oversight of the union, their president traveled to New York to swear in the winning slate of Local 237, the biggest Teamsters union in the country.

'All Labor Has Dignity': King's Other Legacy

January 19, 2015
By Thomas E. Perez, U.S. Secretary of Labor

A few weeks ago, I saw Selma, a remarkable movie about the unbreakable persistence and moral leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the struggle to secure voting rights for African-Americans in the Jim Crow South.

Celebrating the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 19, 2015
By Assemblyman Luis R. Sepulveda

A civil rights leader, community activist, humanitarian and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remains a remarkable and influential figure. As we observe Martin Luther King  Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 19, it is important to remember Dr. King’s legacy and how we can continue to honor it with our actions.

Labor March On LaGuardia Is a Mix Of Hope And Disgust

January 16, 2014
By Joe Maniscalco

Queens, NY - 32BJ union leaders and elected officials championing the plight of low-wage airport workers once again marched on LaGuardia Airport this week, exactly one year after a group of them were arrested outside the travel hub on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. 

Mental Health Workers Forced to Strike in California

January 16, 2015
By Marc Bussanich

Over 2,600 mental health workers went on strike in California starting Monday because they say their health care employer, Kaiser Permanente, refuses to increase staff so that current staff can treat persons suffering from mental illness such as severe depression efficiently and timely.

Bad Karma, Sarma: Lucky Duck Owner Stiffs Workers

By Joe Maniscalco 
January 15, 2015

New York, NY - A tony restaurant owner who hasn’t paid her staff since December is about to experience some instant Karma - workers at Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck say they will join together in a class action lawsuit against Sarma Melngailis if their outstanding wages are not paid in full this Friday. 

Teamsters May Strike Hunts Point

January 15, 2015
By Neal Tepel

Bronx, NY – The members of Teamsters Local 202 at Hunts Point Market voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Negotiations broke down after management walked away from the table with a final offer of raises that do not keep up with the rising cost of living. Owners also want workers to turn over part of their paycheck for health insurance and preserve a system that pays some workers less than others doing the same job.