Unions
Workers’ Memorial Day
Workers Memorial Day
April 28
Mourn for the Dead and Fight for the Living
On April 28, Unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job, and to organize the fight for safer workplaces. We all come together to call for action on hazards that cause unnecessary injury, illness, and death. We stand United to strengthen workers’ rights and protections, and demand resources and actions needed for job safety enforcement. We fight for the fundamental right of every worker to a safe job until that promise is ...
Unions Brought You Holidays
“Unions, the folks that brought you the weekend”
Bumper sticker
"Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost."
President Ronald Reagan
“Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor.”
President Jimmy Carter
Holidays exist because of labor unions. Like weekends, paid vacations, and retirement programs they exist because of union negotiated work agreements with employers. These agreements set ...
BUY WISCONSIN PRODUCTS
BUY WISCONSIN PRODUCTS
by Wisconsin AFL-CIO
The As the holiday shopping season ramps up, remember to use your purchasing power to support good, local jobs by prioritizing union-made, Wisconsin-made and American-made gifts for friends and family. Together, we can harness the power of working families to support Wisconsiln workers and create a virtuous cycle of upward growth to boost local economies and support good jobs across the state.
In Wisconsin, we make an array of great union-made gifts for every budget – from warm socks to top-notch pots and pans, ...
UNION PLAYS CRITICAL ROLE IN FAMILY’S LIFE
As a Latino growing up in Shorewood, Wisconsin, I’ve seen unions play a critical role in the life of my family and community. As a result of inflammatory words spoken against Mexicans and those of Muslim faith in the recent presidential campaign, many immigrants face the future in fear.
Unions have helped by continuing to support them in their union jobs and even, in some cases, reaching out to them to offer advice and other assistance.
My father is an immigrant who came to this country from Guatemala, a nation where people have been jailed or even killed for union ...
JOIN THE PARADE AND CELEBRATE LABOR DAY
On Labor Day, we recognize and honor the achievements of all of America’s working people. As we enjoy the fellowship of our loved ones at a barbecue, parade or other community event, it also is important to reflect on the best ways working people can come together to build an economy that works for all of us.
This Labor Day, we stand together for the freedom to collectively bargain together with your coworkers as a team for a better life.
Celebrate with your union brothers and sisters and community members around the state as we honor all who labor. On Labor Day, ...
Economic Justice and the Wisconsin Uprising
Since the uprising in February 2011, Wisconsin’s legislature has implemented a raft of legislation that denies basic rights for all working people, not just unions. The agenda advances corporate power over the interests of average families, including corporate takeover of public resources such as education.
The real occupy movement today is found in state houses across this great land where big money interests aided by faux journalistic outfits, think tanks, and lurid amounts of campaign funding run roughshod over the rights of working men and women. Ultimately, many ...
WHAT UNIONS HAVE DONE FOR ALL WORKERS
WHAT UNIONS HAVE DONE FOR ALL WORKERS
By John Spiegelhoff
(Editor’s Note: John lost his life in a motorcycle accident in southwestern Minnesota. John was the Staff Representative for AFSCME Council 65. He also was the county chairman for Nobles County DFL. We re-print this article to remember John and to thank him for his dedicated work.)
Most of us who reside in Minnesota are pretty humble people. We do not like to brag or boast. When we take care of each other and do good things for one another, we do not make a big deal of it. It is just part of who we ...
Income Inequality
“That is not fair!” How many times have we heard that from our children or perhaps at work? Human beings are hard wired with a sense of fairness-of what is right and what is wrong. Most people believe that they should be fairly compensated for the work that they do. Most workers believe that a Corporate Executive Officer (CEO) of a company should get a little more than the average worker since they run the company. But over the last sixty years, a little more has turned into a whole lot more and we should be very concerned about this.
Since 1950, the ratio of ...
FINALLY…A BREAK FOR WORKING PEOPLE
Near the turn of the century and into the 1930’s, in order to feed your family and put a roof over your head, workers had to endure six day workweeks, twelve hour work days and marginal time with their families. After decades of mistreatment, workers had enough. They formed unions and asserted their rights and dignity in the workplace. But the struggle for fairness and equality in the workplace did not end there and also continues to this day.
In 1938 labor unions were instrumental in getting Congress to pass the Fair Labor Standards Act which introduced the forty-h...
