That Union Thing

Working America

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has announced formation of a new union, Working America, which will push for legislation and policies that assist working families, such as overtime pay, minimum wages, and increased employment.

French Performers Protest Unemployment Changes

More than 4500 French entertainers recently staged protests against changes to the unemployment benefits. Prior to the change, performers had to work 507 hours over 12 months to qualify for 12 months of benefits; now they have to work the same number of hours over only 10 months and will receive benefits for only 8 months.

Professionals Joining Unions in Record Numbers

A new study reports that professional and technical workers account for 30% of all new union members, and now represent nearly 50% of the members of AFL-CIO unions. Professionals are attracted by a voice  in government and on the job that a union gives them.

Florida Workers at Bottom of Pay

A recent study by researchers at FIU shows that hourly pay for Florida workers is among the lowest in the nation, with 27% making less than $16,640 (and below the federal poverty level of $18,400). The 2002 Florida median wage for hourly workers was $9.90. The study makes 11 recommendations for improvement, including a statewide minimum wage, a “living wage,” and noninterference in union organizing for workers paid with state funds.

From AFL-CIO Work in Progress:

CEDARS WORKERS STAND TALL—Strong majorities of 1,500 health care workers at Cedars Medical Center in Miami voted to join SEIU on Aug. 27. About 1,000 service and technical workers are new members of SEIU District 1199FL, while 500 registered nurses joined Local 1991. “Now that we’ve joined together in a union, we’ll have a stronger voice in the decisions that affect us and our patients,” said Ivy Whipplebey, a registered nurse.

POLL: PUBLIC SUPPORTS UNIONS—Fully 65 percent of the American public supports unions, according to a new poll released Aug. 29 by the Gallup Organization. Young adults (ages 18–29) are the most supportive, with 77 percent expressing approval of unions. Solid majorities of those polled say unions help union members (76 percent), unionized companies (58 percent) and the U.S. economy (54 percent).

Share/Save/Bookmark

Write reply

This item is closed, it's not possible to add new comments to it or to vote on it

Comments must be approved before being published.