Weekly Labor Reader, September 4 2019
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Labor Day Breakfast Celebrations
As news hit that labor union approval is at a new 50 year high, unions, community groups and elected officials came together to celebrate working people on Labor Day with breakfasts in Boston and Worcester. "Gallup has been asking the public about support for unions since 1936. Since 1967, the polling agency observes, the union approval rating “has only occasionally surpassed 60 percent. The current 64 percent reading is one of the highest union approval ratings Gallup has recorded over the past fifty years.”" Read more from Jacobin here.
Read more about the celebrations from Politico, the Boston Globe, WBUR and the Worcester Telegram.
“Who will be left to speak for you when all of your rights are gone? The labor movement and Democrats are working people’s last hope, so we need to start acting like it. For all the unions out there, a check and an endorsement just isn’t enough. It’s going to take educating your members about what’s at stake in this election. For elected officials, it takes more than just snappy tweets to make change. It takes judgement and balance, the hard work of bringing people together, and the courage to tell people the truth, not just what they want to hear.”-Boston Mayor Martin J Walsh, member of Laborers Local 223
Union Solidarity as Teamsters Strike Enters 2nd Week
Pictured above: Massachusetts Nurses Association, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35, Sheetmetal Workers Local 17, North Shore Labor Council, Plymouth Bristol Labor Council, United Steel Workers 12003 and 12012, Marshfield Education Association, Unite Here Local 26, UFCW 1445, and Pipefitters Local 537 supporting Teamsters 25 workers as they strike Republic Services in Marshfield.
Please add your support to the picket line. Members of Teamsters Local 25 and their allies are picketing at the Marshfield location (965 Plain Street) 24/7 until a deal is reached. Join fellow union and community members and show solidarity on the picket line! Follow Teamsters 25 on Facebook or Twitter for frequent updates.
Vote For Labor's Endorsed Candidates
Municipal preliminary elections have begun. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO encourages all members and allies to vote. Please click here for a list of municipal preliminary dates and to see the current list of AFL-CIO endorsed candidates.
September 10: Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Springfield, Worcester, Newton
September 17: Braintree, Brockton, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Methuen, Salem
September 24: Boston, Chelsea, Fitchburg, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Taunton
MA AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman On State Of Organized Labor
Please click here to watch MA AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman's Labor Day interview with Jon Keller on Keller @ Large. Steve and Jon discuss the state of the labor movement and Massachusetts politics.
On September 25th - 27th, 2019, over 200 delegates and guests will gather for the Biennial Constitutional Convention of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
***Hotel Rooms in the MA AFL-CIO block are available from the MGM through Monday, September 9, 2019. After that date the rooms will be released for a higher rate. Please book now by clicking here.***
The Convention theme of unity will be reflected throughout the proceedings, from resolutions, to keynote speakers, to panels.
The convention will feature keynote speakers, David Webber and Steven Greenhouse. Webber is the author of "The Rise of the Working Class Shareholder: Labor's Last Best Weapon," and will sign copies of his books for attendees. Greenhouse is a New York Times Reporter and author and will be speaking and signing copies of, “Beaten Down, Worked Up - The Past, Present and Future of American Labor Movement."
The Convention is not open to the public and is closed to the press. Affiliated unions in good standing should have received their credentials by mail. Registration is due by September 10th. For more information and to download the delegate and guest registrations, click here.
Training our region’s future
"Union-sponsored training stands in stark contrast. Our pipefitting, welding and HVAC technician programs ensure safe apprentice-to-journeyperson ratios, quality assurance assessments, mandatory safety training and instructor eligibility and transparency requirements. As Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and contractors said at our open house, our training is not only the best in the business, but it’s a ticket to employment and economic independence. Contractors and other employers are confident that they’re getting the best-trained workers in the industry, which ensures the highest levels of public safety. "Read more from Brian Kelly in CommonWealth Magazine
Part-Time Health and Safety Trainer
The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure that all workers are treated with respect and dignity, earn a fair wage, and return home to their families alive and well. They educate and mobilize workers, unions, and community activists to advocate for and promote a healthy and safe workplace.
MassCOSH Is hiring a part-time trainer to develop and deliver health and safety trainings.
Register for Union Member Candidate School
Support for union members running for elected office is a top priority for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and our affiliates. We know that when our members run on a platform of working people’s values and receive unified support from the labor movement, we will win. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO and its Executive Board are establishing a union candidate school to train our members to run for elected office from the local/municipal level all the way up to statewide/federal office.
Our first session will be held on Saturday December 7th, 9am-2pm. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The training will be free of charge and participants will be given materials to use as a reference for campaign purposes.
September 4:Health, Wellness,& Recovery, Boston
September 6: Western MA Area Labor Federation's Labor Day Breakfast, Chicopee
September 10: Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Membership Meeting, Boston
September 14 : Helmets to Hardhats Motorcycle Run
September 25-September 27: MA AFL-CIO Convention, Springfield
October 3: UMass Lowell Labor Education Presents Automation and You
October 15: Tradeswomen Tuesday Worcester
October 23: Union Blood Drive
For a full list of events, visit the calendar on our website. If you have any events that you would like to be included, contact Rachael Running at rrunning@massaflcio.org
@MassNurses: Karen Duffy, a registered nurse at Brockton Hospital, stands with @Teamsters25 workers on strike at Republic Services in Marshfield. MNA nurses and healthcare professionals in solidarity! #onedaylonger #onedaystronger #strike