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Thursday was a national day of action in solidarity with the Verizon strike now entering its fourth week.
Workers—39,000 CWA and IBEW members—are striking to get a fair new labor contract while the highly profitable company, $39 billion profit over the las three years, demands concessions and the right to ship more American jobs overseas.
The IBEW’s Myles Calvey says this really is a struggle for the future of the American middle class.
“When we say we’re fighting for the middle class, sometimes it gets exaggerated. But this is the epitome of what’s going on in this country right now. I mean it’s not a company that’s destitute at all and they still want major concessions. And instead of hiring off the street and replacing job for job as they leave or they can use the work they want the ability to bring one person off the street and two jobs to go out of the country.”
Working Women Survey and The Issues Women Are Confronting
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler says working women and their issues are critical in this election year.
The AFL-CIO is releasing results of its National Survey of Working Women highlighting those issues and providing direction for both the labor movement and the nation’s politicians on what working women need.
“The survey is key piece to our working women’s agenda at the AFL-CIO. We know that women are half the workforce, will be half the labor movement in 10 years. And the issues that affect working women are front and center in this election. So we’re touring three states this week to talk about the survey and really elevate the importance of these issues.”
Shuler says the labor movement is using the direct feedback from thousands of working women to advocate improvements across a range of vital issues important to women and working families.
“The labor movement is on the front lines of policy changes. We’re advocating in Congress for legislation on equal pay and quality child care and paid family leave, paid sick leave. And making sure people can take time off and not have to worry about taking care of their families or making the choice to lose their job in the process.”
Weingarten: Michigan House Bills Are Most Anti-Public School in America
AFT President Randi Weingarten says three bills forced through the Michigan House by Republicans are “some of the most despicable anti-student, anti-public school, anti-teacher provisions we’ve seen in America.”
Weingarten says the bills discriminate against Detroit’s’ overwhelmingly economic and disadvantaged children of color.
Teachers closed Detroit schools for two days in sickout protests this week. They want the state to economically stabilize Detroit schools.
Weingarten says, “Under state-controlled emergency management, indifferent politicians abandoned Detroit’s students to learn in under-resourced schools with deplorable conditions.”
Now she says they want to punish teachers for speaking out rather than really helping Detroit students.