For the 66th year in a row, hundreds of North Carolina union members and leaders, community organizers, and elected officials came together at the Annual Convention of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO, held Thursday and Friday, Sept. 7th and 8th in Asheville, to say, “Ain’t no mountain high enough” to stop working people from organizing and mobilizing because life truly is better in a union.
Today the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest federation of unions representing 12.5 million workers across the United States and over 100,000 union members in North Carolina, endorsed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for re-election. The announcement cements North Carolina’s status as an electoral “battleground state”, where recent elections have been decided by razor thin margins and the efforts of a well-organized statewide membership like the AFL-CIO’s can make a real difference to ensuring the most pro-union presidential administration ever gets four more years in office
Working people in North Carolina need their next governor to be a fighter for freedom, fairness, and the opportunity for everyone–Black, white, and Brown, urban and rural–to live a good life and enjoy shared prosperity, which is why we are proud to endorse Josh Stein.
Local workers, union members, and community leaders will gather outside the North Carolina State Capitol this Friday to commemorate Workers Memorial Day by renewing the call for strong safety protections and remembering 179 workers killed on the job.
Today we celebrate the introduction of legislation to repeal North Carolina’s “right-to-work” law and the prohibition on public employee collective bargaining, G.S. 95-98–two relics from the segregation era that belong in the dustbin of history.
The fight to build a better future for North Carolina’s working families continues! Read our statement about the 2022 midterm election results.
We are excited to begin casting our ballots for pro-worker champions like Wiley Nickel, Cheri Beasley, and others who will stand alongside working people in our fight for higher wages, safer workplaces, and stronger labor rights!
On Thursday, local workers, union members, and community leaders will gather outside the North Carolina State Capitol to mark Workers Memorial Day, renew the call for strong safety protections, and remember workers who have died or suffered illness or injuries while on the job. At the interfaith press conference and solemn memorial service, participants will toll a bell 189 times – once for each person in North Carolina who died while working for a better life in 2020, the most recent year for which the full death toll is known.
The convention brought together more than 300 labor leaders from across North Carolina for three days of speeches, discussions, and workshops to create a better future through organizing, political power, and building solidarity through racial justice. This year’s convention also included the election of NC State AFL-CIO leadership to new 4-year terms and a forum for U.S. Senate candidates to answer tough questions about their commitment to empowering working people.
Over 150 people joined the first-ever North Carolina Worker Safety Town Hall, September 28th. During the online event, workers shared powerful testimonies about workplace safety issues in their respective industries and advocated for better enforcement priorities, as North Carolina ranks as the worst state for workers (Oxfam, 2021), to newly elected NC Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson, who was in attendance to hear their concerns. The town hall was hosted on Zoom and broadcast live on Facebook.
Join the NC Worker Safety Town Hall on Sept. 28th from 6:30 to 8pm. During the online event, workers will share their stories and testify about workplace safety issues in their respective industries and advocate for better enforcement priorities to newly elected NC Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson, who will be in attendance to hear concerns. The town hall will be hosted virtually on Zoom and streamed live on Facebook.
“Today’s election signals a commitment from the AFL-CIO that our leaders should look more like our membership.”
Today we commit to honoring Pres. Trumka’s legacy by continuing to fight for better policies for working people including the PRO Act. Pres. Trumka made it clear that all working people deserve dignity and respect on the job. We will keep fighting to make Pres. Trumka’s vision a reality so that all workers earn family-sustaining wages, work in safe conditions, and have a collective voice on the job.
According to the 2021 edition of the Executive Paywatch report released today by the AFL-CIO, the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio at S&P 500 companies in North Carolina was 235:1 in 2020. On average, North Carolina CEOs made $13,302,100 in total compensation in 2020, up from $12,007,943 in 2019. Results once again show massive CEO-to-worker pay disparity and inequality among S&P 500 companies.
On Wednesday, April 28th, North Carolina workers will be joined by faith, community, and labor leaders for a virtual Workers’ Memorial Day service honoring those who have died or suffered illnesses or injuries while on the job. Workers and leaders will share personal experiences and call for stronger worker protections in North Carolina and across the country. Speakers will include Reverend Jennifer Copeland of the NC Council of Churches, Rabbi Salem Pearce with the Carolina Jews for Justice, and NC State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan among others.
