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.
We commend the people of the Duke University Press Workers Union for exercising their freedom to join together in union so they too can know the power, protection, and hope that comes from having a union contract, and we call on Duke University to immediately recognize their union and begin collective bargaining.
All working people should have the freedom to join together in unions and collectively negotiate for better, safer working conditions. We strongly urge every member of our congressional delegation to sponsor the PRO Act and fight for its passage.
Elections are a process, and that process does not end until we have certified the results and sworn in the leaders that the voters have chosen in a peaceful transfer of power. This is the way American democracy has worked since the first presidential election ended in 1789, through the Civil War, the Great Depression, and two World Wars. It may take longer this year to obtain all the results, but the people of the American labor movement remain committed to seeing democracy endure.
