E-News: April 11, 2024
An updated Union Directory listing union goods and services in R.I. can be found on our website at www.RhodeIslandAFLCIO.org under the “Resources” tab.
Here is the direct link—-> Union Directory
The Boston Globe: WJAR agrees to pay workers time and a half on Sundays
The move comes after competitor WPRI 12 made similar changes to its pay policies, which were prompted by its own reporting
PROVIDENCE — Another Rhode Island TV station is paying up after facing questions about not following state wage law for Sunday work.
WJAR Channel 10, the Cranston-based NBC affiliate, is now paying eligible employees time and a half for Sundays, a spokesperson for parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group said Monday. It’s also going to pay back pay to current and former employees who should have gotten that extra half-time pay on top of their straight time.
“Once WJAR was made aware that a Rhode Island law regarding certain pay for work performed by non-exempt employees on Sundays and certain holidays was applicable to their operations, the station conducted a review of their payroll information and updates were made,” said the spokesperson, Jessica Bellucci.
The time period for back pay is three years, said Fletcher Fischer, business manager for the union IBEW Local 1228, which represents some workers at WJAR. Fischer said the union had threatened to bring legal action over the issue after what he described as the station’s reluctance to make a change. Read more here.
Politico: Liz Shuler Wants AI to Reinvigorate the Labor Movement
The head of one of America’s most storied labor organizations sees changing technology as a great risk — and great opportunity.
Liz Shuler was standing inside a university lab one day a few years ago when she saw the future of everything — in a cutting board.
At the time Shuler was secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, one of America’s most storied labor organizations, and she’d come to Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University with a delegation that included members of Unite Here, the union representing hundreds of thousands of workers in the hospitality industry. Their mission: to get a glimpse at how technology might impact the workplace in the years ahead. It didn’t take long before that impact became clear, at least in the kitchen. One of the professors at CMU, a school known for its prowess in technology and design, was demonstrating a cutting-edge cutting board that was able to measure how fast someone sliced vegetables, as well as the quality of their motion.
“It was easy to see we were basically one step away from having the technology cut the vegetables,” Shuler remembers. “That was kind of a wake-up call where we thought — this isn’t just about industrial kitchens. It’s about every setting you can imagine.”
Fast forward a few years, and the world has evolved. Shuler is now the president of the AFL-CIO, having moved into the top spot in the summer of 2021, following the death of the organization’s longtime leader, Richard Trumka. Thanks to artificial intelligence, anxiety about technology’s impact on job security has only increased — not only among kitchen workers, but also white-collar professionals who long saw themselves as immune from disruption: writers, lawyers, health care professionals, marketers, financial analysts. Read more here.
AFL-CIO:
2024 United Way Giving Campaign
Memorandum from Elizabeth H. Shuler, President
During a time when working families across this country are facing barriers to good jobs and affordable housing and rising economic hardship, our partnership with United Way is more valued than ever. So today, I am encouraging you to support the 2024 United Way campaign. For 82 years we have experienced a shared commitment to bringing people and resources together to create opportunities for a better life for all.
Now it is time to give back to our communities and working people in need by supporting your local United Way in its annual giving campaign. Here are some ways you can assist, which include encouraging local unions to give, supporting your AFL-CIO/United Way labor liaison in their local campaign, and partnering with your local United Way in projects and advocacy to strengthen your community.
Through the hard work and successful efforts of labor liaisons and labor agency staff, we have witnessed more collaborative initiatives and strategic local partnerships across the country. United Way continues to focus on the health, education and economic mobility of families in our local communities, as well as working with local union leaders when natural disasters strike local communities. This network has given life to our commitment to help each other by coordinating food distributions and recruiting to apprenticeship readiness programs at the community level, partnering with government agencies to assist workers, engaging in advocacy on important issues, mobilizing disaster relief and more.
The AFL-CIO and the United Way share a common vision of prosperous, inclusive and diverse communities, where every member has access to quality public education, fair wages, good jobs, and affordable and quality health care.
Again, I would like to ask you to support and participate in your local United Way’s 2024 fundraising campaign in order to extend our solidarity in your community.
Please feel free to use the attached memorandum as a sample for your own United Way endorsement or create your own. Send your United Way endorsement on union letterhead to Erkeisha Terry, director of labor engagement at United Way Worldwide at erkeisha.terry@uww.unitedway.org and to Kristie Small, AFL-CIO director of the United Way Worldwide Partnership, at ksmall@aflcio.org.
Thank you for lifting up your community and supporting this important partnership.
National Labor Relations Board: Union Petitions Up 35%, Unfair Labor Practices Charge Filings Up 7% in the First Half of Fiscal Year 2024
During the first six months of Fiscal Year 2024 (October 1–March 31), union election petitions filed at NLRB field offices rose 35% over the same period in Fiscal Year 2023. Notably, this is driven by a spike in employer-filed RM-petitions, after the Board’s Cemex decision, accompanied by an uptick in employee-filed RC-petitions. In total, 1,618 petitions were filed during this time, compared with 1,199 in the first half of Fiscal Year 2023. Of the recent petitions, 1,137 were RC-petitions and 281 were RM-petitions.
At the same time, unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed across the NLRB’s field offices have increased 7%—from 9,612 to 10,278. Accounting for union petitions and unfair labor practice charges, the NLRB received 11,896 cases in the first half of Fiscal Year 2024, up 10% over the first half of Fiscal Year 2023 when the field offices received 10,811 cases.
This increase in filings continues the surge in NLRB caseload in recent years. In Fiscal Year 2023, ULP charges were up 10% and election petitions were up 3% over the previous year. In Fiscal Year 2022, union petitions were up 53% and ULP charges filed increased 19% over Fiscal Year 2021.
The surge in caseload occurs as the Agency struggles with funding and staffing shortages. Last month, Congress flat-funded the NLRB at $299.2 million at a time when more resources are desperately needed. Last year, Congress gave the NLRB a $25 million increase, which ended a hiring freeze, prevented furloughs, and allowed the NLRB to backfill some critical staff vacancies. However, the Agency remains understaffed after flat funding in nine of the past 10 years. In the past two decades, staffing in field offices has shrunk by 50%. Read more here.
Teamsters Facebook:
On Semifinal Saturday, sub out Molson Coors/Miller products with a brand that doesn’t mistreat workers.
Labor 411: Support Good Jobs When Spring Cleaning With These Ethical Brands
It’s that time of the year again when many of us heading for the cleaning supplies closet. For some, Spring cleaning is a top-to-bottom deep cleaning event. For others, it’s a time for a little tidying up and an excuse to throw away clutter. Whichever person you are, we have a cleaning supplies list for you so that you support good union jobs with your consumer dollars.
Happy Spring cleaning from all of us at Labor 411
Ajax (IBT, IUE-CWA)
All Laundry Detergent (IBT)
Borateem Laundry Detergent (UFCW, IBT, USW)
Bowl Fresh Toilet Bowl Sanitizer, Deodorizers (IBT, IBB, ICWUC-UFCW)
Clorox (IBT, ICWUC-UFCW)
Craftsman (IBEW, IBT)
Final Touch Fabric Softener (IBT)
Liquid Plumber (IBT)
Lysol (IBT)
Mop & Glo (IBT)
Purex (IBT, UFCW, USW)
Renewenz Dishwashing Detergent (IBDW, IBT, USW)
Rit Dye Laundry Treatment (IUE-CWA)
Snuggle (ICWUC-UFCW, IBT)
Soft Scrub (IBT)
Sunlight Detergent (IBT)
Surf Detergent (IBT)
Tide (IBT)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
TODAY!
The Rhode Island chapter of the Coalition for Labor Union Women (CLUW) is growing!
Please attend RI CLUW’s April virtual general membership meeting on Thursday, April 11th at 5:30pm, for a discussion on new ideas for CLUW.
Also on the agenda will the launch of a CLUW member survey aimed to address the priorities of women in the labor movement.
CLUW RI hopes to provide leadership development opportunities for women+ in the labor movement, who want to build towards a more just Rhode Island.
Please register for Thursday’s zoom here: https://aflcio.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpd-qqqj4rG9VbLs0Bce_WD-HlnJr6CuGH
And fill out our survey here:
Please contact Autumn Guillotte with any questions, autumn@riaflcio.org.
“““““““““““““““““““““““
Hundreds of thousands of workers are killed & millions more suffer injury or illness because of their jobs, every year. Safety on the job is a fundamental right! Join us next week for Workers Memorial Day Wed, 4/17 @ 4pm
“““““““““““““““““
RICOSH: Climate and Worker Safety and Health Webinar
As the impacts of climate change become more and more apparent, in terms of resiliency and mitigation, it’s important to press for an effective review of protections for workers. This free RICOSH webinar will review some key elements for this review.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar, hosted by RICOSH
When: Thurs. Apr 18 @ 12:00 PM
Please register in advance for this free webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsf-yprT4sHdE6PR0JXCDsIQmM9ZUM1xCc
““““““““““““““““`
United Way of RI: 2024 Children’s Book Drive
Providence, R.I. (March 1, 2024) United Way of Rhode Island’s Children’s Book Drive is returning for its twelfth year. In April and May, United Way is once again partnering with Books Are Wings to help Rhode Island children build their own libraries at home.
Rhode Islanders are invited to buy and ship books, drop off new and gently used books at a community collection site, or host a drive with their family, friends, or coworkers.
Are you following us on Social Media? Click on the links below.
Visit our website for more information, news and events.
If you want a voice on the job or to build a better workplace, click the here to start organizing and taking action.
NEW EPISODE: RI AFL-CIO LUNCH & LEARN “ALL ABOUT ILSR”
This Labor Vision episode covers the RI AFL-CIO Lunch & Learn on the Institute for Labor Studies & Research. Autumn Guillotte, RI AFL-CIO Field Director, is joined by Robert Delaney, ILSR Executive Director, Haley De La Rosa, Labor Liaison, Fatima Martin, Director of Pathways to Education Professions, and Kevin McElroy, Occupational Health & Safety Program Coordinator to share about ILSR’s history, trainings, classes, and programs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBQLSWSAmdQ
Visit the ILSR website to learn more: www.riilsr.org
Never miss a segment!
Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter (@LaborVisionRI), and subscribe to our YouTube channel (LaborVisionTV1) and you can always find us on our website at https://laborvisionri.org/