E-News: January 16, 2025
RI AFL-CIO E-News: RIPTA, Union Votes, Raising the Minimum Wage and more
🚨🚨🚨 If you have questions about the RIBridges security breach, the state has set up a hotline that will run from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. each week day and 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. on weekends. The number is 833-918-6603, and the reference number is B137035.
RIPTA is vital to RI’s economic progress. Here’s why | Opinion
Nicole O’Loughlin and Patricia Raub, Guest columnists
With CEO Chris Durand now permanently at the helm, RIPTA has been crushing it lately with impressive capital projects: construction of the state’s first in-line charging station for the R-Line electric buses was finished in July, the new bus hub at CCRI-Warwick and groundbreaking of new passenger facilities in Pawtucket were completed in September, and the East Side Tunnel Restoration was celebrated in October.
Yet for all the new and planned tangible assets, you still need buses to actually move, and get places on time, which means you need people. It’s RIPTA’s operations budget that funds bus drivers, fuel, maintenance workers, customer service representatives, and other essential staff and ongoing costs and it’s once again facing a looming deficit of $31 million next year.
Last year, Gov. Dan McKee and the General Assembly avoided devastating service cuts by making strategic investments in RIPTA operations: they raised driver wages by 18%, began paying for the time applicants need to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL), and allocated $10 million in ARPA dollars along with $5 million in general funds for RIPTA.
Still, it was only a band-aid for the long-term budget problem. RIPTA is operated efficiently, but it relies on a declining source of funding (gas tax) and multiple studies have shown it is chronically underfunded compared to transit agencies in other states. Read More Here.
While Other Voters Moved Away From the Democrats, Union Members Shifted Toward Harris in 2024
Although many demographic groups shifted their votes to favor Donald Trump in 2024 compared to 2020, Kamala Harris increased Democratic support among union voters.
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Many election analysts observe that Vice President Kamala Harris underperformed in 2024 compared with President Joe Biden in 2020 among key demographic groups, especially the working class. However, the Harris-Walz campaign managed to outperform Biden-Harris among union members. Joe Biden won union members handily in 2020, reversing a decline in union support for Democratic candidates that began in 2016, according to previous Center for American Progress Action Fund research. And, according to the VoteCast survey conducted for The Associated Press (AP) and Fox News, Harris appeared to widen Biden’s margin, with union voters preferring Harris over Donald Trump by 16 percentage points in 2024.
While this improvement in performance among union members was not enough to win Harris the election, these results suggest that Democratic candidates can increase support among union members by appealing to their economic interests through pro-worker policies and appeal to the nonunion working class more broadly by both focusing on economic issues and educating voters about their policies, even as Republicans make it harder for workers to organize.
Los Angeles County Fires
MEMORANDUM
TO: Principal Officers of State Federations
and Area and Central Labor Councils
FROM: Elizabeth H. Shuler, President
As you know, catastrophic fires are raging in the Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and its community service arm, Labor Community Services, have launched relief efforts for union members and their families.
To access the emergency assistance program information, please use this link thelafed.org/resource/california-wildfire-resources and share with your network.
Many of you have asked for ways to contribute. Please follow this link for more information on how to support the relief efforts: lcs-la.org/la-fire-relief.
Thank you for your continued support of the labor movement’s disaster relief efforts.
AFL-CIO
Office of the President
815 Black Lives Matter Plaza NW
Washington, DC 20006
202-637-5100
State of Rhode Island General Assembly: Press Release
1/15/2025
Rep. Bennett introduces bill to raise minimum wage
STATE HOUSE — Rep. David A. Bennett has introduced legislation to increase Rhode Island’s minimum wage from $15 to $20 over a five-year period.
The bill (2025-H 5029) would increase the minimum wage to $16 on Jan. 1, 2026; raise it to $17 on Jan. 1, 2027; raise it to $18 on Jan. 1, 2028; raise it to $19 on Jan. 1, 2029; and finally to $20 on Jan. 1, 2030.
“Over the past few years we have increased our minimum wage to help offset the rising cost of living, helping our working families support themselves and keeping us competitive with our neighboring states. But it’s important for us to keep that progress going, because the cost of living continues to rise and our minimum wage is not scheduled to increase after this year,” said Representative Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick, Cranston). “This legislation will keep our minimum wage rising in a predictable, stable way that allows Rhode Island’s businesses to comfortably plan for the coming increases, while keeping our commitment to livable wages for our constituents.”
The minimum wage in Rhode Island was last raised to $15 on Jan. 1, 2025. Massachusetts also has a current minimum wage of $15. Connecticut’s minimum wage, which is indexed to increase with inflation, is currently $16.35.
“Regular and affordable increases in the minimum wage are an important component to the Rhode Island economy. They increase economic security for working class Rhode Islanders who depend on wages for housing, healthcare, and meeting kitchen table requirements while also providing economic predictability for businesses across the Ocean State,” said Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO.
Representative Bennett, who is chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, has been the primary sponsor of every law enacted to raise Rhode Island’s minimum wage since 2012, when minimum wage was $7.40.
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
Patrick Crowley BlueSky:
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UPCOMING EVENT:
Reducing Hospital Costs: What EMPLOYERS Should Know About RI’s Participation in the AHEAD Program
When: Friday, January 24th, 2025 ; 7:30am – 11am (Breakfast will be served)
Where: Providence Marriott Downtown, 1 Orms St., Providence, RI 02904
| Disrupting Healthcare Costs: Empowering Rhode Island BusinessesAre skyrocketing hospital costs impacting employees, slowing business growth and hitting your bottom line? Join us for a transformative discussion designed to empower employers with actionable strategies to tackle one of the biggest challenges in healthcare today: hospital pricing.This summit will dive deep into the AHEAD (Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development) Program, a groundbreaking initiative, in which RI has been selected to participate, that is designed to control rising healthcare costs, promote fair hospital pricing, and improve health equity. Discover how your business can support RI’s participation in AHEAD which will benefit your employees and your business.Why Attend?Learn how hospital expenses directly impact your business and community:Understand the Premium Connection. Discover how rising hospital costs inflate your insurance premiums, creating financial pressure for employers and employees alike.See the Economic Ripple Effect. Uncover how healthcare expenses hinder job growth, workforce retention, and overall economic competitiveness in Rhode Island.Drive Change in Your Community. Explore the broader effects of hospital pricing on employee well-being and access to quality care. |
| Your Role in the SolutionThis event is your chance to:Understand the AHEAD Program. Learn how this innovative model unites payers to promote hospital fair pricing, ensuring employers get a better return on their healthcare investments.Champion Practical Strategies. Walk away with proven tools and tactics to advocate for sustainable healthcare reforms that prioritize value over volume, benefiting both your business and your workforce.Who Should Attend?This summit is tailored for employers, policymakers, and community leaders who want to:Cut unnecessary healthcare costs.Support a healthier, more productive workforce.Foster a thriving Rhode Island economy.Don’t miss your chance to be part of this critical conversation. Join us in working toward disruptive healthcare reform that aligns with the needs of businesses, communities, and the future of healthcare. |
This event is co-sponsored in part by the RI AFL-CIO.
When: Friday, January 24th, 2025 ; 7:30am – 11am (Breakfast will be served)
Where: Providence Marriott Downtown, 1 Orms St., Providence, RI 02904
Register Here.
Just two more weeks left! Get your add in and support Brother Riley!
LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE 2025 APPLICATION ENDS JAN. 24! APPLY NOW!
Leadership for the Future (LFTF) is an organizing development program for current and emerging leaders that fosters diverse connections and relationships while providing participants with the skills necessary to “become the change they wish to see” in Rhode Island. With an extra emphasis on working class and labor advocacy, this is a must-attend program for any community organizer. Â
The 2025 LFTF program will start in February with an overnight weekend retreat and ten (10) Monday evening sessions. The Monday sessions will run from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM (including dinner) and will be held at the Institute for Labor Studies & Research (1540 Pontiac Ave, Suite-A, Cranston, RI 02920). Childcare and transportation support will also be provided.
If you are interested and/or know someone else who would be please fill out and share the Application: https://bit.ly/LFTF-2025
If you have any questions, you can reach out to Haley De La Rosa at hdelarosa@riilsr.org or 401-463-9900 or Autumn Guillotte at autumn@riaflcio.org 401-316-1359.
If you want a voice on the job or to build a better workplace, click the here to start organizing and taking action.
LABOR VISION:
NEW EPISODE: RI LABOR HISTORY SOCIETY 36TH ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET
This Labor Vision episode covers the Rhode Island Labor History Society 36th Annual Awards Banquet. Honorees included Laborers District Council Business Manager Karen Hazard, ILSR Executive Director Bob Delaney, and RIFTHP Field Representative Jim Parisi. The 2024 Trailblazer awardee was AFT Local 6516 Graduate Labor Organization at Brown University.
Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvmSZxi8IwA
Never miss a segment!
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