AFL-CIO Blog

  • Wrongfully Detained Korean Union Leader Han Sang-gyun Wins Release
    Wrongfully Detained Korean Union Leader Han Sang-gyun Wins Release KCTU In December 2015, President Han Sang-gyun of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions was imprisoned for defending trade union rights and fighting back against corporate corruption and the repressive government of former President Park Geun-hye of South Korea. This week, Han finally won his freedom. Of Han's release, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) said:
    We are all relieved that KCTU President Han Sang-gyun has been released from his wrongful detainment that was a political act of retribution expressly aimed at punishing his role in organizing union protests. President Han represents the best of the labor movement—an advocate armed with unwavering dedication to the fight for economic justice, even in the face of personal persecution. Across the globe, working people salute his sacrifice and welcome him home with open arms. Still, the struggle for justice will continue until we secure the release of KCTU General Secretary Lee Young-joo, who was arrested for the same organizing efforts. Her continued detainment highlights the enormous fights that lie ahead for working people, and the release of Han reflects our capacity to ultimately win.
    In 2017, AFL-CIO awarded Han with the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award for his activism on behalf of working people. Han's career is noted for perseverance in the face of anti-democratic repression and militant action against long odds. Starting as a student activist, Han later helped organize a union at the auto manufacturing plant where he worked. In 2008, he was elected chair of his union. His efforts to fight layoffs at his company led to a 77-day occupation of the plant for which Han was sent to prison for three years. After his release, he continued to fight for working people with a 171-day sit-in near the plant. After the conclusion of the sit-in, hundreds of jobs were saved. In 2014, KCTU held it's first direct vote to choose their president and Han won. During his tenure in office:
    Union activists have been at the forefront of the fight for social justice in South Korea. Workers have mobilized against anti-worker labor legislation and government corruption in a series of massive peaceful demonstrations. President Park frequently responded to dissent with police brutality, mass arrests and harsh jail sentences targeted at leaders, including President Han, who bravely continued to organize. The Korean labor movement and civil society eventually forced the ouster of President Park, who later was charged with bribery, abuse of power and other crimes.... After the impeachment and trial of President Park Geun-hye, the Korean labor movement helped usher in a new, more worker-friendly administration under President Moon Jae-in. However, its fight for justice is ongoing. Many activists still are imprisoned and Korean workers continue to struggle in the face of regressive labor laws and a lack of accountability from Korea’s major corporations.
    Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 05/23/2018 - 11:06 Tags: Korea     — May 23
  • We All Do Better with an Immigration System that Works for All Working People
    We All Do Better with an Immigration System that Works for All Working People AFL-CIO Yesterday, the AFL-CIO hosted the "We All Do Better" conference, which focused on an important discussion on advancing an immigration agenda for all working people. Attacks against working people come in many forms, but we must stand against the idea that some of us are more worthy of freedom and worker protections than others. At the opening of the conference, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) said:
    We need workers to understand America’s broken immigration system puts downward pressure on pay and benefits for all of us. Our answer is to stand united, as a politically independent movement of working people, for an immigration agenda that lifts us up. That starts with a path to citizenship for the millions and millions of people who live and work here and are American in every way but on paper. But it doesn’t stop there. It’s time to reform captive work visa programs so they are based on actual industry needs and include full labor rights and fair wages for every single worker. We must end the enforcement overreach and provide explicit protections to workers who want to organize a union or have the courage to speak up about unsafe conditions. We must keep families together, offer safe harbor to refugees and open our doors to working people from all over the world who want nothing more than a better life, just like my family did. If we do it right, immigration reform will make jobs better for everyone, improve the health of our democracy and empower us to organize millions of workers into unions.
    Here are some of the key tweets sent from the event:
    .@jboland President of @IUBAC opens the #WeAllDoBetter Conference at @AFLCIO pic.twitter.com/n1G8enpgeO— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    We must emphasize an immigration agenda for ALL workers. @TexasAFLCIO @AFLCIO @AFLCIOLatino pic.twitter.com/t0KReAJIZ8— Montserrat Garibay (@MontseTXAFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    “I am the product of chain immigration... We were maimed, crippled, and killed on the job, and we stood strong in solidarity despite our differences.” @RichardTrumka pic.twitter.com/M20czcMpHG— AFL-CIO Latino (@AFLCIOLatino) May 21, 2018
    “If we do it right, immigration reform will make good jobs for everyone, improve the health of our democracy and empower us to organize millions of workers in union.” @RichardTrumka #WeAllDoBetter— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    “The only card we care about is the union card” - Eric Dean, President @TheIronworkers #WeAllDoBetter— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    The enemy of workers is not other workers. It is managers who want to profit not with us, but at our expense. #InThisTogether #Union #WeAllDoBetter pic.twitter.com/wDDd34Iki7— Celeste Drake (@CDrakeFairTrade) May 21, 2018
    Immigrants are core constituencies of our unions and we need to speak up for them says Eric Dean of @TheIronworkers #WeAllDoBetter pic.twitter.com/o0urQBrckV— AFL-CIO Latino (@AFLCIOLatino) May 21, 2018
    Immigration is NOT the cause of stagnant wages @hshierholz @EconomicPolicy #WeAllDoBetter pic.twitter.com/KAEgAHMxIb— AFL-CIO Latino (@AFLCIOLatino) May 21, 2018
    Ramped Up Immigration Enforcement + Weakened Labor Laws and Enforcement = Cheap and Exploitable Labor. #WeAllDoBetter— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    “This administration wants to replace TPS and DACA recipients with guest workers who are more vulnerable and exploitable.” @oachacon61 from @ALIANZAAMERICAS #wealldobetter @AFLCIO— APALA (@APALAnational) May 21, 2018
    “We have to go back to the basics of organizing, the same people that are against Labor, women’s rights, workers rights are attacking us every single day, we need to go back and talk to those people who may have voted for the 45th President” - @MontseTXAFLCIO #WeAllDoBetter— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    Kicking off the 2nd Immigration panel at the @AFLCIO with Esther Lopez Sec-Treas @UFCW, Rachel Micah-Jones @CDMigrante, VP Fred Redmond @steelworkers, Melissa Maria @CWAUnion and John Carr Georgetown University. #WeAllDoBetter pic.twitter.com/WiuNCO8ADb— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) May 21, 2018
    @AFLCIO We need to have strong narratives, comprehensive strategy and have courageous conversations-Esther Lopez @UFCW @TexasAFLCIO @AFLCIO @RickTxAFLCIO #WeAllDoBetter pic.twitter.com/4MXzoSU2VV— Montserrat Garibay (@MontseTXAFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    #wealldobetter We need to do a better work and not work in silos.Our values are under assault. @lizshuler @AFLCIOLatino @AFLCIO @TexasAFLCIO pic.twitter.com/gG7dxpGpoD— Montserrat Garibay (@MontseTXAFLCIO) May 21, 2018
    If our economy is approaching that of a dystopian novel, it is up to us to stop bemoaning it & work to change it. Divided we beg, united we negotiate for better. @lizshuler at @AFLCIO #WeAllDoBetter conference #AllWorkHasDignity #1u #CIR #GoodJobs— Celeste Drake (@CDrakeFairTrade) May 21, 2018
    Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/22/2018 - 11:23     — May 22
  • Executive Paywatch 2018: The Gap Between CEO and Worker Compensation Continues to Grow
    Executive Paywatch 2018: The Gap Between CEO and Worker Compensation Continues to Grow AFL-CIO CEO pay for major companies in the United States rose nearly 6% in the past year, as income inequality and the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs have increased. According to the new AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch, the average CEO of an S&P 500 Index company made $13.94 million in 2017—361 times more money than the average U.S. rank-and-file worker. The Executive Paywatch website, the most comprehensive searchable online database tracking CEO pay, showed that in 2017, the average production and nonsupervisory worker earned about $38,613 per year. When adjusted for inflation, the average wage has remained stagnant for more than 50 years. "This year’s report provides further proof that the greed of corporate CEOs is driving America’s income inequality crisis," said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler. "Too many working people are struggling to get by, to afford the basics, to save for college, to retire with dignity while CEOs are paying themselves more and more. Our economy works best when consumers have money to spend. That means raising wages for workers and reining in out of control executive pay." Here are eight key facts you need to know about from this year's Executive Paywatch report:
    1. America is the richest country in the world at its richest point in history. And once again, CEOs got richer this year. CEO pay for major U.S. companies was up more than 6% in 2017 as income inequality and outsourcing of good-paying American jobs increases.
    2. Total compensation for CEOs of S&P 500 Index companies increased in 2017 to $13.94 million from $13.1 million in 2016.
    3. The CEO-to-worker pay ratio grew from 347 to 1 in 2016 to 361 to 1 in 2017.
    4. For the first time this year, companies must disclose the ratio of their own CEO’s pay to the pay of the company’s median employee. This change was fought for by the AFL-CIO and its allies to ensure investors have the transparency they deserve.
    5. In 2017, the CEO-to-worker pay ratio was 361. In 2016, the ratio was 347. In 1990, it was 107. And in 1980, it was 42. This pay gap reflects widening income inequality in the country.
    6. Mondelēz is one of the most egregious examples of companies that are contributing to inequality. The company, which makes Nabisco products including Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Ritz Crackers, is leading the race to the bottom by offshoring jobs. New CEO Dirk Van de Put made more than $42.4 million in total compensation in 2017—more than 989 times the company’s median employee pay. Mondelēz’s former CEO Irene Rosenfeld also received $17.3 million in 2017, 403 times its median employee's pay.
    7. So far for 2017, the highest-paid CEO in the AFL-CIO’s Executive Paywatch database is E. Hunter Harrison, CEO of CSX Corporation. He received more than $151 million in total compensation. In contrast, the lowest-paid S&P 500 company CEO was Warren Buffett who received $100,000 in total pay in 2017.
    8. The toy-maker Mattel had the highest pay ratio of any S&P 500 company. Mattel’s median employee is a manufacturing worker in Malaysia who made $6,271, resulting in a CEO-to-employee pay ratio of 4,987 to 1. Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. had the lowest pay ratio of all S&P 500 companies, just 2 to 1.
    Our economy works best when consumers have money to spend. That means raising wages for workers and reining in out of control executive pay. Executive Paywatch is a tool that helps the U.S. pursue those goals. Learn more at Executive Paywatch. Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 05/22/2018 - 10:05     — May 22
  • Apprenticeship Accelerator Forum Highlights Programs to Attract and Train Needed Manufacturing Workforce
    Apprenticeship Accelerator Forum Highlights Programs to Attract and Train Needed Manufacturing Workforce AFL-CIO The 2018 Manufacturing Apprenticeship Accelerator Forum took place in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday. The forum included presentations from a number of participating organizations, including the U.S. Department of Labor, the Ohio AFL-CIO, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Chicago Women in Trades and the National Urban League, along with a number of private employers and workforce training providers. The purpose of the program was to highlight the development of advanced manufacturing apprenticeships to address needed skills training and workforce development in advanced and specialized manufacturing. Representatives from labor unions, private employers, state and federal government, and manufacturing training providers offered an overview of their respective roles in expanding apprenticeship programs to match private-sector workforce needs. "We're very pleased that so many affiliates came together with the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Department of Labor to share information about how to promote apprenticeships in manufacturing," said Brad Markell, executive director of the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute, which sponsored the event. "We put a special emphasis on how to increase diversity in manufacturing, and that will be a continuing effort for us." The forum was organized by The Keystone Development Program (KDP), which was founded by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO in 2005 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. KDP assists unions and their employers to form and sustain labor-management training programs and registered apprenticeships. The KDP promotes labor management cooperation and supports workforce development programs to better serve the community. KDP aligns resources for career pathways to family-sustaining jobs. "Through our close relationship with Keystone Development Partnership, our Commonwealth has benefited from an innovative approach to apprenticeship and workforce development," said Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale. "Pennsylvania has been successful in bringing multiple stakeholders together to address the future of work, ensuring that good, family-sustaining jobs are at the heart of the technological and advanced manufacturing workforce." "It’s true that apprenticeship programs are one of the best kept secrets in the labor movement," said Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga. "These programs are an important linkage in our economy here in Ohio and across the country as they put thousands of Americans on a true pathway to the middle class." Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 05/21/2018 - 12:28 — May 21
  • The Future of Work: The Working People Weekly List
    The Future of Work: The Working People Weekly List Infrastructure Week Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s this week’s Working People Weekly List. Young Workers on the Future of Work: Charleeka Thompson: "Earlier this month, the AFL-CIO conducted a discussion on the future of work. Among the panelists that day were a group of young workers. Let's have a bit more of an in-depth discussion in the coming weeks with those young workers. First up is United Steelworkers (USW) member Charleeka Thompson." The Freedom to Join: "The U.S. Supreme Court will make a decision in the coming weeks whether or not to undermine the freedom of millions of teachers, nurses and other public workers to have strong unions. Today, the AFL-CIO has launched a new website, FreedomToJoin.org, that provides critical information about the Janus v. AFSCME case, counters misinformation, explains the value of union membership and draws attention to the wave of collective action in America." Time to Build: In the States Roundup: "It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations and central labor councils on Twitter." Infrastructure Week Highlights the Need to Invest in the U.S.: "This week is Infrastructure Week, an annual event where an increasingly powerful coalition led by local, state and federal leaders, as well as both businesses and labor unions, demand massive and necessary investments to build America. This year’s Infrastructure Week comes at a time when 80% of voters say investing in America’s infrastructure is a top priority. America’s labor movement says the time to build is now." The New Tax Law Will Make Outsourcing Worse: "We have already documented the many ways the Republican tax bill is bad for working people. In short, it's a massive giveaway to big corporations and the wealthy that throws away trillions of dollars we need to invest in America and create good jobs for working people. This week, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) organized an event to take a deeper look at how the new law will preserve and create incentives for corporations to move U.S. jobs overseas and shift corporate profits to tax havens abroad." New Survey Shows Sexual Harassment a Pervasive Problem for Flight Attendants: "A new survey from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) reveals that more than two-thirds of flight attendants in the United States have experienced sexual harassment on the job." Union Asks to Investigate Relationship Between the Government and Bondholders: "The U.S. labor union center AFL-CIO today asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether there was any privileged information exchange between the office of Governor Ricardo Rosselló and bondholders, prior to the presentation of the governor's fiscal plan, the past 12 of February." AFL-CIO Launches ‘Take Back Ohio’ Campaign: "Union members, leaders and activists held a rally at the Local 1112 UAW union hall last night to kick-off organized labor’s efforts to elect 'worker-friendly candidates' in the 2018 elections. 'This rally represents the start of something big here in the Mahoning Valley,' said Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO President Bill Padisak. 'Our membership is energized and ready to engage in the campaign to re-elect Sherrod Brown, make Richard Cordray our next governor, and elect candidates up and down the ticket that support working people.'" What Makes Retail Workers Uniquely Vulnerable to Sexual Harassment: "Retail has a sexual harassment problem, according to a recent analysis by the Center for American Progress. While media attention has largely focused on the prevalence of harassment in politics and media, the study demonstrates its pervasiveness across all industries, but particularly in ones with a high number of service-sector workers, says the authors of the analysis. From this data, it’s clear that sexual harassment is not just a problem in for politicians and actors." Study: Despite Modest Income, Teachers Pay for Class Needs: "Every year Anna Graven dips into her modest teacher salary and spends her own money to buy bulletin boards, pencils, paper, highlighters and tissues for her high school students in Oklahoma City. So do almost all of her colleagues across the nation. Nearly all public school teachers report digging into their pockets to pay for school supplies, spending nearly $480 a year, far more than the federal $250 tax deduction available to teachers, according to a study by the National Center of Education Statistics released Tuesday." CEO Pay and Performance Often Don’t Match Up: "The best-paid CEOs don’t necessarily run the best-performing companies. Corporate boards have tried for years to tie chief executive compensation to the results they deliver. The better the company and its shareholders do, the more the top boss should be paid, or so the pay-for-performance mantra goes. In reality, CEO pay and performance often don’t match up, and 2017 was no exception." Rebuilding Schools, Bridges—and Lives: "When you see that the ASCE’s infrastructure report card gives the nation overall a D+, don’t hang your head. The U.S. can get that grade up. But it won’t happen with a plan like President Trump’s, which would cut Washington’s contribution to infrastructure projects from 80% to 20%, quadrupling the burden on cash-strapped cities and states. The true way forward is to do the opposite: Put the federal government back in the business of building America’s future." Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/18/2018 - 11:05 — May 18