In lieu of our regular 3 tiered newsletter, we're using this space to provide information and updates on the COVID-19 pandemic geared toward union members.
North Carolina workers need a raise. For 11 consecutive years, the cost of living (food, rent, education, childcare) has increased causing our minimum wage todecline in value by 24 percent. Now, a person working full-time while making $7.25 an hour lives thousands of dollars below the federal poverty threshold.
The attacks continue from Tallahassee at every angle. HB 1, the union busting bill you’ve been hearing so much about, is waiting to be heard on the floor. However, there are other pieces of seriously dangerous legislation being considered! Two of these are a direct attack on the citizen’s initiative process (the process of collecting signatures to get amendments on the ballot that has given us things such as minimum wage increases and voting rights restoration):
President Trump released a $4.8 trillion budget proposal on Monday that includes a familiar list of deep cuts to student loan assistance, affordable housing efforts, food stamps and Medicaid, reflecting Mr. Trump’s election-year effort to continue shrinking the federal safety net. The proposal, which is unlikely to be approved in its entirety by Congress, includes additional spending for the military, national defense and border enforcement, along with money for veterans, Mr.
Union leaders and labor rights advocates applauded the Democrat-controlled U.S. House for passing landmark legislation Thursday night that supporters have called one of the most notable efforts to expand workers' rights in several decades. "Make no mistake, this is the most significant step Congress has taken to strengthen labor laws in the United States in 85 years and a win for workers everywhere," said AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, declaring the measure "the labor movement's number one legislative priority this year."
Support for the labor movement is the highest in nearly half a century, yet only one in 10 workers are members of unions today. How can both be true?
A recent Gallup poll found that 64% of Americans approve of unions and research from MIT shows nearly half of non-union workers—more than 60 million people—would vote to join today if given the opportunity. Twenty-five years ago, only one-third of workers said the same thing.
