Labor switches to defense on legislative agenda
Bill Samuel, the AFL-CIO legislative director, explains the new math on Capitol Hill and in state houses around the country, and its impact on labor's agenda.
Big business floods Congress with demands to de-regulate
Corporations officially unveiled loads of pet projects, wish-lists, and regulations they want axed during a hearing held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The labor movement says it's corporate arm-twisting of lawmakers on the issue of regulations.
Union happy with new Obama crackdown on mine owners
Mine workers welcome Obama's plan to make it easier in cracking down on coal companies that are constant safety violators. However specific rules need to be enforced in order to further erode the systemic problem, unions say.
Honeywell lockout threatens thousands in Illinois and Kentucky
United Steelworkers local 7-669 and the Steelworkers international Union issued a well researched report this week outlining the health and safety hazards posed by the use of scab replacement workers to operate Honeywell's Metropolis Illinois plant.
Bad news for workers: Kline hates EFCA, opposes tougher OSHA penalties
WASHINGTON (PAI) - John Kline, the Republican who will take over the House Education and Labor Committee next year, hates the Employee Free Choice Act and opposes tougher penalties for job safety and health violations.
Laundry workers expose Cleveland's own "sweat" shop
Think about working in temperatures, upwards of 100 degrees on hot days. Finding used hypodermic needles, human body parts, fluids and excrement, umbilical cords and other biohazard material. No safety harnesses for workers climbing over 10 feet in the air on scissor lifts. Nonexistent water breaks and a minimal amount of fans to cool the facility on extremely hot days. Now think about enduring all of this while earning $8.34 an hour.
BP admits guilt in Texas City safety violations
BP has finally agreed to pay millions in fines and repairs for its deadly 2005 refinery blast - but the whole industry is "a mess," the Steelworkers union says.
Laundry workers tired of dirty treatment
CLEVELAND - Workers rallied at Sodexo Laundry here July 8, saying they were tired of low pay and unsafe, demeaning working conditions, and want a union.
OSHA to publicly shame job safety violators
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration "will use not just our normal inspection system, but regulation by shaming" against notorious job safety and health violators.
