By almost every measure, union membership rates continued its steady decline in 2019, according to the latest statistics on unionization rates in the United States from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The overall union membership rate in 2019 was 10.3%, down by 0.2% from 2018. The total number of unionized workers in 2019 was
AFL-CIO
House Bill Spotlights Paid Union Activities By Federal Employees
A House bill would require federal agencies to report annually on the amount of “official time” (i.e., taxpayer-paid time) that federal employees spend on union activities rather than working at their regular job duties. H.R. 1293 (the “Official Time Reform Act of 2017”) was introduced by Rep. David Ross (R-Fla.) on March 1, 2017, and…
AFL-CIO Membership Stats Mostly Flat or Declining
The AFL-CIO’s membership numbers were stagnant in 2013, despite the fact the union added more than one million members. According to a “Membership Report” prepared by AFL-CIO, almost all of that increase was attributable to the 2013 re-affiliation of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union with the AFL-CIO. [The UFCW left the AFL-CIO in…
Back to the 20th Century?
The President Barack Obama spoke at a recent meeting of the AFL-CIO and after prepared remarks, he responded to a question from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. The nub of the exchange was that the President would advise employees to join a union, just as President Franklin Roosevelt did back in the 1930s.
Is that what…
The Mid-Winter Meetings
The American Bar Association is meeting this week in Puerto Rico while the AFL-CIO holds its mid-winter meetings in Orlando. EFCA and the state of union organizing have drawn the attention of both groups.
Fred Feinstein, former General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, spoke at the Bar Association meeting. He thinks EFCA in…
The White House: Labor Leaders’ “Home Away From Home”
Last week we told you that “Organized Labor certainly has the ‘ear’ of this Administration.” We didn’t know how right we were.
On Friday, the Obama Administration published a partial list of visitors who have visited the White House. Andy Stern, President of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), visited 22 times, more than any…
Big Labor Gaining Ground with “Friends” in White House
Bloomberg.com reporter Holly Rosenkrantz believes things have been “looking up” for Organized Labor. Rosenkrantz’s October 29 article cites several recent victories for Labor, including newly imposed federal tariffs on tires produced overseas for U.S. manufacturers, free trade agreements being put on hold and a potential rule change making it easier for airline workers to…
Follow the Money
When Change to Win left the AFL-CIO in 2005, 35% of the labor federation’s revenue left with it. Despite this, Labor provided massive, unprecedented support for political purposes in the last two election cycles. The investments have resulted in a “worker friendly” Congress and White House.
But there are negative results for Labor as well.
The Kennedy Legacy
Caroline Kennedy spoke about her late uncle Ted to the AFL-CIO convention on September 14. Most appropriately, the late-Senator Edward M. Kennedy was recognized for his consistent support of Labor over his decades of service.
According to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Labor narrowly missed getting its greatest prize – EFCA – as a result of…
Specter Presents His Version of EFCA Bill at AFL-CIO Convention
This article received contributions from all of the EFCA & Labor Law Reform Blog authors.
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) pulled the curtains off of his revised version of the Employee Free Choice Act during the September 15 session of the AFL-CIO convention. He announced that his version, which he claims will “be totally satisfactory…