Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

 OSHA Investigation - Iowa General Assembly

Along with some citations for other things, Iowa OSHA has told the Iowa General Assembly that: "IOSHA identified condition(s) that may expose workers to COVID-19 hazards. Our concerns observed during this inspection ... identify potential hazards that you should address:"
1) Social distancing between individuals is not always practiced and not enforced
2) Temperature checks and health screens are not being performed on all persons entering the Capitol Building
3) Employees are not required to report COVID-19 positive tests results to leadership
4) No determination of work-relatedness for COVID-19 positive cases reported

Liz Shuler Elected AFL-CIO President

The AFL-CIO Executive Council today elected Liz Shuler, a visionary leader and longtime trade unionist, to serve as president of the federation of 56 unions and 12.5 million members. Shuler is the first woman to hold the office in the history of the labor federation. The Executive Council also elected United Steelworkers (USW) International Vice President Fred Redmond to succeed Shuler as secretary-treasurer, the first African American to hold the number two office. Tefere Gebre will continue as executive vice president, rounding out the most diverse team of officers ever to lead the AFL-CIO.

In Memoriam: Richard L. Trumka (1949-2021)

Our brother and leader Richard Trumka passed away on August 5, 2021, at the age of 72.

AFL-CIO Unveils Executive Paywatch Report

2020’s growth in pay inequity between workers and CEOs confirms the “executive base salary reductions” touted during the COVID-19 crisis were just lip service, per this year’s AFL-CIO Executive Pay

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2021 Executive Paywatch

High Paid CEOs and the Low Wage Economy

Mortgages for Union Families

Union Plus Mortgage Company is owned by the AFL-CIO Union Privilege and a group of unions.

Recent News

Liz Shuler: Seeing a Bigger Role for Women in the Labor Movement

NYT: How did you get your start in the labor movement?

Liz Shuler: I came up through the IBEW [International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers]. My father was a union member and worked for PGE [an Oregon utility]. Clerical workers were not in a union, and my mother and I were organizing them. PGE was a study in the difference a union can make: Power linemen were respected and made good wages, and nonunion clerical workers were not listened to and didn’t have a voice.

Survey Shows Broad Public Support For Worker Strikes

Workers at companies like Kellogg’s, Nabisco and John Deere have hit the picket lines in recent weeks hoping to get a better deal from their employers. A new survey suggests the public by and large supports them.

The AFL-CIO labor federation commissioned the progressive pollster Data for Progress to take the public’s temperature on the strikes that have made headlines this summer and fall. The online survey of nearly 1,300 likely voters asked if they “approve or disapprove of employees going on strike in support of better wages, benefits, and working conditions.”

Strikes Are Sweeping the Labor Market as Workers Wield New Leverage

Marcial Reyes could have just quit his job. Frustrated with chronic understaffing at the Kaiser Permanente hospital where he works in Southern California, he knows he has options in a region desperate for nurses.

Instead, he voted to go on strike.

Labor Flexes Its Muscle as Leverage Tips from Employers to Workers

And many of them are either hitting the picket lines or quitting their jobs as a result.

The changing dynamics of the US labor market, which has put employees rather than employers in the driver's seat in a way not seen for decades, is allowing unions to flex their muscle.

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DACA and TPS Recipients at the 2017 AFL-CIO Convention

Rights and Protections for All Working Families

Millions of undocumented immigrants, who are vital to our economic recovery, still live in fear because of our outdated and inhumane immigration system. It’s time to put an end to this injustice. Tell your senators to pass a budget that includes a broad pathway to citizenship.

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Make Sure the Needs of Working People Are Met During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The labor movement is working nonstop to ensure workers devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic receive the protections and support needed during this challenging time. Get involved and make sure the needs of working people are heard.

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