News

Austin Central Labor Council Votes to Oppose Austinites for Progressive Reform

More than 20 unions unanimously oppose all four amendments proposed by controversial group seeking to take power away from elected council members.

Austin Labor - Vote for Prop A Today!

The Austin Central Labor Council, with its affiliate local labor unions, is whole-heartedly in support of Prop A and encourages everyone to vote Yes on Prop A.

Trump Executive Actions on COVID Are Smoke and Mirrors That Help No One

One way to view President Donald Trump’s executive actions last week on COVID relief is that they represent unlawful overreach. But that would imply that while his actions are illegal, they are nevertheless effective — and therein lies the core problem. What our showman president signed last week was nothing more than smoke and mirrors. 

In the COVID-19 Economy, We Are Running Out of Time to Prioritize Child Care

In March, working families across the country started to scramble. Our homes were transformed into makeshift classrooms, summer camps and daycare centers as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools and child care facilities.

Senate must pass HEROES Act for working families

In May, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act, a piece of legislation that would provide much-needed solutions to our current economic and public safety crisis. Unfortunately, its path forward has been uncertain. There has been no debate on the bill in the Senate, and Mitch McConnell even sent the Senate on vacation without hearing it.

Is This the Best Tesla Deal the County Could Reach? Our Community Deserves More.

Our community needs answers. Why are the County Judge and County Commissioners waiving wage and safety standards they currently require through Travis County policy for Tesla, a company who was placed on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s dirty dozen list in 2018?

The union battle versus Trump administration over bringing workers back, safely

More than three years after taking office, the administration has never filled the job running the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is charged with enforcing workplace safety laws. The $560 million-a-year agency, whose estimated 2,000 inspectors performed 32,020 on-site inspections in 2018, spent months not doing any in-person inspections related to coronavirus, other than in hospitals, said Rebecca Reindel, director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO.

America is running short on masks, gowns and gloves. Again.

America is running short on masks, gowns and gloves. Again.

You Call Us Heroes. It's Time to Treat Us Like Heroes

Working people are bearing the brunt of this global pandemic and economic crisis. The physical toll, death, pain, and suffering that Oregon’s frontline and essential workers have experienced is unprecedented.

Coupled with the economic collapse that has exacerbated long-term inequities for low wage workers and BIPOC communities, workers are hurting and they need protections.

Of Course Teachers Want Schools to Reopen

Daniel DiSalvo asks: “Will Unions Let Schools Reopen?” (op-ed, June 30). Of course! The AFT published our school reopening plan in April. We said it isn’t a question of whether to reopen, but how to do it safely. We need the infrastructure and investment to physically distance, stagger classes, provide personal protective equipment and test, trace and isolate new cases.