Labor Union Blog

Economic Report:

Pending home sales hit a record low in February, falling 1.9 percent. Pending ho9me sales are based on contracts signed during the month and serve as a measure of future home sales activity. Pending home sales are down 21.4 percent over the same time last year.

By Doug Cunningham

The California Labor Federation is releasing a new study today that it says shows paid sick days benefits employers as well as workers. Nearly six million California workers – one in six –have no paid sick days. The California Labor Federation says the new study from the Institute For Women’s Policy Research shows tremendous benefits for employers when paid sick days are provided to workers. The study uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic numbers to evaluate the impact on California employers if paid sick days are guaranteed by law to all the state’s workers. The Health Families, Healthy Workplaces act before the state legislature there would do just that.

By Doug Cunningham

New York City’s Carpenters union expects a couple of thousand people at its annual apprenticeship contest and exhibit today. Martin Daly is Director of training for the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

[Daly]: “The Carpenter’s Union apprenticeship program is the largest apprenticeship program in New York State. It’s over 2,000 apprentices, and we train 4,000 journeymen every year here in our labor technical college. It’s a benefit for everybody. It’s a win-win situation across the board.”

Roughly 40 NASA employees who all work on the same floor at a research center in Cleveland have been diagnosed with cancer. The union representing the workers is seeking answers. Jesse Russell reports:

According to the union representing workers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at least 40 workers have been diagnosed with cancer. The workers are scientists who work on the third floor of the Development Engineering Building and over the past four years they have been diagnosed with multiple cases of cancer. NASA says tests at the research center have not turned up any carcinogens, but the Lewis Engineers and Scientists Association is demanding more tests be done. Last month the Ohio Department of Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said that cancer rates at the facility are within the average. According to the union some of the diagnosed workers refused to answer the questionnaire sent around by the department because they didn’t want to be identified. Roughly 100 employees work on the third floor. And the union represents more than 1500 workers.

The organizers of Colorado's so-called "right to work" initiative have been accused of fraud in collecting signatures to qualify the measure for a place on the ballot.

Protect Colorado's Future filed a complaint with the secretary of state's office last week, alleging that "right to work" signature collectors told people they did not have to be registered voters to sign the petition to put the measure on the ballot and that it was OK to sign the petition even if the person had done so previously. Neither assertion is true.

As the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is being introduced on Capitol Hill, working families are launching an advertising campaign to get Congress to reject the deal.An ad sponsored by the AFL-CIO will run in three Capitol Hill newspapers tomorrow. The ad urges lawmakers “Don’t Reward Murder. Stop the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.” (Click here to tell your representative to oppose a trade deal with Colombia until their government makes real progress in protecting the lives and rights of union members. Click here to download a PDF of our ad.)