Labor Union Blog

This week Congress took, what Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Larry Cohen called, “a good first step” to moving the nation toward high-speed broadband when it approved the Broadband Improvement Act. (S. 1492). The final action came yesterday, when slight variations between the U.S. House and Senate versions were ironed out and the bill was sent to the president’s desk.

The legislation requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct annual studies on status of broadband deployment throughout the country to better assess the levels of residential and commercial high-speed Internet use. It also would encourage private and public partnership efforts that identify barriers to broadband adoption on the state level.

San Francisco’s pioneering health care program that provides coverage for 80,000 mostly low-wage workers survived a challenge from the Bush administration and city restaurant owners when a federal appeals court yesterday upheld the program.

Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council (SFLC), says the court’s ruling

…is a huge win for hard working men and women in San Francisco who are currently without access to health care. We need more health care in San Francisco, not less.

Frank Snyder, Labor 2008 state director for Pennsylvania, joined members from the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council in leafleting construction sites to make sure union members know about Sen. Barack Obama’s record of support for working people.

Early Tuesday morning, business manager Pat Gillespie and affiliate leaders from the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council handed out leaflets at the Aker Philadelphia Shipyard and at two construction sites. The Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades leadership is leafleting every day of the week from now until the election to make sure their members know about Barack Obama’s record of supporting working people.

With the election only 34 days away, working families are taking a close look at Sen. John McCain’s policies—including the new health care tax that could hurt the ability of millions of workers to access care.

Through a new mailer on health care, as well as phone banking and door-to-door walks, the AFL-CIO is reaching out to more than 1 million union members to educate them about what McCain’s health care tax means for them.

Workers and their families in Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin will receive the mailer, which features Ohio union member Dave Fecke talking about how McCain’s wrong-headed health care plan shows just how out of touch he is.

The difference between me and McCain? McCain’s rich. He’s never had to sit at a bargaining table and choose between a 50 cent-an-hour raise and decent health care benefits. He doesn’t get it.