The Allegheny County Labor Council (in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) is a local branch of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The Council was issued its charter in 1961. It was formed from the merger of two pre-existing AFL central labor bodies and two pre-existing CIO central labor bodies. For those seeking a case brief writing service, understanding the historical and organizational context of such labor councils can provide valuable insights into labor law and union activities.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler joined Vice President Joe Biden and other leaders at yesterday’s meeting of the White House Middle Class Task Force. The topic: restoring our crippled manufacturing sector. The White House Middle Class Task Force yesterday issued a framework detailing the challenges facing manufacturing, and Shuler delivered a message to the White House that fixing manufacturing must be a priority in building a stronger economy.

In a great live Web discussion yesterday, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka answered a wide range of questions on the nation’s economic crisis, setting out a vision for short-term job creation and long-term progress toward a fairer economy. Read More>>

This information came from Don Siegel of IBEW, which he recently sent to his members, I have taken the liberty to edit it to be more inclusive to the entire labor movement.

We need to organize a new generation of workers into unions. While we tend to believe that this new generation is indifferent to unions we also know that they know very little about unions.

Mr. Siegel found this link to a video about a protest against the CEO of Whole Foods who recently wrote an op ed in the Wall Street Journal about health care reform. Needless to say the CEO, John Mackey, didn’t think that the health care reform that was being proposed was worth consideration and went on to say among other things that health care is not a right but rather a privilege.

This link will take you to a 6 minute video that I think is worth your time for two reasons. Number one it takes John Mackey to task for his public denunciation of the cu rrent health care reform proposal and number two and much more importantly please take notice of the age of most of the protesters. They are certainly not from my generation and we should take some comfort in that. This group could teach some of us some new things about civil disobedience not to mention the raw courage it takes to expose your self publicly for a cause you believe in. I encourage you to watch the whole video and consider that this is the generation that we need to bring into our union.

They may not know much about unions but they sure know how to engage in concerted activity. They are creative, committed, energetic and determined when they find something that they can believe in. They are an example of what the labor movement can become if we can connect with their passions. The challenge is ours to reach out to a new generation of union members and I hope that this video shows that they are ready, if we are willing to take the time to listen to their concerns and explain how unions can be a part of the solution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APs76Cd6fbI 

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When we talk to our elected or appointed officials in our area, it is helpful if we know if they are or have been a member of organized labor. The AFL-CIO has designed a form named the Target 5000 Survey that would make it easier for us to track those individuals and use them as our first point of contact at their level of public service, if needed.   We encourage members of organized labor who are seeking public office to also complete this form. Read more...