AFL-CIO

“The labor movement is not anti-tech. It’s pro-worker.” Check out our new op-ed from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler & and Omidyar Network’s Mike Kubzansky on why unions are making sure workers have a seat at the table in how AI changes the future of work.

President Biden has always told our union steelworkers that he has their backs. His call to keep U.S. Steel American owned and operated proves it. In his words, "U.S. Steel has been an iconic American company for more than a century — it’s vital that it remain domestically owned and operated" and we couldn't agree more.

Women are leading the labor movement on the picket line, at the bargaining table, in halls of power and everywhere decisions are made. Happy #InternationalWomensDay! 

Sports Illustrated is nothing without its editorial staff. The AFL-CIO Sports Council, representing 8 professional players' unions, fully supports the Sports Illustrated Union in their fight against Arena Group, which has sent layoff notices to every single union member but none to top management.

The House Republican proposal for a fiscal commission is a terrible idea that would push older Americans into poverty, take away people’s health care and end up costing the government more. The labor movement stands united in our belief that slashing crucial programs like Medicare and Social Security—which millions of hardworking individuals rely on and have contributed to—will make people poorer, sicker, hungrier and even lose their homes; it also would put the pay and benefits for federal workers on the chopping block.  This commission is a power grab that is trying to bypass the regular democratic process by hiding behind closed doors and fast-tracking a plan that escapes public scrutiny and accountability, and rips away the security older people rely on and have paid for. Working people support a revenue-centric approach that makes the ultra-rich and big corporations pay their fair share instead of a cruel commission that would send older adults into poverty and rip health care away from Americans. 

San Diego is now home to the first blanket Project Labor Agreement in a major city—this is a BFD. These PLAs are expected to award 111 contracts for $635 million in construction projects, providing workers with good, UNION jobs with better wages, safety protocols and regulations. Congratulations to the San Diego North America's Building Trades Unions and all who fought for this legislation!

DYK in 2023, union members earned $1,263 median weekly wages, compared to $1,090 for non-union workers? Get more labor statistics, union updates, strike alerts and more in your inbox every day by subscribing to the AFL-CIO's Daily Brief newsletter.

Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on union density. The report shows that union membership grew by 139,000 in 2023. Union membership in the private sector increased by 191,000 members, with a majority of new members under the age of 45. These numbers are a result of how more than 900,000 union members won double-digit wage increases through new contracts last year. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement in response to the report:   Workers are fed up with low wages, few benefits, and a lack of dignity and respect on the job, which is precisely why more are interested in joining a union now than ever before. Although union density remained flat in 2023, that doesn’t reflect the surging momentum that working people have carried into this year. Waves of workers across industries and geography are joining unions despite vicious union-busting campaigns by large corporations.   Polling data shows that 71% of Americans support unions, the highest level in nearly 60 years, with 88% of young people showing support for unions. And as the BLS numbers show, the union difference in wages remains strong, driving increased interest among workers to have a voice on the job.   Every worker who wants to join a union should be able to without facing intimidation and harassment from their employer. Corporations spend more than $400 million per year on union-busting consultants to stop worker organizing, and corporate leaders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos—themselves hoarding billions of dollars—have made it their mission in life to stop their own employees from having a voice at the workplace.   The labor movement is more focused and committed than ever on ensuring that every worker who wants a union has a fair shot at joining one. Organizing is happening at a rate not seen in generations, and new federal investments by the Biden administration in emerging sectors of the economy creates more opportunity for workers to attain good union jobs. The AFL-CIO’s Center for Transformational Organizing has become a hub for multiunion organizing strategy and investment in the clean energy and technology sectors as new jobs emerge over the next several years catalyzed by these federal funds. Working people are on the rise, and the progress we’re seeing now is just the beginning.

“Through every industrial revolution, labor has been the force that has harnessed the technology and channeled it in a way that’s productive and safe,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

Empowering voices, igniting change. ✊  Watch the powerful moments from this year's AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference.