Union Strong

How to Buy Union and Buy American this Holiday Season

We know from a recently released survey that 76 percent of consumers prefer to buy American-made products, but where do you find them? Our guest from the Alliance for American Manufacturing has an entire holiday gift guide of Made in America items.  And we’ll tell you where to find union-made gifts, food, and drinks to make it a holiday that not only supports workers but will help create good union jobs.

AAM's 2022 Made in America Holiday Gift Guide

AAM's Made in America Directory

AFL-CIO's Union-Made Resources

So You Want To Start a TikTok Account

TikTok is a powerful communications tool, but getting started can feel intimidating. On the latest Union Strong podcast we discuss how TikTok works, tips and tricks for unions who want to use it to get their message out, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to dive in.

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Download the “Captions” app to get a teleprompter for your TikToks

Follow @NYSAFLCIO and @Local802AFM on TikTok

The Union Strong Vote

Candidates seeking the endorsement of the New York State AFL-CIO must meet a high threshold of support. 

On the latest Union Strong podcast, we break down the endorsement process with our guests; Ryan Delgado, Political Director and Chief of Staff at the federation and Jenn Puja, the Executive Director of the Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body. 

We also discuss what’s at stake in the general election and how union members are making their voices heard.

Get voter info and find out how you can get involved

NYS AFL-CIO 2022 Endorsements

HEART 9/11 – Turning Tragedy into Triumph

Union construction workers and members of the fire and police departments in New York City developed a strong bond working together on New York’s 9/11 recovery mission. Years later, many of them now retired, are putting their knowledge and skills to use to help those in need. On the latest Union Strong podcast, Bill Keegan, founder and president of HEART 9/11 talks about the mission of the organization and what drives workers to pay it forward.

 

Visit the HEART 9/11 website. You can find details about their 9/12 Tribute event here.

 

Stay up to date with HEART 9/11 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Legislative Wrap Up 2022

Workers won big in the 2022 legislative session. The list of victories includes workplace health and safety protections, improvements to labor rights and pensions, and the creation of good-paying jobs as we address climate change.

On the latest Union Strong podcast, New York State AFL-CIO Legislative Director Mike Neidl breaks it all down for us to explain what these changes will mean for working people and their families.

See the 2022 End of Session Report

Get tickets for Union Strong Night at The New York Yankees (July 29th)

Get tickets for Union Strong Night at The New York Mets (September 3rd)

Nurses On The Brink

When nurses were forced to work mandatory overtime during the COVID pandemic, it was understood that we were dealing with an emergency.

The emergency has passed, yet mandatory overtime is back with a vengeance and it’s reached a crisis level in many of our hospitals.

Overworked nurses are pleading with lawmakers to do something about it.

On the latest Union Strong podcast, we will hear from nurses and their unions on why they are so passionate about strengthening mandatory overtime laws.

Here are the bills we discuss in the episode, which will improve the prohibition on mandatory nurse overtime law:

S8063A Ramos/A8874B Joyner
S4885A Savino/A181A Gunther
A286A Gunther/S1997A Jackson

Prioritizing Buy American Rock Salt

The concept of Buy American is simple: Our tax dollars should be used to create jobs and advance production here at home.

On the latest episode of the Union Strong podcast, we discuss the importance of prioritizing Buy American legislation and in particular, Buy American Rock Salt.

Our guest, Dave Wasiura, Assistant to the Director for the United Steelworkers, District 4 explains what the legislation would do and its impact on the New York State economy.

Fix Tier 6

The state of New York has lost thousands of public sector workers over the past decade. Recruiting and retaining public employees is reaching a crisis level.

 

In addition, dedicated public sector workers who risked their lives during the pandemic could be inadvertently penalized for the overtime they worked throughout the crisis.

 

On the latest Union Strong podcast, we talk about reforming the state’s pension system, to address these issues.

 

New York State AFL-CIO Legislative Director Mike Neidl is our guest.

 

Learn more about tier 6 here >>>

 

Call or write your state legislators about tier 6 >>> 

Overworked and Underpaid at a Nursing Home in Lewiston, NY

Nursing home workers at Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston, New York held a one-day strike to draw attention to their contract fight over fair wages. Tomorrow, that fight moves to St. Louis Missouri.

 

The nursing home workers are represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and have been without a contract since December 31, 2021. Already hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, these caregivers are now working critically short-staffed while their employer, Ascension Living shuts down units and threatens layoffs.

 

On the latest Union Strong Podcast, a worker describes the conditions inside the nursing home, a union representative gives details on the contract fight, and we hear from our partners at the Missouri AFL-CIO.

 

Click here to sign the petition for the Our Lady of Peace workers.

 

Click here for the details about the March 15th event in St. Louis.

COVID at Work, Know Your Rights

Working New Yorkers have put themselves at risk throughout this entire pandemic. Many workers died after being exposed to the virus on the job and countless others became ill. 

 

And now, as we reach the 2-year mark since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are learning more about long-haul symptoms.

 

That’s why the New York State AFL-CIO wants to help get the word out on how critical it is for every worker who believes they were exposed to COVID-19 at work, to file a claim with the Workers’ Compensation Board. 

 

On this podcast, we will talk to the Chair of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and we will hear from an advocate for injured workers to educate workers on their rights and explain the process for filing a claim.

 

Get info or file a claim on the NYS Workers Compensation Board website >>>

 

Webinar Series for Workers on Workers' Compensation and COVID-19 >>>

 

Call 877-632-4996 or email AdvocateForInjuredWorkers@wcb.ny.gov for assistance from the NYS Workers Compensation Board.

 

Follow the NYS Workers Compensation Board on social media:

Facebook: @NYSWCB 

Instagram: @NYSWorkersCompBoard

Twitter: @NYSWorkersComp