HUDSONVILLE, Mich.–Proving once again that unionists jump to the aid of all workers – union or not – the Ironworkers are trying to find jobs for 280 non-union colleagues left high and dry without pay when a large non-union Michigan contractor suddenly shut its doors last month. And the union hopes they’ll eventually become members, too.

LANSING, Mich. –Michigan’s construction industry came close to getting an infusion of up to $1.7 billion in money to fix the state’s crumbling roads and bridges. But what’s the old saying? Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

By Marty Mulcahy, Editor, The Building Tradesman LANSING, Mich. –More money to improve Michigan’s crumbling roads and repair its bridges seems to be on the way, as the state House on May 12 adopted a 10-bill package that adds $450 million to the Michigan Department of Transportation budget. But lurking behind that positive action is yet another GOP anti-worker scheme: […]

AFSA President Diann Woodard was honored at the Southeastern Michigan Union Community Activist Network Graduation Banquet on April 5. Greater Detroit Southeastern Michigan Union Community Activist Network puts on the Graduation Banquet annually with the Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO and United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s Labor Department. There were 25 local chapters present from 12 different unions, AFSA among them. The […]

WASHINGTON –Unions’ conferences in D.C. wouldn’t be complete without political hopefuls seeking labor’s support.  Michigan’s Mark Schauer, New Jersey’s Donald Norcross and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy filled those roles at the North American Building Trades Unions’ confab, March 9-12. Norcross, who spoke March 10, has the easiest task.  The IBEW member, president of the Southern New Jersey Central Labor Council, […]

Recently, misinformation about changes to Michigan’s Public Employment Relations Act (PERA) have added complications to collective bargaining, with unwarranted and illegal restrictions being applied to labor organizations representing school administrators. Enacted in 1965, PERA governs Michigan’s public-sector collective bargaining. In 2011, the legislature added eight prohibited subjects for bargaining, including among other items: placement; standards for layoff and recall; and […]

WARREN, Mich.–More than the climate is changing. On May 30, a packed town hall meeting on climate change and infrastructure needs at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall in Warren, Mich. Showed growing concern and unity between labor and the environmental movement.

President Woodard participated on a panel of experienced educators at Wayne State University’s Equity within the Classroom Conference. The theme of this year’s conference was “Building Empowerment and Excellence in Education.” Woodard and her fellow panelists presented on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, as keynote speakers during the luncheon segment of the conference. The panelists spoke about current trends, and offered […]

Tuesday, Nov. 8, was a momentous night for the labor movement. Legislative victories in Ohio and Michigan showed that voters care about workers’ rights and the need for jobs, and the elections confirmed that Americans still have a say in their governments.