Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO

civil_rights_march_on_washington_d.c._dr._martin_luther_king_jr._and_mathew_ahmann_in_a_crowd._-_nara_-_542015_-_restoration.jpg

Want To Carry On Martin Luther King Jr.’s Work? Join A Union

Fifty years ago this week, Martin Luther King Jr.

1_nzlafzou-kufe7abl7forw.png

How Unions Carried Pennsylvania’s 18th District — and Why the DNC Should Be Paying Attention

Rep.-elect Conor Lamb made national waves with an improbable win last week in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District.

Take Action

Support Our Right to Join in Union

Unions help build a better life for working people but the wealthy are trying to further rig the economic system in their favor. Show your support for unions.

Big Banks Need a Watchdog

We need strong protections against the deceptive and abusive practices of big banks and predatory lenders to prevent another financial meltdown. Tell your Senator to reject the Bank Lobbyist Act.

Recent News

Senate Bill to Curtail Labor Rights on Tribal Land Falls Short

Noam Scheiber on Tuesday, April 17 - 12:25pm

Organized labor managed an increasingly rare feat on Monday — a political victory — when its allies turned back a Senate measure aimed at rolling back labor rights on tribal lands.

The legislation, called the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act, would have exempted enterprises owned and operated by Native American tribes from federal labor standards, even for employees who were not tribal citizens.

How Does Your State Stack Up on Pay Equity for Women?

Charisse Jones on Wednesday, April 11 - 11:11am

The notion of bringing home 80 cents for every dollar pocketed by a man on a national basis is unsettling enough. But it's even more startling when those lost wages are added up.

Overall, it amounts to $10,000 in lost wages a year, says Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families. That chunk of cash could pay for 14 more months of child care, 74 more weeks of groceries and an additional 10 months of rent for the average woman.

The Gay Union Organizer Who Helped MLK Change the World

Kenneth Quinnell on Wednesday, April 4 - 12:03pm

As America prepares to observe the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination today, there is one name you may not hear: Bayard Rustin. A close confidante and mentor of King, Rustin was a key leader of the civil rights movement and chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He proved to be a transformative figure in the fight for racial justice, even introducing King to the Gandhian principles of nonviolence that would come to define the struggle. He also happened to be gay.

Democrats Better Remember: Unions Carried Pennsylvania’s 18th District

Richard Trumka & Rick Bloomingdale on Tuesday, April 3 - 4:59pm

Rep.-elect Conor Lamb made national waves with his improbable win in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. He faced down $10 million in outside money funneled to his opponent by corporate and right-wing interests. He fought through a barrage of incessant, hyperpartisan attacks blanketing the airwaves. He was abandoned by his own party’s national infrastructure in a district that hadn’t elected a Democrat in nearly 15 years. And he still came out on top.

See all

AFL-CIO Blog

‘They Have Forgotten the Lessons of Rana Plaza’ — Apr 24
Left with the Bill — Apr 24
New Jersey: Labor Makes History with Signing of Equal Pay Bill — Apr 24
DC LaborFest: We're in the Same Boat — Apr 24
Big Week for Workers as More Than 10,000 Working People Join Together in Union in One Week — Apr 24

NAFTA NEEDS TO WORK FOR WORKING PEOPLE