From ND AFL-CIO: Weekly Update

What Changed? (Take Two) Last month at this time, I wrote an article titled, “What Changed?” In it, I laid out how I didn’t think anything had changed when Kevin Cramer decided to seek reelection rather than challenge Heidi Heitkamp for the U.S. Senate. I said Cramer was never going to run against Heidi, that it would be too much of a gamble. It wouldn’t make sense for him to challenge a popular incumbent when reelection odds seemed sound, I wrote. My take hasn’t changed, but something else has. Cramer has flipped. Today, he’ll announce his campaign against Heitkamp. What changed? AFL-CIO President Trumka tells unions it’s time to go on offense WASHINGTON – AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is challenging organized labor to go on the offense, despite control of Washington and states by anti-union politicians. The fed leader issued his demand at the United Auto Workers political conference in D.C., in early February. He headlined a parade of speakers, including Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. Where Did Your Pay Raise Go? It May Have Become a Bonus The recent stock market rumpus has been set off in part by fears that a tight labor market and quickening wage growth are a foretaste of higher inflation and interest rates. But sustained raises for American workers may be possible only if employers can break a habit: handing out one-time bonuses in place of salary increases. A growing preference among employers for one-time awards instead of raises that keep building over time has been quietly transforming the employment landscape for two decades. But it was accelerated by the recession’s intensity, which made employers especially cautious about increasing labor costs. The Brutal Life of a Sanitation Worker On a Saturday morning in 2013 in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood, an 18-year-old recycling worker, Luis Camarillo, was loading materials into a truck when the vehicle’s compactor crushed him. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. Mr. Camarillo’s death, while seemingly a freak accident, was in fact not unusual. The hazards facing people in this line of work have a long history — they inspired the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike of 1968. That walkout was set off in part by the deaths of two Memphis sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, who were crushed to death by the hydraulic press of the truck they were riding on one rainy winter evening. Labor Town Hall: Unions, Politics & Power - Bismarck Edition The North Dakota AFL-CIO will host a town hall-style meeting with the theme of "Unions, Politics and Power" for union members and their families at the Bismarck Labor Temple on Feb 27th at 6:00 pm. Come learn and discuss how we can use our freedom to join together to build better lives for North Dakota union families and to build a better North Dakota for all workers. Pizza, Pop, Coffee and Cookies will be served. NOTE: This discussion will be geared specifically towards North Dakota union members, retired union members and union family members. Similar Labor Town Halls for the general public are forthcoming. Locations for Grand Forks, Minot TBA. Stand Up for SNAP! On any given day 54,000 North Dakotans rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to put food on their table. SNAP is set to be reauthorized in the 2018 Farm Bill. Based on past Farm Bills and what we are hearing from Congress, we expect the program will be at risk of significant cuts and damaging policy changes. Mobile Messaging for North Dakota Workers! We are happy to introduce a new tool in the fight for workers' rights in North Dakota! Text NDLABOR to 235246 to join our new mobile messaging service and stay up-to-date on upcoming actions and events for working people!