From ND AFL-CIO: Weekly Update

Spending Bill Protects Tipped Workers From Sharing With The Boss A bipartisan bill Congress passed this week spells out how the federal government will spend $1.3 trillion. It also allocates some smaller amounts: the money customers leave behind as tips in restaurants, nail salons and other businesses. Strategic Tariffs Against China Are Critical Part of Trade Reform to Create More Jobs and Better Pay AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement after President Donald Trump’s China enforcement announcement this afternoon: For years, China has employed a variety of strategies to steal our intellectual property and bully its way into acquiring critical U.S. advances in technology. Discussions and strongly worded letters have not stopped the IP theft or unfair tactics. Tariffs, investment restrictions and a WTO case might. Tariffs aren’t an end goal, but an important tool to end trade practices that kill American jobs and drive down American pay. While we will be reviewing the full Section 301 report in the coming days to ensure these proposed tariffs appropriately target the industries that have lost production, wages and jobs to predatory intellectual property violations, we agree that now is the time to act. In coordination with allies and as part of comprehensive trade reform, these tariffs will put needed pressure on China to play fair. In isolation, this enforcement effort won’t be enough to fulfill the president’s promise to boost manufacturing, stop outsourcing or raise wages. These actions must be combined with investments in our communities and working people, smart rules to prevent big banks from crashing our economy again, and renegotiated trade deals—starting with NAFTA—that end special privileges for global companies, protect worker freedoms, and promote a fair and sustainable economy for all of us. 107 Years ago, The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Set the Stage for Comprehensive Labor Reform Every March 25, organized labor observes a grisly anniversary that lit the torch for a better life for all working men and women. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 claimed the lives of 146 workers, many of them young immigrant women who were trapped in the top three floors of the New York factory. The owners had locked the fire escape exit doors to keep the workers from taking breaks or stealing supplies. Many of the workers jumped to their deaths. Others burned or asphyxiated to death. Five ND newspapers will charge fee to publish political endorsement letters FARGO—North Dakota-based newspapers owned by Forum Communications Co. will begin charging for political endorsement letters to the editor beginning April 1. Many newspapers nationwide started this practice years ago as well as the FCC-owned Alexandria Echo Press in Minnesota. In recent months, FCC-owned RiverTown Multimedia newspapers in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin also began charging for such letters. 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!