From ND AFL-CIO: Weekly Update

Heidi Heitkamp bets big on small-state politics to save her seat FARGO, N.D. — On an unseasonably cold spring day this week, Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp entered a meeting with a group of foster care workers who greeted her with the kind of warm familiarity that she is hoping might help save her job. In this small state's largest city, Heitkamp found plenty of friendly faces — she hugged a former intern, reminisced with a woman whose children were delivered by the senator's physician-husband and chatted with a fan of the local radio show hosted by Heitkamp's brother. How Does Your State Stack Up on Pay Equity for Women? 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. Wage growth well short of what was promised from tax reform The latest Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows weekly employee earnings have grown $75 since tax reform passed, well short of the $4,000 to $9,000 annual increases projected by President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).   During the three months following passage of the tax bill, the average American saw a $6.21 increase in average weekly earnings. Assuming 12 weeks of work during the three months following passage of the corporate tax cuts, this equates to a $75 increase. Fargo-Moorhead Workers Memorial Day Join the Northern Plains United Labor Council for their annual WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY, Thursday, April 26th at the Fargo-Moorhead Labor Temple (3002 1st Ave North, Fargo, N) 4:30 PM Basic First Aid and CPR Training Provided by local union firefighters. 6:00 PM Workers Memorial Program We remember those who died on the job during the last year in North Dakota and Minnesota. 6:30 PM Dinner Taco bar and refreshments served. Contact Terry Jones at 701-388-0602 for more information 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! Support the Restoring Overtime Pay Act The Trump administration has abandoned the Obama administration’s overtime update and the millions of working people who would have seen a pay increase under this rule. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) recently introduced the Restoring Overtime Pay Act, which would put overtime protections back in place for millions of working people. Fill out the form to add your name in support of the Restoring Overtime Pay Act. From NDES