News
Welcome to the NYC Central Labor Council's News Room
May 21, 2013 | News Story
On Tuesday, May 21, members of the New York State Dream Coalition traveled to Albany to lobby legislators about the need to pass the NYS Dream Act. The group also held an afternoon news conference, following the Assembly’s 88-46 passage of the legislation, which would enable undocumented students who qualify for in-state tuition to be eligible to receive State financial aid and scholarships.
May 16, 2013 | News Story
Our sisters and brothers who are members of the Legal Services Staff Association, NOLSW, UAW Local 2320 went on strike on the morning of Wednesday, May 15th after working almost a year without a contract. Despite making historic offers to management to share in the costs of healthcare and forgo a general wage increase in order to address fiscal concerns, the management is demanding deep and...
May 14, 2013 | News Story
Last night, in a vote of 82 to 53, the New York State Assembly passed the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act (A1792/S1743). This act will ensure that Farmworkers receive the same basic rights as other workers throughout the state, such as an 8 hour workday, a guaranteed day off and workers compensation in the case of injury. The bill has now been delivered to the State Senate. For more...
May 8, 2013 | News Story
In a historic vote by the New York City Council, Intro 97-A, the New York City Earned Sick Time Act passed by a margin of 45-3. The passage of this bill marks a major step toward protecting workers and their families in the event of illness. To read more, please click
Apr 26, 2013 | News Story
The New York City Central Labor Council has launched a new website. Please take a look around and get acquainted and feel free to drop us an email to tell us what you think! For information on our affiliate organizations, please click here.
Apr 19, 2013 | News Story
A commonsense immigration reform bill was unveiled this week which offers a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants currently living in the United States. The bill would also ensure that immigrants are covered by US labor law, including minimum wage and workplace safety requirements.
A statement from Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council:
"New York City...
Apr 16, 2013 | News Story
Last year, 112 workers died when a garment factory in Bangladesh that supplies Walmart, GAP and others burned to the ground. Conditions at the factory were so lethal that it didn’t have a single emergency exit, and supervisors prevented workers from leaving their sowing machines even when the fire alarm went off. Sumi Abedin, one of the garment workers trapped inside, survived the tragedy by...
Apr 4, 2013 | News Story
On Thursday, April 4, 2013, hundreds of fast food restaurant workers in New York City staged a one-day strike to call attention to the mistreatment they face on the job and the low wages they receive. Workers in the fast food industry make much less than they need to survive and many must rely on public assistance in order to provide basic necessities for themselves and their families. For more...
Apr 4, 2013 | News Story
Forget the silly fluff pieces mainstream media are reporting about sequestration's effect on White House tours—there is real pain happening all over the United States.
Sam Stein and Amanda Terkel of The Huffington Post cover 99 stories of the job losses and pain felt in states across the country in Sequestration Effects: Cuts Sting Communities Nationwide.
Here are the first 10 stories:
Mar 22, 2013 | News Story
As President of the New York City Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO), I represent over 1.3 million workers across many industries and professions in the private sector, public sector and building and construction trades. Many of these workers have the benefit of collective bargaining agreements that stipulate for time off with pay during illness. However, there remain far too many workers in the...