On Monday, April 28th, The Marquette County Labor Council and Working Families will hold a Workers Memorial Day Event in honor of workers who died on the job at the Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum, 105 W. Euclid Street in Ishpeming, MI starting at 6:30 pm.

A special tribute will be held in honor of Gary Hytinen, USWA member who died at the work place. Safe Jobs - Save Lives - Make Your Voice Heard

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You know better than anyone that buying union-made products and services is a great way to stand in unity with our brothers and sisters. Thankfully, there is a clear option to do just that in the often crowded world of mobile carriers. With 45,000 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America, AT&T is the only national unionized wireless provider and is the clear choice for union members, their families and for the union staff working to promote their interests. Please help your locals demonstrate solidarity with their CWA brothers and sisters and enjoy discounts available to union members. Read more >>>

All this is fine as far as it goes. But we need to be more ambitious. We should be raising the federal minimum to $15 an hour. Here are seven reasons why: 1. Had the minimum wage of 1968 simply stayed even with inflation, it would be more than $10 an hour today. But the typical worker is also about twice as productive as then. Some of those productivity gains should go to workers at the bottom. 2. $10.10 isn’t enough to lift all workers and their families out of poverty. Most low-wage workers aren’t young teenagers; they’re major breadwinners for their families, and many are women. And they and their families need a higher minimum. Read more >>>

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It’s good to be a CEO, at least paywise. According to the 2014 AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch, released today, it’s 331 times better to be a CEO than an average worker. PayWatch finds that the average CEO of an S&P 500 company pocketed $11.7 million in 2013, while the average worker earned $35,293. The gap between CEOs and minimum wage workers is more than twice as wide—774 times. Read more >>>

More than sixty Labor Affiliate Members and their family members braved the cold on Sunday March 2nd to participate in the second annual Organized Slide labor event at Marquette Mountain. The event was originally designed to give all labor affiliates an affordable opportunity to spend some "quality" time, enjoying the UP outdoors with family and friends of labor.

The slopes were in excellent condition, the blue sky, bright sunshine and tolerable temperatures, provided the perfect climate for winter fun and excitement for all. To kick-off the afternoon, a hillside picnic lunch provided for all participants. Held in a cozy heated lodge that gave everyone a chance to warm their toes, take in some good food and beverages, engage in friendly conversation with other affiliates and family members.

Immediately following the picnic was a slope-side "Labor Challenge Competition", a timed event where competitors attempted to match two timed runs down a giant slalom race course. The event was won by Paula Vincent, the daughter of USW member Paul Vincent. Her time differential was nearly perfect, only three tenths of a second between her two runs.

The whole event was a great success ! A sincere thank you to all those that participated, and to those that helped organize and market the Organized Slide. We received some great feedback from attendees and some great ideas on how we can make the event even more successful next year.

Nearly a dozen different affiliates were represented at the mountain that day.

A larger version of the 2014 Organized Slide Picnic picture is available in the Photo Albums section of the web site. If you have more pictures from the event please email them to Chris.J.Wagner@gmail.com with the subject "2014 Organized Slide".

As a 14-year-old, Sara Ziff faced situations most adults find difficult to manage. But as a model barely out of middle school, sexual harassment and fighting for wages owed to her were all too common. She found out she wasn’t alone. Other models faced the same challenges, and many were pressured to drop out of high school to make the most of a short-lived career.

They banded together to address these concerns collectively, to establish fair and ethical standards in the workplace. In 2012, Ziff formed the Model Alliance to bring dramatic and lasting change in the fashion industry. We spoke with Ziff this month about the fashion industry and the initiatives at The Model Alliance. Read the full article>>>

 

Inspired by a Woody Guthrie song, 1913 Massacre tells the story of a Michigan town broken by greed. The film follows musician Arlo Guthrie to the town of Calumet, a once-thriving mining town on Michigan's Upper Peninsula still haunted by the tragic events that inspired Woody Guthrie's ballad, '1913 Massacre.' 1913 Massacre captures the last living witnesses of the 1913 tragedy, reconstructs Calumet's past from individual memories, family legends and songs, and traces the legacy of the tragedy to the present day, when the town --out of work, out of money, out of luck -- struggles to survive. Read more >>>

A Labor Day 2012 Photo Album has been added in the Photo Albums section. If you have photos you are willing to share and would like to see on the website please let us know.

Thank You for Helping to Make this Labor Day the Best Yet!

In excess of 1100 workers, students, seniors and their families representing the 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan attended the We ARE the People Workers United Rally at the steps of the county courthouse in Marquette, Michigan.April 13th, 2011

We ARE the People Photo Album