The Marquette Alger Community Labor Council, AFL-CIO and the U.P. Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO are pleased to announce the 25th Annual Labor Day Festival will be held in Ishpeming on Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2014. The Parade, Rally and Picnic are at the Cliffs Shaft Museum (Marquette Range Iron Mining Heritage Theme Park) near Lake Bancroft. Parade set up is at 9 am. The parade starts at 11am. Total parade length is 1.1 miles.

The theme for this year is "Labor: The “SILVER” Lining". We encourage Local Unions to march and enter floats in the parade that reflect this theme. Prizes for floats are 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place trophies. Please contact Tony Ghiringhelli (906) 236-3889, or Mike Thibault at (906) 346-9321 for details and to confirm your participation. Parade line up will be based upon a draw from the hat. Read more >>>

 The Upper Peninsula Regional Labor Federation is a chartered organization of the National AFL-CIO and a coalition of Local Unions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our organization works to stimulate and coordinate communications and mobilization activity among affiliates and allies area wide. The Field & Community Engagement Coordinator is required to live in the organization’s jurisdiction, operating from a central base and working throughout the area at satellite locations. Applications are due by Tuesday, July 28, 2014. Read more >>>

 Marquette County Labor Council delegates recently voted unanimously for unification with the Delta County Trades and Labor Council, whose delegates also adopted the unification pact. The votes complete the procedural steps the two AFL-CIO chartered Labor Councils needed to take in order to unite with the jurisdictions of three other AFL-CIO bodies: the Dickinson-Iron Counties Labor Council, the Eastern Upper Peninsula Central Labor Council, and the Northwest Upper Peninsula Labor Council to build a united, region-wide organization, the Upper Peninsula Regional Labor Federation.  Read more >>>

In a 5-to-4 decision today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Illinois home care workers who benefit from higher wages and better working conditions that their union negotiated for—but who choose not to join—do not have to pay their fair share of the cost of the union’s bargaining for and representation of all workers. Text STRENGTH to 235246 to fight back against these attacks on working families. The suit was filed in 2010 by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, an extreme anti-worker group whose funders include billionaires like the Charles Koch Charitable Foundation and the Walton Family [of Walmart] Foundation. But the suit was dismissed first by a federal district court and then again on appeal by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court agreed to hear it in October. Read more >>>

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 >>>

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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".

The firehouse dog has long kept watch over the fire trucks (and before that fire horses) and has been the faithful companion riding alongside the firefighters on their way to save lives. But now dogs are being used in an innovative way to save the lives of the firefighters.

More than one year ago, the Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation contacted Mike Butkus, the chief steward of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 2 in Chicago, and asked if he wanted to participate in a new program where dogs are trained to detect cancer in humans who have the early stages of the disease. Butkus said he would give it a try. 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