Recent Press
- Statement from WV AFL-CIO President Josh Sword regarding Senate Bill 841
- A statement regarding Senate Bill 841 to cut unemployment benefits
- Cutting Earned Unemployment Benefits is Wrong
- WV AFL-CIO devastated at sudden passing of former President Kenneth Perdue
- A statement from West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword regarding Senator Joe Manchin’s decision to not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate
- Join a Labor Day Celebration!
- Ceremony Friday to honor WV workers who died on the job
- Teamster Members Unanimously Authorize Strike At Coke
- The PEIA Cost Shifting Bill (aka SB 268)
- Public Employee Representatives to Discuss Sweeping PEIA Legislation
- Union leaders’ statement on Senate PEIA bill
- Workers Will Rally for Fair Treatment at Italian Opera-Themed Tecnocap Celebration
- A celebration of former WV AFL-CIO President Jim Bowen's life Sunday
- A statement from Mike Caputo regarding the passing of Jim Bowen
- Former WV AFL-CIO President Jim Bowen Passes Away
- This Labor Day weekend, celebrate the momentum of working people
- A statement from West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword regarding the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
- Ceremony Thursday to honor WV workers who died on the job
- 2022 AFL-CIO Convention - In Memoriam
- IUPAT DC 53 HOLDING PROTEST MONDAY
- WV AFL-CIO Holds 30th Constitutional Convention
- United Food Operation Food Drive Kickoff Friday
- A statement from West Virginia AFL-CIO President Josh Sword on Senator Joe Manchin’s position on the Build Back Better Act
- IUPAT DC 53 Hosting Open House for National Apprenticeship Week
- Honor and Celebrate the Labor Movement this Weekend
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CHARLESTON -- Representatives of the West Virginia AFL-CIO and its affiliates gathered today at the State Capitol to call for a stop to the attack on working West Virginians and their families.
“I’ve been told many times this week that this has been the largest public turnout in the Statehouse halls in recent memory, and that’s because these working men and women realize how this legislative attack will hurt West Virginia families,” WV AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue said. “We’re working hard to help legislators and members of the public understand that.”
Of primary concern to the group are three pieces of legislation:
- Senate Bill 337 would enact a so-called “Right to Work” measure
“What some are calling ‘Right to Work’ or ‘Workplace Freedom’ is a proposed law that actually ties the hands of employers by taking away some of their rights and options in dealing with their employees,” Perdue said. “This legislation is often promoted as pro-business, when instead it restricts the options available to businesses, and infringes on voluntary negotiations between private employers and employees.”
- Senate Bill 361 would repeal the state Prevailing Wage
“The prevailing wage is good for local businesses and contractors, good for workers and encourages skills and training, the result being cost-effective, quality public projects,” West Virginia State Building Trades Director Steve White said. “A repeal of this would be disastrous: hurt local contractors, lead to wage cuts, fewer training opportunities, less people who have benefits, and more accidents on job – all that for no savings of taxpayer funds.”
- Senate Bill 14 and House Bill 2014 to establish Charter Schools
“This legislation contemplates creating a whole new system of schools despite the fact there is no public outcry for charter schools in West Virginia, and no evidence that academic achievement in charter schools exceeds that in regular public schools,” said Christine Campbell, President of the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia. “Charter schools in other states are being criticized for financial mismanagement, lack of accountability and the failure to demonstrate academic improvement. Why is there such a push to enact charter schools when West Virginia already has in place laws to encourage innovation and mentoring within our existing school system?”
“We applaud legislators for examining every possible method to boost West Virginia’s economy and educational system, but each of us who spoke today – representing tens of thousands of West Virginians – truly believe these bills of concern would serve only to set our state’s economy back,” President Perdue said. “We urge legislators to focus their valuable time and energy on measures that will help West Virginia’s employers, employees and students succeed.”
*Attached are President Perdue’s remarks regarding Right to Work.
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Charleston, W.Va. - Karen Gorrell, an activist working to win back health-care benefits for retired Century Aluminum workers and their wives, visited Charleston Monday to protest the Ravenswood company's decision to stop paying their health-care benefits.
Gorrell was one of nine retirees and their wives who held signs in front of the federal courthouse in Charleston and the state Capitol. They later met with political leaders.
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RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. — A representative of the Century Aluminum retirees who spent Monday picketing outside of the Jackson County facility said those retirees were at the plant’s Ravenswood entrance with a message.
“We are still out here uninsured and Century still has not stepped up to the plate and we, certainly, have not given up,” said Karen Gorrell.
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One of the biggest business news stories to unfold last year was Century Aluminum’s attempt to set up a special rate plan to restart its Ravenswood plant. The PSC denied that plan last October, issuing its own, which the company said would not allow it to restart. The saga involved a lot of drama early on last year, when the company finally brokered an agreement to restore some health care benefits to its retirees. However, that plan was contingent upon the company restarting the plant.
Fast forward to this year, and the company has purchased another (newer) plant in Kentucky and barely mentioned the Ravenswood site on its most recent quarterly earnings conference call.
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Frontier Communications and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union have ratified the labor agreement the two parties reached on Aug. 3 representing local employees in West Virginia.
Set to expire in August 2017, the new agreement covers nearly 1,500 West Virginia employees who work in 42 West Virginia counties and serve more than 500,000 residential and business customers. This includes a mix of customer service technicians, network support technicians, construction technicians, call center representatives and many other employees who support service delivery in the state.