NYC fast-food workers stage second 1-day walkout

Fed up with wages so low that they often face eviction, and lack of power to fight for a decent living standard, thousands of New York City fast food workers staged a second 1-day walkout from their jobs, on April 4. The workers, led by the Fast Food Forward, a community-based organizing group, demanded living wages of $15 an hour – barely enough to survive on in New York – and the right to organize without employer interference. It was their second walkout. The first was last November.

Union membership declined in 2012

The number of union members nationwide declined by 398,000 from 2011 to 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. But there are many qualifications and caveats, the BLS economist who analyzes the data adds.

Coverage of the Minnesota AFL-CIO convention

Check out the Workday coverage of the recent Minnesota AFL-CIO convention:

Union members roll up their sleeves to defend worker rights
Young workers showing new ways to lead
Governor says it’s time to go on the offense
Opposition to amendments takes center stage
Co-president of newly merged entertainment union brings message of unity