Cincinnati
AFL-CIO
Labor Council
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The PRO Act National Week of Action
April 26 - May 2, 2021
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A Presidential Proclamation on Workers Memorial Day 2021
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America’s workers are the backbone of our economy. In every State, territory, and Tribal land, they leave their homes and families and head to work — applying their grit and skill to create, serve, and service all those things that make our world turn. Even during our Nation’s most difficult periods, American workers have always persevered, ensuring that our communities remain resilient and that our Nation stands ready to confront the unforeseen challenges of each new generation. Though workers make tremendous sacrifices — especially essential workers who selflessly serve their communities during times of crisis — none of them should have to risk injury, illness, or death in order to provide for themselves and their families. Tragically, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are hurt or fall ill every year in the workplace — incidents that are often preventable. On the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, we reflect on the workers who have tragically lost their lives or have been harmed in the workplace, and we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every American worker has a safe and healthy work environment. [READ IN ENTIRETY]
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WATCH: President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s Joint Address to Congress
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Just one day shy of his 100th day in office, President Joe Biden delivered remarks to a joint session of Congress on April 28.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The roar of applause that typically greets a new president entering the House chamber softened Wednesday to just a few hundred hands clapping as Joe Biden arrived to deliver his first joint address to Congress under strict coronavirus restrictions and tight security at the Capitol.
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Trumka: Congress Should Heed President Biden’s Call for Action
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Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress:
More than any of his recent predecessors, President Biden understands we are at a crossroads. A deadly pandemic has laid bare the systemic inequalities that have prevented too many working families from realizing the American Dream. Any just recovery will require structural changes to our economy, a fundamental strengthening of our democracy and unprecedented federal investments in the communities that have lost the most.
That means creating good-paying union jobs to rebuild our country’s capacity to provide for its people—from fixing our roads and modernizing our energy grid to educating our kids and caring for our grandparents. And it means restoring the balance of power in our workplaces by passing the PRO Act.
[Thursday night] President Biden laid out the path ahead. Now, it’s time for Congress to turn those words into reality for millions of working families. If our leaders fail to act, the suffering of the past decades will only get worse. But if the majorities we elected deliver the generational change America needs, we can emerge from this crisis stronger than before.
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Trumka: OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard Will Save Lives
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Statement from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard submission to the White House for review:
Make no mistake, an emergency OSHA standard will save lives. We’re grateful for the Department of Labor’s work in getting the standard to this point, and we urge swift issuance of the rule. Strong enforceable standards that require employers to develop workplace COVID-19 safety plans, implement science-based protection measures, train workers and report outbreaks are necessary for reducing infections and deaths, and beating this virus. As working people continue to keep our country afloat more than a year into this pandemic, the Biden administration must continue to prioritize our safety and ensure we are protected from this virus on the job.
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ODP Adopts PRO Act Resolution |
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During a meeting of the Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee last night, Ohio AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Melissa Cropper made remarks about Workers’ Memorial Day and put before the body the attached resolution in support of the PRO Act. The motion carried unanimously – thank you S.T. Cropper! And please take a moment to thank ODP Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters lwalters@ohiodems.org for putting this on the agenda and for her support.
Tim Burga
President, Ohio AFL-CIO
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Workers Memorial Day - A Day of Tribute and Remembrance
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Wednesday of this week was Workers Memorial Day; a day set aside to remember those who have suffered and died on the job.
We have lost and continue to lose too many working people to COVID-19 and other workplace hazards. No one should die simply because we go to work.
Under the law, every employer is responsible for providing a safe workplace. But each year, thousands of people are killed and millions more get sick or are injured from preventable workplace hazards.
And after this past year, it’s painfully clear that too many corporate interests just don’t care about worker safety, even during a global pandemic.
Throughout this crisis, unions and our allies stepped into action. We held state and local leaders accountable to enforce the law. We won protections for members, including personal protective equipment, ventilation and training.
Unions are, and will always be, working people coming together to demand safer working conditions.
To honor those we’ve lost, we’ll keep fighting on their behalf. That’s why we built our PRO Act National Week of Action around Workers Memorial Day.
We need to ensure that future generations will always have a strong voice in the workplace. That every worker has the tools to demand safer working conditions.
Today, we remember. Today, we act.
In Solidarity,
Team AFL-CIO
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Call Your U.S. Senators and Urge Them To Support the PRO Act |
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Working people have waited long enough for labor laws that protect our right to form and join unions. Tell your senators to support working people by voting yes on the PRO Act. |
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The PRO Act: Worker Safety and Worker Voice
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Fifty years ago today, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job. The law was won in 1970 because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement and allies, who drew major attention to work-related deaths, disease and injuries, organized for safer working conditions and demanded action from their government. Since then, unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality—winning protections that have made jobs safer and saved lives. But there is much to be done before the promise to keep all workers safe on the job, during the pandemic and beyond, can be fulfilled. [READ MORE]
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5 Ways the PRO Act Will Help Address Systemic Racism |
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Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (Va.) have introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which restores the right of workers to freely and fairly form a union and bargain together for changes in the workplace. The PRO Act is landmark worker empowerment, civil rights and economic stimulus legislation and an essential part of any plan to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession. The provisions of the PRO Act will help all working families, but in particular, the PRO Act will help address systemic racism.
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The PRO Act: A Pathway to the American Dream Roundtable
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Join the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO, today, Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET, for a conversation with prominent veteran labor leaders on how joining a union changed their lives and how the PRO Act will enable veterans across the country to access the benefits of a union. The transition to civilian life is difficult, and a union career provides a pathway for veterans to achieve the American Dream during their transition and beyond. Join the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO for a conversation with prominent veteran labor leaders on how joining a union changed their lives and how the PRO Act will enable veterans across the country to access the benefits of a union.
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Cincinnati Labor Council and UAW Local 647 Take to the Web With Workers' Memorial Tribute Program
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Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council along with United Automobile - Aerospace - Agriculture - Implement Workers of America International Union (UAW) Local 647 took to the web for the inaugural live-stream broadcast from the Labor Council's new audio/video production studio, Vox Operántium ― “The Voice of the Worker!” Yes, Vox Operántium, Latin for “the voice of the worker,” is the Labor Council's new media venture designed to be just that -- the voice for Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council’s one-hundred-plus affiliated local unions and the tens of thousands of hard-working Sisters and Brothers we are honored to serve.
The subject for this premier broadcast was Workers' Memorial Day, also known as International Workers' Memorial Day or International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured. It takes place annually around the world on April 28, an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, injured, or made unwell by their work. Host Pete McLinden (Furthest Left Above) , Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council, was joined by Bill Froehle (Second from the left above), President, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council and Business Manager, Plumbers, Pipefitters, & MES Local 392, along with Brian Strunk (far right above), Vice President, UAW Local 647, Tim Burga (second from the right above), President, Ohio AFL-CIO, special guest, Ken Montgomery (middle above), the Cincinnati Area Director of OSHA.
Springboro HS JROTC Color Guard provided the Presentation of the Colors along with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Shon Estee Hubble who shared her immense talents singing The National Anthem and “Lift Every Voice And Sing." Deacon Royce Winters, IAFF Local 48 Chaplain provided the Invocation and Benediction to both welcome us and sent us on our way.
The evening included a solemn tribute known as the "Missing Man Table," which is also known as a fallen comrade table. It is a ceremony and memorial that honors fallen, missing, or imprisoned military service members. It was followed by "The Roll Call of the Fallen," which is another traditional Workers' Memorial Day tribute that commemorates those Sisters and Brothers who passed in the year 2020 due to work place injuries or circumstances related to their occupation. Finally, our panel closed out the evening with an informative discussion lead by Director Montgomery on A Post-COVID 19 America and what to expect and watch for as we return to our work places.
Two hundred and seventy-plus viewers checked in on the program as it streamed live on the Cincinnati Labor Council Facebook page. This premier broadcast of our new VO Studio will soon be available on the Labor Council's YouTube Page. We will, of course, let you know how to access that as soon as it is staged and ready. Watch this space...
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Dayton-Miami Valley And Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Councils Honor Lee Wong |
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Sisters and Brothers from both the Dayton-Miami Valley and Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Councils came out and stood together as the Labor Community of Southwest Ohio to proudly honor a great patriot, servant leader and friend to working people everywhere – Lee Wong.
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Pictured here, showing left to right, are Jerry Farris, Commander for the Dept. of Ohio Military Order of the Purple Heart, Thomas Ritchie, Sr., President of the Dayton-Miami Valley Regional Labor Council, the honoree, Lee Wong, West Chester Ohio Township Trustee (President) with Peter M. McLinden, Esq., Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council.
As part of AFL-CIO's Week of Action in support of The PRO Act, and on Workers' Memorial Day, Labor across Southwest Ohio showed up to honor Lee for his over 20 years of service in the U.S. army (retired from active duty) as special agent for the criminal investigation command (CID) as well as his four terms on West Chester Township's Board of Trustees.
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Pictured here to the right, showing left to right are Thomas Ritchie, Sr., President and Diane S. Walsh, Executive Secretary/Director, both from the Dayton-Miami Valley Regional Labor Council with Peter M. McLinden, Esq., Executive Secretary-Treasurer of Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council.
In 2017 when anti-working family forces tried to pass a local right-to-work law in West Chester Township (for the first time in Ohio), Lee stood up for union members/workers and led efforts to successfully defeat the initiative earning his place as a true friend to working people everywhere.
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Recently, 69-year-old Lee Wong made international news when he unbuttoned his shirt and bared his chest during a board meeting in West Chester on March 23, 2021. He said, “Don’t get me wrong. People love me in this community, and I love them, too. But there are some ignorant people that would come up to me and say that I don’t look American enough or patriotic enough.” Showing his military scars, he continued, “Here’s my proof. Now, is this patriot enough?”
Thank you, Lee, for your dedication, service, and sacrifice.
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Sen. Sherrod Brown Honors Workers' Memorial Day |
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Working For Working People! |
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APRIL 28, 2021 ─ Brown Statement On President Biden's First Address To A Joint Session Of Congress ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 28, 2021 ─ Brown Applauds Biden ‘American Families Plan’ To Make Once-In-A-Generation Investment In Ohio Kids, Families, And Economic Future ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 28, 2021 ─ Brown Calls for Strong ‘Buy America’ Rules for Taxpayer-Funded Infrastructure Projects ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 28, 2021 ─ Brown Introduces Legislation to Stop Sexual Harassment in STEM ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 28, 2021 ─ Brown: It is Time to Crack Down on Predatory Lenders ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 28, 2021 ─ Brown Statement on Biden’s Selection of Celeste Drake for ‘Made In America’ Director ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 27, 2021 ─ Brown, Colleagues Urge Biden Admin to Issue Delayed OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard for Workers ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 27, 2021 ─ Brown Hosts Workers from Ohio and Across the Country for Committee’s First-Ever Worker Listening Session ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 27, 2021 ─ Brown Leads Colleagues in Reintroducing Bipartisan, Bicameral Child Nutrition Bill ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 27, 2021 ─ Readout of Chairman Brown’s Meeting With Adrianne Todman, Nominee to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ─ READ MORE
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APRIL 24, 2021 ─ Brown, Portman Announce National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Today, Encourage Ohioans To Participate ─ READ MORE
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Issue Three Action Opportunities!
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May Webinar Info From Our Friends at RetireMEDiQ |
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Are You Approaching Retirement?
Here’s What You need to Know About Medicare!
If you are approaching age 65 (or retirement past age 65), you likely have questions about how your health coverage will change once you retire. The Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council has partnered with RetireMEDiQ who offers health insurance resources to simplify your transition to Medicare.
To learn more about your eligibility, enrollment, and options with Medicare, we invite you to attend an educational webinar: Medicare 101: Understanding Medicare.
During this webinar, we will introduce the basics of Medicare and answer your questions directly. That way, you can start planning ahead as you look forward to retirement. Register today!
For Early Retirees
Retiring Before Age 65
What Are My Health Insurance Options?
Are you an Early Retiree -or would you like to be one? Are you no longer on an Employer Group health plan, but not yet eligible for Medicare?
We know the value of getting simple answers to your health insurance questions. To lessen the confusion around pre- Medicare health insurance, the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council and RetireMEDiQ have partnered to communicate the latest options for Early Retirees.
If you’d like to learn more about your health care options, we invite you to attend our upcoming webinar: Retiring Before Age 65 – Your Health coverage Options.
This webinar will provide a resource for reviewing your COBRA, ACA Marketplace and other Early Retiree Health insurance options.
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Global Confirmed ─ 149,766,134
Global Deaths ─ 3,153,812
U.S. Confirmed ─ 32,235,827
U.S. Deaths ─ 574,383
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DATA IN MOTION
COVID-19 Data in Motion: Thursday, April 29, 2021
A 60-second, daily summary of the most important data on COVID-19 in the U.S., updated every morning.
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Overview
ODH is making COVID-19 data available for public review while also protecting patient privacy.
The State of Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard displays the most recent preliminary data reported to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) about cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Ohio by selected demographics and county of residence. Data for cases and hospitalizations is reported to ODH via the Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS), and verified mortality data is reported via the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS).
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Hamilton County
Cases
79,199
Hospitalizations
3,030
Deaths
1,183
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Clermont County
Cases
19,601
Hospitalizations
814
Deaths
232
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Brown County
Cases
3,897
Hospitalizations
58
Deaths
56
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Butler County
Cases
38,063
Hospitalizations
1,134
Deaths
576
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Warren County
Cases
24,104
Hospitalizations
706
Deaths
295
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Other News For and About Working Americans: |
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Cincinnati AFL-CIO
Labor Council
Bill Froehle, President
Pete McLinden,
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Brian D. Griffin,
Director, Communication & Technology
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