Cincinnati
AFL-CIO
Labor Council
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Message from President Liz Shuler
  • The labor movement was built to face down challenges. Moments like these are why we have a federation—to come together, move forward as one and win big change.

  • Advancing voting rights is how we defend America against those who want to tear workers apart. Mobilizing on voting rights is also how we can take on the filibuster, which has been used for generations to block progress for workers. The timing of our MLK Conference this weekend could not be better.

  • It’s time to sideline the filibuster so we can unleash the agenda that working people voted for in 2020. And when we do, it won’t just be good for our democracy and our communities and our country—it will greatly strengthen the power of working people.
Message from President Shuler on COVID-19
  • Every day, more than 500,000 Americans are testing positive for COVID-19. Through it all, front-line workers continue to do the work and keep our country going.

  • As we begin the third year of this pandemic, we must remain vigilant. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that our workplaces are safe by taking a multilayered approach to prevent infections at work.

  • That’s why the AFL-CIO joined with our affiliates and other unions that represent health care workers to file a lawsuit last week against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We’re fighting for a permanent safety standard for health care workers, and continue to fight for stronger, enforceable COVID-19 protections for all workers. We won’t let up until all working people are safe on the job.
Message from President Shuler on America's Clean Energy Future
  • We’ve been laser focused on offshore wind for several years, committed to the idea that this sector can be the shining example of how the clean energy economy can provide the high-quality jobs that the fossil-fuel sector has for decades.

  • At a press conference earlier today, I was honored to join Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy as we announced the Biden administration’s new plans to implement worker-centered policies for America’s clean energy future.

  • Offshore wind and the clean energy transition as a whole should be a beacon of hope for working people, communities and the economy—all while ensuring a livable planet. We have to be intentional about making that happen and today is a great step in the right direction.
Message from President Shuler on OSHA's Rule
  • The Supreme Court ruled on January 13th to block enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) employer vaccine or testing emergency rule.

  • While we are disappointed by the decision, the court’s majority clearly acknowledged OSHA’s authority to protect workers who face heightened risks of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace. OSHA’s responsibility to provide safe working conditions remains firmly in place.
Ohio Supreme Court Strikes Down Gerrymandered State Legislative Maps
Yesterday was a historic day for Ohio. We applaud the Ohio Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Republican-drawn state House and Senate maps as unconstitutional. The 4-3 decision was clear in its consenting opinion that the Republicans on the Redistricting Commission did not work in good faith to follow the Ohio Constitution.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart wrote the majority opinion, with consent from Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Justice Jennifer Brunner and Justice Michael Donnelly. Dissenting from the majority opinion were Justices Pat DeWine, Pat Fischer and Sharon Kennedy.

The opinion cites primary arguments advanced by the plaintiffs around representational fairness and no attempt made to meet the standard to avoid partisan political gain as the reasons the maps violate the Constitution. Justice Stewart writes: “We hold that the plan is invalid because the commission did not attempt to draw a plan that meets the proportionality standard in Article XI, Section 6(B). We also conclude that the commission did not attempt to draw a plan that meets the standard in Section 6(A)—that no plan shall be drawn primarily to favor a political party."

In conclusion, the majority opinion held that: “Because the commission did not attempt to meet the standards set forth in Article XI, Sections 6(A) and 6(B) of the Ohio Constitution, we declare invalid the General Assembly–district plan adopted on September 16, 2021. Pursuant to Article XI, Section 9(B), we order the commission to be reconstituted under Article XI, Section 1, to convene, and to ascertain and adopt a General Assembly–district plan in conformity with the Ohio Constitution. The commission’s plan shall comply with the standards set forth in Sections 6(A) and 6(B) as we have explained them above. We further order the commission to adopt a new plan within ten days of this judgment, and we retain jurisdiction for the purpose of reviewing the new plan adopted by the commission."

Over the past four years, the Ohio AFL-CIO, unions and labor councils worked tirelessly to elect Supreme Court Justices that align with our values. Those election victories were critical to this outcome seeking free and fair elections. We also acknowledge the independent leadership of Chief Justice O'Connor in her consent siding with the majority.

We now call on the Ohio Redistricting Commission to abide by the ruling and promptly submit fair maps that adhere to the spirit and intent of the voters who overwhelming amended the Ohio Constitution to end the illegal practice of gerrymandering.


In Solidarity,

Tim Burga, President
Ohio AFL-CIO
Action Alert: Tell Your Senators to Sideline the Filibuster
The campaign to protect voting rights is heating up as the U.S. Senate plans to decide in the coming days on whether to sideline the filibuster and pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The AFL-CIO has created a toolkit to help mobilize our members and get these crucial bills across the finish line.
 
Visit Toolkit.SidelineTheFilibuster.com today, and urge your senators to sideline the filibuster so we can protect the right to vote and preserve that freedom for future generations. Union members can take these five actions to support the campaign:
  1. Add your name to this petition.
  2. Make a sign and upload it on social media.
  3. Share a post on Facebook and Twitter.
  4. Record a video.
  5. Call your senators. You can also directly dial 1-866-832-1560 to reach your senators.

Our democracy is under attack. The Senate must sideline the filibuster and make sure everyone can vote. Sign the petition: Sideline the filibuster and protect our right to vote.

It shouldn’t be hard to make laws to help people—especially now, when so many Americans are struggling. It should be a simple 50-vote majority, but that’s not possible with a filibuster on the table. So laws aren’t getting passed and people don’t get help.
 
Is this democracy?
 
Nineteen state legislatures have passed laws that make it harder to vote. Laws that make voting by mail more difficult, shorten early voting and reduce the number of polling places. Laws targeting voters of color and voters with disabilities.
 
Is this democracy?
 
Our democracy is under threat, and the U.S. Senate must take action to protect it.
 
There are two bills in the Senate that expand voting rights: the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. They haven’t passed yet because of the filibuster.
 
 
Our democracy depends on it.
Join AFL-CIO Officers, Labor Leaders, Pro-Worker Elected Officials, Entertainers and More at the 2022 MLK Conference
The 2022 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference will focus on what we built together last year and what we’re going to fight for in 2022. Registration is now open for the conference, which will gather virtually this weekend, on Jan. 16–17. The theme of the conference is “Honoring Our Past and Protecting Our Future.”
The AFL-CIO is pleased to announce the following special guests will be part of the conference:

  • AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond and AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre
  • Vice President Kamala Harris and Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia
  • Hollywood actors Mykelti Williamson, Blair Underwood, William Allen Young, Harry Lennix and Colman Domingo
  • Musicians Yolanda Adams, Tom Morello, PJ Morton and Brittney Spencer
  • Stars of TV and film Judge Greg Mathis, Medalion Rahimi and Ruth Negga
  • Union leaders, including AFGE National President Everett Kelley, AFSCME President Lee Saunders, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, Laborers (LIUNA) General President Terry O’Sullivan, Mine Workers (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts, NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and UAW President Ray Curry
  • And radio legend Joe Madison will be hosting the event
The 2022 MLK Conference is sponsored by Ullico, Union Plus, AFSCME, American Income Life Insurance Co., the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust, the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, LIUNA, National Nurses United (NNU) and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).
Labor is on the Rise by Noah Carmichael 
Labor is waking up. For many years organized labor has been asleep and resigned itself to being content with the handing over of campaign funds to political parties and candidates and letting them steer the ship. Many members, and some of our more critical and forward-thinking leaders have been aggravated by this approach, and I think rightly so. But this servile tactic was not always the case. There was a time, not long ago in the United States when labor was in the driver’s seat of politics. When we demanded social security, the people got it. When we demanded workplace safety, working people got it. When we demanded an end to child labor so that kids could go to school and learn and get to be kids, working people got child labor laws and better public schools. There is a lesson here that our ancestors and brothers and sisters laid out for us to learn. It is a concept that we could all use to get familiar with. It is called collective power.

Just like collective bargaining for a contract is much more powerful than individual power, so is collective power in our communities, and in our country. When working people put their differences aside and focus on things that they mostly agree on (making a good wage, safe workplaces, good health care, access to good education, strong retirement plans, etc) then that is when we are at our most powerful.
In the last 5 years, we have seen more strikes and lockouts than in the previous 4 decades. Many of these have come from other workers like the service industry and the education sector. So why should construction workers care about how people in service jobs, or teachers, or bus drivers are treated? Because if we all supported each other in our struggles as working people, the powerful would have to come to us- hat in hand and ask us what we want. They love nothing more than when we are at each other’s throats. I once saw a movie when I was a teenager, and though I was only a few years into the workforce at the time, something at the end of it never left me. In the movie “Blue Collar” with Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel, the character “Smokey” tells his friend Jerry:
“They pit the lifers against the new boys, the old against the young, the black against the white - ANYTHING to keep us in our place.”

He was talking about their jobs at an auto plant and the movie was made in the late 1970’s. It might as well have been made yesterday. The same game is going on still. Pitting workers against each other: skilled trades vs. “unskilled”, professionals vs. service, black vs. white, immigrant vs. so-called natives. Its all a hustle to keep us in our place. Remember that next time you see a strike or a picket line, or some folks just trying to get a raise. It might be your time to fight next. The power lies with us being together. Collective power. That is what made unions strong once, and it is what will make unions strong again.
 
(Noah Carmichael is a Union Representative, Organizer, labor history instructor, and activist who resides in Northeast Ohio. Noah has a bachelor’s in business from the National Labor college and a Masters in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management from Penn State University. He has been a Journeyman bricklayer with 17 years’ service in the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 7, Akron, Ohio.)
SAVE USPS
Roman Martinez will serve as the panel's 25th chairman. He will not signify a change in direction or hold Louis DeJoy accountable for mail slowdowns.

Resources
  • The Save the Post Office Coalition statement on the USPS Board meeting and new Chair election 


  • This Ron Bloom factsheet on TOWS’ website provides further context on the privatization threats that the USPS has faced in recent years.

Sample Tweets

  • Even with a couple of allies off the @USPS Board of Governors, when you count the votes, DeJoy still comes out on top. His ten-year plan is privatizing the postal service contract by contract! @POTUS, #SaveThePostOffice and nominate governors who will vote DeJoy out: https://takeonwallst.com/2022/01/usps-biden-dejoy/

Watch: Senator Sherrod Brown Honors Custodial Workers On Anniversary of Jan. 6 Insurrection
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown took to the Senate floor this week to honor the Capitol Hill janitorial and maintenance staff workers who risked their lives serving the country on January 6, 2021. Senator Brown who is always quick to recognize those that work behind the scenes or with little fanfare praised those who restored dignity to the Capitol, by cleaning up the destruction left behind by the domestic terrorists and allowing the Senate to continue its work certifying the results of the 2020 election.
“Every day, Capitol janitorial, maintenance, and other essential workers do their jobs with skill and dedication and dignity,” said Brown on the Senate floor. “They have shown up for work during this pandemic, for nearly two years. And those workers were here on January 6th doing their jobs when insurrectionists stormed this building. I ask my colleagues to join me in a resolution honoring the Capitol janitorial and maintenance staff for their bravery and their service to our country on January 6th. ”
 
This resolution reaffirms the Senate’s commitment to strengthening custodial workers’ rights by providing support and resources to ensure their health, well-being, safety, and protection from further attacks, including higher pay, collective bargaining rights, paid sick and vacation leave, and comprehensive health insurance with mental health resources.
Ohio To Receive $241 Million In Water Infrastructure Upgrades
As a result of President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, beginning this year Ohio is set to receive nearly one quarter of a billion dollars to help shore up, take the lead out and improve the states’ water infrastructure. Ohio’s share ($241 million), of the allocated national funding represents the sixth largest state investment for this work in the country. 
 
All Ohio Democrat members of Congress; Sen. Sherrod Brown, Representatives Tim Ryan, Marcy Kaptur, Joyce Beatty and Shontel Brown, were joined by two Ohio Republicans, Senator Rob Portman and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez in voting for the Infrastructure Bill. 
 
The funding is primarily earmarked to help improve water quality in communities through projects and programs that reduce and eliminate lead and chemicals from drinking water along with removing and replacing lead service lines.
 
Rest in Power, Brother Sidney Poitier
Actor Sidney Poitier (SAG-AFTRA, pictured above), a trailblazer who was one of the first African Americans to win an Academy Award, passed away on Friday at the age of 94. In 1999, Poitier was awarded the SAG Life Achievement Award in recognition of his professional and humanitarian achievements. “Sidney Poitier was a brilliant and dignified actor who broke the ceiling for many actors of color that followed in his footsteps,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher (not pictured). “Blessed by a long life, he remains a most respected, admired, accomplished actor by his industry peers.” Drescher expressed her condolences on behalf of the union to Poitier’s family.
Tuesday 1/11/22 was the Anniversary of the Bread and Roses Strike
110 years ago today, The Lawrence Textile Strike, also known as the Bread and Roses Strike, began.
 
The 1912 Strike in Lawrence, Mass., was one of the most significant struggles in U.S. labor history due to its level of organization and collaboration across ethnic and gender lines. Thousands of largely female workers engaged in a lengthy, well-organized, and successful walkout, standing firm against an entrenched group of mill owners and their hundreds of militia and police. Workers maintained soup kitchens and nurseries for children. Meetings were simultaneously translated into nearly 30 languages as employee representatives formed a multi-national strike leadership group.
 
Reporters at the time were impressed by the level of organization. From the February 10, 1912, issue of The Outlook: “There are almost as many nationalities here in Lawrence as there are in your Babel of New York. The workers are American, English, Scotch, Irish, German, French, Flemish, French-Canadian, Polish, Italian, Syrian, Russian, Armenian. I heard speeches in six languages. You might not suspect that a common sentiment could animate these diverse groups and weld them into a fighting unit. Nevertheless, they have struck as a single homogenous body.”
 
Female networks in Lawrence’s ethnic neighborhoods also added strength to the strike. Workers, wives, and mothers forged strong alliances with neighbors in their tenement blocks. Such networks contributed to the solidarity essential to sustaining the strike of 1912 and laying down a blueprint for obtaining economic justice through collective action.
 
U.S Senator Sherrod Brown: Working For Working People!
NKU Alternative Dispute Resolution Center: Quarterly Speaker Series
Negotiate Like a Pro
Learn powerful methods to boost your success

Cost: $50 per registrant
Date: February 4, 2022 | 8:00AM - 2:00PM (in-person)
Must register by January 28, 2022

Whether you are a company principal, lawyer, executive, or project manager negotiations are critical to a project’s success. Even with years of experience, we're often left with questions about the effectiveness of our negotiations. Could I have gotten more from the deal? Have I or my client been taken advantage of? Will the deal last? One of the most powerful tools you can have is the ability to negotiate with confidence. Upon completion of this seminar, participants will be able to: plan for effective negotiation, analyze potential clients, and turn a bargaining session into a more positive outcome for you, your client and your company. This training builds on your existing negotiation experience to improve your future performance. No one is born a great negotiator. It's a skill that must be learned and practiced. This seminar will provide you with a variety of practical strategies to become a successful negotiator.
LAST CHANCE to attend Women LEADing Ohio's Running for Office 101
Join us for our final introductory webinar on Thursday, January 20th, from 6:00-7:30 PM. The deadline for most 2022 candidates to file petitions to get on the ballot is February 2nd, so this will be your last chance to learn more about considerations of running for office, specifically for women. If you or a woman who inspires you has any interest whatsoever in running for office in the near future, join us for a free webinar on how to get started.
7 Ways to Start the Year off Right. Register now for upcoming FMCS Institute courses!
Training for the real-world challenges of labor-management relations and organizational change.

Don't wait! The FMCS Institute's 2022 courses will provide you with the opportunity to expand your conflict resolution and organizational change toolkit by introducing a diverse lineup of targeted and hands-on programs brought to you by experienced instructors and practitioners. Register today for some of our most in-demand courses. 

Funny You Should Ask - The Art of Inquiry (Online) February 2, 9, and 16

Negotiation Skills (Online) Spring 2022 

Negotiation Skills (Online) Summer 2022 

Arbitrating in the Federal Sector (Online) Spring 2022 

Arbitrating in the Federal Sector (Online) Summer 2022 
Message from United Way
Before we completely turn the page on a new year, thank you for a wonderful 2021. I am in awe of your generosity and care for our community.

When we called, you stepped forward. You donated. You volunteered. You advocated.

That allowed us to do great things:
Direct Support
Helped nearly 10,000 seniors and vulnerable community members get connected with vaccines.

Distributed more than 3,700 boxes of Cintas hand sanitizer to 163 organizations within four months.
Collected and distributed more than 4,600 211 Basic Needs Kits.

Supported 71 kinship families with gifts and basic needs resources during the holiday season.
Financial Stability
Saved Free Tax Prep participants about $2 million in tax preparation fees and helped them obtain $10 million in refunds. 

Organized and trained 300 volunteers who helped file nearly 6,800 tax returns.
Enrolled 1,197 families in Project Lift and helped them remove barriers to securing sustainable income and achieving financial stability.
Education
Increased the number of early childhood education providers in our Early Success Network by 10%. 

Increased participation in our Success by 6 Community Roundtable by 30%. The new composition of the group includes 10% of Black parents and community members.
800 volunteers helped provide literacy kits to 4,860 preschoolers through a partnership with Blue Manatee and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Increased kindergarten registration by 80% in Lincoln Heights through our Kinder Camp in August.
Investments
Administered nearly $14 million in new public contracts to help governments support human services.

Provided over $150,000 to non-traditional and grassroots organizations through our Community Outreach and Engagement mini grants program.
Launched our second round of Black Empowerment Works, supporting 45 Black-led programs and projects with nearly $1 million.
That is just a small sample of what United Way of Greater Cincinnati accomplished because of your help and the determination of families throughout our region. The challenges families face that prevent them from achieving economic well-being are complex. Only they know what is best for them. Because of your advocacy and generosity, we co-created individual solutions that met their needs and truly helped.
  
Together, we LIVE UNITED. From our recent email campaign asking for your support of Project Lift, to the group and individual volunteer opportunities you joined, to the many other ways throughout the year you supported us – we thank you.

Sincerely,

Moira Weir
President/CEO, United Way of Greater Cincinnati
COVID-19 Dashboard
Ohio Vaccination Dashboard

The COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard displays the most recent data reported to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regarding the number of individuals that have started and completed the COVID-19 vaccination series by various demographics and county of residence.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard displays the most recent data reported to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) regarding the number of individuals that have started and completed the COVID-19 vaccination series by various demographics and county of residence. “Vaccination started” indicates that the individual has received at least one valid dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The number listed as “vaccination completed” is a subset of the number included in “vaccination started,” indicating that those individuals within that group have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses and are considered fully immunized. ODH is making COVID-19 data available for public review while also protecting privacy. This dashboard will be updated daily. Please see footnotes below for more details.
Ohio COVID-19 Dashboard
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).
Current Trends
Below is a snapshot of key metrics pulled Friday, January 14 from daily data reporting to the Ohio Department of Health. These metrics are updated daily.
Below are the current reporting trends from Friday, January 14 for key indicators calculated from data reported to the Ohio Department of Health. These trends are updated daily and are presented by report date.
Hamilton County
Cases
154,415
Hospitalizations
5,087
Deaths
1,684
Clermont County
Cases
40,028
Hospitalizations
1,279
Deaths
418
Brown County
Cases
8,769
Hospitalizations
94
Deaths
138
Butler County
Cases
72,444
Hospitalizations
2,752
Deaths
918
Warren County
Cases
46,009
Hospitalizations
1,164
Deaths
465
Other News For and About Working People:

Cincinnati AFL-CIO
Labor Council

Bill Froehle, President

Brian D. Griffin,
Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Ashley Schleicher,
Communications Associate

1385 Tennessee Avenue | Second Floor | Cincinnati, OH 45229 | 513.421.1846 | info@cincinnatiaflcio.org | www.cincinnatiaflcio.org