Redmond and Brooks: The Fate of Our Freedom Is Tied to Our Courts, So We Must Demand Reform

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond and Alliance for Justice President Rakim Brooks wrote the following op-ed for The Grio:

In recent weeks, the Supreme Court has come under intense scrutiny following reports that Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas failed to report luxury trips and gifts from wealthy conservative donors. These stories—combined with the brazenly partisan decisions the court has been issuing—have shaken the public’s confidence in its integrity. A poll conducted in June showed that 59% of registered voters disapprove of the job it’s doing—and cast doubt about its ability to make decisions in the best interest of working people. Of particular concern is the impact that this court will have on the most vulnerable in our society, including communities of color.

As Black men from two different generations, we have seen and experienced firsthand the effect of the U.S. court system on our lives. We have dedicated our careers—one in the labor movement and the other in law—to defending civil and workers’ rights and advancing the fight for economic and racial justice. We understand how pivotal our nation’s judiciary—from the Supreme Court to district courts to state courts—has been in both advancing and resisting racial equity and fairness. That is why we cannot relinquish our court system to the influence of wealthy, special corporate interests or extremists who want to roll back our hard-won progress. We must remain engaged in the fight to shape our judiciary, reinforce its integrity and secure our democracy.

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Join UFCW Members in Urging the FTC to Stop the Kroger–Albertsons Megamerger

Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) are urging everyone to take action and tell the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to stop the Kroger and Albertsons merger, which poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of retail workers. Kroger and Albertsons are pushing for a corporate megamerger that could give them almost unchecked control over retail food prices, the food supply chain, and the wages and benefits of essential retail workers who were critical to our nation’s day-to-day survival during the pandemic. This past May at the UFCW International Convention, members voted unanimously to oppose the proposed merger.

UFCW members need our support. Sign this petition saying that the Kroger and Albertsons merger must be stopped for the sake of essential grocery workers and their families.

Yellowstone National Park Workers Form Union, Joining Growing Number of Workers Nationwide Who Choose a Voice on the Job

An overwhelming majority of workers at Yellowstone National Park, America’s first established national park, voted to form their union with the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), an affiliate of the Machinists (IAM). The new unit includes interpretive park rangers, educators, researchers, fee collectors, first responders, firefighters and other staff working for the Department of Interior’s National Park Service. “Working to protect and preserve Yellowstone for ‘the enjoyment of the people’ is a much more difficult and precarious career than people realize,” said the Yellowstone organizing committee in a statement. “Due to low pay, unmanageable workloads, high rent, a stifling hierarchy, and many other issues, the workforce here is struggling. The resulting high turnover negatively affects the park and the public’s experience of it.”

A Supermajority of Grindr Workers Launch Union Drive with CWA

Workers at Grindr, the largest LGBTQ+ dating app, are forming their union, Grindr United, with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). By joining CWA, the cloud engineering, IT, design, marketing and quality assurance workers are committed to ensuring Grindr remains a safe, inclusive and thriving place for both its users and workers. The effort is part of the broader CWA Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), a network of worker-organizers and their staff working every single day to build the voice and power necessary to transform the future of the tech, game and digital industries in the United States and Canada.

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