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Fairness for Farmworkers For most workers, overtime pay after 40 hours was a victory won over 80 years ago, but shockingly for farmworkers it’s a battle still being fought. Farmworkers in New York State won some very basic rights in 2019 with passage of the Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act. Those rights which the New York State AFL-CIO had been fighting for, for years include: the right to organize a union, a mandatory day of rest, and the right to overtime pay. But the overtime threshold remains unfairly high at 60 hours per week. On the latest Union Strong podcast our guest is the former president of the New York State AFL-CIO, Denis Hughes. Denis represents Labor on the Department of Labor's Farm Labor's Wage Board which is scheduled to meet on the overtime threshold within weeks. — Nov 30
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Operation Union Veterans Day On the latest episode of the Union Strong podcast, we learn how unions are helping veterans find a pathway to the American dream. Our guest is Will Attig who is a U.S. Army Veteran and serves as the Executive Director of the Union Veterans Council at the AFL-CIO. Will discusses the benefits of belonging to the Union Veterans Council and how it helps veterans transition from military service to civilian life and a solid middle class job. — Nov 10
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Vote Yes on Props 2 and 4 Voters have an opportunity in the 2021 general election to make changes to the state constitution. The Labor Movement is supporting two of the propositions; Prop 2 and Prop 4. Prop 2 would add environmental rights to the state constitution. Prop 4 would allow no excuse absentee voting. On this podcast we discuss what the propositions are about and why they have the support of working people. — Oct 26
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Potential Shutdown of Film and TV Production as Strike Looms IATSE President Matthew Loeb has drawn a line in the sand saying the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees will go on strike Monday unless a deal is reached. IATSE has been in a contract fight with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for more than five months over safer working conditions, fair wages, and sustainable benefits. On the latest Union Strong podcast, Cinematographer Sarah May Guenther of IATSE Local 600 describes the current working conditions and talks about the union’s demands. UPDATE: Landmark tentative agreement reached for IATSE West Coast Film and Television Workers before Strike Deadline - https://iatse.net/landmark-tentative-agreement-reached-for-iatse-west-coast-film-and-television-workers-before-strike-deadline/ — Oct 14
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Department of Labor Update with Commissioner Roberta Reardon On the latest episode of the Union Strong podcast, our guest is New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. Commissioner Reardon discusses a variety of topics including the unemployed, job creation, apprenticeship programs, workplace safety and the role unions play in all of it. https://dol.ny.gov/ — Oct 3