Portside

Union leaders hope Biden will be able to enact policies to reinvigorate the labor movement, bringing in more members, money, and political influence while dramatically expanding collective bargaining rights and protections from workplace abuse.

As schools prepare to open, in addition to safety measures, some unions are pressing for police-free schools, canceling rents and mortgages, and bans on new charter programs and standardized testing.

The president of the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers says that going on strike is an option if teachers are forced back into the classroom this fall without proper precautions for COVID-19.

Several local unions have moved to oust police unions, despite the federation's approach that collective bargaining can be used for police reform.

Joe Biden has racked up endorsements from four of the largest — and most politically influential — unions in the past 10 days, a show of force that has bolstered his standing as the de facto Democratic nominee for president.

Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, has struck a chord with activists calling for her to run for labor’s top job: president of the AFL-CIO

Thousands of teachers gathered in Pittsburgh to discuss plan of action for new school year after strikes over pay and conditions

Leaders must also know when it’s time for a new person to take the helm. To keep new blood flowing through the labor movement, older leaders have to make room for their successors, RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, said. “You have to get out of the way. You can’t just talk about it,” she said. “If you’re a leader, a strong leader, you step down and open that up to someone you believe reflects where this union needs to be.”

"Several American labor unions reacted angrily to the Senate’s vote July 25 to take yet another crack at dismantling Obamacare. AFSCME President Lee Saunders called the vote “morally indefensible,” while Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers said it was “cruel and heartless.”

President Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers and President Michael Mulgrew, United Federation of Teachers Strongly supported Secretary Hillary Clintion at the Democratic Party National Convention. They stressed that she was rock solid on labor issues.