Woonsocket Radio News Room

An updated Union Directory listing union goods and services in R.I. can be found on our website at www.RhodeIslandAFLCIO.org under the "Resources" tab.

Here is the direct link----> Union Directory

RI AFL-CIO Endorses Dominick Ruggerio for Senate in District 4

Providence, RI – The Executive Board of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO voted to endorse Dominick Ruggerio for State Senate in District 4 in the Democratic Primary election to be held on September 13, 2022.

George Nee, president of the state’s largest labor federation, said “Dominick Ruggerio has a long history of being a champion for working people. As Senate President, he has taken the lead on a number of issues that are important to working families, like raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and making wage theft and employee misclassification felonies. He also strongly supports efforts to protect current law that provides for mandatory time and a half pay for all workers who work on Sunday and holidays. Senator Ruggerio doesn’t just talk about helping working people – he acts on it. That’s why we’ve endorsed him for State Senate in District 4.”

Patrick Crowley, Secretary Treasurer of the RI AFL-CIO, highlighted Senator Ruggerio’s role in creating more jobs in the green economy as a key factor in earning the AFL-CIO’s endorsement. “Senator Ruggerio sponsored the 100% Renewable Energy Standard bill and was integral in pushing it across the finish line. This legislation will not only help our environment by reducing carbon emissions, but it will create hundreds of new jobs in the green economy. We need forward thinking leaders who will promote policies that protect our environment for future generations and put the current generation of Rhode Islanders to work in these important jobs.”  

The Rhode Island AFL-CIO represents over 250 affiliated unions and 80,000 working men and women across the Ocean State.  

General Teamsters Local 251 Facebook:

We are people that make this country MOVE. And we won't accept less than what we're worth in the 2023 UPS contract. Local 251 UPS Teamsters are uniting for a strong contract.

Watch video here.

Little Compton Fire Department Facebook:

View pictures here.

Yesterday we conducted training with the lifeguards at South Shore Beach. We took time to watch them conduct a couple of different rescues, and then discussed what to expect from us when we arrive on scene.

On top of that we handled several calls thought the day. In a twelve hour period we handled 11 calls for service including several medical emergencies, a fire alarm activation and a mutual aid auto accident in Tiverton. We’d like to thank our mutual aid partners Tiverton FD and Westport FD for assistance. Also we’d like to thank Jim Farrell and the lifeguards at South Shore for their participation and enthusiasm yesterday.

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Climate Jobs RI Is Hosting A Zap50 Cleanup - JOIN OUR TEAM

WHEN: Saturday, August 27, 2022, 8-11AM

WHERE: Stop & Shop, 70 Mendon Rd., Cumberland, RI 02864

WHO: Climate Jobs RI, friends and family

ZAP50 represents the 50th Anniversary of the largest one-day regional environmental cleanup in American History - Blackstone Valley's Operation ZAP! Climate Jobs RI has signed up as an "Organization in Action", which means we've identified a location that needs a team to clean it up and we're calling on our coalition members, friends in labor and environment, to turn out and show up in strong support.

In 1972, 10,000 volunteers lined the banks of the Blackstone River to remove tons of trash, appliances, cars, and other debris from its banks. This year, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, among other organizations, plan to recreate this historic day and hundreds of community members and volunteers throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts, are already committed to taking part in this day of action.

All are welcome and encouraged to join us. Bring your friends, family, and anyone willing to help. We will provide all cleanup gear (gloves, bags, etc.), along with breakfast snacks and refreshments. RSVP HERE

Questions? Email Erica Hammond at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

RICOSH Advisory: New Covid Guidance released by CDC

CDC has made adjustments in current Covid guidelines shifting away from many behavioral mitigations-including quarantines and social distancing and using vaccine status as a criteria for interventions. But the guidelines still reinforce key mitigations like ventilation for indoor spaces and wearing masks for public indoor spaces when Covid community levels are high or for people at high risk for severe disease if the community risk is medium. It also repeats its special emphases on addressing people at high risk from severe disease.  

At High Risk: A significant study involving129 research centers, illustrates the impact of the pandemic on those at risk from severe disease.  The study found even vaccinated cancer patients who had breakthrough COVID-19 infections remained at high risk for hospitalization and death. The study showed that vaccinated cancer patients (but not yet boosted) who experienced breakthrough COVID-19 infections had a hospitalization rate of 65%, an ICU or mechanical ventilation rate of 19% and a 13% death rate. [The Lifespan Cancer Institute and Brown University were among the participating research centers.]

“These findings come at a time of concerns that immune escape mutants such as the omicron strain may emerge from chronically infected patients with weakened immune systems,’ said Dr. Dimitrios Farmakiotis, at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and a coauthor of the study. “Thus, the immunosuppressed and their close contacts should be target groups for therapeutic and preventive interventions, including community-level outreach and educational efforts.” Read more here.

CNBC: Unions are forming at Starbuck, Apple and Google. Here's why workers are organizing now.

For decades, union membership has been on the decline. Yet in the last few months, workers have been organizing at a pace this country hasn’t seen since the Great Depression.

Amazon has captured headlines for union drives at its warehouses, including a successful effort on New York’s Staten Island. But activity is picking up elsewhere in retail and tech at big companies that are generally viewed as progressive, with no history of labor unions.

As of Wednesday, 209 Starbucks stores have officially voted to unionize according to the National Labor Relations Board. First-ever unions have also formed at an Apple store in Maryland, a Google Fiber contractor, REI, Trader Joe’s, Kickstarter and Activision Blizzard.

“There’s really no rational world in which the Amazon Labor Union or Starbucks Workers United should win,” said John Logan, a labor and employment studies professor at San Francisco State University. “And yet they did, and in the case of Starbucks Workers United, they won over and over and over again.”

The wave at Starbucks started in December with a store in Buffalo, New York, where workers voted 19 to eight to join the large, established Workers United union. In one example of the benefits a big union can bring, Workers United has created a $1 million fund to support Starbucks workers who lose wages as a result of organizing activities like striking.

The movement spread fast. Within six weeks, about 20 other stores filed for elections. Eight months later, about 45 elections have failed, and more than 200 of Starbucks’ 9,000 U.S. stores have unionized. Read more here.

Labor 411: Union-Made, American-Made Boots

A good pair of boots is a thing of beauty. Quality, craftsmanship, and durability set them apart from the many mediocre ones out there.

A great way to ensure that you are buying quality boots is to simply choose union-made.

Below are 15 boots that are 100% union-made in Red Wing, Minnesota. The 272 union members who make these boots belong to UFCW Local 527.

Of the 2.5 million Red Wing Shoes sells each year, over 700,000 are union-made in Red Wing.

To help you know which Red Wing boots are union-made, we’ve put together this list below, with a picture and link to each one so that you can buy union the next time you go boot shopping. For the entire list of union-made shoes, including boots from brands like Thorogood and Carolina, visit our union boots guide here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

General Teamsters Local 251

***NORTHEAST TRANSPORTATION SERVICES WORKERS ARE ON STRIKE***

Northeast Transportation Services members, who wear DHL-branded uniforms, drive DHL-branded vehicles, and service DHL Express packages and customers; are on strike as of Wednesday evening.

In response to worker demands for a fair contract, the Company stated it is “unreasonable” to meet the workers’ demands to pay livable wages, offer affordable healthcare and pay a share towards retirement. The South Carolina-based company apparently doesn’t believe that employees have rights and deserve fair treatment. This at a location that has more than doubled in number of employees in the last two years.

The Union believes the Company has committed unfair labor practices. Workers are picketing 24 hours a day at 101 Concord St, Pawtucket RI. Please tell Northeast Transportation and DHL Express that unfair treatment of workers is unacceptable. Call 843-906-9655 and 1-800-225-5345. If you’re a customer serviced by Northeast Transportation Services, please refuse deliveries and ship by a union-represented shipper that treats its employees better.

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LABOR VISION:

Labor Vision is going on break for the rest of the summer. We'll be back in September!

You can still watch all the episodes from this year!

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