Rhode Island AFL-CIO Union Directory
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
Please use this directory to find where you can buy union and use services in Rhode Island.
CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 RESOURCES
You can find some helpful resources on our website.
Share this link: https://rhodeislandaflcio.org/coronavirus-covid-19
For Immediate Release: March 23, 2020
ABC 6 News: Gov. Raimondo, Bradford Soaps and Teamsters help Family Service of RI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Family Service of Rhode Island issued their Be Safe Campaign two weeks ago and now their Be Safe Kits are getting an added boost.
Thanks to Governor Raimondo, Bradford Soapworks and the Teamsters, we are able to provide Rhode Island families in need with proper cleaning products they need.
Today, Bradford Soaps and Teamsters delivered 5,000 bars of soap to Family Service of Rhode Island for distribution to the families it supports.
Family Service RI announced their Be Safe Kits amid the coronavirus outbreak and they are doing everything in their power to keep the families they support healthy with th.
A Be Safe Kit will include, as available, antibacterial soap, disinfecting wipes, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other items in a reusable bag.
In addition the agency kicked off Be Safe fundraising on Monday, March 9 to pay for the items.
For more information about Family Service Rhode Island, click here.

NEA Rhode Island: Larry Purtill Message to Members-March 22

NEARI President Larry Purtill sends message of encouragement to educators and education support professionals on their first day of distance learning in Rhode Island amid the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. -LISTEN

UFCW: UFCW and Stop & Shop Announce Ten Percent Pay Raise for Grocery Workers During Coronavirus Pandemic
Over 70,000 Workers Across New England, New York, and New Jersey to Receive Raise, Additional Two Weeks Paid Sick Leave
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which represents 1.3 million workers in grocery, retail, and other industries, applauded Stop & Shop for giving all union Stop & Shop and Peapod employees represented by the UFCW a ten percent increase in pay during the coronavirus outbreak. Workers will also receive two additional weeks of paid leave if they become sick.
UFCW International President Marc Perrone released the following statement:
“After discussions between Stop & Shop and the UFCW, Stop & Shop is announcing a 10 percent raise and additional sick leave for grocery workers during the coronavirus pandemic. This essential pay and benefit increase will not only protect these hard-working men and women, it will help protect the food supply throughout our communities.
“As we know, grocery workers like Stop & Shop employees have been on the front lines of this crisis, serving the needs of millions of families in the northeast. Protecting them is absolutely essential to our communities and food supply now more than ever.
“Every supermarket, grocery store, and food retail employer – union and non-union – in the Northeast and across America must follow the example that Stop & Shop has set and follow their lead.”
-READ MORE
Wall Street Journal: The New Front-Line Coronavirus Workers: Grocery Clerks, Delivery Drivers
Much of the American workplace has shut down, sending millions of employees home to wait out the coronavirus pandemic.
Among those still on the job are grocery-store clerks, prison guards and delivery drivers. “Who would have ever thought that we would be on the front lines?” said Joyce Babineau, a 67-year-old supermarket supervisor in Dartmouth, Mass., a coastal village 60 miles south of Boston.
Ms. Babineau is in one of the groups deemed essential—men and women who carry on even as cities and communities shut down around them.
Workers from New Hampshire to California say they feel both duty and dread. They’re also glad to still be working. On every shift, they tend to basic needs in an unfolding disaster likely to be prolonged, widespread and perilous.
TWEET OF THE WEEK

AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Answers COVID-19 Questions on Facebook Live

In a Facebook Live event Wednesday, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) spoke about working people’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and answered questions from union members.
Lisa, a member of the Ohio Nurses Association/AFT, asked about getting N95 respirators and other vital supplies into the hands of front-line nurses.
Michael, an AFT member in New York, asked what message we can send to ensure that the rich and corporations don’t use this public health crisis to further erode the middle and working classes.
Garrett, a letter carrier in Seattle, asked whether or not this crisis may be an opportunity for the labor movement to increase the number of union jobs in the United States.
Watch the video below to see Trumka’s answers to these questions and more discussion of our response to COVID-19. You also can read a transcript of his remarks.-WATCH VIDEO
New York Times: Terrified Package Delivery Employees are going to work sick
Hour after hour, day after day, the packages keep arriving: food, medicine, clothes, toys and a million other items brought to the doorsteps and building lobbies of Americans who are hunkering down as the coronavirus sweeps the land.
An increasing number of the workers sorting those boxes, loading them into trucks and then transporting and delivering them around the country have fallen sick.
They have coughs, sore throats, aches and fevers — symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. Yet they are still reporting for their shifts in crowded shipping facilities and warehouses and truck depots, fearful of what will happen if they don’t.
“I have been coming in sick because I’m worried that I’ll lose my job or just be punished if I call out,” said Angel Duarte, a package handler at a UPS hub in Tucson, Ariz. “I am 23, and I have no savings, and I have a 4-month-old son.”
R.I. Coalition of Labor Union Women:
This year, due to the COVID-19 crisis, CLUW will be donating items to the RI Community Food Bank early. During this time when we are all limiting our face-to-face interactions, your electronic donation is more important than ever. We plan to provide donations on a rolling basis.

For more information and to donate, visit their GoFundMe page.

For more information visit Website.
Are you following Rhode Island AFL-CIO on Social Media? Click on the links below.
Visit our website RhodeIslandAFLCIO.org for more information, news and events.
UPCOMING EVENTS:

THIS WEEK IN LABOR HISTORY
Voices in Labor:
Groundbreaking occurred on the first section of the New York City subway system, from City Hall to the Bronx. The New York subway workers would go on to found the TWU (Transport Workers Union) in 1934. The TWU established a reputation for left-wing politics and was one of the first unions to join the CIO. – 1900
7,500 hotel workers and members of HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union), Local 5 ended a 21-day strike of 11 major hotels in Hawaii. They stuck to protect their earned pension benefits. – 1990
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed 146 people, mostly women and young girls who were working in sweatshop conditions. As tragic as this fire was for poor, working-class women, it is estimated that over 100 workers died on the job each day in the U.S. in 1911. What was most significant was that this tragedy became a flashpoint for worker safety and public awareness of sweatshop conditions.
The Triangle workers had to work from 7:00 am until 8:00 pm, seven days a week. The work was almost non-stop. They got one break per day (30 minutes for lunch). For this, they were paid only $6.00 per week. In some cases, they had to provide their own needles and thread. Furthermore, the women were locked inside the building to minimize time lost to bathroom breaks.

Enjoy the extended view on YouTube and laborvisionri.org, and check back for new content soon.
Before the recent viral outbreak forced school closings, the Providence schools were taken over by the state; and in response, Providence Teachers Union President Maribeth Calabro, along with RIFTHP President Frank Flynn and Director of Issues Colleen Callahan sat down with Bob Delaney to talk about the recent report from Johns Hopkins, the community forum they held in Providence, and how other communities have been instrumental in successfully advocating for and changing models for things like multiple language learners and community schools. And in the second half of the program, later that same week, Bob caught up to AFT VP Jesse Sharkey, a former president of the Chicago Teachers Union, to talk about how teachers there engaged the community to help end a strike by getting parents to support common sense ideas like smaller class sizes and mandatory staffing.
Rhode Island AFL-CIO Union Directory 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 Please use this directory to find where you can buy union and use services in Rhode Island. CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 RESOURCES You can find some helpful resources on our website. Share this link: https://rhodeislandaflcio.org/coronavirus-covid-19 For Immediate Release: March 23, 2020 -READ MORE ABC 6 News: Gov. Raimondo, Bradford Soaps and Teamsters help Family Service of RI ![]() Thanks to Governor Raimondo, Bradford Soapworks and the Teamsters, we are able to provide Rhode Island families in need with proper cleaning products they need. Today, Bradford Soaps and Teamsters delivered 5,000 bars of soap to Family Service of Rhode Island for distribution to the families it supports. Family Service RI announced their Be Safe Kits amid the coronavirus outbreak and they are doing everything in their power to keep the families they support healthy with th. A Be Safe Kit will include, as available, antibacterial soap, disinfecting wipes, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other items in a reusable bag. In addition the agency kicked off Be Safe fundraising on Monday, March 9 to pay for the items. For more information about Family Service Rhode Island, click here. -VIEW PICTURES NEA Rhode Island: Larry Purtill Message to Members-March 22 NEARI President Larry Purtill sends message of encouragement to educators and education support professionals on their first day of distance learning in Rhode Island amid the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. -LISTEN ![]() LINK TO TIP SHEET UFCW: UFCW and Stop & Shop Announce Ten Percent Pay Raise for Grocery Workers During Coronavirus Pandemic Over 70,000 Workers Across New England, New York, and New Jersey to Receive Raise, Additional Two Weeks Paid Sick Leave WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which represents 1.3 million workers in grocery, retail, and other industries, applauded Stop & Shop for giving all union Stop & Shop and Peapod employees represented by the UFCW a ten percent increase in pay during the coronavirus outbreak. Workers will also receive two additional weeks of paid leave if they become sick. UFCW International President Marc Perrone released the following statement: “After discussions between Stop & Shop and the UFCW, Stop & Shop is announcing a 10 percent raise and additional sick leave for grocery workers during the coronavirus pandemic. This essential pay and benefit increase will not only protect these hard-working men and women, it will help protect the food supply throughout our communities. “As we know, grocery workers like Stop & Shop employees have been on the front lines of this crisis, serving the needs of millions of families in the northeast. Protecting them is absolutely essential to our communities and food supply now more than ever. “Every supermarket, grocery store, and food retail employer – union and non-union – in the Northeast and across America must follow the example that Stop & Shop has set and follow their lead.” -READ MORE Wall Street Journal: The New Front-Line Coronavirus Workers: Grocery Clerks, Delivery Drivers Much of the American workplace has shut down, sending millions of employees home to wait out the coronavirus pandemic. Among those still on the job are grocery-store clerks, prison guards and delivery drivers. “Who would have ever thought that we would be on the front lines?” said Joyce Babineau, a 67-year-old supermarket supervisor in Dartmouth, Mass., a coastal village 60 miles south of Boston. Ms. Babineau is in one of the groups deemed essential—men and women who carry on even as cities and communities shut down around them. Workers from New Hampshire to California say they feel both duty and dread. They’re also glad to still be working. On every shift, they tend to basic needs in an unfolding disaster likely to be prolonged, widespread and perilous. -READ MORE TWEET OF THE WEEK AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Answers COVID-19 Questions on Facebook Live In a Facebook Live event Wednesday, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka (UMWA) spoke about working people’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and answered questions from union members. Lisa, a member of the Ohio Nurses Association/AFT, asked about getting N95 respirators and other vital supplies into the hands of front-line nurses. Michael, an AFT member in New York, asked what message we can send to ensure that the rich and corporations don’t use this public health crisis to further erode the middle and working classes. Garrett, a letter carrier in Seattle, asked whether or not this crisis may be an opportunity for the labor movement to increase the number of union jobs in the United States. Watch the video below to see Trumka’s answers to these questions and more discussion of our response to COVID-19. You also can read a transcript of his remarks. -WATCH VIDEO New York Times: Terrified Package Delivery Employees are going to work sick Hour after hour, day after day, the packages keep arriving: food, medicine, clothes, toys and a million other items brought to the doorsteps and building lobbies of Americans who are hunkering down as the coronavirus sweeps the land. An increasing number of the workers sorting those boxes, loading them into trucks and then transporting and delivering them around the country have fallen sick. They have coughs, sore throats, aches and fevers — symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. Yet they are still reporting for their shifts in crowded shipping facilities and warehouses and truck depots, fearful of what will happen if they don’t. “I have been coming in sick because I’m worried that I’ll lose my job or just be punished if I call out,” said Angel Duarte, a package handler at a UPS hub in Tucson, Ariz. “I am 23, and I have no savings, and I have a 4-month-old son.” READ MORE R.I. Coalition of Labor Union Women: This year, due to the COVID-19 crisis, CLUW will be donating items to the RI Community Food Bank early. During this time when we are all limiting our face-to-face interactions, your electronic donation is more important than ever. We plan to provide donations on a rolling basis. For more information and to donate, visit their GoFundMe page. ![]() For more information visit Website. Are you following Rhode Island AFL-CIO on Social Media? Click on the links below. FaceBook: @riaflcio Twitter: @riaflcio Visit our website RhodeIslandAFLCIO.org for more information, news and events. UPCOMING EVENTS: ![]() THIS WEEK IN LABOR HISTORY Voices in Labor: Groundbreaking occurred on the first section of the New York City subway system, from City Hall to the Bronx. The New York subway workers would go on to found the TWU (Transport Workers Union) in 1934. The TWU established a reputation for left-wing politics and was one of the first unions to join the CIO. – 1900 7,500 hotel workers and members of HERE (Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union), Local 5 ended a 21-day strike of 11 major hotels in Hawaii. They stuck to protect their earned pension benefits. – 1990 The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City killed 146 people, mostly women and young girls who were working in sweatshop conditions. As tragic as this fire was for poor, working-class women, it is estimated that over 100 workers died on the job each day in the U.S. in 1911. What was most significant was that this tragedy became a flashpoint for worker safety and public awareness of sweatshop conditions. The Triangle workers had to work from 7:00 am until 8:00 pm, seven days a week. The work was almost non-stop. They got one break per day (30 minutes for lunch). For this, they were paid only $6.00 per week. In some cases, they had to provide their own needles and thread. Furthermore, the women were locked inside the building to minimize time lost to bathroom breaks. -LEARN MORE Enjoy the extended view on YouTube and laborvisionri.org, and check back for new content soon. THIS WEEK ON LABOR VISION… Before the recent viral outbreak forced school closings, the Providence schools were taken over by the state; and in response, Providence Teachers Union President Maribeth Calabro, along with RIFTHP President Frank Flynn and Director of Issues Colleen Callahan sat down with Bob Delaney to talk about the recent report from Johns Hopkins, the community forum they held in Providence, and how other communities have been instrumental in successfully advocating for and changing models for things like multiple language learners and community schools. And in the second half of the program, later that same week, Bob caught up to AFT VP Jesse Sharkey, a former president of the Chicago Teachers Union, to talk about how teachers there engaged the community to help end a strike by getting parents to support common sense ideas like smaller class sizes and mandatory staffing. Cox Channel 14 & FIOS Channel 33 Tuesday @ 7pm Thursday @ 8pm Saturday @ 5pm More Info on Labor Vision: Website: http://www.LaborVisionRI.org FaceBook: @LaborVisionRI Twitter: @LaborVisionRI Instagram: LaborVisionRI YouTube: LaborVisionTV1 | Cox Channel 14 & FIOS Channel 33 Tuesday @ 7pm Thursday @ 8pm Saturday @ 5pm More Info on Labor Vision: Website: http://www.LaborVisionRI.org FaceBook: @LaborVisionRI Twitter: @LaborVisionRI Instagram: LaborVisionRI YouTube: LaborVisionTV1 |