#labor-unions

#labor-unions

Never assume that a technology's current limitations are its inherent limitations. Whoopi Goldberg on The View assured viewers this week that AI actors like Tilly are no threat to humans because "you can always tell them from us. We move differently, our faces move differently, our bodies move differently." It's true, that's the best AI can do-today. But Goldberg is making the same error as the highly intelligent computer scientists of decades past who believed computers would never translate languages very well.

In the mid-1970s, New York was broke, crumbling, and on the edge of collapse. Garbage piled up on sidewalks, unions fought bitterly with City Hall, and bankers refused to buy the bonds that kept the city running. The sense of crisis reached its peak when the Daily News captured the mood with one of the most famous headlines in American history: "Ford to City: Drop Dead."

Five months ago, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass revealed in her State of the City address that more than 1,600 city workers might have to be laid off to close a $1-billion budget shortfall. On Tuesday, after months of negotiations, Bass stood at City Hall with union leaders and announced that her administration had averted every layoff. "Some people said it couldn't be done, but I am so glad to stand here today and say that we have proved the naysayers wrong," Bass said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week is pausing all long-term work-from-home accommodations, including for employees with disabilities, according to an internal note reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The move comes after the CDC's parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, issued an updated policy in mid-August removing telework as a "reasonable accommodation" option for employees. On Tuesday, the CDC posted an official announcement in an internal publication detailing HHS' updated telework policy. The CDC's Office of Human Resources requested clarification regarding the new policy, according to the note.

The State Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents union construction workers, agreed to drop its opposition to Senate Bill 79 in exchange for an amendment that would require some of the projects that make use of the bill to hire union workers. The bill, authored by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, would be one of the largest state-imposed housing densification efforts in recent memory.

Labor Day, which became a US national holiday in 1894, was once a very big deal. Photos such as this one taken in Buffalo, NY, in 1900 speak to the tens of thousands of workers who would march on Labor Day to be counted and to stand up for their rights.

Nearly 1,000 worker over billionaire protests are being planned in all 50 states starting this weekend as part of a Labor Day week of action organized by labor unions and advocacy groups in opposition to the Trump administration's policies. The actions include marches and rallies in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, a Labor Day parade in New York City, rallies in Palmer, Alaska, Freeport, Maine, and a planned protest at the state capitol in Honolulu, Hawaii.

A group of protesters first faced off with federal officers on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, outside the nearby immigration courthouse at 100 Montgomery St., after an arrest at immigration court before moving to the downtown ICE field office. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

After an HTC-led rally on 76th Street on Wednesday, a reporter asked Mamdani if he would support casinos opening in New York City. I've been open about my personal skepticism, and yet I also know that this is the law, Mamdani said, referring to the state-led process of awarding three casino licenses to applicants downstate. The siting and the choices of which casinos will open that pertains to the state.

The UK must ramp up the creation of green jobs, as the phase-out of fossil fuels risks losing public support for net zero transition and political backing.

"Let me be clear: I don't care who you are-if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with a lawful enforcement action."

It's not just me, of course. Other people are exhausted by different things in different ways, and many people are exhausted (or worse) by more material changes in their lives.

Justin Brannan has a strong track record of fighting for nurses throughout this City. As Finance Chair, Justin stood with NYSNA as we fought for more good nursing jobs and safe staffing in our Health+Hospitals system.