Today is day 10 of the ULP (unfair labor practice) strike at Breakthru Beverage.
Teamsters Local 710 Drivers who work out of the Cicero and Rochelle distribution centers are standing strong for a fair contract.
These workers go above and beyond to keep our shelves stocked, educate customers, and ensure we have our favorite beverages at our local bars, restaurants, and stores. They work hard for us so we can enjoy our lives. They deserve a contract that gives them that same respect and quality of life.
#TeamstersStrong #1u #UnionStrong
We’re not just talking about mental health in Illinois — we’re bringing the conversation directly into Union Halls like Plumbers Local 130.
Tradespeople from across the industry came together to speak openly about the stress, pressure, and stigma that too many workers face in silence. Electricians, Ironworkers, Plumbers, and Mental Health Professionals shared real experiences and collaborated to bring back to their unions to create a stronger, more effective approach to mental health support in the trades.
This is how we start changing the narrative — together.
#MentalHealth #UnionStrong #ConstructionIndustry #ChicagoUnions
When the labor movement puts members first, we all win.
Painters District Council 30 recently launched their Building Union Member Power training series. In the last month, they've hosted trainings for members in Morton, Aurora, and Elgin.
Participating members learned about the values of the union, its history, and opportunities to become more involved through committee service and political action, pathways to leadership, and giving back to the community.
#UnionStrong #1u
Home care workers are scraping by while companies rake in profits. Kayla, a homeware worker, told WAND News about the time she walked into her client's home and found them lying on the bathroom floor. The client had tried to take a shower on her own, and she was laying there for about 45 minutes before Kayla arrived.
DOA home care workers in Illinois feel low pay is forcing them out of the field, leaving more than 20,000 seniors without home-assisted care. These workers are fighting for a $2 rate increase -- a small price to pay for the wellbeing of our seniors.
/news/illinois/illinois-home-care-workers-push-for-pay-raise-as-thousands-of-seniors-face-loss-of/article_0288cd63-4736-4e9b-bfda-c0f7b5c15638.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawRyzABleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeK9pncyoee2OMHWmW2lfLTn_FkaOYWdjQuFQss7fyB7NIvfC6_0XZv641osA_aem_D6xpmv8mdjUnNMquvNWcbw
#ThrowbackThursday to Addie Wyatt on the cover of Time Magazine. Addie was a union activist, civil rights leader, and a religious minister. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Addie was part of the Great Migration north, coming to Chicago at age 6.
In 1941, she applied for a typist position at Armour & Company but was limited to the meat canning line. She soon became a United Packinghouse Workers' leader, was active with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters, today's United Food & Commercial Workers.
Addie helped found the Coalition of Labor Union Women, was active in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and was co-pastor with her husband Claude of the Vernon Park Church of God.
LABOR is LABOR. Whether you're setting steel on a high rise or playing the trumpet, work is work. The myth of the "starving artist" is just that - a myth. Artists deserve a family sustaining wage just like any other profession. That's why the union movement fights for everyone -- whether you're a musician, a writer, an iron worker, a nurse or a zookeeper. We believe in a world where people aren't scraping to get by but actually thriving.
/arts-culture/2026/05/11/chicago-arts-census-survey-salary-health-economics-creative-illinois?fbclid=IwY2xjawRwTuhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEetRCUzvY9dNjhVnDn93V8rx_9n6_nbDaDGIdaP7LpnqQAFQkU6Ore8uN33y0_aem_-prwNt4gKK1sVBLl8TIvCg
👉 👉👉TOMORROW
The Chicago Federation of Labor, Chicago Jobs with Justice, Iron Workers Local 63, Plumbers Local 130, and others are hosting Breaking the Stigma: Mental Health & Recovery in the Workplace at Plumbers 130 Training Center in Chicago.
The discussion will be facilitated by Alexa James from the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) and feature union members sharing their experience navigating mental health, addiction and sobriety in the workplace, with tools for those struggling and opportunities for solidarity.
Sign up here: /events/breaking-the-stigma-mental-health-and-recovery-in-the-workplace?fbclid=IwY2xjawRwTe9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFrU211MTFLTkgyRmNyODNMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmne0c1NS7e4nigrzGif0qBCEsAm08gR3Oimch9TLUma6phy-ow-0tpWbrSV_aem_4EwZ9-jEUr18YyXtAnsN3A
We love to see our CLCs in action. 👏
Union leaders across Central Illinois attended the Mid-Central Labor Council's first ever labor roundtable where they heard from Lt. Governor candidate Christian Mitchell. The forum allowed the council to raise awareness about issues important to working families.
With their eyes and ears on the ground, our CLCs are modernizing the movement and connecting workers to their communities.
#UnionStrong
Liz Looper did not enter the trades straight out of high school. Instead, after years of low-wage work, financial strain and uncertainty as a single mother, she found her way to Painters District Council 30 (PDC30) and into the North Central Illinois Finishing Trades Institute (NCIFTI) Apprenticeship Program in Rockford. Listen to her full story here: /listen/painter-apprentice-union-path-forward-liz-looper
#TradeswomenThursday #UnionStrong #1u
#WaybackWednesday to the CIO's 1944 constitutional convention in Chicago. Prior to the merger of the AFL-CIO in 1955, the CIO was a separate labor federation that aimed to organize "unskilled" workers. Our team found this vintage credential on a trip to Detroit where we visited the Walter Reuther Library and met with UAW Archivist Gavin Strassel. #1u #UnionStrong #LaborHistory
It's crunch time. We've got less than 30 days until the Illinois General Assembly adjourns and there are scores of bills that we need to pass to support working people. Do you know what your union is up to in the Capitol?
We're partnering with unions from the trades to the arts to:
✊ Create an equitable unemployment system
✊ Retain public education professionals in our schools
✊ Address pension inequities
✊ Support our arts unions
✊ Improve job site safety standards
✊ and more...
Pictured: Illinois AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer testifying on the Unemployment Equity Act (HB4416).
Last month, the University of Illinois and Climate Jobs Institute hosted a group of grassroots women leaders from Chile’s Biobío coal basin and introduced them to workers and families in Illinois. As part of their visit, they visited the Christian County Coal Museum, where they met with IL AFL-CIO President Tim Drea, and learned about his upbringing in the labor movement as a coal miner in Central Illinois.
Solidarity knows no limit. From the coal mines of Chile to the mines of Central Illinois, we're all fighting for dignity, safety and fairness. #1u #MiningHistory #UnionMiners
