National AFL-CIO Day 2023: Date, History and Must Know Facts about workers

National AFL-CIO Day 2023: December 5 is National AFL-CIO Day, its founding day. They work hard to ensure fair wages, benefits, safe jobs, dignity, and equal opportunity for all workers. Their goal is to help workers maintain their families and retire with dignity. They support legislation that invests tax dollars in schools, roads, bridges, ports, and airports and improves workers’ lives through education, job training, and a fair minimum wage. They advocate for fair tax systems, social security and private pensions, and high-quality, affordable healthcare.

National AFL-CIO Day history

A.F.L.-CIO has long supported civil rights movements. The A.F.L. and the CIO disagreed about the CIO’s willingness to hire Black workers, especially after the CIO split. Blacks later accused the CIO of betraying them, especially after the A.F.L. merger.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the 1961 organizing conference in Bal Harbour, Florida, on “If the Negro Wins, Labor Wins.” King envisioned a civil rights-labor combination that would eradicate racial discrimination and benefit the whole working class. King blasted the A.F.L.-CIO for allowing Black-exclusionary unions.

In 2003, the A.F.L.-major CIO began a fierce internal debate over the future of the labor movement in the U.S. with the founding of the New Unity Partnership (N.U.P.). After labor-backed John Kerry lost the 2004 US presidential election, this issue heated up.

The I.L.W.U. quit the A.F.L.-CIO in August 2013. I.L.W.U. claimed that other A.F.L.-CIO unions crossed its picket lines without AFL-CIO intervention. The I.L.W.U. acknowledged the A.F.L.’s willingness to compromise on labor legislation, immigration, and healthcare reform. Dockers’ Union stated plan to become an independent union.

National AFL-CIO Day: How to Celebrate

Discover your union rights.

Your rights to fair treatment at work and other union matters are covered on the A.F.L.-CIO website. Read “Your Rights in Unions.” if you’re considering joining or leaving a union.

Join local labor unions

Members can assist at food banks or shelters on holidays and weekends through several local unions.

Join family and friends.

We encourage you to celebrate today by gathering with family and friends to share how unions have improved our lives.

National Harley Day 2023: Date, History and 5 Interesting Facts

5 Must-Know Workers’ Rights Facts

N.L.R.A-protected.

National Labor Relations Act protects workers’ rights.

Freedom of association

The right to join a trade union or other association to represent your interests might be curtailed if an employer can show that it would substantially impair business operations.

Do not discriminate against employees.

Employers cannot discriminate against employees or future employees based on gender, ethnicity, handicap, or any other criteria unrelated to job performance, including indirect discrimination.

Child labor

Child labor affected 217 million five-to-17-year-olds globally in 2008.

Wage discrimination against women

On paper, women earn 20% less than males.

Why this day Matters

It promotes workers’ rights

The A.F.L.-CIO has promoted worker safety regulations nationwide, including asbestos and silica dust bans and workplace safety inspections. It also promotes worker health and retirement benefits.

Celebrates workers’ successes

Celebrate working people’s accomplishments. Celebrating accomplishments can inspire current and future work.

It recalls history

Let’s remember and learn from our past. It teaches great lessons. People who ask the right questions about their past are best able to enjoy the present.

NATIONAL AFL-CIO DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	December 5	Tuesday
2024	December 5	Thursday
2025	December 5	Friday
2026	December 5	Saturday
2027	December 5	Sunday