On Friday, January 18, in Metuchen, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), New Jersey State AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan, federal employees and public officials will call on President Trump and Congressional Republicans to end the disastrous government shutdown. Pallone and House Democrats have voted to reopen the government numerous times, but the government remains closed over Trump’s insistence on a wasteful and unnecessary border wall.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO, working with the IBEW and CWA, continues to advocate for S-1780.  We thank the prime Sponsors, Senators Diegnan (D-18) and Turner (D-15), for their leadership on this issue. The bill, which is in-line with Governor Murphy’s recent calls to hold corporations accountable for the receipt of taxpayer-funded job creation incentive grants, seeks to protect call center jobs in the state. The bill was released from the Senate Appropriations Committee by a vote of 8 to 2-2.  It was released along party lines with Democratic Senators Sarlo (D-36), Cunningham (D-31), Ruiz (29), Greenstein (D-14), Cruz-Perez (D-5), Diegnan (D-18), Singleton (D-7), and Adrzejczack (D-1) voting YES. Republicans O’Scanlon (D-13) and Oroho (D-24) voted NO. Senators Addiego (D-4) and Thompson (D-12) abstained.

Senator Menendez, Congressman Norcross, Congressman Van Drew and Union Officials Join Struggling Federal Workers to Rally for an End to Trump’s Disastrous Government Shutdown

Federal employees from around the state will gather at Teamsters Local 331 in Egg Harbor City on Monday, January 21 to call for an end to Trump’s disastrous government shutdown. This grassroots event, hosted by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and three local federal worker unions impacted by the shutdown, will feature several distinguished speakers, including Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Donald Norcross, Congressman Van Drew and New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech.

Governor Phil Murphy delivered his first State of the State address today in Trenton, outlining plans to improve the financial security of working families in New Jersey.

Please join the New Jersey State AFL-CIO in Atlantic City on Saturday, January 19 to march in honor of Fannie Lou Hamer, a voting and women’s rights activist. The march will launch on the Atlantic City Boardwalk at 11:00 am and culminate with a rally at the historic Boardwalk Hall, the site where Fannie Lou Hamer challenged Jim Crow laws at the 1964 Democratic Convention. The rally will feature keynote speaker Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver, artist and activist Jessica Care Moore, and a performance from award-winning actress Ms. Helen Sims of the Fannie Lou Hamer Museum in Belzoni, Mississippi.  

Today marks the 20th day of Trump’s disastrous government shutdown, which has more than 800,000 federal employees either on furlough or working without pay. 

If you are a furloughed federal employee and work in New Jersey, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. To learn more about unemployment eligibility, click here. To start your claim, click here. To learn more about the effects of the shutdown, click here.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO congratulates Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., who after nearly three decades of service, has been named Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. This new role makes the Congressman one of the nation’s most influential Democrats, giving him the power to shape debates on some of our most critical and pressing issues such as climate change and affordable health care.

States and municipalities across the country are taking direct action to raise wages. With the cost of living rising and a federal minimum wage less than $9.00 per hour, workers are finding it harder than ever to make ends meet. Many workers balance two or three jobs and still struggle with poverty, while the largest businesses continue to reap billions of dollars in profit.

Given the ongoing imbalance between work and reward, the labor movement is committed to keeping the campaign to raise wages going.