North America

The workplace appears set to be safer for health workers in California hospitals, with the approval of new rules by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) which would make it compulsory for hospitals and other healthcare facilities to establish violence prevention protocols, with the active involvement of the workers.

In solidarity with mass demonstrations taking place in Europe, the undersigned Canadian trade unions, wish to echo the recent message of the 3.3 million member-strong Canadian Labour Congress that there are many questionable aspects to the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. We are therefore calling on our Federal Liberal government not to ratify the CETA.

PSI affiliate AFSCME applauds the Justice Department’s decision to end the use of private, for-profit firms to run America’s federal prisons.

All of the rhetoric about “school choice” only obscures the real choice. Who do we want to control public education? Communities, teachers, and education professionals, or billionaires and owners of companies like Walmart?

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has selected a member from each of its seven divisions who epitomize the spirit of public service, camaraderie and compassion, as its Everyday Heroes. Each winner will be honored at this year’s AFT convention in July.

As Puerto Rico struggles to resolve its debt crisis, vulture hedge funds are demanding full payment on debt they bought for pennies on the dollar. Caught in the middle are Puerto Rico’s citizens– American neighbors who have no voice in Congress.

Gwen Moore wrote to president Jim Yong Kim to critique the World Bank Group and its private sector lending arm, the International Finance Corporation, over its policies and lending practices that favour water privatisation.