Gregory Floyd

Over the past several years, the focus of the national debate, water-cooler conversations and household discussions has been about the troubled economy. Our well-being as a country and a community is strongly tied to our economic health. That dialogue continues to dominate the political agenda today.

Despite...

These days, public pensions seem more like public enemy number one. Both at the city and the state level, some politicians make it sound like pensions are a black hole where money simply disappears into nowhere.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The money we set aside for...

As we enter 2012, it's hard to believe it's time for another presidential election. It seems like only yesterday that President Obama gave his victory speech from Chicago, bringing tears of joy to millions of people around the United States and the world.

A lot has...

Working people have had a long, tough road in this country. This is especially true for women, people of color and people belonging to religious minorities. We have come far, we have farther to go, and it is important to remember how we got here.

We did not just break...

As public sector workers, our pensions are our most important asset. They are more than just money and investments. They're our shared life savings.

They are not generous gifts from our employers, but deferred compensation that we have bargained for over decades. They signify dignity and freedom in retirement.

Organized labor has spent years trying to hold Wall Street accountable for the harm it did to this country. It wasn't until a month ago, however, that the seeds we planted grew into a grassroots uprising against economic injustice.

The Occupy Wall Street movement -- which...

For months, many labor leaders including myself have supported worker actions in Wisconsin and Ohio and more recently the CWA strike here in New York, and contemplated what the future may hold for America's workers. The recent walkout by Longshoremen in Washington and the ongoing "Occupy Wall Street" movement that...

Organized labor has many enemies in this country. Unfortunately, we also need to start worrying about our friends.

Vocal conservatives continue to increase their influence and hijack the debate about restoring our economy, putting the focus on cutting deficits and not creating jobs. Their attempt to shrink government and...

In politics, simultaneous with the war on public workers, there is a war of words being waged around the country and here at home. Like many battles, both sides profess to be on the right side, which in this case is about protecting America's future. In such a war, it...

Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana. These states are the front lines of the assault against the rights of working people and the middle class. With state and local government deficits ballooning around the country the fight is expanding daily.

This push against unions is not simply about getting fair wage and...

There's a reason why they call us public-service employees. We work hard to serve the public. It sounds simple, but it seems that people forget what we really do. Our towns, cities and states simply would not work if the roads were not cleaned and the streets were not policed.

The labor movement is no stranger to conflict. By definition, it involves organizing workers to fight aggressively against a larger, more powerful foe. Periods of conflict have ebbed and flowed over the course of labor's history, some moments uneventful, others full of marches, speeches and strikes.

The last decade...

Call it a tidal wave, call it a revolution, but there's no doubt the Republicans stormed back into power in Congress and the national stage on Nov. 2. U.S. Voters, upset about the economy and the bickering in Washington, took their anxiety and frustration out on incumbents by handing the...