Labor Councils - National:
- AFL-CIO American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations. This national council has affiliates from most unions throughout the US and is the main national voice of organized labor. The website has many valuable links related to occupational safety and health, union affiliates, international organizations, etc. Click on ISSUES and then find Safety & Health at Work for great safety and health information. There are several subheadings: Safety & Health Toolbox, Honoring Workers, More Safety & Health Issues, Workers' Compensation, Ergonomics, and Bush's Record of Failure. Click on Unions of the AFL-CIO for a list of various unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO and click on State and Local Union Movements both of which are under the tab "All About Unions." Click on This is the AFL-CIO which is under the tab "About the AFL-CIO" to learn more about unions and to link to various councils and interest groups affiliated with the AFL-CIO and to the various departments within the AFL-CIO. Click on Safety & Health Toolbox and page down for a list of some of the COSH groups. Finally, further down is a link to Union Safety & Health Sites.
- BCTD Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. This national council has affiliates from the 15 international unions that comprise the building trades (see listings below under International Unions) and is the main national voice of the building trades.
- CPWR Center to Protect Workers' Rights. This is the non-profit arm of the BCTD that focuses on construction worker occupational safety and health. The CPWR has an electronic library which is geared towards construction hazards. It is easily searchable by trade and by type of hazard, among other things.
- ICFTU International Confederaton of Free Trade Unions. It is a Confederation of national trade union centres, each of which links together the trade unions of that particular country. Membership is open to bona fide trade union organisations, that are independent of outside influence, and have a democratic structure.
- ICEM International Federaton of Chemical, Energy, Mine and Geral Workers' Unions. The ICEM is a rapidly growing industry-based world labour federation dedicated to practical solidarity. It unites trade unions in its sectors on all continents. Its aim is to become a truly global trade union.
- ILO International Labour Organization. The International Labour Organization is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. It was founded in 1919 and is the only surviving major creation of the Treaty of Versailles which brought the League of Nations into being and it became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.
- TUC Trades Union Congress. The TUC is the voice of Britain at work. With 70 affiliated unions representing nearly seven million working people from all walks of life, they campaign for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.
- VTHC Victorian Trades Hall Council. The VTHC is the Victorian branch of the ACTU. It grew from the historic winning of the 8-hour day by the Melbourne building trades in 1856.
Labor Councils - California statewide councils
- California Labor Federation AFL-CIO. This statewide council has affiliates from most unions throughout California and is the main statewide voice of organized labor.
- SBCTC State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. This statewide council has the California affiliates from the 15 international unions that comprise the building trades.
Labor Councils - local councils are geographically based and are either "central labor councils" or "building trades councils"
These councils are not the only local councils - only those whose websites we know about. Through the statewide council, you should be able to get to various local councils, although many do not have websites. Through the national councils, you may be able to get to other statewide councils and perhaps to local councils. The councils also may have links to their own affiliated unions at each geographical level and this may help you find your own international union website as well as your particular local union website.
The national and statewide councils and some of the local councils may have information about specific occupational safety and health issues on which they are working. Your own international union may well have information about specific occupational safety and health issues that affect your craft or trade, and some of that information may also be available on a local union website. Check them out.
One more thing: The building trades unions are not only affiliated with the relevant building trades council, but also with the central labor council, statewide and national AFL-CIO council. They participate in both branches and there may be useful links from both branches as well.
Specific Unions
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