Oklahoma State AFL-CIO

06/01/2026

“Blue-collar work was far more dangerous a century ago, especially in construction and the electrical industry.

It’s safer today not just because unions give workers power to demand safe workplaces, but also because unions fought to pass legislation that created regulatory bodies like OSHA.

One of the best ways to ensure a safe workplace is to join a union. But without strong health and safety protections at the local, state and federal levels, too many workers will be lost each year to preventable accidents.”

IBEW International President Kenneth Cooper on why political involvement matters.

As we enter summer, heat safety is more important than ever, especially for construction workers, who make up one-third of all heat-related deaths.

05/29/2026

Working folks in Oklahoma, now is our time to come together! Join us tomorrow!

We are knocking on the doors of fellow union members and working families to talk about SQ 832, and the conversations we have tomorrow are what makes a difference in elections.

Sign up and get details at mobilize.us/okaflcio/event/953656.

Questions? Contact Isabella Rodriguez at (405) 924-9575 or [email protected].

05/27/2026

Union members built the middle class in this country — not by waiting, but by showing up. Tonight we make calls — Saturday we knock doors!

Phonebank tonight sign-up: mobilize.us/okaflcio/event/953576 | Saturday canvas sign-up: mobilize.us/okaflcio/event/953656.

SQ 832 is our chance to lift up hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma workers who don't have a union contract to protect them, including the parents of nearly 200,000 Oklahoma children who deserve a raise that keeps up with the cost of living.

05/14/2026

Last night, we hosted our first phone bank for YES on SQ 832 - Raise the Wage here at the AFL-CIO office. Thanks to everyone who joined! If you want to help the effort and phone banking (and free pizza) is your speed, sign up here: https://www.mobilize.us/okaflcio/event/953576/

We don't have to tell you, prices are going up on everything except wages. The Labor Movement understands that a job is about more than a paycheck, it's about dignity. We want more folks to be working, and we believe all work deserves a decent wage. SQ832 will ensure more Oklahomans can support their families with their wages. Vote YES on June 16th!

Join us virtually to make calls for pro-worker candidates. Wednesday Nights 5:30pm-8pm. Call from anywhere! For more information or to call other times contact: Isabella Rodriguez at (405) 924-9575 or [email protected] Our unions endorse candidates and ballot measures because our elected officia...

04/28/2026

Every April 28th, we observe Workers' Memorial Day, where we honor the lives and families of those who have passed away on the job.

Last Tuesday, OK AFL-CIO alongside the Oklahoma Workers' Memorial day Coalition, held a memorial vigil for the 41 Oklahomans who died on the job in 2025.

Workplace hazards kill approximately 140,000 workers each year in the United States—more than 380 workers each day. The Oklahoma AFL-CIO advocates for safe work environments and protected safety standards.

01/24/2026

We hope you’re reading this from the comfort of a warm home, an we want you to send good vibes out to OKC’s workers—may of whom are members of AFSCME Local 2406—who are out on our streets making them safer for those who have to get out and about this weekend.

Organized labor is dedicated labor, and we all benefit from their work!

01/23/2026

With the 2026 legislative session just around the corner, these trainings are timely. If you're frustrated with the lack of attention paid to everyday working peoples' issues, and you want to get engaged at a level you're comfortable with, consider one of these trainings.

(the OK Policy Institute staff is unionized, by the way! Support union labor--in all its forms!)

Most decisions are made with input from just a handful of people. That’s it. Advocacy training teaches you how to be one of them — without burning out or embarrassing yourself.

So if you want to stop doom-scrolling and start doing, register today for an advocacy training in your community! (Link in comments)

👉 Check back as we announce more dates and cities.

01/19/2026

Echol Cole and Robert Walker were sitting on the back of their garbage truck on a rainy day in February of 1968, seeking rest and shelter from the weather, when the truck malfunctioned and crushed them both to death.

Sanitation workers in Memphis had dealt with a myriad of issues for a few years at that point, and had repeatedly been rebuffed by city leaders. Their fledgling union, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), hadn’t yet achieved the momentum needed to force real progress.

Then came Martin Luther King, a civil rights leader whose ‘Poor People’s Campaign’ aimed to draw attention to the injustices faced not only by black Americans, but working people who couldn’t get ahead no matter how hard to they tried.

“We’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through,” he said in his prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.

As the strikers faced violence from police in the streets of Memphis, a 16 year old boy named Larry Payne was shot and killed by a police officer in a wider struggle that saw 76 people injured by baton beatings at the hands of law enforcement. MLK was saying that giving up the struggle for the striking sanitation workers, after yet another senseless death, would be a tragedy unto itself. They must see it through. For Echol and Robert, for Larry, and for the hundreds of workers who’d been mistreated for far too long.

By lending his voice and his presence to the struggle, MLK changed the trajectory of the Memphis city workers’ union and the larger labor movement.

Everyone knows that we honor MLK because he gave his life to the cause of equality and social justice. The Labor Movement honors him because it was in the service of our cause that he was taken from us.

Today, we reiterate his message: that it would be a tragedy to stop at this point. We argue, like he did, that we must continue to give ourselves to the struggle until the end—an end that is still far off, that sees the kind of social justice and equality that he fought for.

If you echo his words today, make an effort to mirror his deeds as well. Thoughts without action fall far short of honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/memphis-sanitation-workers-striken

The night before his assassination in April 1968, Martin Luther King told a group of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee: “We’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We’ve got to see it through.....

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from the Oklahoma AFL-CIO!

As we welcome 2026, we look forward to a year of advocacy, opportunity, and continued strength for working Oklahomans.

Thank you to everyone who stood together this past year. We’re ready for what comes next — and excited to build a stronger future with you.

Here’s to solidarity, progress, and a union-strong new year.

12/31/2025

As we look ahead to the new year, we’re calling on our membership, our friends and supports, to make 2026 a Year of Labor.

2025 was a big year for us. It had to be. The return of Trump and his billionaire backers to the White House meant immediate, day one attacks on organized labor—from government workers to the construction trades, everyday workers faced an existential threat.

And we fought back.

In 2026, we’ll be working hard to put labor issues front and center in campaigns across Oklahoma ahead of the elections in November. Because unless you sign the paychecks, you are labor—no matter what kind of work you do. And the wins that the AFL-CIO and our affiliates got this year came from being organized.

If your workplace isn’t organized yet, let us know how we can help. The economy doesn’t work for all of us if it isn’t designed to reward hard work with fair wages, sensible protections, and a the ability to build a future.

Wherever you work, the Oklahoma AFL-CIO stands with you—and we’ll be calling on you to stand with us in the new year, as the attacks on organized labor continue—and our membership keeps up our fight to push back.