February is Black History Month. Here at We Are Ohio, we’re celebrating civil and labor rights champion, A. Philip Randolph. Randolph was the first African-American inducted into the Labor Department’s Hall of Honor, and his inspirational words are just as meaningful today.

The West Virginia State House narrowly passed a right-to-work bill on Thursday, setting the state up to become the country’s 26th that doesn’t require employees to pay dues to their unions — a measure that has hobbled organized labor elsewhere.

The bill had been fast-tracked through the legislature’s two-month session, passing through committee hearings, floor debate, and final votes in a span of three weeks — amid protest rallies and furious lobbying by unions and their allies — in order to leave enough time for the legislature to override an anticipated veto by Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. It passed by a vote of 54-46, and an override only requires a simple majority vote.

Read the full story from the Washington Post here.

Local governments in Kentucky can increase the minimum wage, but a federal judge ruled Wednesday that they can’t ban labor unions from requiring employees to join them.

In competing court cases that pitted Democrats against Republicans in a pair of polarizing workplace issues, the courts have now declared them distinct.

Members of Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) hit the streets Saturday 300 strong to install donated faucets and other plumbing in homes of residents affected by Flint’s water crisis.

PMI members gathered at 7 a.m. at the UA Local 370 Union Hall, located at 5500 West Pierson Road in Flushing, on Saturday, Jan. 30. The members took the donated faucets and supplies, as well as Brita water filters provided by the state before beginning work in houses and apartment buildings throughout Flint.

Read more on MLive.com.

A labor-backed group that helped defeat collective bargaining restrictions in Ohio says it’s using the five-year anniversary of the union law to remind supporters to stay active and engaged in its efforts.

In a Monday email to supporters, the We Are Ohio organization announced a revamping of its website as it looks to push back against right-to-work legislation and other proposals before the state legislature.

Click here to read the AP’s fully story.