The Weekly Download

“In this live blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Sharon Block, the Executive Director of the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, Bill Samuel, the former director of government affairs at the AFL-CIO, and a live audience made up of Power At Work subscribers. For our long-term subscribers, you would know that this is the second ‘buy or sell’ blogcast Power At Work has done, this time with a live audience giving us their labor predictions. Watch now to hear what these three labor experts have to say about the future of the NLRB, potential strikes and collective bargaining agreements, union memberships, and more!”

“Pennsylvania State University stands as the only state-related school without a faculty union, and now some faculty there want to change that. Faculty concern about the university’s decisions began to accelerate during the pandemic and have continued to mount as the administration makes budget cuts and prepares to close some of its Commonwealth campuses, faculty say. A seeming lack of shared governance, salary and workload inequities across campuses, and transparency are among other concerns cited by faculty involved in the effort.”

“Two days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Anna “Razor Blade” Flemmings took to a podium in pearls and a red Communication Workers of America union T-shirt and spoke her mind. ‘I want better for me, my coworkers and our children,’ said Flemmings, 58, who handles calls to 1-800-MEDICARE for Maximus Inc., a government contractor…Supporters of the organizing effort have called into question whether federal funds should go to contractors such as Maximus, which they said attempts to bust union organizing, pays low wages and offers inadequate health insurance. Today, the effort offers a glimpse of just how committed the workers, many of them Black Southern women like Flemmings, are to being represented by a union.”

“In early 2025, the death of a 28-year-old investment banker set off renewed calls for stronger employee protections in the financial industry. While the cause of death remains unknown, recent reports of a potential overdose, extreme sleep deprivation, and widespread stimulant abuse at the young banker’s firm have fueled arguments that his death is part of a troubling pattern….J.P. Morgan is reportedly facing a unionization push, and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has publicly confirmed that a group of J.P. employees recently contacted the CWA seeking information about how to set up a union. Moreover, although unionization is rare in the financial sector, it’s not unheard of. In late 2023, employees at Wells Fargo’s Albuquerque, New Mexico branch voted to unionize under the CWA, following the unionization of two smaller banks in California and New York. Although these bargaining units include employees in clerical and administrative roles, their success demonstrates that even financial institutions are not immune to unionization efforts.”

“Though as a child Hunter Furr saw his father and grandfather come home from prison “tired and stressed,” he became the third generation of his family to work at Caswell Correctional Center in North Carolina, a job he described in 2022 as ‘a good experience. In this line of work, it’s a family and a brotherhood that no other job can give you.’”

“Two days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Anna “Razor Blade” Flemmings took to a podium in pearls and a red Communication Workers of America union T-shirt and spoke her mind. ‘I want better for me, my coworkers and our children,’ said Flemmings, 58, who handles calls to 1-800-MEDICARE for Maximus Inc., a government contractor…Supporters of the organizing effort have called into question whether federal funds should go to contractors such as Maximus, which they said attempts to bust union organizing, pays low wages and offers inadequate health insurance. Today, the effort offers a glimpse of just how committed the workers, many of them Black Southern women like Flemmings, are to being represented by a union.”

“In early 2025, the death of a 28-year-old investment banker set off renewed calls for stronger employee protections in the financial industry. While the cause of death remains unknown, recent reports of a potential overdose, extreme sleep deprivation, and widespread stimulant abuse at the young banker’s firm have fueled arguments that his death is part of a troubling pattern….J.P. Morgan is reportedly facing a unionization push, and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has publicly confirmed that a group of J.P. employees recently contacted the CWA seeking information about how to set up a union. Moreover, although unionization is rare in the financial sector, it’s not unheard of. In late 2023, employees at Wells Fargo’s Albuquerque, New Mexico branch voted to unionize under the CWA, following the unionization of two smaller banks in California and New York. Although these bargaining units include employees in clerical and administrative roles, their success demonstrates that even financial institutions are not immune to unionization efforts.”

“If you have been impacted by the recent federal layoffs, we’re here to help. Losing a job involuntarily is shocking and disturbing. That’s why Power at Work and our partners at InnovateUS have curated a set of free training resources designed to help you build new skills and knowledge to prepare for re-entering the job market, whether in the public sector or elsewhere. InnovateUS is created by and for public service professionals. We believe those in the public sector are always doing more with less - not just in government but in our own careers and communities. Making government more efficient isn't just about cutting costs or slashing jobs—it's about making government work better and more efficiently for the American people.”

“If you have been impacted by the recent federal layoffs, we’re here to help. Losing a job involuntarily is shocking and disturbing. That’s why Power at Work and our partners at InnovateUS have curated a set of free training resources designed to help you build new skills and knowledge to prepare for re-entering the job market, whether in the public sector or elsewhere. InnovateUS is created by and for public service professionals. We believe those in the public sector are always doing more with less - not just in government but in our own careers and communities. Making government more efficient isn't just about cutting costs or slashing jobs—it's about making government work better and more efficiently for the American people.”

“Graduate school is a critical step in many career paths—especially in STEM fields—and so getting accepted into a graduate program can feel like an immense privilege. Nevertheless, the decision to start a master’s or Ph.D. program is not an easy one. For many, it means signing up to endure years (from two to over eight in some cases) of financial instability and hardship. The ‘poor grad student’ trope is no joke—nationwide, the vast majority (94%) of life sciences departments do not provide a stipend for their graduate students that constitutes a living wage.”

“More than 2,000 state prison officers who failed to return to work after three weeks of wildcat strikes have been fired and will be barred from future law enforcement and other civil service jobs in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Tuesday. The affected officers, unlike 5,000 of their striking colleagues, spurned a Monday deadline set by their union and state officials as part of an agreement to end the labor actions, which, although illegal under state law and not authorized by the union, spread to nearly all of New York’s prisons.”

“Journalists represented by The NewsGuild of New York at the Bergen Record voted overwhelmingly to walk out, a move precipitated by Gannett’s chronic union-busting and unwillingness to agree to a fair contract with livable wages. The Record Guild, which represents 68 editorial workers at the newspaper, took the formal vote on Monday. With 92% percent voter turn out, members approved the walkout by 95%.”

“Hundreds of dining hall workers at Northwestern University walked off the job Monday morning as their union said it has reached an impasse with their employer after nine months of contract bargaining. The workers, who are employed by British food service giant Compass Group, are represented by hospitality union Unite Here Local 1. A union contract for the approximately 500 cooks, cashiers, baristas, dishwashers and catering workers expired this summer, and union members voted to authorize a strike at the end of February.”

“Over seven months since declaring a strike against all video game companies signed to the Interactive Media Agreement, SAG-AFTRA video game performers braved the L.A. rain for their first picket of the year on Wednesday. ‘Because of the wildfires and awards season and everything that the world is dealing with, this felt like the right time where we could get back into it all,’ ‘Resident Evil Village’ actor and member of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Andi Norris told Variety from the picket outside WB Games in Burbank. ‘We can bring this back up again and remind people that we are still fighting.’”

“STARR's Occidental Restaurant opened on Wednesday in Northwest D.C. but not without pushback. Dozens of union workers with UNITE HERE Local 25, Restaurant Workers Rising and other allies protested over the fact that workers at the new restaurant do not have union contracts. ‘Restaurant workers at The Occidental, like restaurant workers everywhere, deserve a powerful union contract,’ said UNITE HERE Local 25 Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Paul Schwalb.”

“Bus drivers disrupted routes during Mardi Gras as Baton Rouge's transit system illegally imposed a contract on their union, ATU Local 1546. These workers are refusing to be strong-armed, and the community is standing with them. Instead of division, Baton Rouge is choosing solidarity.”

“Republican state lawmakers have filed a quartet of bills for Florida's 2025 legislative session targeting public sector unions that appear to be drawn from legislation drafted by an anti-union think tank. Legislation filed last week by Florida Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, Rep. Dean Black and Sen. Randy Fine — all Republicans — represents the latest effort by at least a handful of Florida Republicans to undermine labor unions in Florida that represent thousands of state and local government employees, from classroom teachers to public utility workers, 911 dispatchers and librarians. A 2023 law, similarly backed by out-of-state think tanks, has already dealt a major blow to public sector unions. The law prevented union members from paying union dues through a paycheck deduction (the most convenient way to do so) while also requiring a higher percentage of them to pay dues in order for the union to remain certified (that is, valid in the state’s eyes).”

“The U.S. agency that enforces the labor rights of private-sector workers is abandoning its defense of a law barring the president from removing appointees at will, as President Donald Trump seeks to oust a Democratic member. The National Labor Relations Board since last week has notified courts in at least six cases, including one involving the SpaceX company of Trump ally Elon Musk, that it was taking the position that protections from removal for board members and administrative judges violate the U.S. Constitution.”

“The solar boom in New York state is not only powering homes, businesses and infrastructure; it is also generating jobs. Researchers at the ILR School’s Climate Jobs Institute (CJI) are helping to ensure the solar workforce is treated as fairly and equitably as employees in other industries. ‘It’s an emerging sector. It raises all sorts of questions around job quality,’ said Lara Skinner, CJI’s executive director. ‘We were seeing a lot of angst from both workers and communities about the fossil fuel plants being shut down, and then wondering, ‘What’s on the other side, what do we transition to, and what do the job opportunities look like in that space? Are these going to be good jobs? Will they pay as well as other energy jobs? Are we going to have good benefits, and healthy and safe working conditions’’” 

“The Senate on Monday confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer 67-32 to lead the Labor Department. More than a dozen Democrats joined Republicans in backing the former House lawmaker, who garnered support from some labor union leaders and business groups. Chavez-DeRemer is set to take charge at DOL as the Trump administration seeks major cutbacks at the agency and across the government as part of a deregulatory sweep the White House is betting will juice the economy. Her path to confirmation was rockier than initially anticipated. She was one of only a few House Republicans to sponsor a union-backed suite of labor law reforms known as the PRO Act — a stance that several conservatives, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), questioned during her confirmation hearing. President Donald Trump's barrage against civil service employees alienated several Democratic senators who might have otherwise voted for her.”

“As U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Congressman Bobby Scott reintroduced the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act on Wednesday, labor union leaders prepared to fight for the legislation that would strengthen workers' rights. While Sanders (I-Vt.) and Scott (D-Va.) have long led the battle for the bill on Capitol Hill, most Democrats in Congress—including both minority leaders—also support the PRO Act, which features a wide range of policies intended to hold companies accountable for violating employees' rights and make it easier for workers to form and negotiate with a union.”

“Ending a two-month strike, the prestigious Atlantic Theater Company and the labor union representing its crew members said Monday that they had reached a tentative agreement that they anticipated would allow the theater to resume performances. The agreement will be closely scrutinized by New York’s other Off Broadway theaters because the union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, has undertaken a major drive to organize those stage crews. The crews include the stage hands who move scenery and the people working in audio, video, hair, makeup, wardrobe, props, carpentry and lighting.”

“The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union announced yesterday that workers have ratified union contracts at three New York City Barnes & Noble stores, which is a first for Barnes & Noble in the U.S.  Through organizing and solidarity, over 200 workers at the Union Square, Park Slope, and West 82nd stores have won a substantially better contract. Their new agreement guarantees a wage increase, healthcare, more safety equipment and protections, job and pay security, paid transit after involuntary late shifts, and a break room at the Union Square location — apparently workers had been taking lunch in a basement closet.”

“The Trump administration said Friday that it is ending collective bargaining at the Transportation Security Administration, effectively revoking union protections for thousands of airport security officers. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security claimed the move would ‘safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe.’ ‘Eliminating collective bargaining removes bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility [and] enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jumpstarting innovation,’ the agency said.”

“CWA wireline workers at AT&T Southwest began contract negotiations this week. The current contract for CWA District 6 members in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas expires at midnight on April 12. CWA bargaining team members traveled to Austin, Texas, on February 24 to begin preparations, finalizing bargaining proposals as well as studying materials that were supplied by the company from their initial request for information. The bargaining team is seeking to address top-line issues, including securing future jobs by reducing contractor work, keeping healthcare costs affordable for members and retirees, and locking in better pay and stronger contractual language for workers in the lowest-paid job titles.”

“The UAW said Wednesday that workers at a battery manufacturing joint venture between General Motors and South Korea's LG Energy Solution in Tennessee have overwhelmingly approved a first contract with the company. The agreement, approved by nearly 1,000 UAW members working for the Ultium Cells joint venture, improves upon gains achieved in the union's national contract with GM for those workers, the union said.”