The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Mark Lauritsen, Veronica Cruz-Velandia, and Leehanyi Baptista to discuss the important and impressive collective bargaining victory by the meatpacking workers at JBS Foods and their union, the United Food and Commercial Workers.”

“In a major labor victory for essential workers, more than 45,000 grocery employees across Southern California — including over 7,400 in San Diego County — have overwhelmingly voted to ratify new three-year contracts with Ralphs, Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions. The agreements were finalized after months of tense negotiations between the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union and the major grocery chains…Among the highlights of the ratified agreements: Significant wage increases for both new and longtime employees. A new supplemental pension plan, giving workers a path to more secure retirement. Expanded healthcare benefits, including quicker eligibility for new hires. Stronger staffing language that gives the union a say in ensuring safe and efficient staffing levels.”

“On July 2nd, Harvard announced that it had decided to remove a significant number of graduate students from the bargaining unit represented by HGSU. The University said that it would no longer ‘include any students in the bargaining unit receiving stipends to pursue research toward their degrees.’ The explanation for this decision was brief. The email announcement stated only that ‘[u]nder the law, only employees can unionize. These stipendee students are not employees because they do not perform services for the university in exchange for compensation, a determination that has been recently clarified by multiple decisions interpreting the NLRA.’ This conclusion runs counter to recent history in the law and at Harvard.”

“When considering workplace artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and new digital technologies, one might envision workers in Silicon Valley or remote factory robotics. However, coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) are addressing the effects of technological change in coal mines and Wall Street from New York City to the Navajo Nation.”

“Episode #5 of the Power Half-Hour has arrived! The Power Half-Hour is a livestreamed, fast-paced, bi-weekly roundtable with a rotating group of regular guests. Our guests discuss the biggest labor story of the preceding week and the labor story everyone should be talking about over the next two weeks.”

“This paper provides causal evidence on how wage inequality among workers affects the labor movement using three complementary research designs: a vignette experiment with union organizers, a natural policy experiment that increased wage inequality among Wisconsin school teachers, and an information intervention during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Across all studies, we find that inequality undermines union strength through multiple channels.”

“Jerrad McMurrich grew up in Arizona’s ‘0-5.’ That’s zip code 85705, one of the poorest areas in Arizona. McMurrich, an emergency vehicle technician for the Tucson Fire Department, taught in a local high school for many years and knows his community like he knows the vehicles he keeps running. And he knows what kind of damage the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ is going to cause for his fellow Arizonans.”

“Federal investments in workforce programs operate on the theory that education and training can create a win–win—helping workers find better jobs while fueling broader economic growth. Lawmakers have long believed that a strong, adaptable workforce is essential for keeping the country competitive, especially as industries change due to technology, globalization, and other big shifts. By supporting efforts that build skills, boost career mobility, and keep people connected to the job market, these policies aim to strengthen both individual opportunity and the economy as a whole.”

“Unionized journalists at POLITICO and E&E News will head to arbitration today in a consequential legal dispute over artificial intelligence. The hearing will determine whether POLITICO violated key protections around AI use that were secured in the PEN Guild’s first collective bargaining agreement—one of the first union contracts in the media industry to include enforceable rules for AI.”

“Nine people were killed and 30 others hospitalized after a fire ripped through an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts Sunday night. IAFF leaders say the outcome could have been different – if only there had been more fire fighters on the first trucks to arrive.”

“By many estimates, the increasing use of artificial intelligence is set to produce significant job losses. The prospect of serious disruption demands that we start formulating egalitarian policy solutions right now.”

“Federal officers raided a large cannabis farm in Southern California on Thursday, clashing with protesters and firing crowd-control munitions, including tear gas, in the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on worksites. Video of the farm in Camarillo, Ventura County, showed officers in camouflage gear, helmets and gas masks, and accompanied by military-style vehicles, firing a large number of crowd-control munitions that emitted white gas during the raid…One worker, Jaime Alanis, died from injuries sustained during the raid, according to Daniel Larios, spokesperson for the United Farm Workers.”

“On June 25, 2025, AGC Cowen issued Memorandum GC 25-07 (“GC 25-07”), arguing that a party which surreptitiously records collective-bargaining sessions commits a per se violation of the duty to bargain in good faith under both Sections 8(a)(5) and 8(b)(3) of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). Further, GC 25-07 includes a specific directive to all NLRB regional offices to issue a complaint alleging a violation of the duty to bargain in good faith whenever an investigation shows that a party surreptitiously recorded a bargaining session. The AGC’s stated rationale for issuing GC 25-07 is to address (1) advancements and wide prevalence of technology that allows for secret and accurate recordings of conversations, and (2) uncertainty due to the lack of a brightline rule by the NLRB regarding the secret recordings of bargaining sessions.”

“Last month, a coalition of rideshare drivers, grassroots organizations, and unions announced an agreement with Uber declaring that the company would support Illinois state legislation enabling drivers to unionize and then bargain around pay and working conditions in the rideshare industry. This agreement was a result of Chicago drivers’ organizing for more than six years—a story that shows both the potential and the challenges of worker organizing in the tech industry as that industry takes a sharp turn towards the far right.”

“Lowe’s has agreed to pay more than $14,000 in lost wages to a Louisiana worker who said he was fired in retaliation for trying to start a union. The payment to Felix Allen was part of a settlement agreement between the big-box retailer and the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that enforces union rights. The NLRB’s prosecutor had accused Lowe’s of illegally surveilling pro-union employees, preventing them from passing out union literature and terminating Allen for his union activity. Allen, 28, was fired in June 2023 for what he claims were selectively enforced safety violations. Months earlier, he had been gathering signatures to hold a union election in hopes of creating the chain’s very first unionized store.”

“While Florida isn’t exactly a hotbed for organizing activity, the state (surprisingly or not) happens to be home to some of the most active anti-union labor consultants in the country. Such consultants, described by critics as ‘union busters,’ are hired by employers to convince workers not to form or join a union. Some of these consultants are attorneys, others are not...Under federal law, persuaders are required to file reports with the federal Office of Labor Management Services when they enter into agreements with employers. These forms are known as LM-20s and LM-21s…Here’s what was reported to the feds during the first half of July…”

“Today, the workers of Snopes.com won voluntary recognition of their union, the Snopes Guild. The union — which secured 80% support before recognition — represents approximately 10 eligible editorial staff members. With recognition, the Guild will begin the collective bargaining process to develop a contract. Employees are organizing to ensure job security, transparency, modern work practices and fair compensation and benefits.”

“A local sanitation workers' strike that began on July 1 in Boston, Massachusetts, and left trash unpicked across the city is now spreading nationwide in a series of labor actions coordinated by the Teamsters union as frustrated workers demand better pay and benefits from Republic Services, a major waste disposal company.”

“Union member support for Democrats reached a recent high during the 2024 election after falling to a low point during Donald Trump’s first presidential election in 2016…But since 2016, union member support for Democratic Party candidates has increased each election cycle, hitting an 8.2 percentage point margin in 2024. This trend of increasing union support for Democratic candidates has been driven largely by women: College-educated union women steadily increased support over the past two presidential elections.”

“Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery won’t be seeking reelection, and three other executive board members have submitted resignations. Those vacancies give the Chicago Teachers Union an opening to gain more power over the statewide union.”