The Weekly Download

“Georgia workers at one of the nation’s largest school bus manufacturers will begin voting Thursday on whether they want to be represented by a labor union — a chance for organized labor to make gains on the stony soil of the Deep South. More than 1,400 employees at Blue Bird Corp.’s two factories and warehouse in Fort Valley will be voting through Friday on whether they want to unionize under the banner of the United Steelworkers. That union represents more than 850,000 workers nationwide in a variety of industries.”

“At Starbucks regional headquarters in Manhattan on May 1, staff were setting up an office pizza party when they heard a chant coming from the hallway of their fifteenth floor glass-enclosed office.”

“Several hundred people gathered near the University of Pennsylvania’s Van Pelt Library last week, many carrying posters emblazoned with the United Auto Workers logo and personalized with slogans about their worker grievances.”

“Matt Wehrmeister was working at an East Lansing Starbucks in March when he learned about Michigan Democrats’ successful repeal of the state’s right-to-work law. Wehrmeister is a barista at the East Lansing location near Michigan State University’s campus, one of hundreds of Starbucks in the U.S. where workers seek to unionize.”

“But then came the long slog of negotiating a contract. The company has refused to bargain if anyone attends a session virtually, the union says, and when Trader Joe’s negotiators do engage, they offer up unrealistic proposals, such as waiving the union’s ability to intervene when an employee files a grievance.”

“Last week, the Center for American Progress (CAP) issued a report that confirmed a fact we all knew: unions build workers’ wealth. Even though its principal finding approaches the level of truism, it needs to be repeated and supported frequently with fresh evidence or it can get lost in the discourse.”

“Workers continue to speak out about conditions at a Sunnyside mushroom farm that changed hands earlier this year. The owners of Ostrom Mushroom Farms sold the facility to Canadian mushroom grower Windmill Farms in February. It came after workers' call for a union and a lawsuit from the state attorney general's office. At an April 18 rally, workers resumed their public campaign for recognition and better working conditions. It was the first public action held in Sunnyside by United Farm Workers, a union that represents farmworkers, since the change in ownership.”

“The Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3 sent a toxic barrage of hazardous chemicals into the air, soil, and water and caused untold damage to waterways, wildlife, air quality, and people’s health. It was a grim confirmation of what rail workers have been saying would happen for years. And it could have been worse.”

“California’s farmworkers are likely days away from being able to use a law that will make it easier for them to vote in union elections. The measure, backed by the United Farm Workers, is pending the expected approval from Gov. Gavin Newsom. This new law would clarify the language of AB 2183, signed by Newsom in September with contingencies. And it culminates a years-long battle by UFW to expand unionization rights for farm workers.”

“AI, algorithms and other automated tools are being used in everything from screening job applicants and evaluating employee performance to tracking workers’ movements — even their keystrokes. Recent innovations in the technology, most notably ChatGPT, may have marked a tipping point in its spread to the workplace, with implications for a much broader set of workers. ‘With this latest iteration of AI, obviously, a whole lot of additional folks are starting to think it could impact them,’ said Beth Allen, a spokesperson for the Communications Workers of America. ‘It’s hard to think of an area of our membership that it might not end up touching down the road.’”

“Watch Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris in conversation with Alicia Modestino, Associate Professor at Northeastern University, and Elise Gould, Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute, as they discuss the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs, wages, and unemployment report for April 2023. This conversation aired live on the blog at 8:45 AM ET on Friday, May 5—just 15 minutes after the release of the report.”

“Listen to Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris in conversation with Alicia Modestino, Associate Professor at Northeastern University, and Elise Gould, Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute, as they discuss the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobs, wages, and unemployment report for April 2023. This conversation aired on the blog at 8:45 AM ET on Friday, May 5—just 15 minutes after the release of the report.”

“Hundreds of union workers at the Clarios automobile battery plant in Holland walked off the job Monday morning after 98% of the membership voted down the company's most recent contract proposal. UAW Local 12 President Bruce Baumhower said the facility employs about 500 people who have been in negotiations with the company for several months. The previous contract was extended multiple times in an attempt to reach a fair agreement.”

“Teachers unions said Wednesday that they are filing a lawsuit in federal court to stop Florida’s new anti-union law from taking effect, arguing that it violates their constitutional rights. The legislation, known as Senate Bill 256, bars most unions representing government employees from receiving dues directly from workers’ paychecks. It also requires that those unions maintain at least 60% membership in their workplaces to avoid being “decertified” and losing their collective bargaining agreements.”

“As the busy summer travel season approaches, 25,000 union pilots at two of the nation’s largest commercial airlines — American and Southwest — are taxiing on the runway of a potential strike. Last week, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents 15,000 pilots at American Airlines, announced that its members had voted overwhelmingly to authorize a work stoppage. Signaling their unity, thousands of uniformed APA members held informational pickets on May Day at ten of the nation’s major airports, including Chicago’s O’Hare and Boston’s Logan.”

“Still deadlocked on negotiations related to pay and proposed “common good” measures, the Oakland Education Association prepared to enter its second week on the picket lines, and planned to rally outside a now-canceled board meeting as its open-ended strike against the Oakland Unified School District heated up Wednesday. Despite earlier indications that the two sides were close to an agreement on compensation, on Wednesday teachers alleged they were given misleading information by the district — and that only 44% of union members would receive the hoped-for 22% salary bump.”

“It’s not just posturing: As screenwriters continue their strike against Hollywood companies, the two sides remain a galaxy apart, portending a potentially long and destructive standoff. ‘Any hope that this would be fast has faded,’ said Tara Kole, a founding partner of JSSK, an entertainment law firm that counts Emma Stone, Adam McKay and Halle Berry as clients. ‘I hate to say it, but it’s going to be a while.’ The Writers Guild of America, which represents 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike on Tuesday after contract negotiations with studios, streaming services and networks failed. By the end of the week, as companies punched back at union in the news media, and striking writers celebrated the disruption of shows filming from finished scripts, Doug Creutz, an analyst at TD Cowen, told clients that a ‘protracted affair seems likely.’ He defined protracted as more than three months — perhaps long enough to affect the Emmy Awards, scheduled for Sept. 18, and delay the fall TV season.”

"The platform was produced by two groups, the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, which does research and progressive advocacy work around the private equity industry, and United for Respect, a national nonprofit group focused on raising working standards in the retail industry. Both groups have long-standing partnerships with a range of labor unions and worker organizations."

“Shocking video of Medieval Times strikers in Buena Park, California, run down by a car and then physically assaulted while picketing in a crosswalk had hundreds of thousands of views on social media in April.”

“Disruptive technology is at the heart of the contentious negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and studios, networks and streaming services. Last week, those negotiations failed and the screenwriters went on strike. At issue is how writers get paid for streaming content and the role of artificial intelligence in the creative process. The WGA has pushed for guardrails on the use of new generative AI tools like ChatGPT, which are trained on vast amounts of human-made creative work and could, some fear, end up replacing it. It’s a concern that is popping up more and more across a number of different industries as the implications of this technology come into focus.”

“Shipping industry officials say local issues have been resolved and a tentative agreement was reached last month on terms for the use of automation on the docks, one of the most contentious issues at the ports. That leaves the issue of wages and pensions. Shipping officials familiar with the talks say the ILWU is likely to expect a pay increase in the first year of the new contract to at least match a deal reached recently with an ILWU local chapter in Hawaii of 10%. The parties also have to agree how long the contract will run. Employers had been pushing for a six-year contract. The union had been pushing for a two-year contract, according to people familiar with the talks. Any agreement would be retroactive to July 2022, when the last contract expired.”

“UPS Inc. and the Teamsters union have commenced the national, or master, phase of contract negotiations even though two main supplemental agreements remain unresolved.”

“Members of United Teachers Los Angeles overwhelmingly approved a new contract with L.A. Unified that will raise the average teacher salary to $106,000, a 21% wage increase over three years.”

“As a longtime labor organizer, scholar, and writer, Jane McAlevey has repeatedly articulated how mass numbers of workers can organize, negotiate, strike, and change the world. In an extended interview with Jacobin, McAlevey reflects on her life and work.”