The Weekly Download

“Workers in union outlier industries are taking notice of the organizing success of the IAM and what once seemed unlikely or impossible has become achievable. Union organizing victories can be very contagious. The Machinists have led the way in non-traditional organizing – or organizing outside the box. The IAM’s Eastern Territory is in the forefront of a new organizing strategy, and when they organized the Maine Lobstermen, it was just the beginning.”

“In a major victory, a majority of employees at Solar Alliance Southeast voted for union representation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in an official National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election held today…Despite playing a critical role in ensuring the demands of this rapidly expanding industry are met, workers at SASE and across the solar industry are currently faced with immense challenges. SASE workers receive low and inconsistent pay that is grossly under the industry standard and does not match the workers’ level of expertise and skills. In addition, the workers are constantly overworked without additional compensation, lack job security and safety, as well as adequate resources and support.”

“Barnes & Noble Inc. employees at a four-story Manhattan bookstore voted overwhelmingly to unionize, expanding a new labor foothold at the longtime union-free brand. Workers voted 76-to-2 in favor of joining the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, according to a spokesperson for the US National Labor Relations Board, which conducted the election Wednesday. RWDSU, an affiliate of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union, also prevailed in a vote last month among Barnes & Noble Education Inc. staff on Rutgers University’s campus in New Jersey, and another UFCW chapter won a May vote at a Barnes & Noble location in Massachusetts.”

“Hundreds of Dollar General workers gathered on May 31 during the general stockholders meeting at the company’s headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, to demand better working conditions. Through their activism, they won a victory for workplace safety after shareholders voted for an independent audit to review the company’s health and safety policies.”

“Following two weeks of picket lines, a boycott of non-union IHG (InterContinental Hotel Group) properties in the D.C. area, and months of intensive organizing, workers at the InterContinental on the Wharf are poised to win their union. In an agreement finalized today between IHG and UNITE HERE Local 25, IHG has agreed to an expedient, neutral process for union recognition and bargaining a first contract.”

“A group of Alphabet Inc. contract workers are launching a unionization campaign, saying they need a greater voice at the company that has tasked them with work on its most high-profile products, including training generative AI answers in Google’s search engine and chatbot.”

“Amazon on Friday fired Jennifer Bates, a warehouse worker and lead spokesperson of the unionization campaign in Bessemer, Alabama, without cause. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) described Bates as the "woman who lit the spark of the current rise of labor activism." Her termination comes as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) continues to investigate RWDSU's claims that Amazon violated federal labor law in order to vanquish a union drive broadly supported by local residents.”

"'Smile and have fun'? Are those the words that will lead to student-athletes at private-universities and colleges being classified as “employees” who are protected by the National Labor Relations Act (Act) and able to organize unions and bargain with their employer schools? Or will those words spark an even broader and more important change in labor law?"

“Watch Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris in conversation with labor law experts Charlotte Garden, Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota, and Anne Marie Lofaso, Professor of Law at West Virginia University, as they discuss the Supreme Court's June 1 decision in Glacier Northwest Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 174. Listen to the podcast, here."

“It is difficult to overstate the hostility of the Roberts court to organized labor and the rights of American workers. Under John Roberts, who became chief justice in 2005, the court has made it harder for workers to bring suit against employers collectively, limited the power of workers to hold employers responsible for discrimination on the job, ended the ability of public sector unions to require dues from nonmembers who benefit from collective bargaining and struck down a California law that allowed unions to recruit workers on the property of agricultural employers.”

“The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled in no uncertain terms that Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration broke the law by taking actions to interfere with public employee unions. The court further affirmed a lower court’s permanent injunction to prohibit the state from unilaterally implementing its unlawful actions in the future. The Dunleavy administration also has to pay ASEA $450,000 in damages, legal fees and interest.”

“Norfolk Southern became the first major North American freight railroad with deals to provide paid sick time to all of its workers Monday, but the other railroads are making progress, with nearly 65% of all rail workers securing this basic benefit since the start of the year. All of the major freight railroads have said they are committed to resolving this key issue that nearly led to a strike in last year’s bitter contract talks. But most of those railroads — which include CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City — are still negotiating with a number of their unions…Norfolk Southern and the other major railroads tout the progress they have made so far, but officials with the Transportation Trades Department — the AFL-CIO labor coalition that includes all the rail unions — said much work remains to address workers’ concerns.”

“Operations at several West Coast ports were "throttled" Monday due to labor stoppages or slowdowns, the WSJ reported, as union contract negotiations between dockworkers and shipping companies dragged into a second year.”

“‘I wish to be like eggs,” said Abdullah Saleem, in his third week of striking Constellium Automotive west of Detroit. ‘You know how eggs used to be a dollar a dozen and now they’re $4,’ said Saleem, who has 11 years working at the plant. Pointing to the $18.60 that’s the usual pay for a Constellium operator, Saleem wants his wage to show the same progress as eggs. Constellium, a supplier of aluminum parts and crash management systems to Ford, is refusing to budge on wages, according to bargaining committee member Mohamed Alturki. The workers’ first contract was rushed through three years ago during Covid and contained no wage increase the first year, and just two 3 percent boosts the other two years. ‘This time,’ he said, ‘it’s a different scenario. The people don’t accept it.’”

“Seattle, WA – 2,400 UW Postdoctoral Researchers and Research Scientists/Engineers (RSEs) at the University of Washington are on strike after not reaching agreement with UW administration in bargaining. They will head to the picket lines beginning at 5am. Hundreds will gather Wednesday for a strike kickoff rally at 12pm on Red Square. Press are encouraged to attend…At issue still for RSEs are three core demands: support for an inclusive workforce — including the same harassment prevention program for RSEs that is available for Postdocs and student employees, support for childcare, and fair compensation. For Postdocs, the biggest sticking point is that UW is refusing to pay Postdocs a living wage in line with state minimum wage standards.”

“According to the union, nearly 65,000 members, or about 47.69% of its base, took part in the strike authorization vote. Of this total, 97.91% of them voted in favor of joining the Writers Guild of America if contract talks stall…According to their website, the Screen Actors Guild - American Film, Television and Radio Artists represents more than 160,000 actors, journalists, radio personalities and more. They are expected to enter negotiations with studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on June 7.”

“Hundreds of journalists are walking off the job Monday and Tuesday at two dozen newspapers owned by the Gannett company. They're protesting working conditions at their papers and launching a lacerating attack on Gannett's chief executive. The newspapers, in seven states, include The Arizona Republic, The Austin American Statesman, The Florida Times-Union, The Asbury Park Press and others. The journalists and representatives at their union, the NewsGuild, accuse Gannett of undercompensating them for years. And, they note, they are now being asked to do more than ever.”

“With the largest private sector labor contract in the United States set to expire on July 31 at midnight, the eyes of the American labor movement are on United Parcel Service (UPS) and the nearly 350,000 Teamsters who work there. The Teamsters announced a UPS strike authorization vote starting this week, with results to be announced June 16. Union leaders are strongly urging a yes vote. “This is how we win,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien.”

“Dozens of Amazon STL8 warehouse workers here marched on the boss May 23 to deliver a petition to demand safer conditions on the job. The petition, signed by more than 400 workers, urged Amazon to implement safer work rates, more break time, implementation of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety recommendations, and an independent safety audit.”

“‘Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains,’ philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau said in the 18th century. Likewise, the right to strike is the fundamental source of a union’s power, and everywhere they have signed that right away. ​’No strike clauses,’ which ban workers from striking during the course of a union contract, have been ubiquitous for decades — the price, companies argue, of having a contract at all. Breaking out of this power-sucking bargain is a vital task for the labor movement, if it ever wants to be able to stand up to corporate America in a meaningful way.”

“The Directors Guild of America’s national board of directors has unanimously approved the tentative agreement reached by the guild’s negotiating committee late Saturday, a deal that aims to set parameters around the use of artificial intelligence and boost streaming residual rates. With the board’s approval, the contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will be sent to a ratification vote by DGA membership. The guild expects to send materials to its members this week.”

“ABF Freight announced Wednesday after the market closed that it has reached a tentative labor deal with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said the two parties have agreed to terms on their national and supplemental labor contracts. The deal will need to be ratified by employees. A Wednesday statement from the Teamsters said union representatives will review the contract next week and then put it out to members for a vote. The Teamsters said the new deal ‘will provide members with wage increases and improvements to benefits and working conditions, among other gains.’”

“Viewed at a distance, the gathering on Friday, May 26, in downtown Los Angeles looked familiar. Union members hoisted signs, chanted messages of solidarity as they walked city blocks. Finally they arrived at their destination, the massive convention center, where the state’s Democratic Party was staging its annual meeting…A dozen unions were represented, according to those who attended, and they cut across various kinds of work in L.A., from those who cook and clean rooms to those who create and deliver Hollywood productions. Their common thread: finding a way to continue to both work and live here. It could be a summer-long theme…The unions involved in the event collectively represent about 200,000 members, part of an estimated 800,000 union-represented workers in Los Angeles County alone. At least 100,000 of those are on contracts that expire this summer, said Minato, whose union has about 100 separate contracts up for renegotiation.”