The Weekly Download

Two economic releases today tell us that U.S. economic conditions remain strong for workers. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis reported an advance estimate that the U.S. economy grew 2.9% in the last quarter of 2022. That's a slight decline from the preceding quarter, but still strong economic growth. Solid economic growth is a clear indication that the American economy is strong and there are no signs that an unemployment-producing recession is looming.

Self-organizing a union on a shoestring? Winning the supposedly unwinnable? Workers at a local burger chain out of Portland, Oregon, were doing it before it was cool. The Burgerville Workers Union, which went public in 2016 and won its first contract in 2021, has recently been influencing and supporting independent union efforts in the region - and it has a few lessons to offer independent unions around the country.

The court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization posed an imminent threat to collective bargaining agreements, and the justices heard arguments earlier this month in a case that could deal a devastating blow to workers' right to strike. These fights are deeply connected, and in many states where abortion has been restricted, workers; rights are also severely limited. Working people have the ability to respond and that's why we launched a new map to help workers make informed decisions to better advocate for ourselves and our families.

Ingredion workers in Cedar Rapids have been on strike for more than 6 months. The specialty ingredient manufacturer brought in record revenue of almost 7 billion in 2022 but tried to pay its workers less and cut their benefits

Minnesota Starbucks workers interviewed by Workday Magazine attest to "soft" union-busting tactics that are on par with trends across the country: not giving unionized stores the same wage increases as non-unionized stores, not installing credit card tip readers in unionized shops, cracking down on dress code violations that never used to be enforced, cutting hours, denying promotions, and spreading confusion about the union.

Until fairly recently, games were considered a niche hobby, typically associated with children. But the industry has grown widely in recent decades. About two-thirds of Americans, most of them adults, play video games. The video game industry was worth nearly $200 billion in 2021 - more than music, U.S. book publishing and North American sports combined. It employs hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. alone.

The court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization posed an imminent threat to collective bargaining agreements, and the justices heard arguments earlier this month in a case that could deal a devastating blow to workers' right to strike. These fights are deeply connected, and in many states where abortion has been restricted, workers; rights are also severely limited. Working people have the ability to respond and that's why we launched a new map to help workers make informed decisions to better advocate for ourselves and our families.

Self-organizing a union on a shoestring? Winning the supposedly unwinnable? Workers at a local burger chain out of Portland, Oregon, were doing it before it was cool. The Burgerville Workers Union, which went public in 2016 and won its first contract in 2021, has recently been influencing and supporting independent union efforts in the region - and it has a few lessons to offer independent unions around the country.

Ingredion workers in Cedar Rapids have been on strike for more than 6 months. The specialty ingredient manufacturer brought in record revenue of almost 7 billion in 2022 but tried to pay its workers less and cut their benefits

The court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization posed an imminent threat to collective bargaining agreements, and the justices heard arguments earlier this month in a case that could deal a devastating blow to workers' right to strike. These fights are deeply connected, and in many states where abortion has been restricted, workers; rights are also severely limited. Working people have the ability to respond and that's why we launched a new map to help workers make informed decisions to better advocate for ourselves and our families.

Self-organizing a union on a shoestring? Winning the supposedly unwinnable? Workers at a local burger chain out of Portland, Oregon, were doing it before it was cool. The Burgerville Workers Union, which went public in 2016 and won its first contract in 2021, has recently been influencing and supporting independent union efforts in the region - and it has a few lessons to offer independent unions around the country.

Minnesota Starbucks workers interviewed by Workday Magazine attest to "soft" union-busting tactics that are on par with trends across the country: not giving unionized stores the same wage increases as non-unionized stores, not installing credit card tip readers in unionized shops, cracking down on dress code violations that never used to be enforced, cutting hours, denying promotions, and spreading confusion about the union.

The court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization posed an imminent threat to collective bargaining agreements, and the justices heard arguments earlier this month in a case that could deal a devastating blow to workers' right to strike. These fights are deeply connected, and in many states where abortion has been restricted, workers; rights are also severely limited. Working people have the ability to respond and that's why we launched a new map to help workers make informed decisions to better advocate for ourselves and our families.

Two economic releases today tell us that U.S. economic conditions remain strong for workers. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis reported an advance estimate that the U.S. economy grew 2.9% in the last quarter of 2022. That's a slight decline from the preceding quarter, but still strong economic growth. Solid economic growth is a clear indication that the American economy is strong and there are no signs that an unemployment-producing recession is looming.

Self-organizing a union on a shoestring? Winning the supposedly unwinnable? Workers at a local burger chain out of Portland, Oregon, were doing it before it was cool. The Burgerville Workers Union, which went public in 2016 and won its first contract in 2021, has recently been influencing and supporting independent union efforts in the region - and it has a few lessons to offer independent unions around the country.

“Jesse Mason, the Washington state worker Verizon fired last year after he tried to organize two Seattle-area retail stores, went back to work on Monday, as part of the telecom giant’s recent settlement with federal labor regulators.”

“Captive audience meetings allow employers facing an organizing drive to gather large groups of employees on company time and push their views about a union or unions in general. Employees who fail to attend or attempt to leave such meetings can be disciplined.”

"The Democratic-led Michigan Legislature voted along party lines Tuesday on landmark legislation to restore prevailing wages for state construction projects and repeal the right-to-work law that barred union contracts from requiring membership fees as a condition of employment. The Michigan Senate took a final vote on the bill to repeal the right-to-work law for private employers and sent the measure to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk on Tuesday afternoon. The Senate passed the bill 20-16 along party lines after the legislation cleared the House in a 56-52 party-line vote.”

“Climate protection will create jobs for workers and economic development for communities. But as fossil fuel facilities are closed down there will also be some jobs lost and some communities will lose taxes and other economic benefits. This Commentary recounts what communities around the country are doing “on the ground” to protect workers and local economies from collateral damage from the transition to climate-safe energy. The next Commentary describes what states are doing to include such protections in their climate and energy programs.”

“The Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents thousands of NYC Transit workers who keep the city’s subways and buses running, announced on Thursday legislation that would make it legal for them to strike in pursuit of a new contract with the MTA. The announcement comes at a critical time for public transit in New York, with the MTA struggling to close a massive budget deficit, and the current collective bargaining agreement with the TWU Local 100 for some 37,000 laborers set to expire in May.”

"Los Angeles public schools will remain closed Thursday, the last of a three-day strike, as Mayor Karen Bass stepped in Wednesday to join talks with union and school district leaders to offer “assistance and support,” the district reported."

“Hundreds of Starbucks workers from coast to coast are striking on Wednesday to send the company’s new CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, a message to break the trend and bring an end to the company’s fierce union-busting campaign. Over 100 stores are going on strike, including in major cities like Boston, New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Workers are also planning to strike in Seattle, where they will march outside of the company’s headquarters the day before the company holds its annual shareholder meeting.”

“The presidents of the two national teachers unions took Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to task in his home state over the weekend, slamming the Republican and likely 2024 presidential candidate for attempting to dismantle the U.S. public education system – underscoring the seriousness with which they see him as a threat to K-12 education and foretelling the lengths they’re set go to mobilize their forces against him as election season looms.”

“Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) employees began a three-day strike on March 21, closing schools in the country’s second largest district, which serves approximately 420,000 students. The roughly 30,000 workers represented by Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) include bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and special education assistants. They are demanding a 30% wage increase in addition to an increase of $2 an hour for the lowest earners and are joined in a solidarity strike by 35,000 teachers, counselors, therapists, nurses and librarians with United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which is also negotiating its contract.”

“Rank-and-file activists at UPS have a huge task: getting our 340,000 co-workers ready to mount a credible strike threat by August 1. Luckily we don’t have to do it alone, like we did in 2013 and 2018. This time we have the support of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, and the rest of our international leadership. We have a contract campaign coordinator, internal organizers, and a whole team of staff from the international union to engage members and coordinate all our efforts toward one big fight.”

"The 1951 Empire Zinc strike made history and spawned a landmark labor film. Its impact is still reverberating today.”

“TV and movie writers want more money, but Hollywood companies say the demands ignore economic realities. The deadline to sort out those differences is approaching.”