The Weekly Download

“The Cornell ILR Labor Action Tracker is a database that provides reliable information on strikes to fill the hole left by budget cuts to the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Reagan administration in the early 1980s. Listen to Johnnie Kallas explain how to use the Labor Action Tracker to track current strikes across the U.S.”

“Amazon workers and allies in dozens of countries around the world took to the streets Friday to protest the e-commerce behemoth's atrocious working conditions, low pay, union busting, tax dodging, and inaction on planet-warming emissions.”

“After 95 percent of voting members authorized a strike on October 30, the 29,000-member California Faculty Association plans to roll out strikes at Cal Poly Pomona December 4, San Francisco State University December 5, Cal State Los Angeles December 6 and Sacramento State University December 7.”

“Amazon workers were joined by Teamsters and labor allies as they rallied today outside of the company’s massive SWF1 warehouse to protest low wages and dangerous working conditions. The rally was one of many coordinated actions by Amazon workers around the country on Cyber Monday, Amazon’s biggest shopping day of the year.”

“What if a bunch of unions say they’re all going to walk out on May 1, 2028, unless their employers offer record contracts to make up for years of runaway inequality?”

“About four hundred Macy’s workers in Washington state began striking on Friday – known as Black Friday among retailers and one of the year’s busiest shopping days – citing allegedly unfair labor practices and the retail giant’s purported refusal to agree to a new contract. The union representing the employees, UFCW 3000, said workers started arriving about 3am on Friday to form picket lines. Workers are striking outside the Alderwood, Southcenter and Bellis Fair Macy’s stores and plan to continue for three days.”

“After eleven weeks on strike, the UAW has announced a tentative agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network. The agreement contains historic wins, including the reduction of the wage progression from twenty-two years to five, significant general wage increases, a $6,500 ratification bonus for Blue Cross Blue Shield workers, a $5,000 ratification bonus for Blue Care Network workers and inflation protection bonuses of $1,000 each year of the contract. Negotiators were also able to secure stronger contractual language to protect worker jobs from being outsourced during the life of the agreement.”

“Several workers and the United Farm Workers of America have sued a Sunnyside mushroom farm, alleging they faced retaliation for unionizing. The lawsuit filed Tuesday morning in Yakima County Superior Court accuses Windmill Farms — formerly Ostrom Mushroom Farm — of intimidating, harassing and firing workers who supported efforts to unionize. Workers voted to unionize in September 2022 but Ostrom wouldn't recognize the move.”

“The holiday season is here, meaning that many of us will probably find ourselves in an airport sometime during the next few weeks. While some travelers may not think much about who their pilots and flight attendants are –– let alone those workers’ schedules and pay –– many employees of the airline industry have been organizing for better working conditions for months or longer.”

“The United Auto Workers union says it has started an effort to organize workers at 13 non-union automakers with US factories. The union says it is seeing widespread grassroots support from employees at the plants after reaching labor deals with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis that granted members an immediate raise of at least 11% and subsequent raises and cost-of-living adjustments that could raise wages more than 30% over the life of contracts that run through April of 2028. The effort includes three US-based electric vehicle makers - Tesla, Rivian and Lucid - as well as 10 foreign automakers that build cars in the US - BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.”

“The successful UAW strike was the latest sign that the union movement is having a moment. Amid so much gloom in the world, US labor has emerged as an unlikely bright spot with genuine dynamism.”

“Buffalo, New York, has been a key hub within the current uptick of worker-led, store-level union organizing, especially among baristas and food service and grocery workers. From SPoT Coffee to Starbucks, the Lexington Co-op to Remedy House, the city has generated a collection of inspiring union victories and a growing layer of skilled labor organizers.”

“While unions represent nearly 70 percent of traditional public school teachers, they represent only 11 percent of teachers at charter schools. These numbers reflect many charter schools’ strident resistance to teacher unionization.”

“Adjunct professors at the University of Southern California’s prestigious film school are moving to unionize in pursuit of higher pay, benefits, better working conditions, expanded career opportunities and other demands. The college’s Adjunct Faculty Alliance-UAW announced that its colleagues at the USC School of Cinematic Arts will march Wednesday to the provost’s office and deliver a letter of request for their union to be recognized. In a news release, the AFA-UAW accused the film school of preventing its adjunct professors from teaching more than one class ‘to avoid providing health and other benefits.’ The alleged class cuts have resulted in a ‘severe’ loss of pay, the alliance said.”

“Ten of Walt Disney's (DIS.N) animation workers who operate remotely across six U.S. states are seeking to unionize, the Animation Guild said on Tuesday. The workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board for an official union election and sought representation by the Animation Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).”

“Tesla Inc. has fought off allegations it illegally terminated dozens of New York employees in response to a unionization campaign, a setback for organizing efforts at the Elon Musk-led carmaker.”

“Amazon.com Inc. has escalated a clash with an incipient organizing movement by ordering workers at a major distribution center in Kentucky to tear down a pro-union display or face termination. The workers last week filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing the threats were designed to chill protected union speech at Amazon facilities.”

“A new report claims Minnesota’s affordable housing developers receive millions in public funds while working with subcontractors with problematic records of worker exploitation.”

“Lego play sets have captivated children and adults alike for decades, but engineers at Legoland California are dealing with blocks of a different kind: opposition from management and hired union avoidance consultants trying to deter their bid to formally unionize.”

“In this month's Power Hour blogcast, Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Ruben Garcia and Mark Gaston Pearce to talk about he politics of labor and labor in politics, the unfinished business of pro-worker legislation, unfinished business at the NLRB, bargaining over new technologies, and much more.”

“For organized labor in the U.S., 2023 was a year of strikes that made national news and resulted in high-profile negotiating victories. From the sidewalks of Hollywood and New York to assembly plant floors in Detroit and beyond, the phrase “hot labor summer” arrived in full fury. And despite a year that felt full of breakthroughs, the future of unions in this country is indeed an open question.”

“More than 12,000 janitorial workers across New England represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ reached a tentative contract agreement on Wednesday, November 15, with the Maintenance Contractors of New England (MCNE), an organization representing 60 individual employers. The deal outlines historic wage increases, an increased number of full-time positions, and more.”

“After a strike that lasted more than three weeks and canceled 11 school days, Portland’s teachers have a new contract. On Tuesday, members of the Portland Association of Teachers voted to ratify the tentative agreement with Portland Public Schools. According to the union, teachers approved the contract with overwhelming support. More than 93% of members voted, with 94.7% voting to ratify. PAT represents the largest group of educators in the district, including classroom and special education teachers, counselors, speech-language pathologists and many more.”

“In a significant milestone for the semiconductor manufacturing industry, IUE-CWA, Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council, Jobs to Move America and Akash Systems, an innovative chip-maker, have announced labor agreements covering both construction and production workers, including an historic first-in-the-industry labor neutrality agreement for semiconductor production workers at a new $432 million Akash Systems factory set for construction in West Oakland, California. The facility will employ an estimated 500 workers over the next five years, of which about half will be production related.”

“Labor and trades employees in Arlington County and the city of Alexandria, Virginia, made history by voting to ratify their first contract in the final days of October, securing raises and protections on the job. Last year, some workers for Arlington County and Alexandria city voted to unionize with AFSCME after public employees across the commonwealth fought to pass legislation allowing them to bargain collectively. The two units represent over 500 employees who work on essential public services such as water treatment, traffic enforcement, parks and recreation, and more.”

“After weeks of negotiations, members from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1490 (District 4), in collaboration with 20 Millwrights and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 330-3 and Millwrights Local 1121, have accepted the latest offer from Woodland Pulp. The decision brings an end to the strike that commenced on Saturday, Oct. 14.”

“Five years ago, Troy Bowman was earning about $14 an hour as a custodian at a Minneapolis Target. His wages were so low that a breakup led him to a stint sleeping in his car. That led, in turn, to a room in a transitional housing facility, where he pays rent for a private room but shares the kitchen and bathroom with other residents. In 2021 he found a job as a community safety specialist that came with a 39% increase in pay to $19.50 an hour. Yet the worsening housing affordability crisis prevented him from moving out of the Catholic Charities facility, where the 59-year-old still lives today.”

“Jack Walker is a union man. He drives a garbage truck in Memphis, where his route can take him barreling past shotgun-style houses along the Mississippi River and down the narrow alleyways near the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He is aware, always, of how his union protections are tied to Dr. King’s death and that of another man: his father.”

“After a 118-day strike, 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members are voting on whether to ratify a new agreement. AI has emerged as the key source of division, with some members unsatisfied that a ban wasn’t on the table.”