The Weekly Download

“For now, I’d like to raise a different question: what if the ALEC statute isn’t preempted? What would it mean if states could condition access to all economic development money on a corporation’s compliance with the state’s vision of good labor policy? What would it mean if California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, and New York could enact their version of an ALEC-like law?”

“The last few years have seen a rise in worker momentum, with unionized workers raising their voices to demand higher pay, safer working conditions and more. It may come as little surprise, then, that wages have grown dramatically. According to Bloomberg Law, union contracts in 2023 included the highest average pay raise of any year since at least 1988, a pay hike of 6.6% from the previous year. Including signing bonuses and ‘other lump-sum payments,’ that average figure is 7.3%, also a record high.”

“Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law a “Strippers’ Bill of Rights” on Monday, which was celebrated by advocates for its comprehensive worker protections, restrictions on fees imposed by club owners on dancers, and strong incentives for club owners to adhere to regulations…The bill, SB 6105, requires staff training at establishments to prevent sexual harassment, detect and report human trafficking, defuse conflicts, and administer first aid. It also requires the presence of security personnel on premises, keypad locks on dressing rooms, and emergency buttons in areas where entertainers may be isolated with customers…SB 6105 also strengthens labor protections for dancers in the state who are commonly employed as independent contractors paid by patrons and obligated to cover club fees per shift. This bill will cap the amount of fees club owners can charge per shift to either $150 or 30 percent of dancers’ earnings during their shift.”

“Florida legislators dealt a blow to outdoor workers this month by passing a law that bans local governments from implementing heat standards. Starting July 1, it will be illegal for local governments to pass health and safety measures for outdoor workers in extreme heat. The decision comes after Florida experienced its hottest summer on record.”

“Labor has been stirring recently. That’s unacceptable for bosses, who never rest in their attacks on unions. Case in point: a new bill in Georgia that seeks to ensure the unionization process is as difficult for workers and favorable to bosses as possible.”

“In stark contrast to prior decades, low-wage workers experienced dramatically fast real wage growth between 2019 and 2023, but many workers continue to suffer from grossly inadequate wages and middle-wage workers face significant gaps across demographic groups.”

“Autoworkers at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama have been organizing to win their union. Today they met with UAW President Shawn Fain and Region 8 Director Tim Smith to talk about their path to victory. Here are remarks that President Fain shared with them:”

“Workers at Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE), opens new tab Chattanooga, Tennessee, assembly plant will vote in April on whether to join the United Auto Workers union, a test of UAW President Shawn Fain's campaign to expand the union's reach to foreign-owned automakers. The April 17 to April 19 election marks the third time in 10 years that the UAW has sought to represent the Chattanooga workers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said on Monday the ballot count will begin at 8 p.m. EDT after the third day of voting ends.”

“On March 14, about 50 workers at the Barnes & Noble 82nd Street store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan voted to join the RWDSU/UFCW by an overwhelming margin. Workers at the Barnes & Noble Upper West Side store now join two other unionized stores in New York City, including the flagship Union Square store and the Park Slope, Brooklyn store.”

“Advocates of legal immigration say foreign-born workers have long been a key factor in U.S. economic growth. But are they sharing in the benefits of their contributions? For more than a year, ProPublica has been investigating the harsh realities of life for immigrant workers on Midwest dairy farms. John Yang speaks with ProPublica reporter Melissa Sanchez about what she’s found.”

“Workers at Mercedes-Benz’s largest U.S. plant have filed multiple federal charges with the National Labor Relations Board in response to the company’s aggressive and illegal union-busting. Workers are requesting an injunction to put an end to the company’s retaliation against workers for standing up for their rights at work. In February, Mercedes workers announced that a majority of their coworkers at the Mercedes plant in Vance had signed union authorization cards. Every Mercedes plant in the world is unionized—except the company’s two plants in the United States.“

“The Long Beach Media Guild announced Friday that at least 60% of the bargaining unit received layoff notices shortly after newsroom employees moved to unionize and went on strike to protest the impending cuts. The unit, which is seeking voluntary recognition from its employer, the Long Beach Journalism Initiative, said that nine of its members were laid off, while three surviving members remain on strike. The entire Long Beach Post staff was reduced from 17 to eight, said a source close to the nonprofit who was not authorized to comment.”

“A union that’s organizing Waffle House workers filed a petition with the Labor Department on Monday, asking federal officials to investigate the iconic chain’s policy of deducting mandatory meal costs from workers’ paychecks. Waffle House takes at least $3 for each on-shift meal out of workers’ pay, whether they end up eating it or not, according to the petition from the Union of Southern Service Workers. The USSW called it 'especially alarming' since many workers are paid a tipped sub-minimum wage 'as low as $2.90 per hour,' not including gratuities. Three workers at a restaurant in Georgia walked off the job Monday for a one-day strike in protest of the policy, the union said.”

“For union journalists, our work at the bargaining table and organizing newsrooms is not only about securing fair wages and benefits for our coworkers, it’s also about having a seat at the table for the future of an industry that we all depend on to protect democracy. Hedge funds and greedy CEOs don’t have the journalism industry’s best interest at heart, we workers do.”

“At the high school where Kevin Moore has taught social studies for seven years, there is no way to separate Chicago’s housing crisis from teachers’ working conditions—or students’ learning conditions. Of the roughly 1,500 students at George Washington High School, on the far southeast side of the city, about 60 students are housing insecure, he said. But that number is expected to rise this year, with an increasing number of migrant newcomers temporarily staying with family or friends, deprived permanent residence, a status referred to as “doubling up ... .Now, as chair of the Chicago Teachers Union’s (CTU) housing committee, Moore is trying to change that. The union, officially AFT-IFT Local 1, has made a national name for its willingness to fight—and strike—for demands that consider the broader good of the communities where teachers work and often live. With the contract representing roughly 26,000 educators in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) set to expire on June 30, the union is including bargaining proposals that address the crisis of homelessness among Chicago’s children. “

“After months spent on and off the picket lines, employees at about three dozen Southern California hotels, including some of Los Angeles’ most high-end properties, voted this weekend to approve new contracts that deliver higher wages for thousands of housekeepers, cooks and other workers.”

“After a 15-day strike, Teamsters Local 688 members at Graybar have approved a new contract with an 18 percent wage increase and other benefits.”

“Teachers and staff in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) have ratified a new contract that will see them get their largest raises in nearly 20 years. The new contract, ratified by American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 420 members, gives most teachers a 17 percent pay increase over three years. Special education teachers will receive a 22 percent raise in the contract negotiated by district leaders and Local 420. Special education positions are among the hardest for the district to fill and retain, said AFT Local 420 President Ray Cummings. St. Louis Public Schools don’t receive special funding from the state for special education teachers in the way the Special School District does, and pay difference makes it hard to retain teachers.”

“At the heart of the current uptick in union organizing at companies like Starbucks has been “worker-to-worker unionism.” That model could be key to scaling up organizing and revitalizing the labor movement.”

“Hamilton Nolan’s debut book has a clear message to the modern-day labor movement: expand or dwindle into obscurity. The Hammer: Power, Inequality, and the Struggle for the Soul of Labor analyzes the post-pandemic landscape, where workers are pissed off, union favorability is high, and many union campaigns have reached national news coverage in ways the labor movement has not seen in decades.”

“Listen to Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris’s conversation about worker power, the labor movement, social justice, and podcasting with Jamala Rogers and Bianca Cunningham, co-hosts of Convergence Magazine's Black Work Talk, and Adam Keller and Jacob Morrison, co-hosts of The Valley Labor Report.”

“If you wanted to join the Boilermakers union in 1893, you had to be a 'white, freeborn male, citizen of some civilized country.' The language of the organization’s constitution at the time was clear—and it wasn’t unusual. To say that times have changed is, thankfully, an understatement. Today, men and women from all races, religions and manner of makeup are members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers, AFL-CIO.”

“The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City's Greenwich Village was one of the worst workplace disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The fire took the lives of 146 young immigrant garment workers. It also galvanized a reform movement to raise standards for workers."

“It’s a common situation: there’s too much union work to do, and not enough people doing it. And the ill effects are serious. Carrying too much work puts a lot of pressure on you, and you’re liable to burn out. You may find yourself overwhelmed with tasks, unable to prioritize, dissatisfied with the results—and possibly making poor decisions, because you’re too busy to solicit and include ideas from others.”

“Latino-owned breweries: Brewjeria Company, Norwalk Brew House, and South Central Brewing Company team up with famed cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz, to release Los Farmworkers, a collaboration beer supporting the United Farm Workers labor union (UFW).”