The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Celeste Drake, the Deputy Director-General at the International Labour Organization. Watch now to learn about the International Labour Organization and their global impact. Also hear Drake's opinions on current labor issues and the global picture for worker power.”

“More and more college graduates are looking to begin their careers outside of the United States upon graduation, mainly due to study abroad opportunities or international internships they held during their undergraduate years.”

“MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's state Supreme Court election next spring already had high stakes, with majority control on the line. But a judge's ruling this week restoring collective bargaining rights to the state's tens of thousands of teachers and other public workers further intensifies the contest.”

“A circuit court judge last week dismissed a request from a Florida faculty union to temporarily block a 2023 Florida law that has already caused tens of thousands of public employees in the state — including Orange County government employees — to lose their union representation and the rights afforded to them under their union contracts.”

“The IAFF has been a driving force behind significant victories for fire fighters and emergency medical workers across the U.S. With guidance from IAFF’s Strategic Campaigns and Political Action teams, fire fighters have secured essential improvements to working conditions, funding, and public safety resources. From contract negotiations to staffing and improvements to facilities, IAFF’s behind-the-scenes support has made all the difference in ensuring that communities and IAFF members benefit from fair treatment and enhanced safety.” 

“Unions for higher education have been active this month, with a number of actions from St. Louis to northern Illinois. St. Louis University’s graduate students voted overwhelmingly to form their own union, one of many colleges to form such unions in recent years. The 560 grad students, who teach classes and do other work at the university in exchange for tuition and a stipend, voted 352-39 to join United Auto Workers as their bargaining agent.”

“On November 22, Whole Foods Market employees in Philadelphia declared their intention to unionize with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1776 and filed papers with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If successful, this would be the first unionized Whole Foods Market store in the company. Past unionization campaigns that occurred before the 2017 Amazon takeover, such as in Madison, Wisconsin and Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, succumbed to captive audience trainings and other effective union avoidance techniques. Whole Foods Market’s founder and former CEO once even likened unions to herpes. But the company’s industry leading pay, culture and benefits also deterred employees from unionizing. At least until now.”

“On Nov. 7, workers at The Convalarium of Dublin nursing home in Dublin, Ohio, joined UFCW Local 1059. These workers are employed as registered and licensed practical nurses; state tested nursing assistants; respiratory therapists; dietary, housekeeping and laundry aides; cooks; and in the maintenance division.”

“When I arrived in Boston, I really liked the fact that MGH has built-in professional development for newly graduated residents, where we get to start off for the first two years at a reduced schedule that’s still considered full time. Full-time primary care at MGH is considered eight half-day clinic sessions, and then you get two half days of administrative time. So rather than start right at that level, the MGH plan for new hires out of residency is to give you two years where you’re doing six clinical sessions per week, and then you have a full day where you get professional development time. It’s a mix of structured and unstructured.”

“(Washington) – The Teamsters have filed multiple unfair labor practice charges against Costco for blatantly violating federal labor law and the national master agreement in a calculated effort to undermine workers’ rights and disrupt the collective bargaining process. In the past 48 hours, Costco’s upper management has escalated its illegal and reckless behavior. The company expelled union representatives from stores, harassed and intimidated workers for wearing Teamsters buttons and attire, sent employees home, and even changed locks on union bulletin boards after the company removed literature and blocked the Teamsters from providing future updates.”

““Union” is not your grandmother’s organized labor documentary. The film, about the efforts of a group of workers at a Staten Island Amazon warehouse to unionize their colleagues, fits broadly into a lineage of nonfiction classics that includes Oscar winners “Harlan County USA” and “American Factory.” But for co-director Brett Story (“The Hottest August”), there was something new to the tale.”

“NEW YORK – Unionized editorial staff at Forbes – who ordinarily would be staffing the launch of the magazine’s most important issue of the year, “30 Under 30” – have walked off the job. The one-day ULP work stoppage is in protest of the business magazine’s continued intransigence at the bargaining table and repeated labor law violations.”

“Hundreds of hospitality workers at a Las Vegas casino walked off the job Nov. 15, launching the first open-ended strike in more than two decades for Nevada’s largest union. The workers are members of the Culinary Workers Union as well as an affiliated bartenders union, which together representsome 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas.”

“(MONTCLAIR, Calif.) – Public sector workers in the City of Montclair represented by Teamsters Local 1932 have voted unanimously to approve their first contract, marking a significant win for the dedicated workers who maintain and enhance the city’s infrastructure and public services such as parks, sewers, streets, sidewalks, and storm systems.”

“Over 80 members of UFCW Local 152 who work at the Bishop McCarthy Center for Rehabilitation in Vineland, N.J., ratified a new contract on Oct. 23. These members are employed as certified nursing assistants, and work in the maintenance, activities, dietary, and housekeeping departments, and more.”

“The BMWED and CSX reached a tentative agreement this week that builds on the contract based upon feedback we received from members during the initial ratification process that failed earlier this year. We believe that this tentative agreement addresses many of the complications related to work rules on the property, raises wages above those in comparable industries and improves vacation and health benefits without increasing cost to BMWED members.”

“A Wisconsin judge on Monday struck down portions of a2011 law that stripped most government workers in the state of collective bargaining rights and set off fierce demonstrations. The ruling by Judge Jacob Frost of the Dane County Circuit Court is certain to be appealed. But his decision provided at least a temporary victory to labor unions and Democrats in Wisconsin, who turned out by the thousands to protest the law more than a decade ago and who have been trying ever since to take it off the books.”

“The war of words resumed this week between port employers represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), and the International Longshoremen’s Association union and their 45,000 workers at East and Gulf Coast ports. The sides had agreed to a media blackout when contract negotiations resumed following a three-day strike by the union that shut down container handling in early October. But that ceasefire was apparently abrogated after the ILA broke off talks Nov. 13, accusing employers of trying to force automation technology language into a new master contract.”

“The Animation Guild has unveiled the full terms of its new contract with the major studios, along with a candid explanation as to why it could not do more to protect against artificial intelligence. The union, which represents about 5,000 animators, technicians and writers, reached a tentative agreement on Nov. 23, after three months of bargaining. The deal includes certain guardrails around AI, but does not allow animators to opt out of using it if their job requires it, nor can they prevent their work from being used to “train” AI models.”