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Worker Wins: Ensuring A Just and Respectful Workplace

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:23:12 +0000

Worker Wins: Ensuring A Just and Respectful Workplace

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

IAM Members at IKEA Perryville Ratify New Contract: After more than two months on the picket line, workers represented by Machinists (IAM) Local I460, District 4 at the IKEA Distribution Center in Perryville, Maryland, have ratified a new contract. Members initially began their work stoppage last year on Nov. 15 after rejecting management’s proposal that would have stripped workers of their seniority rights and failed to keep up with the rising costs of living. “The members took to the picket lines demanding fair wages and protections for seniority to ensure a just and respectful workplace,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan in a press release. “After weeks of negotiations, the new agreement delivers increased wages and preserves critical seniority language for employees with 18 or more years of service. Our members stood up strong for respect and dignity, which will make our union stronger. This contract ensures fairness and respect for long-serving employees while delivering well-earned wage increases for everyone. We are grateful for the community support during the strike.”

Brightline Onboard Workers Make History by Joining TWU: Onboard and lead attendants at Florida’s privately owned passenger railroad, Brightline, voted to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU) on Tuesday, making them the largest group of railroad workers who have successfully organized in more than two decades. These staff members—who sell concessions and provide other passenger services on trains running between Miami and Orlando—approached TWU last year in hopes of building a stronger voice on the job. Workers cited concerns around a restrictive sick time policy, unfair disciplinary processes and unpredictable work schedules. In response to their organizing efforts, Brightline hired notorious union-busting law firm Littler Mendelson and started rolling out aggressive tactics like having the company president call workers at home to intimidate them. But members refused to back down and ended up securing a 2-to-1 margin of victory in their election. “Brightline ran an ugly anti-union, anti-worker campaign against their own workforce, but let’s put that behind us,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a press release. “We’re committed to working to ensure the railroad is successful while helping our newest members secure better wages, better working conditions, respect in the workplace, and other goals that they set.”

Noguchi Museum Workers Vote Unanimously to Form Union: Staff at the Noguchi Museum in New York City voted unanimously this week to join UAW Local 2110. The Noguchi Union is a wall-to-wall unit that covers 55 workers across different departments at the cultural institution. Local 2110 also represents their peers at the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Members first went public with their organizing efforts a few months after the museum—which is dedicated to the works of vocal anti-war activist Isamu Noguchi—implemented a ban on Palestinian headscarves known as keffiyehs. This spurred workers to fight for representation so they can secure fair grievance procedures and protections against discrimination, among other issues like fair pay. “With a UNANIMOUS UNION YES VOTE WE WON OUR UNION ELECTION,” said the Noguchi Union in a social media post. “The Noguchi Museum staff is excited to announce the formation of its union! Our members seek to negotiate for a more equitable, inclusive, and transparent workplace.”

VA Memorial Products Service Employees Vote to Join AFGE: The Federal Labor Relations Authority last week officially certified the election where Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA’s) Memorial Products Service (MPS) workers successfully voted to join AFGE Local 17. These newly minted members work at three remote processing locations in Illinois, Kansas and Tennessee—before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had worked out of offices located at the cemeteries. Local 17 previously represented the workers in Tennessee and Kansas, but once they became remote, the NCA designated them as unrepresented. Now that MPS staff won their election, they’re looking forward to addressing things like overtime concerns and issues with performance evaluations. “I was really excited,” said Local 17 3rd Vice President Megan-Brady Viccellio. “Local 17 already represents several of these employees, and we’re really heartened that they wanted to come back to the fold. I think that they had experience with the protection of the really robust master agreement at VA. It was a 14 to zero vote. That speaks volumes about the value that they see.”

Temple University Hospital Resident Physicians and Fellows Vote to Form Union: Resident physicians and fellows at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia have voted overwhelmingly to join the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Resident physicians often work up to 80-hour weeks for relatively low pay as they complete the final stage of their medical training. CIR members have cited these conditions and chronic understaffing that impacts patient care as motivators for organizing. This victory at Temple is the latest in a string of recent resident organizing efforts at medical facilities around the city. “It’s time to put patients back at the center of our health-care system,” said Sarah Bart, a Temple resident. “We won our union, now we are preparing our campaign for a fair contract that puts resources in patient care and supports physicians’ and patients’ well-being.”

Colorado Ski Patrol Staff Join CWA, Latest in Resort Industry Organizing Efforts: Ski patrollers of Colorado's Arapahoe Basin ski area announced on Sunday that they have voted to join the United Mountain Workers, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7781. Under the name Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol (ABSP) Union, these staff members fought to organize in order to secure more competitive pay that reflects their specialized, critical work. Patrollers are employed by Alterra Mountain Company, which acquired Arapahoe Basin in November 2024 after an antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice, and have experienced an intense union-busting campaign from management.

Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Union at Alabama Chemical Plant: Production and maintenance workers at the Gaylord Chemical manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, voted last week to join the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC), part of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Workers at the plant—who make chemical compounds used in medical and industrial solvents and food additives—reached out to the union a few months ago to begin their organizing efforts. Their landslide election win is even more exciting in the context of Alabama’s “right to work” laws and vocally anti-union lawmakers. “I just want to thank the [ICWUC] for getting behind us and supporting us. As soon as we reached out to them, they were quick to respond,” one Gaylord Chemical worker stated. Jordan Easley, ICWUC’s national organizing coordinator, said of the campaign victory: “[Workers] excelled when it came to open support, public support, and the numbers reflected that. They got what they deserve. Obviously most employers don’t want a union, but I think [Gaylord Chemical] were stopped in their tracks. They are reminded that you need workers more than workers need you.”

Kenneth Quinnell

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Some of D.C.’s Best-Known Restaurants Move to Join UNITE HERE

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:14:38 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Some of D.C.’s Best-Known Restaurants Move to Join UNITE HERE

Pictures of Starr workers with an overlay that reads "Starr workers are organizing."

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Staff at five different prominent restaurants owned by some of Washington, D.C.’s biggest restaurateurs went public with their efforts to join UNITE HERE Local 25 last week.

Workers at Le Diplomate, St. Anselm and Pastis—owned by Stephen Starr’s
Starr Restaurants—and Rasika Penn Quarter and Modena—owned by Ashok Bajaj’s Knightsbridge Restaurant Group—are fighting for better scheduling practices, higher pay and respect on the job.

“The status quo in restaurants is that anything goes as long as the guests are happy, and I’ve personally witnessed some unfair treatment, a little bit of cultural insensitivity,” said Pablo Zuniga, a server at Le Diplomate. “Having a union would place us in a better position to have mutual respect from management, no matter your background, no matter your race, your gender identity, or your language.”

Kenneth Quinnell

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses March to Demand Patient Protections Against AI

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 15:28:31 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses March to Demand Patient Protections Against AI

Nurses at rally, holding signd that say "Trust nurses, not AI"

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Thousands of nurses represented by National Nurses United (NNU) took part in rallies last week calling for the hospitals to prioritize safe staffing and patient protections against growing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

These nationwide demonstrations were aimed at uplifting the broad shared concern among nurses over the current implementation of AI by hospital employers and policy regulators. In a survey released last year, NNU found that 50% of responders have seen their employer implement algorithmic systems to assess things like how ill the patient is and predict the number of hours of nursing care they will need. Of those nurses, 69% said the computer-generated measurements did not match their informed assessments and lacked consideration of important, complex social factors that were at play.

“[N]urses across the country are taking to the streets to let our communities know that in 2025, as in all years past, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care for every patient,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and a president of NNU, in a press release. “We will fight fearlessly against the profit-driven hospital industry, which seeks to undermine nursing care through unconscionable understaffing and reckless automation.”

Kenneth Quinnell

Ready to Push Back: The Working People Weekly List

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:07:53 +0000

Ready to Push Back: The Working People Weekly List

Working People Weekly List

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.

AFL-CIO & SEIU Are Reuniting in the United States—13 Million Trade Union Members Ready to Push Back: “The AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced on Thursday that they are reuniting to launch ‘a new, long-term effort to make it easier for workers to win a voice on our jobs with their unions’. Two million SEIU service and care workers will join the nearly 13 million-member AFL-CIO, and together, these powerful organisations will push back on union-busting and win for working-class families. The unions formally announced the affiliation at a roundtable discussion with workers who are fighting to win their unions on Thursday in advance of the AFL-CIO’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference, which started yesterday. The workers will share their stories of why they need new rules to make it easier to join together in unions. The joint statement said: ‘At a critical moment when everything is on the line for the nation’s working people, the labour movement is uniting to challenge the status quo and build a movement of workers who will fight—on the job, in the streets, at the ballot box, in our communities—for higher pay, expanded benefits and new rules that empower them to join together in unions and organise across industries.”

Joe Biden: The Best President Labor Ever Had : “As Joe Biden gets ready to leave the White House Jan. 20, one verdict is clear: He kept his often-repeated pledge to be the most pro-union president in U.S. history. For four years, at every level of his administration, he and his appointees went out of their way to support unions and union labor.”

Stagehands and Technicians at Portland’s State Theatre Have Unionized: “Nearly three dozen technicians and stagehands at Portland’s State Theatre have unionized. The 35 employees who help the theatre’s shows come to life will join Local 114 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees after winning their National Labor Relations Board election to unionize on Tuesday.”

Trump’s Plan to Slash Federal Jobs Puts Black Workers at Risk: “President–elect Donald Trump’s plans to shrink the federal workforce would have disparate impacts on Black employment, while potentially eroding a key conduit to economic mobility that many Black families have relied on for generations. Some researchers say a substantial cutback could push the Black unemployment rate higher, particularly in areas like Washington, D.C., where Black joblessness is among the highest in the country. Such an outcome would stand at odds with Trump’s campaign promises to protect Black workers’ jobs and provide them with more employment opportunities.”

Brightline Onboard Workers Sign On with TWU: “The approximately 100 onboard and lead attendants at Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, have voted to join Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). The National Mediation Board announced the election results on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C., after weeks of balloting, which began Nov. 27, according to TWU. The Brightline workers, who sell food and beverages and provide other services on trains between Miami and Orlando, Fla., voted to join TWU on a roughly two-to-one margin, the union said.”

The Labor Movement Won Big Victories in 2024. Now It Must Fend Off Trump: “Organized labor is currently preparing to fight back. Just a week into 2025 the SEIU announced that it was rejoining the AFL-CIO to help fight Trump’s anti-worker agenda. The two unions have been unaligned for almost 20 years. In remarks made at a roundtable discussion shortly after the decision, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler stressed the need for solidarity among workers. ‘We just finished an election cycle where one party spent the entire time telling working class people across this country, ‘Look how different you are from each other,’’ said Shuler. ‘He’s an immigrant. She’s transgender or they worship differently than you do’ and it worked to some degree, right? We watched it. The scariest thing in the world to the CEOs, to the billionaires in this country and the folks like Donald Trump who do their bidding, is the idea that we might one day see through that.”

Nurses Across U.S. to Rally Over AI Safeguards: “On Jan. 16, thousands of registered nurses will hold marches, protests and rallies to demand the hospital industry ensure safe staffing levels and artificial intelligence safeguards, a Jan. 14 National Nurses United news release said. ’Patient advocacy is at the core of what we do as nurses,‘ Nancy Hagans, RN, president of NNU, said in the release. ’That’s why we’re demanding safe staffing and protections against untested technologies such as AI. We see the harm that these cost-cutting schemes cause our patients on a daily basis.‘”

2.5 Million Americans Were Once Denied Social Security Benefits. A New Law Changes That: “‘For years, members were bringing this up and and asking for it to be changed, because it had such an impact, especially on our lower paid employees, like our paraprofessionals, who often are living paycheck to paycheck and working multiple jobs,’ said Cropper, who also serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the Ohio AFL-CIO.”

From Mental Health to Class Solidarity: Workforce Trends to Watch In 2025: “Still, workers at Google’s Pittsburgh contractor HCL unionized in 2021, the Bethesda Game Studios workers voted to join the Communications Workers of America union, and Code for America reached a collective bargaining agreement with its union, CFA Workers United in 2023. The numbers in these early examples may be small, but as labor unions continue to expand their reach into previously unorganized sectors, expect to see a greater emphasis on fair pay, better working conditions, and broader social benefits for workers.”

CES 2025: Hollywood Unions Battle to Contain AI Disruptions in Creative Industries: “The increasing capabilities of generative AI systems were all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year, but for all the enthusiasm from the tech world, there is still plenty of concern about the impact these tools will have on the workforce, from industrial and service work to creative industries, including entertainment, film and TV. So while the crowds were jamming the aisles of the Las Vegas Convention Center, representatives of America’s biggest unions were meeting down the street at the AFL-CIO’s Labor Innovation and Technology Summit to coordinate strategy around AI and try to ensure that workers have a seat at the table when it comes to setting policy around AI. Co-founded by SAG-AFTRA, the AFL-CIO, and the AFL-CIO Tech Institute, the LIT Summit brings together top labor leaders, worker advocates, policy experts, and allied organizations to discuss workers’ role in emerging technologies, as Big Tech’s role in the market and the halls of government evolves, according to the organization. Some of the unions in attendance such as the machinists have been engaged around issues of automation for decades, while others like those representing teachers and nurses are looking to ensure that new AI-driven innovations in education and medicine are deployed in collaboration and consultation with frontline workers rather than imposed from above.”

Kenneth Quinnell

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: VA Memorial Products Service Employees Vote to Join AFGE

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:57:15 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: VA Memorial Products Service Employees Vote to Join AFGE

AFGE members pose for a group picture with signs that read, "Proud VA worker. Proud to serve America."

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

The Federal Labor Relations Authority last week officially certified the election where Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA’s) Memorial Products Service (MPS) workers successfully voted to join AFGE Local 17.

These newly minted members work at three remote processing locations in Illinois, Kansas and Tennessee—before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had worked out of offices located at the cemeteries. Local 17 previously represented the workers in Tennessee and Kansas, but once they became remote, the NCA designated them as unrepresented. Now that MPS staff won their election, they’re looking forward to addressing things like overtime concerns and issues with performance evaluations.

“I was really excited,” said Local 17 3rd Vice President Megan-Brady Viccellio. “Local 17 already represents several of these employees, and we’re really heartened that they wanted to come back to the fold. I think that they had experience with the protection of the really robust master agreement at VA. It was a 14 to zero vote. That speaks volumes about the value that they see.”

Kenneth Quinnell

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nevada Cannabis Workers at Ayr Wellness Ratify First Union Contract

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:02:23 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nevada Cannabis Workers at Ayr Wellness Ratify First Union Contract

UFCW cannabis workers logo

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Last week, 120 Ayr Wellness workers across three dispensaries and one delivery depot located in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first union contract. The dispensary and delivery workers are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 711.

The contract includes armed security at dispensaries, improved access to affordable health care and better scheduling opportunities.

“Today, we stand victorious—not because it was easy, but because we refused to give up,” said Chase Payne, an Ayr Wellness budtender from the Las Vegas Eastern Avenue location. “This contract represents more than just words on paper; it’s a testament to our resilience, unity and unwavering commitment to the cannabis industry. We fought for fair wages, safe conditions and respect—not just for ourselves, but for everyone who will come after us. This victory proves that when we stand together, we are unstoppable. The UFCW was there for us in a time of need and we wouldn’t be in this position without their support and guidance. But our work doesn’t stop here. We will continue to show the Las Vegas area and beyond what the UFCW is all about. Because together, we are not just workers—we are union employees!”

Kenneth Quinnell

In Demand Like Never Before: What Working People Are Doing This Week

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 15:01:18 +0000

In Demand Like Never Before: What Working People Are Doing This Week

What Working People Are Doing This Week

Welcome to our regular feature, a look at what the various AFL-CIO unions and other working family organizations are doing across the country and beyond. The labor movement is big and active—here's a look at the broad range of activities we're engaged in this week.

Actors' Equity:

AFGE:

AFSCME:

Alliance for Retired Americans:

Amalgamated Transit Union:

American Federation of Musicians:

American Federation of Teachers:

American Postal Workers Union:

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA:

Boilermakers:

Bricklayers:

Communications Workers of America:

Department for Professional Employees:

Electrical Workers:

Heat and Frost Insulators:

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement:

Labor Heritage Foundation:

Laborers:

Machinists:

Metal Trades Department:

National Association of Letter Carriers:

National Day Laborer Organizing Network:

National Domestic Workers Alliance:

National Nurses United:

NFL Players Association:

North America's Building Trades Unions:

Office and Professional Employees:

Painters and Allied Trades:

Plasterers and Cement Masons:

Professional Aviation Safety Specialists:

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union:

Roofers and Waterproofers:

SAG-AFTRA:

Service Employees International Union:

Solidarity Center:

The NewsGuild-CWA:

Theatrical Stage Employees:

Transport Workers Union:

Transportation Trades Department:

UAW:

UNITE HERE:

United Food and Commercial Workers:

United Steelworkers:

Utility Workers:

Writers Guild of America East:

Kenneth Quinnell

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Union at Alabama Chemical Plant

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 14:41:47 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Union at Alabama Chemical Plant

ICWUC logo

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Production and maintenance workers at the Gaylord Chemical manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, voted last week to join the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC), part of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW).

Workers at the plant—who make chemical compounds used in medical and industrial solvents and food additives—reached out to the union a few months ago to begin their organizing efforts. Their landslide election win is even more exciting in the context of Alabama’s “right to work” laws and vocally anti-union lawmakers.

“I just want to thank the [ICWUC] for getting behind us and supporting us. As soon as we reached out to them, they were quick to respond,” one Gaylord Chemical worker stated.

Jordan Easley, ICWUC’s national organizing coordinator, said of the campaign victory: “[Workers] excelled when it came to open support, public support, and the numbers reflected that. They got what they deserve. Obviously most employers don’t want a union, but I think [Gaylord Chemical] were stopped in their tracks. They are reminded that you need workers more than workers need you.”

Kenneth Quinnell

Standing with Every Worker and Family Impacted By the Los Angeles Fires: In the States Roundup

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 15:15:11 +0000

Standing with Every Worker and Family Impacted By the Los Angeles Fires: In the States Roundup

In the States Roundup

It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on X (formerly Twitter).

Alaska AFL-CIO:

Arizona AFL-CIO:

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:

Colorado AFL-CIO:

Connecticut AFL-CIO:

Illinois AFL-CIO:

Maine AFL-CIO:

Massachusetts AFL-CIO:

Minnesota AFL-CIO:

Missouri AFL-CIO:

Nevada State AFL-CIO:

New Hampshire AFL-CIO:

New York State AFL-CIO:

North Carolina State AFL-CIO:

Ohio AFL-CIO:

Oregon AFL-CIO:

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:

Texas AFL-CIO:

Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:

Kenneth Quinnell

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Union Heroes: Firefighters Battle Southern California Wildfires

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 14:59:26 +0000

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Union Heroes: Firefighters Battle Southern California Wildfires

Sen. Alex Padilla (left), IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Lima (second from left) and California Gov. Gavin Newsome (far right)

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

As devastating wildfires rage in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, dedicated members of the California Professional Firefighters are working tirelessly to help battle the disaster and protect residents. Fire Fighters (IAFF) General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma (second from left) was on the ground with elected officials in California this week to meet with first responders and support relief efforts.

If you want to donate to help out or have been impacted by the destruction and need resources, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and its community service arm, Labor Community Services, have information and a relief fund set up online.

LA Fed Wildfire Resources

Los Angeles Fire Relief Fund

Kenneth Quinnell

   
  

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