The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Michael Sainato and Josh Eidelson to discuss the latest stories involving unions, worker power, and worker collective action. Watch now to learn about President Trump’s effort to bust federal employee unions, the future of the National Labor Relations Board, the labor movement’s involvement in protests against the Trump Administration’s immigration policies, and workers with disabilities in the workplace and in public policy.”

“President Trump’s unprecedented and illegal firing of Senate-confirmed NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox left the NLRB without the three-member quorum needed to issue decisions…Given this unprecedented and destructive state of affairs, some advocates and academics have suggested that states should have more leeway to step into the void and regulate labor relations in the private sector.  Ordinarily, state action on private sector labor relations is preempted by the federal National Labor Relations Act, according to a judicially-created doctrine.  But with a non-functioning NLRB, there is understandably increased interest in states protecting workers’ rights.”

“The U.S. Supreme Court has granted another emergency stay request from the Trump-Vance administration to stay the injunction two lower courts had approved in AFGE v. Trump that halted the unlawful reorganization of the federal government. The court’s decision permits the administration to continue with plans to restructure federal agencies using Agency Reductions in Force and Reorganization Plans, despite the absence of the required congressional authorization. The court specifically did not weigh in on the legality of the agency plans themselves. The case will continue and counsel are considering next steps.”

“'The Chamber of Commerce sued to kill the FTC’s massively popular Click-to-Cancel Rule — and Chair Andrew Ferguson, who voted against the rule, delayed its enforcement long enough for big corporate lobbyists to win in court,' said Nidhi Hegde, Executive Director of the American Economic Liberties Project.”

“More than $200 million in long-awaited pension benefit restoration will be heading to New Hampshire fire fighters thanks to the relentless efforts of the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire (PFFNH). Last week, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed legislation that included key provisions to restore pension benefits to Tier B Group II members. The bill now goes to the desk of Governor Kelly Ayotte (R), who is expected to sign it into law.”

“Facing an emboldened Trump administration, union members across the country are in an intensifying battle to keep their members—and all workers, whether or not they are in unions—free and safe from federal immigration authorities. They are holding emergency rallies, organizing in their workplaces, knocking doors in their communities, using contracts to defend members, and building coalitions that can respond rapidly to detentions and raids.”

“Dayton’s elected leaders approved a new ordinance that requires some bidders to enter into project labor agreements for contracts worth more than $2 million. Dayton officials say that city-bid projects that are for the construction, reconstruction or renovation of city-owned buildings or structures will be subject to project labor agreements, which are individual collective bargaining agreements for every project. There will be some exceptions, like contracts involving the department of aviation.”

“During its first decade, the NLRA did more to redistribute political and economic power in the United States than any other act of government since Emancipation. The labor movement was a marginalized force in American politics and society before the 1930s. Thanks in large part to the NLRA, by the mid-1940s, unions were firmly established in the nation’s basic industries, and organized labor had reached unprecedented levels of influence and legitimacy. Organized labor in turn played a crucial role in pushing the nation toward becoming a multiracial democracy in the postwar era.”

“The union representing workers at the Environmental Protection Agency is demanding that the Trump administration reinstate more than 100 workers who were placed on administrative leave for criticizing the agency’s leadership. The EPA said it is investigating 139 employees who had signed a public ‘declaration of dissent’ addressed to Lee Zeldin, the agency’s administrator. The letter condemned Zeldin for focusing on ‘harmful deregulation, mischaracterization of previous EPA actions, and disregard for scientific expertise’ as the administration loosens environmental standards. Justin Chen, president of American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, which represents 8,000 agency employees, said the union was still waiting for the agency to provide a full list of the workers placed on leave. He called the administration’s move ‘retaliatory in nature’ and a possible violation of federal whistleblower rights.”

“As the Trump administration ramps up its crackdown on immigration, undocumented workers in the construction industry claim raids and arrests have emboldened some contractors to cut pay and increase hours…With approximately 2.9 million US construction workers – about 34% of the workforce – foreign-born, construction sector lobbyists have publicly urged the Trump administration to soften their hardline stance on immigration…Advocates for workers rights say some operators in the sector are using Trump’s crackdown to abuse undocumented workers.”

“The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Donald Trump's administration to pursue mass government job cuts and the sweeping downsizing of numerous agencies, a decision that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs while dramatically reshaping the federal bureaucracy. Tuesday's ruling stemmed from an executive order Trump issued in February ordering agencies to prepare for mass layoffs. At Trump's direction, the administration has come up with plans to reduce staff at the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Veterans Affairs and more than a dozen other agencies.”

“A top Trump administration official’s claim that Medicaid recipients could replace farmworkers has met with pushback from California’s agriculture industry, which faces the loss of its workforce amid the federal immigration crackdown. ‘There will be no amnesty. The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way,’ said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. ‘And we move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which, again, with 34 million people, able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do that fairly quickly.’ ‘I can confidently say that most farmers in the country either laughed out loud or were just deflated by those comments,’ she said. ‘It just shows how uninformed and out of touch some of these officials are with what food production looks like in this country.’”

“The budget reconciliation bill that the Republicans just passed isn’t just bad policy — it’s a full-blown attack on America’s working class. Behind the hollow promises and temporary fixes lies a brutal agenda: stripping working-class people of security, dignity and power while lining the pockets of billionaires. For the UAW and the millions of workers we represent, four core issues define what it means to live and work with dignity: a livable wage, affordable health care, retirement security and time to enjoy life beyond the job. On every one of those fronts, this bill delivers nothing but setbacks.”

“Starbucks will reward company executives with up to $6 million in stock grants should they effectively fulfill cost-saving and timely rollout goals of the company’s ‘Back to Starbucks’ turnaround strategy. Starbucks Workers United representatives dubbed the move ‘ridiculous and irresponsible’ amid contract negotiations over barista wages.”

“Lawyers representing the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette struggled to explain to a panel of judges why they should be exempt from federal labor law in two consecutive sets of oral arguments on Monday afternoon in the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.”

“At first glance, a petition that would force a public vote on Los Angeles’ recently enacted 'Olympic wage' appears to be in decent shape. Needing about 93,000 valid signatures to qualify the referendum for next June’s election ballot, the group backing the referendum submitted more than 140,000 names. But there’s a twist. The same letter in which the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office acknowledges the petition’s submission notes that it has also received 'signature withdrawal requests' from more than 121,000 people, meaning they want their names stricken from the petition."

“The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a National Labor Relations Board decision that had found Apple violated the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) in two ways: by coercively interrogating an employee and by removing union literature from a breakroom. The underlying dispute occurred in New York City, but Apple appealed the NLRB’s decision in the Fifth Circuit, which covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, ostensibly because of its reputation as the most right-wing circuit court.”

“Workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport are disappointed in City Council’s decision not to discuss an ordinance to improve working conditions. Earlier this year, workers backed by Service Employees International 32 BJ urged local and state officials to pass the Charlotte Airport Safety and Efficiency Act, or CASE, which would raise wages, require benefits, and improve working conditions for essential workers like cabin cleaners and ramp agents. Mayor Vi Lyles cast the deciding vote on June 23 after council deadlocked 5-5. Her reasoning was that the matter was ‘not yet ready’ to go on an agenda.”

“The lawyers’ union for the Legal Aid Society, Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys – United Auto Workers Local 2325, notified Legal Aid Tuesday evening that union leadership had voted to terminate the collective bargaining agreement that prevented lawyers from striking. The agreement is set to expire on July 18 — 10 days after notification — at which point the union may go on strike.”

“Employees at the Penn Museum have unanimously authorized a strike, demanding higher salaries and claiming the university has dragged its feet in contract negotiations. The union group, which is part of the same labor federation as the city's municipal workers who are currently on strike, saw its contract expire at the end of June and has threatened action as early as Wednesday if terms are not met.”

“Signs reading ‘Patient Safety First’ and shirts telling others ‘safe staffing saves lives’ were the battle cries of hundreds of striking workers in Macomb County on Monday. On the picket line, members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union at Local 40 made their voices heard amid tense contract negotiations with McLaren hospital.”

“Dozens of organized Northwestern University postdoctoral researchers marched through campus Tuesday, delivering a petition to formally ask school officials to recognize their new labor union. The Northwestern University Postdoc Union would represent about 1,300 scientists and academic research staff, who say they’re fighting for higher wages, better health care and workplace protections. Many expressed concerns that their research funding and employment could be abruptly pulled amid an environment of political uncertainty on campus.”

“A sanitation strike by Teamsters drivers for Republic Services in communities across the country is being felt in Fairfield, as local union drivers refuse to cross the ‘extended picket line’ in several Northern California cities. In Fairfield, trash cans were full Tuesday morning as news broke that local drivers would not be collecting trash.”

“More than 1,400 union workers at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital will go on strike, with the union planning to announce the date and length of the strike on Friday. Workers are required to give a ten-day notice to management, making July 22 the earliest possible start date for a strike. Healthcare workers are calling on WellSpan for better labor practices and patient care.”

“Claudia Goldin is best known for her research of gender wage gaps and labor force earnings in the U.S., for which she won the Nobel Prize in economics. The 79-year-old Harvard labor economist admits she doesn’t follow basketball closely beyond what her husband Lawrence shares. Yet Goldin is eagerly assisting the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) as an unpaid consultant during collective bargaining negotiations.”

“The Safeway strike impacting 45 stores in Colorado has apparently come to an end, according to UFCW Local 7 union social media post on Saturday morning. ‘A fully recommended tentative agreement’ was reached between the union and Safeway, said the post as picketing was expected to end Saturday. The agreement includes fully-funded pension and healthcare benefits, and improvements to dental and vision benefits, said the union.”

“Sorry, rats. The ‘Parker piles’ are about to disappear. Philadelphia’s first major city worker strike since 1986 lasted eight days and four hours before Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Greg Boulware, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33, reached a deal for a new contract at about 4 a.m. Wednesday morning.”

“Following an 11-month strike plagued by back-and-forth disputes over Generative AI, SAG-AFTRA has ratified its new contract with major video game companies including Activision, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions and WB Games Inc.”

“Unionized hospital workers at Kaleida Health have reached a tentative three-year agreement just two hours before a strike authorization vote was set to begin, according to a release from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. Negotiations have been ongoing since March. The contract includes increased wages and benefits, as well as no concessions.”

“Unionized nurses at Essentia Health hospitals in Duluth and Superior reached a contract agreement Friday, averting a strike that was set to begin this week, though other groups of Essentia employees may still move forward with strikes in the coming days. The contract must still be ratified by union members. It includes a 9.75% raise over the three years of the contract, plus a one-year freeze on reductions to staffing ratios, the nurses union announced in a press release.”

“The NHL Board of Governors and NHLPA's full membership have both ratified the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which begins in 2026-27 and runs through the 2029-30 season. While the full details of the new CBA won't be released to the public until a later date, sources confirmed to ESPN that the new CBA will include an 84-game regular season -- up from 82 -- as well as shortened max-term contracts. The two sides agreed to the new CBA in late June, ahead of the NHL draft in Los Angeles. The players voted to ratify the agreement over the weekend.”

“Power comes from the people – and U.S. history is replete with grassroots social movements that shaped the nation. But what makes an effective movement? There are lessons in Linda Gordon’s newest book, Seven Social Movements that Changed America. At first glance, one might wonder why the Ku Klux Klan and the civil rights Montgomery Bus Boycott are here together, but both were social movements, one repressive, one uplifting. In her examples, human solidarity and hope are what propel movements. An astute leader is critical and can uplift the human spirit or torpedo a fledgling effort through the leader’s failings.”

“In a momentous vote, the National Education Association’s 7,000-member policymaking body cut all ties with the Anti-Defamation League. On July 6, the NEA’s national Representative Assembly approved New Business Item 39, committing that the NEA ‘will not use, endorse, or publicize materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or statistics.’ The reasoning: ‘Despite its reputation as a civil rights organization, the ADL is not the social justice educational partner it claims to be.’”