The Weekly Download

“As political power accumulates in fewer hands, our democratic ideals erode. Every day, autocratic leaders, far-right parties, and billionaire elites are rewriting the rules to weaken civil society and tighten their control. Yet, one institution remains a consistent check on them: trade unions.”

“US Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday demanded answers from Amazon as the corporate behemoth moved ahead with plans to lay off around 14,000 employees, with reports indicating the job cuts are just the start of a sweeping effort to replace workers with robots and artificial intelligence models in the coming years. In a letter to Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s billionaire founder and executive chairman, Sanders (I-Vt.) asked if the company has any plans to ‘provide help and support for the many hundreds of thousands of workers you will be replacing with robots and AI.’ The senator, a longtime critic of Amazon’s treatment of warehouse workers, noted that Amazon is poised to benefit substantially from tax breaks included in US President Donald Trump’s signature budget law.”

“Episode #12 of the Power Half-Hour has arrived!  We apologize for the technical difficulties, but they shouldn't get in the way of you enjoying this episode. The Power Half-Hour is a livestreamed, fast-paced, bi-weekly roundtable with a rotating group of regular guests. Our guests discuss the biggest labor story of the preceding week and the labor story everyone should be talking about over the next two weeks. Joining Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris for this episode are:”

“‘All of us work here because we believe in the library and our community impact,’ says Megan Royden, an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Howard County Library System and president of AFSCME Amalgamated Local 6359.Royden and their coworkers are waiting on collectively bargained wage increases that included a 3 percent raise and 4 percent cost of living adjustment. When county leadership approved a smaller budget increase than requested, library administration reneged on the negotiated increases, asking for a contract re-opener in light of the smaller budget allocation. ‘They told us the county rejected our raises,’ Royden told Truthout. ‘It was the library’s choice to make up the shortfall via our wages.’”

“More furloughs, more anxiety and more economic stress are bearing down on federal employees as the shutdown of the federal government continues into its fourth week with Republicans and Democrats at a standstill on negotiating a budget deal. ‘There’s no sight of this ending and we’re starting to wonder if we’re going to be made whole and if this is going to continue into the next round of pay, which is what we’re headed into now. On Friday, we will be missing our first full paycheck,’ Johnny Jones, council secretary treasurer for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) TSA Council 100, and a TSA employee in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, said…He cited cases of members crying and starting to get desperate, citing the previous shutdown in 2019 where he and other co-workers had to help a co-worker transport her children to Colorado to be with family because she could no longer afford childcare.”

“A few weeks ago, I was at a conference in Los Angeles, put on by a union, the NUHW, that I’ve been working with on a big writing project…The first day, the union hosted a panel about resistance in this intense era, featuring, among others, the current president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, former assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. In the assembly, Gonzalez made a name for herself through her staunch advocacy for workers, most famously leading the fight to ensure that gig workers in the state were treated not like second-class contractors, but like any other employees who provide the core labor a company’s business model relies on… We spoke this week. Gonzalez talked to me about some problematic ways workers are encountering A.I. at work, what she thought of the governor’s moves recently — signing a couple of limited A.I. regulations into law while vetoing others — and why it’s critical that policymakers act urgently on the issue now.”

“...Seven hundred and thirty thousand public sector employees are working without pay while another 670,000 have been furloughed. Working people of all shades, shapes, and sizes are suffering collateral damage. Everett Kelley, the president of American Federation of Government Employees, has had enough. He is calling on the Democrats to fall on their swords and put AFGE’s members back to work: ‘Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight. It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.’ This is quite a change for a union that leans strongly towards the Democrats. Before the shutdown AFGE called on the Republicans to negotiate so that the subsidies for Obamacare could be reinstated to prevent drastic premium increases. The ACA prices are now out, and without the subsidies the increases are dramatic and for many too high to get coverage, yet Kelley is speaking out.”

“Earlier this month, a report from Senator Bernie Sanders grabbed headlines for the provocative claim that AI-driven automation could destroy 100 million jobs across the country in the next decade. While the report sparked a debate about which occupations are most vulnerable to automation, the real issue is who gets to decide how AI is deployed in the workplace, what purpose is served, and who benefits.”

“Workers at Evergreen Collaborative have ratified a first collective bargaining agreement with the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild-CWA, Local 37082 — another win for the growing movement of nonprofit workers organizing for fairness, stability and transparency.”

“Teachers, professional staff and service employees in Cahokia Unit School District 187 have been working without a contract since before the start of the school year. Standing in their way, they say, is a school district rife with cronyism and political connections, suffering from high turnover, low pay and low morale.”

“Teachers, school psychologists, and other instructional staff in Orange County Public Schools overwhelmingly approved a new union contract last week delivering 4 percent raises for most teachers, with $2 million in additional funds set aside for paying longtime teachers and educators with advanced degrees. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, approved by 91 percent of union members who voted, the starting salary for teachers will rise to $50,000. For school psychologists, minimum pay will rise to $58,410.”

“The Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU) and Harvard University are six months into negotiations over their third collective bargaining agreement. Like many other grad unions engaged in contract bargaining, HGSU is facing stiff opposition — the University has issued rejection after rejection after rejection of the Union’s proposals. At the same time, anxiety over the possible overturning of Columbia — the 2016 National Labor Relations Board decision that granted graduate student workers at private universities the right to unionize — pervades grad student organizing spaces across the country. In this post I argue that a sectoral bargaining system for higher education would address the weak position many grad student unions occupy when bargaining at the individual campus level, while offering a host of benefits to other university employees and higher education as a whole.”

“Unionized Starbucks workers across the country are ramping up pressure on the corporation to finalize an initial collective bargaining agreement—a contract that would create standards to improve their take home pay, benefits, hours, and working conditions. While the first Starbucks workers voted to unionize at a single store nearly four years ago—and thousands have voted to do so since—negotiations with the company have languished. Winning a first contract would not only improve the lives of these workers but also provide a model for workers across the largely nonunion sector to emulate. This fact sheet highlights Starbucks workers’ efforts toward their first collective bargaining agreement as well as what winning a contract would mean for these workers.”

“Workers at Sundance Institute have formed a union, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003, and delivered a petition to Sundance leadership today demanding union recognition. The workers have asked management to recognize the union by Friday, October 31st. The workers formed their union to empower and protect the staff as they call for necessary improvements to support the Institute’s growing scope of work. In order to fulfill Sundance Institute's mission, staff concerns need to be prioritized with reasonable timelines and benchmarks set for the organization. Collectively, the workers will negotiate for a union contract that guarantees equitable salary, benefits, and working conditions across departments.”

“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. Audiovisual (AV) technicians at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas formed a union with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 720 this year and have now ratified their first collective bargaining agreement.”

“Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga have voted to authorize a strike against the German automaker after over a year of contract negotiations have failed to produce a fair contract offer. It is a historic first, as the first strike authorization vote at a non-Big Three automaker in the modern era.”

“Starbucks baristas at unionized stores across the United States are rallying as a strike authorization vote that started on October 24 continues. The vote organized by Starbucks Workers United will run through early November. Starbucks Workers United pushed the strike authorization vote after contract negotiations with the company stalled over issues that include staffing, pay, and allegations of unfair labor practices. The union has launched 70 rallies and picketing events in 60 cities nationwide from October 24 to November 2, aiming to build support for a possible strike and highlight worker demands.”

“History shows us that when authoritarianism rears its head, whether it takes root depends on the labor movement’s response. That’s why unions must be at the center of the burgeoning anti-authoritarian movement that’s on display in efforts to build a broader pro-democracy coalition under banners like ‘No Kings’ and ‘Workers Over Billionaires.’ But we have to be clear-eyed: our labor movement isn’t in fighting shape. Most of our unions do not have recent muscle memory of striking or taking confrontational collective action. We must build up to strike readiness through greater organizing and collaboration by large locals and labor councils, and through escalating direct actions involving members and non-members alike.”

“When Kent Wong died on Oct. 8, labor and immigrants’ rights leaders across the country mourned the loss of a giant. For decades, Wong’s calm presence and iron will spurred significant advances in protections for immigrants and workers, especially those who were undocumented. In Los Angeles, where the activist, organizer and educator was born and lived, the sense of grief among Wong’s friends and his longtime colleagues has been palpable. But the immigrant and labor movements are also wrestling with a different issue: What will happen to the myriad projects throughout California of which Wong was such a driving force?”