The Weekly Download

“Over the past three decades, scholars have written extensively about attempts by post-World War II unions to promote social change and greater member engagement at the community level.  These efforts, variously described as ‘social justice unionism,’ ‘social movement unionism,’ ‘civic unionism,’ and ‘civil rights unionism,’ envisioned a larger social role for unions beyond the confines of negotiating wages, hours, and working conditions in a collective bargaining agreement. ”

“Episode #14 of the Power Half-Hour has arrived! 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:”

“Activists in Ithaca, New York are trying something unique: They’re mobilizing support for an ordinance that would prohibit employers in that small city from firing their employees without just cause. If they succeed, they’ll have enacted the first such city-wide ban on arbitrary firings in the country.”

“The United Farm Workers — along with multiple U.S. citizen farmworkers — sued the Trump administration on Friday over a new rule that substantially lowers pay for seasonal guest workers in agriculture. The union said the Labor Department rule, which lowers pay for the H-2A agricultural visa program by about $5 to $7 an hour, ‘dramatically undercuts’ wages for U.S. farmworkers in violation of federal immigration law.”

“In 1978, amid deportations of undocumented workers in East Los Angeles, one raid at the Sbicca shoe factory went differently: Lawyers brought in by the AFL-CIO, which had been organizing at the factory, were able to halt many of the deportations on Fourth Amendment grounds. Larry Remer, for In These Times, detailed how the raids impacted Mexican-American communities and how, in the Sbicca case, labor solidarity helped in their defense. The events described sound awfully familiar. Nationally, immigration sweeps are still a common form of union-busting. And the labor movement is still one of the strongest allies for undocumented immigrants, helping organize anti-ICE responses in L.A., Chicago and other cities.”

“Government employees asked a federal judge Wednesday to block the Trump administration from encouraging job applicants to demonstrate their loyalty to the president’s agenda. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, a group of federal labor unions argues that the White House’s ‘merit hiring plan’ violates applicants’ First Amendment rights.“

“At a midday rally at the Port of Oakland on Saturday, labor leaders from across the country joined together to raise concerns over President Donald Trump's tariffs, ending the day with meetings in San Francisco…These labor organizers represent millions of working-class Americans, from healthcare to education to the transportation industry. They argue that the tariffs have led to higher prices and layoffs.”

“Capital & Main spoke with 61 young field workers — from 12 years old to those who had recently turned 18. Many described experiencing headaches, skin rashes or burning eyes while working in fields that smelled of chemicals. Others said they were hired for piece-rate jobs that paid less than minimum wage. Many recalled struggling in the summer sun without shade or extra water breaks. Some talked of using filthy portable toilets with no soap to wash their hands. Several came alone to the United States from Mexico. But most, like Jose, were born in the U.S. and work alongside their immigrant parents — many of whom are Mixtecos, Indigenous people who emigrated primarily from the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Michoacán and Guerrero.”

“The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said on Tuesday it will file for union representation election covering about 3,000 JetBlue ground workers. JetBlue workers voted against unionizing in 2023, after what the IAM described as an anti-union campaign by the airline's management. The union said workers have cited low pay, safety concerns and working conditions as key reasons for seeking representation.”

“Recent advances in AI have reshaped a variety of workplaces. This is particularly true among white-collar workers, 27% of whom report regularly using AI at work (as compared to only 9% of blue-collar workers). Granted, extreme predictions about widespread job displacement have yet to come to fruition, as the number of work tasks that AI can fully automate is currently low. Nevertheless, future advances in AI agents — AI systems that can function autonomously with limited or no human oversight — promise to transform many more workplaces. Amidst this rapid progress, employers have significant discretion to decide whether, and to what extent, they will automate their workforces. But this discretion is not absolute. Collective bargaining agreements have long protected workers from their employer’s desire to automate. For example, longshoremen unions in the 1960s secured a Modernization and Mechanization Agreement that provided employment security for dock workers who faced threats from increased mechanization. And more recently, several unions — including those representing screenwriters, actors, and casino workers, among others — have successfully secured protections against AI automation.”

“Pilots for Allegiant Air, represented by the Teamsters, picketed outside 22 airports across the country Tuesday, including the Orlando-Sanford International Airport. The action is part of a coordinated pressure campaign in the pilots’ ongoing fight for a new union contract. According to the Teamsters Local 2118, Allegiant pilots are demanding an end to alleged delays by the airline in negotiating a new contract that meets union members’ needs.”

“IAM Local 2789 members at John Deere’s Augusta, Ga., facility voted overwhelmingly on Nov. 12 to ratify a new four-year collective bargaining agreement, capping two weeks of negotiations led by IAM District 243 Business Representative Cal Nachimson. The agreement covers 300 workers, including 120 IAM members, and is widely regarded as the strongest contract the workforce has seen in over 20 years. Negotiations began with non-economic proposals the week of Oct. 6, followed by economic bargaining the week of Nov. 3. Nachimson said both sides quickly settled into productive talks.” 

“Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1576 bus drivers and dispatchers who work for Island Transit in Washington state secured a large wage hike under a new three-year agreement between the union and the agency. Under the contract, workers will receive a 17% wage adjustment, plus a 3% cost of living increase. They will get another 3% cost of living increase next year and then another 3% the year after that. With the raises, the starting wage for transit operators is now at $27.70 and the individual would earn $37.78 an hour after eight years on the job. The starting wage for a dispatcher is $29.35 and the hourly wage after eight years is $39.79. The new salaries are more in line with similar agencies in the region.”

“Making ends meet in today’s economy is difficult enough, but with so many societal crises affecting working people’s lives on and off the shop floor—from mass layoffs to untenable costs of living, from an authoritarian federal government to AI and the climate crisis—it can feel all but impossible. What does it mean to have a union job, to be a union member, and to be part of the labor movement in these overwhelming times? What role do unions and other labor organizations have to play, not just in the fight for economic justice, but in the fight for democracy, civil rights, the rule of law, and a livable planet? We posed these questions to a range of emerging labor leaders from different unions and worker centers enrolled in the 2025-26 Minnesota Union Leadership Program (MULP). Here’s what they told us…”