The Weekly Download

“‘Quick! Into the boxes!’ The words sent 11-year-old Pauline Newman and the other children scrambling for cover inside the large cardboard boxes, already half filled with finished crisp, white shirtwaists. Newman, whose tongue still tripped over English words, clapped her hand over her mouth; she knew she was lucky to have a job.”

“Episode #15 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:”

“The 1970s were a turbulent time in U.S. history. The Vietnam War was winding down while inflation was nibbling away at workers’ paychecks. The enforcement of federal civil rights laws helped to break down workplace segregation, giving African Americans, Latinos, and women their first bite at decent, union jobs. The 1950s triumvirate – big business, big government, and big labor – would soon be shaken as anti-union campaigns and trade wars weakened labor’s power and wreaked havoc on U.S. jobs. Boston – the birthplace of the American Revolution – was no exception. In the 1970s, the city was roiled with racial tension, as mandatory school busing divided the community into warring factions.”

“...the fashion industry — a culture rampant with eating disorders, the normalization of performing sexual favors to get work, and financial exploitation—is badly in need of a makeover. Nine years after California failed to extend employee status and other labor protections to models working within the state, the New York State Senate delivered models their first legislative victory with the Fashion Workers Act (FWA) (eff. June 19, 2025). This post discusses key provisions in the FWA and offers areas future legislation should address to further improve labor conditions for models.”

“Columbus, Ohio — Newsroom employees at The Columbus Dispatch and Newark Advocate today announced they are forming the Dispatch News Guild to address fair pay and preserve local journalism jobs. In recent years under corporate leadership, newsroom staff have suffered stagnant and inequitable pay, layoffs, buyouts and adverse working conditions. There has been a lack of urgency to fill open positions, putting the workload of multiple people on individual staffers. In a growing city, the lone hometown newspaper’s staff is shrinking rapidly. Unionizing will protect jobs and important local coverage for readers.”

“Thousands of Starbucks baristas are on strike across the US, warning the world’s largest coffee chain to brace for the “longest and biggest” bout of industrial action in its history…But the union, Starbucks Workers United, which represents 11,000 baristas at more than 550 stores, is threatening to escalate the strike far beyond its current footprint unless executives make concessions during contract negotiations. Four years after the first Starbucks-owned US store voted to form a union, defying intense resistance from the company, relations between the two sides have deteriorated.”

“California’s veterans come from a diverse range of backgrounds and skill sets, but many share the experience of transitioning into civilian employment at the end of their service. Organized labor supports veterans with this transition, both through formal programs to help them secure good jobs and by representing them as members of individual unions. In this blog post, we look at veterans’ prominent role in California’s labor unions, using the data and methodology from our recent report, ‘State of the Unions: California Labor in 2024.’”

“Thousands of Starbucks workers across a hundred cities are nearly one month into an expanding, nationwide unfair labor practice strike in protest of the coffee giant’s ‘historic union busting and failure to finalize a fair union contract,’ according to Starbucks Workers United, the barista union that has spread to over 650 stores since its birth in Buffalo four years ago.”

“As Amazon rolls out its millionth robot on the warehouse floor, it is important to recognize that the company is not any closer to ridding itself of the burden of human labor. Amazon can still be unionized.”

“Hollywood unions and trade groups are pushing back against the proposed $82.7-billion deal for streaming giant Netflix to acquire Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO and HBO Max, citing concerns about greater industry consolidation, job losses and the potential hit to theatrical box office revenue. Groups began voicing opposition even before the proposed tie-up was officially announced. Amid reports Thursday night that Netflix had secured exclusive rights to negotiate with Warner Bros., the Directors Guild of America said it had ‘significant concerns’ about the development and intended to meet with Netflix for further discussion.”

“Last week, unionized journalists at Politico won a landmark arbitration regarding AI adoption in their newsroom. In the ruling issued on November 26, an arbitrator found that Politico management violated key AI adoption safeguards that had been negotiated into the union’s contract. Among other restrictions, the contract requires that management provide the union 60 days to bargain over any new AI technology that ‘materially and substantively’ impacts members’ job duties. The contract also requires that if AI technology is used for ‘newsgathering’ that it meet Politico’s ‘standards of journalists ethics and involve human oversight.’ In a clear-cut ruling, the arbitrator found that Politico management violated both of these terms when it rolled out two recent AI-powered editorial products.”

“Several hundred more Starbucks baristas walked out Thursday, the 22nd day of their growing unfair labor practice strike. It is now the longest strike the coffee giant has faced, spreading to 145 stores in more than 100 cities. Kingston, New York, baristas joined the strike early Thursday, and management didn’t even bother trying to open the store. So the workers, joined by supporters, picketed a nearby store in Lake Katrine, piercing the crisp winter air with chants of ‘What’s disgusting? Union-busting!’ and ‘I want to eat food and pay rent at the same time!’”

“CHICAGO – Employees of the Museum of Science & Industry have won significant wage increases, holiday pay, and other improvements in their first union contract. Members of Museum of Science and Industry Workers United/AFSCME (MSIWU) approved the contract’s terms in a near-unanimous vote held in November. The workers formed their union with AFSCME Council 31 in July 2023. The local union represents more than 120 MSI employees.”

“Nearly a year after Philadelphia Whole Foods workers voted to form a union, becoming the first group in the grocery chain to do so, their union’s ability to move forward and negotiate a contract is locked in a procedural standstill.”

“About 200 members of UFCW Local 152 who work at Top Quality ‘TQ’ Baking, a Marzetti company in Vineland, N.J., ratified a new contract on Nov. 5. These workers are employed in production, sanitation, maintenance, and more, and help to produce the popular frozen ‘Texas Toast’ garlic bread, which can be found at union retailers.”

“A Wayne County judge last week confirmed a previously awarded union contract for H2-A farm workers at Wafler Farms, representing the second United Farm Workers contract to be implemented in New York. While the ruling represents a key victory for the agricultural workers’ union, Wafler’s farm workers have completed this year’s apple-picking season, unsure whether the farm will honor the contract awarded earlier this year by the state’s Public Employment Relations Board.”

“Commuters across Philadelphia can breathe a sigh of relief in this latest round of SEPTA concerns: TWU Local 234 and SEPTA have reached a tentative agreement, preventing a system-wide strike that was set to begin today and would have disrupted transit for thousands across the city…Commuters across Philadelphia can breathe a sigh of relief in this latest round of SEPTA concerns: TWU Local 234 and SEPTA have reached a tentative agreement, preventing a system-wide strike that was set to begin today and would have disrupted transit for thousands across the city.”

“Dozens of mail and package drivers in Central Florida organized with the Teamsters have secured a first union contract delivering higher pay, stronger job protections and fully employer-paid healthcare, according to the union. The drivers, employed by logistics company MBM Logistics, first voted to unionize with the Teamsters Local 385 last September, despite their employer bringing in professional ‘union avoidance’ consultants to persuade drivers to vote no.”

“State and local policymakers can help make work pay for ordinary Americans by building power and raising standards for working people, supporting unions in their communities, and expanding workforce stability. This report details 21 ways for state and local policymakers to improve the lives of working people and help achieve a number of goals…”