The Weekly Download

“When the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Union Members–2023 survey results on January 23, Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris predicted the union density rate will have increased. Historic times call for bold predictions.”

“Amazon’s open opposition to unions may explain why some of the most successful worker efforts have been realized by those who’ve left the question of a union for later. Workers calling themselves Amazonians United have posted a range of wins across multiple sites. The Chicagoland chapter successfully demanded paid time off for part-time workers in 2020, and the company adopted the policy nationally, noted Ellen Reese, a professor at University of California, Riverside, who has studied Amazon worker campaigns. But while worker opposition to Amazon has been ‘popping up all over,’ said Reese, KSBD “has been more successful than a lot of others.’”

“As recently as the early 80s, about three of every four doctors in the U.S. worked for themselves, owning small clinics. Today, some 75 percent of physicians are employees of hospital systems or large corporate entities. Some worry the trend is leading to diminished quality of care and is one reason doctors at a large Midwestern health provider decided to unionize.”

“As the campaign to unionize workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN, picks up momentum, the UAW has turned to a key ally for help: IG Metall, Germany’s big metalworkers union.”

“Nearly 1,000 Patient Care Associates (PCAs) and Psychiatric Care Technicians (PCTs) at the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center have voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). The healthcare workers chose IAM representation in a mail ballot election conducted between Dec. 5 and 19, which concluded with the counting of ballots on Jan. 3.”

“The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is calling on the Department of Justice to reverse its decision to eliminate retention pay for hundreds of officers at FCI Thomson in Thomson, Illinois, that was removed on December 31. To combat high staff turnover, a federally mandated 25% retention pay bonus has been in place at FCI Thomson since 2021.”

“Caltech union organizers say they want recognition for the critical work they do at one of the country’s most prestigious science campuses. ‘The vast majority of papers that are published from research at Caltech come from grad students. We run the experiments, we collect the data, we analyze the overwhelming majority of the data, we publish those results, we write grants to bring money into Caltech,’ said Michael Greklek-McKeon, a fifth-year planetary science student, who is frequently up all night collecting data.”

“Costco workers in Norfolk, Va., voted overwhelmingly yesterday to join Teamsters Local 822. The 238-worker group seeks strong representation to  improve working conditions.”

“Workers at the Barnes & Noble store at the Almaden Plaza Shopping Center in San Jose, California, voted 90% in favor of union representation with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5.”

“There is a widespread public appetite for unions right now. But unions don’t organize themselves. We need many more union organizers operating in many more places, and they need to make themselves available to a wider cross section of workers in many more industries. The goal should be for any worker who wants to have a union to be able to easily access a union organizer who can help them build one. We are very, very far from that ideal today. To get there, unions will need to invest billions of dollars in their organizing capacity.”

“A federal administrative judge ruled last week that Starbucks must rehire and provide back pay to a shift supervisor in Colorado who was fired in November 2022 due to “anti-union considerations.”

“The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a complaint against SpaceX, accusing it of unlawfully firing eight employees involved in writing a letter that called Elon Musk's behavior on social media ‘a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment.’”

“According to formal charges filed by the UFW, on or about Aug. 21 a union meeting inside farm workers’ homes was forcibly broken up by owners of Porpiglia Farms, a major apple producer where workers voted for the union. Owners Anthony and Joseph Porpiglia with two other white men forced their way into the Mexican workers’ living spaces without permission.”

“A labor union has petitioned federal OSHA to withdraw the state’s authority to run its own OSHA program. The union believes that federal OSHA can more effectively protect workers than the state’s OSHA program. The union’s petition was based on data that OSHA compiles, much of it readily available to the public.”

“A second Trump presidency may be “more dangerous” than the first when it comes to workers’ rights, McNicholas said. She noted that workers and unions have wielded more leverage recently, whether it’s getting pay raises, forming new unions or going out on strike to improve working conditions. The biggest display of that momentum might be the recent historic strike by the United Auto Workers union, which candidate Trump took as an opportunity for a photo-op at a non-union auto parts plant.”

“The rule mandates the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for large federal construction projects that cost $35 million or more. In expanding the use of PLAs, contractors and subcontractors will have to negotiate with unions to set terms for project construction – ensuring that the safety and dignity of workers are prioritized on the job sites.”

“The last time workers reached an agreement with Kaiser was in 2018, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when conditions for healthcare workers deteriorated as efforts to treat those affected by the illness reached extreme levels of urgency. The effects on health care workers also were extreme.”

“A theme this year is that reform movements led to bolder contract demands, which led to winning contract campaigns and strikes, which are giving workers hope in new organizing.”

“The longest adjunct strike in U.S. history ended this week after part-time faculty at Columbia College Chicago voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new four-year contract that will grant them greater job security and more decision-making power over their working conditions.”

“Trader Joe’s United has accused the company of trying to blunt the organizing campaign by punishing union leaders and supporters. The union has also filed charges with the labor board alleging the company has failed to bargain in good faith. The union is still without a contract, even though the first store unionized nearly a year and a half ago.”

“In this episode, United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz joins Bianca and Jamala to discuss the challenges she has faced as the first woman of color to head this powerhouse union, and a leader who took over during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she advocated for educators and students in 2020, she faced immediate backlash. The interview explores how she found the resolve to continue to stand up for LA’s teachers, students, and their families amidst such hostility.”

“Major contract fights in 2023 at UPS, the Big 3 automakers, and Hollywood studios set the tone for next year’s contract campaigns. Impressive gains and increased transparency got members of other unions asking, ‘Why can’t my union be like that?’”

“Unite Here Local 11 has reached tentative contract agreements with 10 more Southern California hotels covering hundreds of housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, servers and front desk workers who have been pushing for higher pay and better benefits.”

“Despite successful union campaigns at national companies including Amazon, Apple and Trader Joe’s over the last two years, none of those nascent unions have been able to settle a collective bargaining agreement. They’re not alone: just 36 percent of new unions reach their first labor agreement within a year of unionizing, according to research by Kate Bronfenbrenner, the director of labor education research at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Within three years, 66 percent of unions manage to secure a first contract.”

“The Washington Post reached a deal on Friday for a new contract with the union representing the majority of its newsroom employees, bringing an end to 18 months of bellicose negotiations that included a one-day work stoppage.”

“You wouldn’t know it to look at them. Junior Alaska Airlines flight attendants say they are barely getting by on poverty level wages, many of them building up debt and scrambling to make rent.”

“A conversation with the former president of the clerical workers union at the University of Minnesota.”