The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by labor leaders from Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia to discuss how the labor movement succeeded in stopping the billionaire owner of two sports teams from relocating those teams from downtown D.C. to the suburbs of Northern Virginia and, in the process, stood up for union jobs and workers in the region. Harris is joined by Virginia Diamond, President of the Northern Virginia AFL-CIO; Samuel Epps, President of the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO; and Greg Akerman, President of the Baltimore/DC-Metro Building Trades Council to talk about their efforts to work with the developers to secure a project labor agreement and labor peace agreement, the consequences for workers if the deal went through, and how workers in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. feel about the final result.”

“Until last year, TV writer Danny Tolli never imagined that AI could threaten his career. It wasn’t until ChatGPT came out at the end of 2022 and he saw its uncanny ability to instantly generate scripts and dialogue that he took notice. Suddenly, he worried that TV studios in Hollywood would use AI to replace writers, destroy the career ladder he was rising, and erode the compensation and job stability he counted on. As Tolli’s fears grew, his union, the Writers Guild of America West, was negotiating a three-year contract with Hollywood studios. Suddenly, AI became a top priority for Tolli and thousands of Guild members who went on strike in spring 2023.”

“When it comes to juggling work and family, moms are truly doing it all. Seventy-four percent of mothers were in the labor force in 2023 even as they took on a majority of families’ unpaid caregiving responsibilities. They’re major breadwinners too – nationally, 79 percent of Black mothers, 48 percent of white mothers, 43 percent of Asian and Pacific Island mothers, 49 percent of Latina mothers and 64 percent of Native American mothers lead their household’s earnings.”

“After going on strike and securing lucrative new contracts with GM, Ford and Stellantis last fall, the United Auto Workers union, under new president Shawn Fain, recently scored a major win in the South and is hoping to build on that momentum. In late April, 73% of the 4,300 production workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to join the UAW and authorize it to enter into collective bargaining with their German employer. Two previous union drives there had failed. It’s a signal victory in the UAW’s $40 million campaign to organize approximately 150,000 workers at foreign-owned, nonunion automakers across the South, including BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo, as well as domestic electric vehicle makers Lucid, Rivian and Tesla.”

“The lab professionals employed by the medical lab services company, LabCorp of America, held a union election from March 1-3 where 434 workers voted to join together in a union with the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP), a local affiliate of the 1.7 million-member AFT. These healthcare professionals work at labs within seven Legacy Health facilities in Oregon and Washington, including Emanuel and Good Samaritan in Portland, and Salmon Creek (WA).”

“On April 26, cafeteria workers in the Dolton, Ill., school district joined UFCW Local 1546 for a better life. The 30 workers are employed by Organic Life, a hospitality and food service management company.”

“John G. Shedd Aquarium employees are forming their union, Shedd Workers United, and affiliating with AFSCME Council 31. The April 18 announcement came in a public letter signed by 60 workers. When certified, Shedd Workers United/AFSCME will represent about 300 employees across the aquarium, including throughout its departments of Animal Care, Learning & Community, Guest Relationsand more.”

“On April 16, grocery workers at Anthony’s Foods in Meeker, Okla., joined UFCW Local 1000 for the better wages and benefits that come with a union contract. This organizing win marks the first unit of Anthony Food’s workers to be represented by UFCW Local 1000.”

“While [Kate] Ivey’s fierce opposition to the UAW is no secret, what was noteworthy about her post was the so-called media outlet she cited: Yellowhammer News. Yellowhammer is no ordinary “news” site. It is co-owned by a longtime political consultant, Paul Shashy, who has deep ties to the Alabama political and business establishment, which is driving the opposition to the UAW. Indeed, in March 2023, the Business Council of Alabama, which is coordinating a statewide anti-union campaign, announced its hiring of Shashy as a political strategist. None of this appears to be disclosed in Yellowhammer’s day-to-day coverage of topics, like the autoworker union drive, despite the owner’s apparent conflict of interest. Moreover, while Shashy purchased Yellowhammer in late 2023, its past owners have been lobbyists and consultants for major state politicians and executive directors of the Alabama GOP.”

“Boeing locked out 125 unionized firefighters and emergency responders from their jobs in Washington state this weekend as the two sides battle over a new four-year contract. The aircraft manufacturer and the workers’ union, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local I-66, have been negotiating since February. Boeing forced the workers out early Saturday morning after the union turned down the company’s final offer.”

“The manager of an Apple Inc (AAPL.O), retail store in Manhattan violated U.S. labor law by asking an employee whether he supported a union campaign, a federal labor board has ruled in its first decision involving the tech giant. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a single-page ruling late on Monday said the manager's questioning of the worker, who had raised concerns about pay at a group meeting, amounted to unlawful interrogation and upheld a decision by an administrative judge. The Democrat-controlled board also affirmed the judge's ruling that Apple illegally barred workers at the World Trade Center store from distributing union flyers.”

“More than two years into the fight for a new contract, union members say the National Audubon Society appears to be punishing them by withholding better benefits.”

“Politicians like Nikki Haley will proudly bust unions. But the latest events at Boeing are a clear example of what happens when corporations don't listen to their workers.”

“I appeared on Bloomberg TV's Balance of Power with Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz on Thursday, May 2 to preview the Bureau of Labor Statistics' April jobs and unemployment report and to discuss the state of the economy and the condition of the U.S. labor movement.  Watch the video here:”

“On Monday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released updated guidance detailing that employers who refuse to use transgender workers’ preferred pronouns or who prevent them from using bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity are engaging in unlawful workplace harassment. The guidance will go into effect immediately.”

“For three and a half decades, lean management drove the production and movement of goods. But now logistics and manufacturing employers are shifting to a new model. To maximize our leverage, workers should understand it. Lean production, introduced in the 1980s from Japanese automakers, caught on in many U.S. industries. It was a whole bundle of techniques to maximize profit, including ratcheting up workloads and pace to the point of breakdown, and inviting workers to brainstorm ways to increase their own exploitation.”

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began just over four years ago, one of the most notable transformations has been in how and where people work. The pandemic emergency forced the traditional office environment to undergo a seismic shift, as organizations across the US swiftly converted to remote work out of necessity. Where remote work was somewhat of a novelty before the pandemic, it quickly became normalized as a viable option for many jobs."

“Over 1,000 members of UAW Local 869 who work at the Stellantis Warren Stamping Plant in Warren, Mich., have voted to authorize a strike over the company’s refusal to address health & safety grievances at the facility. In a new video, Stellantis workers at Local 869 speak out about health & safety issues in the plant. ‘We must stand up and stand together for this health and safety grievance procedure because this is our livelihood,” said Local 869 member Chautay Smith. “So, let’s stand up at Warren Stamping and take care of us the way we need to be taken care of.’”

“To Diane Babbin-Disciullo, a custodian for the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, her job is more than just a job. Babbin-Disciullo grew up in nearby Kingston and has been serving Duxbury schools for 19 years. She has worked in all the town’s schools — including the middle school and the high school — and loves what she does because it’s all about the kids.”

“NewsGuild of New York-represented staff at Condé Nast brands such as Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Bon Appétit and more have reached a tentative contract agreement with the company, averting what could have been a work stoppage timed to begin today, the day of the Met Gala.”

“This month at Grinnell College, undergraduate student workers ratified their first contract — the first wall-to-wall undergrad worker union contract in the US. Jacobin spoke to union leaders about the victory.”

“Last week, the Biden Administration announced that chipmaker Micron will meet with CWA to discuss a labor peace agreement as part of the $6.1 billion in federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act the company is set to receive. A written agreement will be critical to ensuring that the thousands of workers Micron intends to hire in its new semiconductor plants in New York and Idaho will be free to form a union if they choose to and to fight for the kinds of wages and benefits that will grow local economies.”

“UAW members at Daimler Truck turned out Saturday to ratify a new contract that includes raises of more than 25%. According to the United Auto Workers, 94.5% of the 7,300 workers who build Freightliner and Western Star Trucks and Thomas Built buses in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia voted in favor of the four-year agreement. The deal also includes profit-sharing and Cost of Living adjustments for the first time for UAW workers at Daimler, the union said. It also ends a tiered wage system at Daimler, ensuring that workers who make trucks and buses get equal pay for equal work by the end of the contract.”

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Emily Matthews, striking photographer and Treasurer of the Post-Gazette Branch of the Pittsburgh Newspaper Guild, and Natalie Duleba, striking designer and union member, to discuss what their contract demands are, their experiences after 18 months on the picket line, and how they are keeping their union siblings motivated. Tune in to hear about how union members have been supporting one another throughout the strike, recent developments in the strike, including a possible National Labor Relations Board  injunction against the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and the importance of protections and benefits for workers in industries like journalism that have been disrupted and where workers face a great deal of uncertainty.”

“United Farm Workers (UFW) President Teresa Romero was among 19 Americans who were honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden at the White House on Friday. The award is the nation’s highest civilian honor and is presented “to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” the White House said.”