The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Christine Root, Project Manager of the African Activist Archive at Michigan State University, and Alan Wierdak, reference archivist and social media manager for the Labor collections in University of Maryland's Special Collections and University Archives, to discuss the importance of maintaining the records and artifacts of labor history and how the labor movement can apply the knowledge of archives to today's struggles. Watch now to see some interesting items from these archivists’ collections.”

“Going into 2024, many workplace experts said America’s labor movement needed two things especially to give it the upward momentum it needs. The first would be for the UAW to show that it could finally succeed in unionizing auto plants in the anti-union South after its previous attempts had failed. The second thing would be for the union that represents workers at 400 Starbucks stores, Starbucks Workers United, to somehow overcome Starbucks’ months and months of negotiating delays and finally reach a landmark first contract.”

“Can the new models of union organizing coming out of recent high-profile campaigns like Starbucks be a potential way to capture the current upsurge of support for and interest in unions? Labor scholar Eric Blanc thinks they can.”

“In recent years, the right has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and, as we barrel toward a presidential election, the scapegoating of DEI is worsening. According to the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, 18 states have banned spending public funds on DEI-related activities in K-12 schools, and eight have done the same for colleges and universities. Equally concerning, many corporations have now co-opted DEI language to deflect from anti-union activity. They have been aided by consultants and a DEI-industrial complex that strips away the social justice core of DEI and stresses talk over action.”

“Long before Trump came on the scene, working-class voters, especially the white members of the working class, were abandoning the Democratic Party. In 1976, Jimmy Carter received 52.3 percent of the white working-class vote. Bill Clinton won 50.0 percent in 1996, Obama 40.6 percent in 2012, and Biden only 36.2 percent in 2020. There are two schools of thought about the causes of this decline.  One emphasizes economic hardship. The other focuses on rising illiberalism.”

“Adorned with Mexican flags, a cluster of crosses in the dirt on the side of a two-lane highway is the only sign of lives lost. On any given day, passenger vans whiz by rows of almond trees, carrying farmworkers to the orchards and vineyards that stretch across Fresno and Madera counties. On Feb. 23, a van carrying eight workers collided head-on with a pickup truck, killing all but one of them. Their bodies have been returned home to Mexico, but the tragedy has left a mark. ‘I’ve cried a lot for him, as his friend, because, well, it’s a tough blow that we still can’t recover from,’ said Oscar Ruiz, whose friend, 57-year-old Roberto Flores, was killed.”

“This November, Alaska voters will decide whether to increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027. This new wage floor will produce significant increases for Alaska’s low-wage workers, helping them make ends meet amid high costs of living throughout the state. The minimum wage increase will help lock in the wage gains low-wage workers have experienced during the economic recovery from the pandemic and will create greater equity by disproportionately lifting wages for women, workers of color, and parents.”

 “Missouri Jobs with Justice leaders last week celebrated in front of the Missouri Secretary of State’s office as the Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages campaign officially submitted signatures for a ballot measure that will deliver paid sick days and higher wages to Missouri’s working families. The ballot initiative would raise the state minimum wage from $12.30 an hour to $13.75 on Jan. 1, 2025 and $15 on Jan. 1, 2026 – followed by annual cost-of-living adjustments so the minimum wage does not lose purchasing power in the future. It would also enable employees to earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Employers with fewer than 15 employees can limit usage to 40 hours per year; those with 15 or more employees can set a limit of 56 hours per year.”

“Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) announced Monday that she has signed a bill into law punishing employers that make it easier for their employees to bargain collectively. The law, known as Senate Bill 231, bars companies from receiving state economic incentives if they voluntarily recognize their workers’ unions, rather than forcing them to vote on whether to unionize in secret-ballot elections. Affected companies could lose grants, loans and tax credits starting next year.”

“Today marks the official kickoff of the WNBA basketball season. From pre-season sellouts to record views, the spotlight is on the WNBA. As news outlets buzz with predictions, records, and highlights of the players of the WNBA, the topic of equal pay has also taken center stage. Just weeks after ending her run as a college basketball star, Caitlin Clark is at the center of attention again – and so is her rookie contract. Clark’s contract currently leaves her with a small fraction of the millions her male counterparts have earned despite making history as an NCAA Division I overall top scorer, and being the No.1 overall pick in the WNBA draft.”

“As they perform Swan Lake, dancers at Miami City Ballet in Florida have been facing a union-busting campaign from the company’s management. Their case went to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which ruled on May 8 in favor of the dancers seeking to unionize, clearing the way for a union election on May 14. These dancers are just one group in a wave of ballet companies unionizing with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). But in Miami, organizing dancers endured significant challenges. ‘The company has engaged in a pretty aggressive, coordinated anti-union campaign,’ including union-busting tactics, captive-audience meetings and attempts to deny a union election, said AGMA National Organizing Director Griff Braun, in an interview with Truthout.”

“Irrigation workers at the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District in New Mexico have voted to form a union with AFSCME Council 18. Irrigation systems operators, who overwhelmingly supported joining AFSCME last month, ensure that farmers, ranchers and homeowners have access to water. Their work includes maintaining ditches, operating water systems and working with the public. Workers cited compensation, fairness and respect on the job as major reasons for unionizing.”

“Starbucks workers have done what many thought was impossible — force one of the largest corporations in the world to negotiate a union contract. It's a major turning point for Starbucks Workers United and the labor movement. Here's the inside story on how they did it.”

“Twenty-four hours before the first A-list guests were scheduled to walk the red carpet of the Met Gala, celebrities stationed in lavish hotels across New York City were putting the finishing touches on their designer looks. At the same time, the members of the Condé Union, a News Guild of New York-CWA affiliate composed of staffers from major fashion and lifestyle magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour and GQ, were putting the finishing touches on their picket signs. They planned to crash the fashion scene’s most exclusive and high-profile fundraising party after years of the company’s bad-faith bargaining.”

“Two years after organizing the first union at an Apple retail store, workers in Towson are preparing to take another unprecedented step: Becoming the first to go on strike against Apple. The union voted “overwhelmingly” to authorize a strike, according to a Saturday news release from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Coalition of Organized Retail Employees. It’s unclear when the strike might take place. Bargaining is set to resume May 21, union spokesman DeLane Adams said. The union says it represents about 100 workers at the store inside the Towson Town Center. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”

“Union leaders and U.S. lawmakers on Monday criticized Boeing's lockout of its unionized firefighters and urged the planemaker to reach a contract deal.
Earlier this month, Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab locked out about 130 members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local I-66 who rejected two contract offers - a move that last week drew the concern of President Joe Biden.
At a rally outside Boeing headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, IAFF President Edward Kelly, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Representative Val Hoyle urged Boeing to make a deal.”

“In the early months of 2020, queer Starbucks baristas brewed a plan to challenge their low wages and workplace discrimination. I first learned about the campaign while attending a national LGBTQ+ advocacy meeting where a group of these workers previewed their organizing agenda. Sitting in a dim hotel conference room, I listened to the baristas share their experiences, which mixed episodes of humiliation and financial hardship—a trans worker’s “dead name” (pre-transition name) that reappeared on each week’s work calendar; a work calendar that never listed one worker’s name (dead or chosen) enough times to keep their name on an apartment lease. Many of the workers shared their disillusionment with a company that had portrayed itself as corporate  America’s trans rights vanguardist. In fact, Starbucks had just released its #whatsyourname advertising campaign, which featured trans and gender-diverse customers asking to have their chosen names scribbled onto coffee cups. Challenging the company’s rosy narrative, UNITE HERE issued press releases in February 2020 documenting Starbucks baristas’ complaints of discrimination, low wages, and too few hours.”