The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Claudia Navarro, the Co-Executive Director of WeCount!, and Rebecca Reindel, the Safety and Health Director at the AFL-CIO. Watch now to learn about the current state of working in the heat in both Florida and the country as a whole. Also learn about OSHA's proposed heat standard, and how it would help the millions of workers working in extreme heat every day in the United States.”

“Dina Velasquez Escalante is a poultry worker in southwest Minnesota. She spends her workdays inspecting the chicken millions of Americans eat every day. She looks for tumors, stray bones and organs, and removes bile. After six years of hard work and cultivating expertise on almost every position on the line, she’s now in the laboratory testing samples of poultry to ensure the highest quality.”

“The stereotype is that Americans live to work. One description written for foreign visitors explains that Americans are “known as ‘workaholics,’ or people who are addicted to their work, who think constantly about their jobs and who are frustrated if they are kept away from them, even during their evening hours and weekends.” This myth, based on a minority of Americans, may help to explain why the US is the only wealthy country in the world without federally mandated vacation pay or holiday pay, along with weak overtime protections. Nevertheless, the entrenched image of the workaholic American is wrong. Most workers want more free time.”

“Joe Biden likes to think of himself as the “most pro-union president” in U.S. history. As his time in the White House winds down and his legacy begins to take shape, there’s no doubt that he has a strong case to make for himself. Biden, sometimes called Union Joe, has spoken unabashedly about the value of collective bargaining throughout his one term as president. He’s stacked labor agencies with pro-union appointees who are making it easier for workers to organize. He’s openly scolded employers for trying to prevent their workers from forming unions. And he’s even stood alongside striking autoworkers on a picket line — a first for a sitting president.”

“The most surprising moment of this year’s Republican National Convention may have come on its first night, when the president of the Teamsters railed in prime time against corporate elites and denounced a “war against labor” by business groups. The gasps from some in the hall were almost audible on television.”

“Friday’s ratification vote, approving California scientists’ tentative agreement with the state, marked a turning point for the relatively small, but active union. Not only did California Association of Professional Scientists members overwhelmingly approve the measure, they also turned out in big numbers.”

“(SKOKIE, Ill.) – Even more Amazon drivers at the company’s DIL7 delivery station in Skokie, Ill., are demanding that Amazon recognize the Teamsters Union and deliver a labor contract. The movement to organize in Skokie became public in June when 100 Amazon drivers went on strike over Amazon’s unfair labor practices. Those workers organized their union at one of Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) located at the station. The new organizing push has now spread to all four Amazon DSPs in Skokie — with a majority of drivers having signed authorization cards with Teamsters Local 705.” 

“ITHACA – UAW members at Cornell University have secured a historic tentative agreement, which includes record wage increases of up to 25.4%, a cost of living adjustment, and the elimination of the two-tier wage system. The agreement also introduces significant improvements to policies on time off, uniforms, inclement weather and safety protections. This deal follows an unfair labor practice strike by Cornell workers, which forced the university to offer a contract that truly reflects the workers’ immense value.”

“The right of temporary agricultural workers in New York State to organize has been upheld by the Public Employment Relations Board. In a series of five decisions issued Aug. 15, PERB also upheld the United Farm Workers of America’s certification as bargaining representatives for workers at five farms. The farms and their industry advocates had petitioned the board to review decisions by PERB hearing officers who determined that temporary, nonimmigrant workers working in agriculture, known a H-2A workers, could be included in the farms’ bargaining units.”

“Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. labor board prosecutors have determined that a union's claims that Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG.N) illegally refused to give raises to workers at a Michigan restaurant after they became the first and only employees of the fast-casual chain to unionize have merit.”

“Florida’s high-speed passenger train Brightline has responded to their onboard attendants’ newly announced effort to unionize by hiring lawyers from the notorious union avoidance law firm Littler Mendelson and internally communicating that they would prefer for Brightline to remain union-free. (Shocker!)”

“A car rental agency at Miami International Airport, Sixt Rent A Car, recently hired a local consulting firm that specializes in “union avoidance” to obstruct an organizing effort by sales agents, according to a disclosure report filed by Orlando-based Labor Pros with the federal Department of Labor earlier this month.”

“Aug 28 (Reuters) - Flight attendants at United Airlines (UAL.O) have voted in favor of a strike authorization, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said on Wednesday. Over 90% of the flight attendants participated, with 99.99% of the votes in favor of a strike authorization, the union said. It is the first time since the 2005 bankruptcy negotiations that flight attendants at United voted on strike authorization, it added.”

“(SUMNER, Wash.) – Over 150 Costco fleet drivers have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The strike vote is a result of Costco management’s refusal to bargain in good faith. The group of drivers, who became the first-ever Costco distribution center workers to organize with the Teamsters, voted to join Local 174 in April.”

“ATLANTA—In what is the largest strike in the United States, over 17,000 Communications Workers of America members in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee remain on strike due to AT&T’s failure to bargain in good faith.”

“Today, the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) announced their historic new collective bargaining agreement, which ensures free agency for all players, revenue sharing on top of salaries, important health and safety protections, and other provisions that will help create a more equitable League. For the first time ever in American professional sports, this contract also eliminates the draft, empowering athlete workers to have a real say over their futures.”

“The Guilds and Unions of Hollywood stand united with Teamster Casting Directors, Associate Casting Directors and the newly organized Casting Assistants as they seek fair compensation and improved working conditions across all classifications.”

“Employees of the city of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, are celebrating much-needed wage hikes and bonuses they secured through the union they formed — a testament to the power of joining together in solidarity. They are celebrating $5,000 bonuses along with pay raises of at least 5%. Workers who keep Memphis’ hospitals, schools and roads running saw this increase last month.”

“Teamsters in an Indiana grocery warehouse scored big this year with a contract campaign like never before. They organized in five languages and sported a multilingual union button. They opened up bargaining sessions for any member to come observe—on the peak day, 150 showed up. They even pulled off a daring work-to-rule action the week before bargaining kicked off, to start from a position of strength.”

“Springfield, MA – Frustrated Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) workers, represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 448-Soringfield, MA, overwhelmingly voted to reject the PVTA’s ‘final and best’ contract offer and are set to hold a vote to determine a strike date in the coming days.”

“Last week Washington-Baltimore News Guild members at the United Food and Commercial Workers union ratified a successor collective bargaining agreement that included large raises, increased telework and vacation time increases after workers struck for one day in May and planned for a longer unfair labor practice strike.”

“A strong majority of Americans continue to view labor unions in a positive light, according to a new Gallup survey released Wednesday. Seventy percent of respondents said they hold a favorable view of unions, up slightly from 67% in 2023. Only 23% said they disapprove of unions.”

“Labor journalist and historian Jeff Schuhrke’s first book, Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor’s Global Anticommunist Crusade, dives into American labor unions’ role in Cold War-era interventions across Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and their lasting impacts today. Out September 24 from Verso Books, Blue-Collar Empire examines this history, and draws lessons for the present day.”

“The biennial IAFF Convention kicked off in Boston today with a focus on union leadership and reform. In a keynote address during the Opening Ceremony, General President Edward Kelly shared his personal connection to the city. “This is where I grew up,” he said. “My mother’s father was on the job here in the late ’30s and early ’40s. My love for being a fire fighter comes from my father’s love for being a fire fighter.””

“Industrial Sector Operations members met in Las Vegas July 30 through Aug. 5 for the annual ISO Conference. This year’s ISO Conference focused on the need for every member to organize. Breakout sessions taught lodge leaders essentials, including organizing, mental health, lodge finances, industry caucuses, steward training, contract negotiations, filing LM and 990 reports and much more.”