The Weekly Download

“In this blogcast, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris is joined by Noam Scheiber, a reporter for The New York Times, Lauren Kaori Gurley, a reporter for The Washington Post, and Dave Jamieson, a reporter for the HuffPost. Watch now to hear their predictions for the future of worker power under a second Trump administration, as well as their views on the NLRB, state level victories for workers, and much more.”

“Earlier this year, we published a fun and educational series of posts and blogcasts that we dubbed #LaborOscars2024 (see here, here, here, here, and here) to celebrate worker power, unions, and worker collective action in film. You reacted so positively to Labor Oscars 2024 that we are planning to do it again in a couple of months. But then we thought . . . wait a minute! We love movies AND music AND worker power. Let’s share another of our cultural passions with the Power At Work community.”

“The National Employment Law Project (NELP) recognizes Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer is a somewhat unexpected nominee to serve as Labor Secretary.  Her steady support for workers’ right to collectively bargain, and her recognition that the deck is stacked against workers who want to join a union, puts her at odds with virtually all other Republican Members of Congress.  Her support for the Richard Trumka PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act demonstrates an understanding of the importance of unions, collective bargaining, and protections for working families.”

“Many of you will get on a plane to visit family for Thanksgiving. When you do, you’ll likely encounter agents to help you board the plane, flight attendants to keep you safe and serve you drinks, and pilots to fly you from here to there while ensuring your safety. Those workers all work for airlines.”

“Much of the Trump-Vance campaign’s platform was designed to provoke outrage rather than to supply policy details. So, if you’re trying to figure out what to actually expect from the coming second Trump administration, it’s helpful to look at the record of Trump’s first term in office, as well as the individuals and organizations that influenced the 2024 GOP campaign. When it comes to workers’ rights, that record is crystal clear: from attacks on unions and workers’ freedom of speech to rolling back laws that would have boosted paychecks or expanded worker safety protections, Trump has been a disaster.”

“(CHICAGO) – Drivers at FreshPoint Chicago, a subsidiary of Sysco specializing in providing premium produce to high-end restaurants, have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 710. The group of 29 drivers organized with the Teamsters to put an end to at-will employment, fight for higher wages, secure improved benefits, and demand better working conditions.”

“Inspired by a steady wave of cultural organizing in Ohio, workers at Gateway Film Center — a nonprofit cinema house in Columbus — voted unanimously to form a union on Nov. 13. Gateway Film Center United is the fourth union representing cultural workers in Ohio to affiliate with AFSCME Council 8 in recent years.”

“Motion-capture workers at the prominent video game company behind NBA 2K and WWE 2K have chosen to unionize with Hollywood crew union IATSE. Fifteen workers at 2K’s motion capture studio in Petaluma, California voted to unionize with IATSE in a National Labor Relations Board election that took place on Friday morning, while six voted against unionizing. All 21 workers that are in the proposed bargaining unit at the gaming studio — including stage technicians, engineers, animators and recording and audio specialists — took part in the vote.”

“A grocery store worker filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Kroger and Albertsons in Colorado state court on Monday, accusing the two supermarket giants of colluding against striking employees to keep pay and benefits down.”

“(WASHINGTON) – United Airlines Teamsters Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) held their third nationwide rally for an industry-leading contract to demand improved wages, higher safety standards, and more comprehensive health care coverage from the international carrier on the busiest travel day of the year. These rallies come as the current collective bargaining agreement with United Airlines approaches the December 5 amendable date despite the lack of a new agreement for over 10,000 Teamster technicians.”  

“Their chants starting before sunrise, about 100 Culinary Union workers picketed Friday in front of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as they went on strike to demand higher wages. “No contract, no peace,” they said in unison. ‘If we don’t get it, shut it down.’”

“Workers at the Strand Bookstore are threatening to strike just before the shop's holiday season spike. Members of United Auto Workers Local 2179 held a strike authorization vote last week, with 92 percent of members who voted approving a walk-out. A strike would be first at the legendary bookstore since the 1990s.”

“The teacher strikes in Marblehead and Beverly ended Tuesday night after educators and School Committees in both districts reached contract agreements the day following a court-ordered deadline. In Marblehead, school will be back in session on Wednesday, which will be an early release day before the Thanksgiving holiday break, as scheduled. Beverly schools also have a scheduled early release.”

“Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, plan to hold protests or go on strike between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, two of the marquee shopping promotions of the year, according to organizers. The planned “Make Amazon Pay” demonstrations are intended to “hold Amazon accountable for labor abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy,” according to the initiative’s organizers, the Switzerland-based labor federation UNI Global Union and the grassroots activist group Progressive International.”

“The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) has a tentative deal with the major Hollywood studios. With less than two weeks left until the current contract expiration and after multiple extensions, the bargaining unit announced Monday that it had finalized another three-year agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.”

“Washington, D.C. — The National Employment Law Project, NYU Wagner Labor Initiative, Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, Towards Justice, American Economic Liberties Project, and the Economic Policy Institute released a new policy brief on Tuesday outlining how states can defend the key pro-worker advances of the Biden administration, many of which are under attack in the courts and which face an uncertain future as the presidential administration changes.”

“On one hand, last week’s massive two-day strike by nearly 40,000 University of California workers was exactly what it appeared to be. Employees are falling further behind the skyrocketing cost of living in many areas where UC campuses are located, and they are pressuring UC officials to resolve months-long contract negotiations.”

“DETROIT – The United Auto Workers issued the following statement today calling on the Michigan legislature to deliver for working class people in the upcoming lame duck session. The UAW is the state’s largest union, with over 300,000 active and retired members in Michigan.”