JOINING TOGETHER
SAG-AFTRA & Video Game Biz To Resume Contract Talks In Effort To Avoid New Strike
Deadline
By Erik Pedersen
Oct. 16, 2023
It’s been nearly three weeks since SAG-AFTRA‘s talks with the video game industry broke off, but a power-up is on the horizon. The union said today that negotiations for a new Interactive Media Agreement will continue. But as for when — stay tuned. Bargaining “will continue with new dates to be released as soon as they are determined,” SAG-AFTRA said. The union’s 160,000-strong membership voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize a strike against 10 of the major video game companies.
Union workers at Woodland Pulp in Baileyville now on strike
WABI
By WABI News Desk
Oct. 16, 2023
Workers at a wood pulp facility in Baileyville are now on strike. More than 20 Machinists Union members, and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators are striking accoridng to the Maine AFL-CIO. They began over the weekend. 20 Millwrights plan to go out the week of October 20th, according to the union. The workers voted overwhelmingly to reject Woodland Pulp’s contract offer. The Maine AFL-CIO says Woodland Pulp’s management is attempting to replace millwright, pipe fitters, machinists and auto mechanic positions with a general mechanic classification. Membership surveys have made it clear that protecting their core trades is the bargaining unit’s top priority. “The IAM is providing every resource necessary to obtain a fair contract for our dedicated membership at Woodland Pulp,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan in a press release. “As a native Mainer, I know the vital importance of preserving career pathways for our communities.”
Hollywood unions call for immediate resumption of SAG-AFTRA talks
CBS Los Angeles
By KCAL-News Staff
Oct. 16, 2023
SAG-AFTRA members are expected to return to the picket lines Monday to continue striking against the Hollywood Studios amid calls from union president Fran Drescher and union leaders for negotiations to resume "immediately." Drescher slammed the major studios Friday for suspending contract talks with striking actors and in a joint statement with union leaders demanded negotiations resume in good faith to address performers' specific needs. The joint statement came from the Writers Guild of America's West and East branches, the Directors Guild of America, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the American Federation of Musicians, the Teamsters and Hollywood Basic Crafts.
Water distribution workers expected to get union recognition
KBIA
By Ezra Bitterman
Oct. 16, 2023
The Columbia City Council is expected to vote to voluntarily recognize water distribution workers as new members of LiUNA 955 — a union representing around 250 city workers — at Monday’s meeting. This summer, 22 out of 27 of the city’s water distribution workers voted to leave the Columbia Water & Light Department and join LiUNA, according to a city staff report. The Columbia Water and Light Department is not a union and does not have the power to collectively bargain for the workers, who are treated as other non-union city employees in terms of pay and other benefits. City officials met with the water distribution workers in the summer to discuss pay and other needs.
SoCal hotel workers continue strike as negotiations stall
Bay News 9
By Zarina Khairzada
Oct. 16, 2023
Hotel workers took to picket lines outside the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, after labor contract negotiations stalled. According to Unite Here! Local 11 Union members, the labor contract expired back in June. Since then, union members have been on a rolling strike across hotel properties. The Coordinated Bargaining Group representing area hotels said, “[The Union’s] inflexibility and insistence on all its demands will not end this labor dispute or get employees what they are asking for — immediate wage increases and a new contract. Instead, the Union appears to want to continue to hurt Los Angeles… continuing its Los Angeles boycott and its intermittent work stoppages.”
Detroit casino workers could be headed for strike if no deal reached by midnight
Detroit Free Press
By JC Reindl
Oct. 16, 2023
Detroit casinos workers could potentially go on strike as early as midnight if no new labor agreement is reached between unions and the three casinos by the end of day Monday. The Detroit Casino Council, which represents 3,700 casino workers across five unions, has been in negotiations since early September for a new contract to replace one that expires at 11:59 p.m. Workers recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize a possible strike, if necessary. Nia Winston, president of Unite Here Local 24, said in an interview that as of Friday afternoon, the council and the casinos were still "miles apart" from reaching any deal. The core issues for the unions are higher wages, health care costs, an improved 401(k) plan and more input from workers regarding adoption of new technologies that could affect job security. Winston did not share details of the proposals or offers by the council or the casinos.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Labor Tribune
By Staff
Oct. 16, 2023
In the era of the “electrification of everything,” the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection partnership is providing critical support to a pioneering construction pre-apprenticeship program at St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School here. The Missouri Works Initiative will use a $30,000 Electrical Connection donation to expand its St. Louis Building Union Diversity (BUD) program to the independent Catholic high school and potentially expand it to other high schools. The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).