JOINING TOGETHER
Swarthmore RAs join student-worker organizing wave, following in Penn RAs’ footsteps
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Lizzy McLellan Ravitch
Nov. 7, 2023
Resident assistants (RAs) at Swarthmore College are trying to organize, and they submitted a petition to president Valerie Smith on Monday asking for voluntary recognition of their union. The college has 56 RAs, and 93% of them signed the petition, according to Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153, the union they’re looking to join. They would be the first unionized workers at Swarthmore in the college’s history, according to the union.
Group of Google contractors who work on Search and Bard win union vote
CNBC
By Jennifer Elias
Nov. 7, 2023
The group, from Google contractor Accenture, filed for unionization efforts in June after claiming Google asked them to help train the generative AI answers offered in Search and Bard, and that they felt underprepared for their work. The tasks included handling “obscene and graphic” content, according to Bloomberg reports. Following the filing for unionization, the group, which included 120 writers, graphic designers and coordinators, among others, were told more than half the team would be laid off, according to the Alphabet Workers Union, which alleged the layoffs were an act of retaliation. The Alphabet Workers Union teamed up with the Communications Workers of America in 2021 as a minority union.
Actors’ Equity and Broadway League Reach Settlement Over Non-Union ‘Waitress’ Tour
The Hollywood Reporter
By Caitlin Huston
Nov. 7, 2023
The Broadway League and Actors’ Equity have reached an agreement over the grievance filed related to the non-union touring production of Waitress.
PSEG Long Island and Local 1049 agree on new contract
Long Island Business News
By David Winzelberg
Nov. 7, 2023
PSEG Long Island and Local 1049, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, hammered out a new collective bargaining agreement, a week before the previous contract was to expire. The four-year agreement was ratified with a vote of IBEW Local 1049 membership on Nov. 4 and approved by the Long Island Power Authority, according to a company statement. It covers nearly 1,500 PSEG Long Island employees who operate and support the transmission and distribution system on Long Island and in the Rockaways.
Culinary and Casinos Still in Contract Negotiations (Video)
Las Vegas Sun
By Staff
Nov. 7, 2023
Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union, Local 226, speaks during a break in contract negotiations between the union and Caesars Entertainment at the Horseshoe Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
US nursing home workers face ‘catastrophic crisis’ of understaffing
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
Nov. 7, 2023
But, workers and labor experts say, short-staffing in the crucial US industry has persisted after the pandemic, with grave impacts on patient care and residents’ wellbeing, and spiraling burnout that has become pervasive in the care industry. More than 50 unions, worker groups and organizations signed on to a letter in support of federal minimum staffing levels in nursing homes, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the AFL-CIO and MomsRising.