JOINING TOGETHER
Faculty union files labor complaint against Pitt, alleging it is stalling contract talks
Trib Live
By Bill Schackner
Nov. 29, 2023
Still without a contract two years after forming, the union representing 3,000 faculty members at the University of Pittsburgh has filed an unfair labor practice complaint, accusing Pitt of prolonging the contract talks. The United Steelworkers asserts in a filing before the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board that Pitt is engaging in unlawful conduct in its approach to bargaining.
Broadway World
By Chloe Rabinowitz
Nov. 29, 2023
Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, including the actors and stage managers of Second City in Chicago and Brooklyn, has announced its support for our colleagues who have been bargaining with the management of Second City for more than two years. Equity has issued the following statement: “Actors' Equity Association stands in solidarity with faculty, facilitators and music directors employed by Second City as they demand more equitable working conditions, reasonable compensation and a more collaborative relationship with management. Many Equity members have been trained by the talented educators and performers who make up the Association of International Comedy Educators at Second City, and we know firsthand how their labor forms the backbone of Second City both artistically and financially.
No contract agreement between CGH and union employees two years later
WQAD
By Jenna Webster
Nov. 29, 2023
More than two years after health care workers at CGH Medical Center unionized, there's still no first contract agreement. On April 28, 2021, around 800 hospital and clinic staffers officially formed the CGH Employees Union under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. According to the hospital, CGH has about 1,500 employees. "51 times (we've been to the table," said Carla Gillespie, AFSCME Council 31 regional director. "We negotiate new contracts all over the state, we represent all kinds of people in public service, and this is a first for me and for several seasoned negotiators."
Workers Still On Strike At East Dubuque Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant
WGLR
By Mark Evenstad
Nov. 29, 2023
Striking workers at an East Dubuque fertilizer plant said they are “standing strong” as labor negotiations resume with their employer. The strike at East Dubuque Nitrogen Fertilizers LLC began October 18 after negotiations stalled between company executives and bargaining representatives from UAW Local 1391. The union represents 94 workers at the facility, about 60% of the plant’s more than 150 employees, based on employment numbers from Greater Dubuque Development Corp. Representatives of Local 1391’s negotiating team, along with international union representatives and a mediator, met with company officials Tuesday for the first time since the strike began.
Second City faculty union authorizes strike as negotiations stall
Fox 32
By Fox 32 News
Nov. 29, 2023
Faculty at the training center for The Second City could be hitting the picket line at any moment. It's not the first time faculty has gone on strike this year. Members of the Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE) hit the picket line in early October, as well. The union announced current talks have stalled. They've been negotiating with the company for more than two years, demanding better wages among other issues at hand.
NIU, clerical union strike deal addressing pay disparity
Northern Star
By Joseph Howerton
Nov. 29, 2023
A new collective bargaining agreement was approved between NIU and union group Local 1890. The new agreement covers issues regarding pay disparity between clerical employees and is set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2024. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1890 represents the clerical, administrative, paraprofessional and technical professional employees of NIU. Rave Meyer, president of Local 1890 said the organization has 509 members and is the largest non-faculty union on NIU’s campus.
RWDSU to shoppers: Treat retail, warehouse, farm workers with respect
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
Nov. 29, 2023
Retail workers, trying to deal with hordes of customers between now and New Year’s Day, warehouse workers—especially at Amazon—engaging in backbreaking and sometimes dangerous toil to get your goods to you, and farmworkers who put food on your holiday tables need dignity and respect from you as a consumer, the head of a top retail union says. That’s because they face many problems on the job. The holiday season makes the problems worse, says Stuart Applebaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. “The stress and pressure for retail workers during the holiday season is exacerbated by a continuing rise in incidents of workplace violence,” he explains. “Incidents of harassment, violence and hate are striking fear…in workers already worried about their physical safety and mental health.”
'Treat us like we're valuable': USW members picket outside Phillips 66 Ponca City offices
Fox25
By Tom Ferguson
Nov. 29, 2023
On Wednesday afternoon, United Steelworkers Local 13-857 members picketed outside the Phillips 66 Company offices in Ponca City near W South Ave and S Palm St. Workers organized over concerns about clerks being centralized and having to cover extra workloads—and how such actions could impact workplace safety and payroll operations. Organizers called Wednesday's demonstration an "informational picket line," and explained that union members were not on strike.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Local AFSCME unions bring winter warmth to East Moline schools, students
Dispatch Argus
By Olivia Allen
Nov. 29, 2023
Thanks to local labor unions, students in East Moline schools will receive brand-new winter clothing in coming weeks. Joshua Schipp, staff representative of AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) Council 31, said participating local affiliates suspected an increased need for warm clothing items among East Moline students this year.