POLITICS
Biden announces $3.3B investment from Microsoft for AI data center in Mount Pleasant
WPR
By Evan Casey
May 8, 2024
During a visit to Wisconsin Wednesday, President Joe Biden praised a planned $3.3 billion investment from Microsoft to build an artificial intelligence data center on land once slated for development by Foxconn in Mount Pleasant. The plans also include a manufacturing-focused AI Co-Innovation Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as well as a partnership with Gateway Technical College to develop a “Datacenter Academy” that will train 1,000 people by 2030, according to a statement from the White House. “It’s all part of Microsoft’s broad plan to build an artificial intelligence system right here in Racine and it’s going to be transformative, not just here, but worldwide,” Biden said during a speech near the future site of the data centers Wednesday morning.
Bill Introduced to Protect U.S. Call Center Jobs
Franklin County Free Press
By News Desk
May 8, 2024
Senators Bob Casey, Sherrod Brown, and Catherine Cortez Masto have introduced the United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act aimed at preventing the outsourcing of American call center jobs overseas. The bill seeks to protect American workers and consumer data by imposing restrictions and penalties on businesses that relocate call center operations abroad.
Biden promotes economy in battleground Wisconsin (Video)
NBC News
May 8, 2024
President Biden touted his administration's economic achievements. But the president faces skepticism from voters who say they are still struggling. NBC News' Peter Alexander reports.
ORGANIZING
Penn grad workers say ‘we’re part of a national movement’ after union win
WHYY
By Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza
May 8, 2024
Thousands of graduate student workers at the University of Pennsylvania — about 97% — voted to unionize in early May. The Graduate Employees Together University of Pennsylvania, or GET-UP, is behind the drive to affiliate with the United Auto Workers, which often represents student worker unions. The union election was scheduled for mid-April but was delayed after the University of Pennsylvania tried to exclude several hundred student workers through the National Labor Relations Board appeal process, but the university failed.
Disneyland character performers schedule union vote
The Orange County Register
By Brady Macdonald
May 8, 2024
Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Spider-Man and other Disneyland employees who work with Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars character performers have scheduled a vote on whether to unionize, according to the union organizing workers. The National Labor Relations Board announced a union election will be held May 15-18 at Disneyland for character and parade performers. Disneyland’s 1,700 character and parade performers — calling themselves Magic United — would be unionized under the Actors’ Equity Association.
Flight attendants at this Utah airline just voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to unionize
The Salt Lake Tribune
By Shannon Sollitt
May 7, 2024
“Today [Breeze flight attendants] gain the legal right to bargain and have a voice in their future at Breeze,” Sara Nelson, AFA international president, said in a news release Tuesday. “We are inspired by their solidarity and thrilled to welcome them to our AFA family. Our labor movement is growing. Everywhere.”
Guthrie Theater front-facing staffers move to form a union
Star Tribune
By Zoë Jackson
May 8, 2024
Front-facing workers at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis are looking to unionize. The employees have asked the theater to voluntarily recognize them as a union with IATSE Local 13, which represents entertainment workers. About 135 Guthrie employees would be affected, according to a Facebook post from IATSE Local 13. The Guthrie is considering the request to recognize the new unit, the theatre said in an emailed statement.
JOINING TOGETHER
Union ratifies new contract with Jefferson County coal mining company
Alabama Political Reporter
By Chance Phillips
May 8, 2024
On May 7, the United Mine Workers of America announced that UMWA Local Unions 2133 and 8982 had ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC. Over 400 union members work in the Oak Grove mine and related facilities in Jefferson County. The agreement was tentatively accepted in March and has now been approved by a 64.4 percent vote in favor by union members. According to a press release from the UMWA, the five-year contract provides employees with “significant wage increases, and improvements in paid time off, with no changes to health care or other benefits.” UMWA International President Cecil Roberts favorably compared the negotiations between the UMWA and Crimson Oak Grove Resources to negotiations between the UMWA and Warrior Met Coal. “These are exactly the kind of talks we have wanted to have for years with Warrior Met Coal,” he said.
Kroger begins contract negotiations with Michigan UFCW
Supermarket News
By Supermarket News Staff
May 8, 2024
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 951 announced today that negotiations have begun with Kroger for a new contract, affecting over 1,000 Michigan grocery workers across the state. Contract bargaining for a new deal began in late April at UFCW 951 headquarters in Kentwood, Mich., as the current contract expires on June 15. The bargaining committee is made up of Kroger workers from the 10 stores UFCW 951 represents in mid-Michigan.
Support IBEW 46 picket lines in electricians’ strike
The Stand
By Staff
May 8, 2024
The strike by Limited Energy (LE) Electricians represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 46 in the Puget Sound area began April 11. The union reports that National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) negotiators have refused to significantly improve its contract offer that was unanimously rejected by the IBEW 46 members. LE electricians install and maintain multiple life-safety systems, such as fire and security alarms, building access and HVAC controls, computers, phones, emergency radios, and more. However, they are paid significantly less that other Puget Sound-area unionized electricians and NECA negotiators have refused to grant them something that most workers have: paid holidays.
Loudoun Times-Mirror
By Jess Kirby
May 8, 2024
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously ratified a three-year collective bargaining contract with county firefighters — Loudoun’s first-ever collective bargaining agreement with public employees. “This is a historic day — a day that took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to,” firefighters’ union president John Myers told the board on May 7. County firefighters are represented by International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3756, also known as the Loudoun Career Fire Fighters Association. The chapter represents about 650 career firefighters, fire marshals, medics and public safety communicators within the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System, according to an April 28 press release from the union.
Culinary Union stages first strike at Virgin Las Vegas, affects 700+ workers
News 3 LV
By News 3 Staff
May 8, 2024
For the first time in over 22 years, the Culinary Union called for a 48-hour strike at Virgin Las Vegas beginning Friday, May 10th at 5:00 am - Sunday, May 12th at 4:59 am. The strike, involving over 700 hospitality workers, marks a historic first for this property as it has never been subject to a Culinary and Bartenders Union strike.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
‘Stamp Out Hunger’ with food drive to support local food pantries
ABC Columbia
By Tiffany Rigby
May 8, 2024
USPS is asking for people to think about your local letter carrier in the coming weeks when grocery shopping. Officials say each year on the second Saturday in May letter carriers in South Carolina and across the country collect non-perishable food donations from customers to donate to local food pantries to provide food to people who are in need of help. People are asked to leave non-perishable food donations in a bag by their mailbox on Saturday, May 11, and your city or rural letter carrier will do the rest. USPS says nationwide, over 1.9 billion pounds of food has been collected in the past 30 years for the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive.
UNION BUSTING
Union files charges against Heaven Hill Distillery alleging jobs reclassification
Courier Journal
By Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez
May 8, 2024
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 23D filed charges against Heaven Hill Distillery after the company allegedly decided to reclassify jobs, a release stated. The move would cut more than half of the union's employees classified as contracted-for, the release stated. Heaven Hill Distillery leadership disputed the union's claims and said the company is not reclassifying positions but rather readjusting them to continue improving.