AFL-CIO Press Clips: June 30, 2022
MUST READ
Yahoo! Finance
June 29, 2022
“The signing of this unprecedented agreement is historic for America’s workers and our energy future. NABTU’s highly trained men and women professionals have the best craft skills in the world. This partnership will not only expand tens of thousands of career opportunities for them to flourish in the energy transition but also lift up even more people into the middle-class,” said Sean McGarvey, President of NABTU. “The constant drumbeat of public support for unions being important to maintain and build the middle class helped secure this momentous achievement. We commend Ørsted, AFL-CIO President Shuler, the Biden Administration and many Congressional leaders for their help and support to make today’s signing a reality and for setting forth a new framework for middle-class job creation in all energy sectors.”
JOINING TOGETHER
Mass. Senate staffers push unionization effort; top labor leader backs effort
Boston Globe
By Samantha J. Gross and Simon Levien
June 29, 2022
Massachusetts Senate staffers, joined by union leaders from around the state, pressed lawmakers Wednesday to support their unionization effort in the face of a state law that excludes them from the list of public employees who can collectively bargain. Speaking from the steps of the State House, around 50 employees and allies called on Senate President Karen Spilka to recognize and pledge her support for the union, marking nearly three months since staffers first declared their intent to unionize as a part of IBEW Local 2222. Steve Tolman, the president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO said at the event his organization stands with State House employees to “secure a voice in the workplace and a seat at the table,” commending the pay increase but angling for more. “We are heartened to see the Senate commit to a plan to lift up wages for its workers,” Tolman said. “But sisters and brothers, there’s more work to be done.”
MFA union ratifies its first contract
WBUR
By Amelia Mason
June 29, 2022
After nearly 18 months of negotiations, the newly-formed MFA Union voted to ratify its first contract with the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Union leaders said the three-year contract includes across-the-board wage increases, an improved retirement matching plan and new job protections. All 227 union members, who are represented by the United Auto Workers Local 2110, will receive at least a 5% wage increase during the first year of the contract, followed by annual raises. New salary minimums mean some employees will receive salary increases of 15% over three years.
‘We want to be able to survive’: Atlantic City casino workers to strike over wages
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
July 29, 2022
More than 6,000 workers at five major casinos in Atlantic City are set to strike in demand of a new union contract that significantly raises wages for workers, who say they’ve sacrificed pay in previous contracts and are struggling as the cost of living and inflation has significantly increased. On 15 June, workers represented by Unite Here Local 54 voted 96% in favor of authorizing a strike if a new union contract isn’t reached by 1 July at Caesars, Harrah’s, Tropicana, and the Borgata, and 3 July for Hard Rock, the former Trump Taj Mahal casino, after their previous contracts expired on 31 May without a new deal in place. The unions are preparing for a strike as the casinos have yet to raise wages and negotiations continue. The city council of Atlantic City unanimously passed a resolution in support of workers and their campaign for higher wages and called on the casinos to negotiate a contract in good faith to avert a strike.
United Steelworkers Union reach agreement with Continental on new labor contract
WMTV
By Brandon Landsberg
June 29, 2022
A manufacturing company with a plant in Sun Prairie and a labor union announced Wednesday that they have come together on a new contract after two months of negotiations. Continental and the United Steelworkers revealed that the contract would begin on Aug. 1 after the old one expires on July 31. It impacts approximately 600 workers at the plants in Lincoln, Marysville and Sun Prairie.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
Oregon OSHA heat and smoke rules official as of July 1
Northwest Labor Press
By Don Mcintosh
June 29, 2022
It took a few years, but Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health agency has finalized rules protecting Oregon workers from heat and smoke. The heat rules went into effect June 15, and the wildfire smoke rules on July 1. The rules were put in place after an executive order from Oregon governor Kate Brown and they follow years of advocacy by labor, environmental and workers rights groups. Those groups—including PCUN, Oregon Environmental Council, Oregon AFL-CIO, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, Climate Jobs, and National Employment Law Project—declared they’ll defend the new rules. “Oregon’s unions will not stand for any rollback to critical heat and smoke protections for workers,” said Oregon AFL-CIO president Graham Trainor in a coalition press statement reacting to the suit. “As Oregonians well know, our state now experiences high heat and wildfire smoke annually and the importance of protecting workers from these conditions cannot be overstated.”