MUST READ
Raven Software employees win union election
The Washington Post
By Shannon Liao
May 23, 2022
A group of approximately 30 quality assurance testers at the Activision Blizzard subsidiary Raven Software won their bid for a union Monday afternoon. The workers, who have organized as the Game Workers Alliance, told The Washington Post they hope others in the video game industry follow suit. Eligible workers at Raven Software, which makes Call of Duty titles in Madison, Wis., mailed in ballots to vote in the election this month. The Milwaukee office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) counted the ballots via video conference Monday afternoon, with a tally of 19 voting in favor and 3 against. Both parties have until May 31 to file an objection. If no objection is filed, the results become official on that date, and Raven management must begin bargaining with the union in good faith.
ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND CLIMATE
Report: Google Fiber Subcontractors’ Record Shows Value Of Union Labor
Texas Observer
By Gus Bova
May 23, 2022
Prepared by the Texas Climate Jobs Project, a year-old nonprofit allied with the Texas AFL-CIO that promotes tackling the climate crisis through good union jobs, the study (website here) focuses on Google Fiber, which has been active in Austin since 2013 and San Antonio since 2015. The report homes in especially on the company’s contracting chain—the web of subcontractors that execute Google’s work in Texas. The Climate Jobs Project identified 46 Google Fiber subcontractors in Austin and San Antonio, then dug through government databases to find various violations and problems associated with the companies—issues that labor advocates say often stem from using non-union subcontractors who cut corners on safety and training.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
CEO-Worker Pay Gap Widens—And Employees Aren’t Happy About It
Forbes
By Anne Field
May 23, 2022
If you thought the pandemic might have made a dent in the wealth gap between CEOs and rank and file workers, you’d be wrong. In fact, average CEO pay increased 31% over the last three years while median pay rose 11%.
JOINING TOGETHER
Nurses, techs at New Jersey hospital stage strike over working conditions
ABC 7
May 23, 2022
Nurses and technologists at St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark went on strike at 7 a.m. Monday, citing what they call hospital management's blatant disregard for the safety of employees and patients. The union, JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO, also claims that management is unwilling to negotiate in good faith, and that they are demanding "give backs" that defy 42-years of contract history with the hospital.
Central Missouri library system workers vote to unionize
The Telegraph
May 23, 2022
Workers at Daniel Boone Regional Library in central Missouri have voted to form a union, library officials said in a statement Monday. The new union will be the only active public library union in the state. The results showed 101 employees in favor of unionizing with 55 opposed, for 65% approval, according to the Missouri State Board of Mediation. Employees covered by the new DBRLWorkersUnited union will be represented by the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME.
WI AFL-CIO: Game Workers Alliance members at Raven Software win historic union vote
Wis Business
May 23, 2022
Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement on this afternoon’s NLRB election results finding the Game Workers Alliance (CWA) union members at Raven Software have won their union with 86% of the vote. “Congratulations to the members of the Game Workers Alliance (CWA) union who have stood strong against fierce union-busting to organize their workplace and make history by becoming the first union in the video game industry in Wisconsin and just the second union in the video game industry in the United States. Wisconsin workers continue to say ‘union yes’ as a historic wave of union organizing sweeps our nation. Game Workers Alliance (CWA) members are determined and united in their demand for sustainability, transparency, diversity and equity in the video gaming industry. The multibillion-dollar video gaming industry is built on workers putting in long, grueling hours for little pay. Game Workers Alliance (CWA) union members at Raven Software have come together to demand a seat at the table to secure improvements that will help all workers in this industry. We call on Activision Blizzard and Raven Software to come to the table in good faith and negotiate a first union contract with Game Workers Alliance (CWA) members.”
JNESO Nurses & Techs To Stage Strike & Rally St. Michael’s Medical Center
Insider NJ
May 23, 2022
Citing hospital management’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith, blatant disregard for the safety of nurses. technologists and patients and demanded “give backs” that defy 42-years of contract history with the hospital, JNESO Nurses and Techs are assembling for the strike today (Monday, May 23), at St. Michaels Medical Center in Newark, N.J. JNESO District Council 1 IUOE-AFL-CIO, the professional healthcare union that represents 350 nurses and techs at St. Michael’s, a 358-bed hospital that serves the local Newark community, started the job action at 7 a.m. and will stage an outdoor public rally at 11 a.m. near the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Central Avenue.
IN THE STATES
Most Utahns support labor unions, but their views aren’t that simple. Let’s unpack
Deseret News
By Bridger Beal-Cvetko
May 22, 2022
The answer is yes, according to a recent Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, which found that 54% of Utahns somewhat or strongly approve of labor unions. Only 35% said they disapprove and 10% said they don’t know. The results come amid a national uptick in support for unions, after a Gallup poll last August found that 68% of Americans approve of unions — the highest mark since 1965.
PG&E Journeyman Lineworkers and Apprentices Shine as Lineman’s Rodeo Returns to Livermore
PG&E Currents
By Benjamin Spillman
May 23, 2022
The PG&E/IBEW 1245 West Coast Lineman’s Rodeo returned for the first time since 2019 and line crews and apprentices from PG&E and utilities around California and beyond showed little signs of rust. “We completed this rodeo safely, that’s the most important thing,” said Lineman’s Rodeo Committee Lead Sid Silva. “Line crews and apprentices showcased their craft and their family and friends got to see we they do day in and day out.”