POLITICS
Unions want Democrats’ reconciliation package, and they want it bad
Politico
By Eleanor Mueller
September 20, 2021
The AFL-CIO plans to release a report Tuesday in collaboration with Energy Futures Initiative on how to erect clean energy infrastructure in the Ohio River Valley region that preserves and creates union jobs. Some background: The report is dedicated to former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who was from the Ohio River Valley region and died unexpectedly earlier this year. It’s the product of a July workshop that convened government, labor and industry leaders to discuss hydrogen and carbon capture and storage projects in the region. Big takeaway: “Preserving jobs in the industrial heartland while driving down U.S. emissions has often been deemed nearly impossible,” the report reads. But “growing innovation supported by decades of research and development” means “the United States now has a once-in-a-generation opportunity.” Tune in: AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler is slated to speak along with Walsh at the annual Climate Jobs Summit Tuesday.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
How the US labor movement is getting to grips with the climate crisis
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
September 20, 2021
In the beginning of this summer, the US state of Connecticut passed legislation to guarantee prevailing wage and benefits are provided to workers on clean energy projects. The law was a product of labor unions and environmental groups working together to educate workers about the climate crisis and develop solutions, with a focus on creating good-paying, unionized jobs and opportunities to combat economic inequities. In Texas, 121 labor unions, including several that represent thousands of workers in the fossil fuel industry, voted overwhelmingly in support of a resolution at the AFL-CIO convention in July 2021 for a climate jobs program. Rick Levy, president of the Texas AFL-CIO, said that addressing the climate crisis in Texas among the organization’s union affiliates had a rough beginning, with several local unions and workers initially apprehensive about taking strong positions on climate change given the fossil fuel industry’s size and scope in the state. Rather than rely on infighting over climate crisis solutions in response to political leaders seeking union endorsements, Levy and other union leaders sought to educate union affiliates about the climate crisis and from there develop a plan focused on labor and economic equity. “Our philosophy was that sometimes solidarity means you show up on a picket line to show your support, but sometimes it means sitting in a room with folks you may not agree with and figuring out what is the basis we can all come together and be a united labor movement going forward,” said Levy. “That’s what feels so special about this process and this project – it really has the potential to transform the conversation around climate change and jobs in Texas.”
LABOR AND ECONOMY
‘The pay is absolute crap’: Child-care workers are quitting rapidly, a red flag for the economy
The Washington Post
By Heather Long
September 19, 2021
Hiring and retaining good workers has been tough in the child-care industry for years, but it is escalating into a crisis. Pandemic-fueled staffing challenges threaten to hold back the recovery, as the staffing problems at day cares have a ripple effect across the economy. Without enough employees, day cares are turning away children, leaving parents — especially mothers — unable to return to work. Nearly 1.6 million moms of children under 17 are still missing from the labor force. They dropped out during the pandemic to care for children and have not been able to return to work as the school and day care situation remains chaotic, especially for unvaccinated children under the age of 12.
JOINING TOGETHER
Nabisco Strike Ends as Union Members Approve New Contract
Truthout
By Jessica Corbett
September 20, 2021
Anthony Shelton, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), confirmed the agreement with Nabisco’s parent company, Mondelez International, in a statement Saturday. Amid the celebrations, Shelton acknowledged that the “striking members made enormous sacrifices in order to achieve a quality contract that preserves our union’s high standards for wages, hours, and benefits for current and future Nabisco workers.” “Their sacrifice will benefit all BCTGM members and working people around the country for years to come,” he continued. “Those brothers and sisters who walked the picket lines day in and day out are true BCTGM heroes.” “We offer our deepest gratitude to AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler for directing the full resources and power of the AFL-CIO at the federal, state, and local levels in support of our striking members and our union,” he said. “This support was critical to the success of the strike.”
Nabisco workers in five states end company's first strike in 52 years
CBS News
By Kate Gibson
September 20, 2021
More than 1,000 Nabisco workers in five states are returning to their jobs this week after striking since early August over the snack giant's proposed changes to longstanding work and pay rules that included turning eight-hour shifts into 12-hour ones without overtime. Employees overwhelmingly approved a contract on Saturday, their union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, or BCTGM, said. The four-year labor accord "preserves our union's high standards for wages, hours and benefits for current and future Nabisco workers," Anthony Shelton, BCTGM's president, said in a statement.
Transit Union threatening strike
Fox4 Beaumont
By Angel San Juan
September 20, 2021
Beaumont's bus drivers weren't behind the wheel Sunday. They were on foot outside the Beaumont Transit Headquarters, carrying picket signs and chanting. They're threatening to put the brakes on the city's public transportation system with a strike, If they don't get what they call fair pay and safer working conditions. "Safety is well at the top," said Amanda Haynes, VP of the local Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents city bus drivers. "We have vehicles that have been operating that are below standard. Really they shouldn't be on the road."
IATSE to Hold a Strike Authorization Vote Amid Stalled Contract Talks
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
September 20, 2021
IATSE is set to hold a strike authorization vote after the latest contract talks between the union and producers faltered. “Today, the AMPTP informed the IATSE that they do not intend to respond to our comprehensive package proposal presented to them over a week ago. This failure to continue negotiating can only be interpreted one way. They simply will not address the core issues we have repeatedly advocated for from the beginning,” international union president Matthew D. Loeb and 13 West Coast Local leaders wrote in a message to members on Monday. “As a result, we will now proceed with a nationwide strike authorization vote to demonstrate our commitment to achieving the change that is long overdue in this industry.”
IN THE STATES
This strike is so much bigger than one bakery
NW Labor Press
By Graham Trainor
September 20, 2021
Workers with experience, integrity, and a commitment to their craft had been pushed too far, and they did something about it. This nationwide strike that was sparked with the brave members of Portland-based BCTGM Local 364 is just one of the most recent inspiring examples of workers saying “enough is enough.” This summer, members of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 10 felt disrespected and undervalued, and they did something about it too. Members took a big step, stood strong, and went on strike for a fair slice of the profit that their contractors were enjoying, and they won a life-changing contract. In late April, faculty at Oregon Institute of Technology and members of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), marked the first faculty-wide strike in Oregon higher education history after attempting to negotiate a first contract for over 500 days, and they won in a victory for all higher education workers in the state.