MUST READ
Time
By Abby Vesoulis
October 24, 2021
“They’ve had enough,” Shuler says of the season, which many have dubbed “Striketober.” But as ripe as the current labor market conditions are for successful strikes, the current moment is also a critical juncture for the future existence of the very labor unions that make such revolts possible. Private sector union membership has fallen from roughly 32% in 1960 to 6% today, and stands to decline even more as older generations—who are more likely than younger ones to be in unions—near retirement age. “This is the challenge of our time. Something like 10,000 people a day are retiring,” Shuler says, “and that silver tsunami is about to hit us.” Shuler spoke with TIME about what the workers participating in this historic wave of strikes are fighting for, how union membership can help them get it, and what the AFL-CIO is doing to bolster its ranks—especially with young people—to preserve its collective bargaining power in the decades to come.
JOINING TOGETHER
What to know about 'Striketober': Workers seize new power as pandemic wanes
ABC News
By Catherine Thorbecke
October 22, 2021
"I think workers have reached a tipping point," Tim Schlittner, the communications director of the AFL-CIO, told ABC News. "For too long they've been called essential, but treated as expendable, and workers have decided that enough is enough." "They want a fair return on their work and they're willing to take the courageous act of a strike to win a better deal and a better life," he added. The AFL-CIO is a coalition of labor unions that collectively represents some 12.5 million workers.
Outside Hotlines for Athletes Are a Sign of Strained Trust in Sports
The New York Times
By David W. Chen
October 22, 2021
The N.W.S.L. players’ union, for instance, is paying about $50 a month, said Meghann Burke, its executive director. Burke said the association, a new affiliate of the AFL-CIO, had initially asked the league to include an anonymous third-party hotline in its anti-harassment policy, adopted earlier this year, because of “the lack of trust the players have in the league handling these complaints.” But the league demurred, so she said she “literally started Googling anonymous hotline options” before getting assurances from associates about Lighthouse.
SEPTA workers vote to authorize a strike
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Thomas Fitzgerald and Patricia Madej
October 24, 2021
SEPTA’s largest labor union voted Sunday to authorize a strike should negotiations on a new contract break down. The current collective bargaining agreement expires at 12:01 a.m. Nov. 1. An estimated 1,000 members of Transport Workers Union Local 234 conducted a voice vote at 11:42 a.m. at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall in South Philadelphia, union officials said. The union, made up of about 5,000 members including bus drivers, cashiers, mechanics, and others, has been in negotiations with SEPTA over a new contract since the summer. Local 234 President Willie Brown said SEPTA “forced” the union to take the authorization vote.
Heaven Hill Distillery reaches 5-year contract with union workers after weekslong strike
Courier Journal
By Ayana Archie
October 23, 2021
Kentucky-based Heaven Hill Distillery reached an agreement Saturday with local members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, weeks after more than 400 employees went on strike. The new contract includes "key priorities, such as preserving affordable health care, increasing pay, maintaining overtime provisions and strengthening retirement security," UFCW local chapter 23D said in a statement. Company contributions to employees' health care plans will go up by 4.25%. Wages will increase by up to $3.09 per hour for the duration of the five years, and work hours will be capped at 40.
Code for America Staff Union Voluntarily Recognized, Becoming First "Civic Tech" Union in U.S.
KBTX
October 22, 2021
Staff at Code for America (CfA), a nonprofit organization focused on closing the technology gap between the public and private sectors, are the latest tech workers who have chosen to be represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Tech Workers Union Local 1010. Today, Code for America management voluntarily recognized the CfA staff union through a card-check process. Contract negotiations between management and CfA Workers United will begin in the coming weeks. "Nonprofit and tech workers alike are becoming increasingly aware of the power a union brings them at work," said Brandon Nessen, OPEIU organizing director. "Unionizing gives working people agency to advance not only their own interests, but the mutual interests shared by both staff and management." Voluntary recognition of their union avoids the often contentious and lengthy process of conducting an election via the National Labor Relations Board. Employers who insist on the procedure often do so in a way that conflicts with the stated mission, goals and values of their organizations.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
OSHA, citing Covid failures, moves to strip three states of workplace safety authority.
The New York Times
By Noam Scheiber
October 19, 2021
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that it was taking steps that could strip three states — Arizona, South Carolina and Utah — of their authority to regulate workplace safety, citing shortcomings in policies on coronavirus protection. Under federal law, states can assume responsibility for occupational safety if the government approves their plan for doing so and if the plan remains at least as effective as federal enforcement. Federal officials said Tuesday that the three states had failed to adopt a rule that OSHA issued in June — or to adopt one at least as effective — requiring certain Covid-related safety measures by employers, like providing protective equipment.
IN THE STATES
Workers rights organizers demand Senator Sinema pass labor bills
12 News
By 12news.com
October 21, 2021
Some union protesters want Senator Kyrsten Sinema to stand up against wage exploitation. They advocated for better working standards and the creation of union jobs.
Strikes, labor and unions (Video)
Iowa Press
October 22, 2021
On this edition of Iowa Press, our guests include Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and Paul Iversen, labor educator and coordinator of the Quality Preapprenticeship Program at the University of Iowa Labor Center. They discuss the current UAW strike at John Deere and the status of labor, unions and workers rights in Iowa.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Central Mass. AFL-CIO helps builds ramp at local voting precinct ahead of Election Day
Spectrum News
By Spectrum News Staff
October 23, 2021
The ramp was installed at the American Legion East Side Post with the help of Worcester City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson, as well as Worcester firefighters and volunteers from the Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO. The ramp will permanently be part of the building. Mero-Carlson says it was difficult for many to get up the previous ramp. A group called the 'Ramp Gang,' which is made up of retired firefighters, decided to help and redirect it towards the parking lot in hopes of making it more convenient. The Central Mass AFL-CIO and United Way of Central Massachusetts helped raise money for the project. The ramp gang has built more than 200 ramps, totaling more than two miles in Worcester and its surrounding communities since 2006. The ramp was expected to be finished Saturday afternoon.