MUST READ
Striking Alabama mine workers bring protest to New York City
CNN
By Vanessa Yurkevich and Chris Isidore
November 4, 2021
Mine workers have been on the picket line outside of two mines owned by Warrior Met Coal in rural Alabama for the last seven months, waging one of the longest US strikes this century. On Thursday they brought that protest to the streets of New York City. Nearly 1,000 miners have been on strike against the coal company in Alabama since April 1, after union members voted down a contract they say does not make up for lost income they incurred in their previous contract from 2016.
JOINING TOGETHER
‘You see nurses at the end of their shifts parking their cars and just crying’
Detroit Metro Times
By Anna Gustafson
November 4, 2021
State Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) and Ron Bieber, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, noted that Sparrow’s informational strike comes at a time when workers across the state and country are calling for better conditions, including Kellogg workers in Battle Creek and McDonald’s staff in Detroit. The AFL-CIO is the state federation of labor that represents about one million active and retired members of 59 unions in Michigan, “I am the proud product of two [United Auto Workers] parents, and they taught me that unions matter; solidarity matters,” Anthony said. “If you are awake in 2021, you know this is a workers’ revolution right now. Every corner of the state is on fire.”
Why unions are striking — and winning more public support than in 50 years (Opinion)
Los Angeles Times
By Steven Greenhouse
November 4, 2021
The U.S. is experiencing an unusual surge of strikes — 10,000 John Deere workers went on strike in October, and so did 1,400 Kellogg workers, and now 35,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers are threatening to walk out. Workplace experts generally point to two reasons for this surge. First, after working so hard and often risking their lives during the pandemic, many workers believe that they deserve better pay and treatment. Second, American workers — especially long-underappreciated essential and low-wage workers — are suddenly feeling empowered because of today’s labor shortage.
The Working Class Is on Strike
The Nation
By John Fetterman
November 4, 2021
Across the country we are witnessing a historic strike wave, with over 22,000 US union members on strike right now. From our BCTGM Local 374G right here in Lancaster, Pa., on strike against the greed of Kellogg’s, to the 10,000 UAW workers at John Deere plants walking off the factory floor, the Ironworkers Regional Shop Local 851 on strike against Erie Strayer Company in northwestern Pennsylvania, or the 24,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente on the west coast who have overwhelmingly authorized a strike, workers have had enough, and they are taking action. For years the working class in this country have been pushed to the brink, while corporate bosses and shareholders have reaped nearly all the benefits of their labor. During the past two years alone, American workers have kept our country up and running during the pandemic, making sure we have food on our shelves and keeping the lights on. But while the working class in America has broken their backs to keep our nation functioning, they have yet to reap the fruits of their labor.
Striking Alabama coal miners protesting again in New York
AL.com
By William Thornton
November 4, 2021
Members of the United Mine Workers of America are back in New York City this morning to stage another protest in its ongoing strike against Warrior Met Coal. Members are planning to picket the Manhattan offices of BlackRock at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. BlackRock, an investment management corporation that is the world’s largest asset manager. The union says BlackRock is the largest shareholder in Warrior Met Coal, the Alabama company the UMWA has been on strike against since April 1.
More than 30,000 Kaiser healthcare workers prepare to strike
Daily Bulletin
By Kevin Smith
November 4, 2021
Union leaders representing more than 30,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, including nearly 27,000 in Southern California, have given management a 10-day notice of their intent to strike beginning Monday, Nov. 15 over what they claim are proposed wage cuts for new and existing employees. A Kaiser spokesman said wages for current employees won’t be cut, although incoming and future workers will adhere to a different wage scale. The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7600, which represent 7,400 employees across 72 Kaiser Permanente locations in Southern California, were joined by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) and the Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals in filing 10-day notices Thursday.
Kellogg's workers continue strike after rejecting company's latest offer
Fox17
By Fox 17
November 4, 2021
Kellogg’s workers continue to strike after a negotiation committee led by workers wasn’t satisfied with the company’s latest offer.
‘We are in crisis mode’: Museum workers are turning to unions over conditions they say are untenable
The Washington Post
By Mark Guarino
November 4, 2021
Art museums nationwide are undergoing a wave of unionization efforts to confront conditions that workers — from archivists and curators to those selling T-shirts — say are untenable: minimal wage increases, draining resources, lack of transparency from top administrators, and mass layoffs and furloughs resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. “We are in crisis mode,” said Eala O’Se, one of the majority of workers at the Art Institute of Chicago and its school who signed cards in September announcing a new union associated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The workers held a rally in front of the museum the day of the announcement.
AMAZON
Amazon takes another swipe at union as Alabama rematch looms
Reuters
By Jeffrey Dastin and Julia Love
November 4, 2021
Stuart Appelbaum, the RWDSU's president, said the union has heard from employees who now would change their vote to join. He said he believes door-knocking gives the union a new edge. "We have a greater opportunity to engage with people every day than during the height of the pandemic," said Appelbaum. Organizers did not conduct home visits last time because of COVID-19 fears. He added that the RWDSU's effort is about more than Amazon. "It's about the future of work."
APPRENTICESHIPS
WTOP News
By IBEW Local 26
November 3, 2021
As the director and assistant director of apprenticeship at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26 will tell you, there is no ideal apprenticeship candidate, only one who is willing to learn. Each applicate comes to the program with their own unique perspective and the journey for each one is equally unique. What do they all have in common? For a variety of reasons be it the pay, benefits, consistent schedule or the opportunity to learn and get paid while in school, the apprenticeship provides the chance at a fulfilling career with limitless potential.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Nee's decades in labor movement, commitment to service celebrated with United Way award
Cranston Herald
By Daniel A. Kittredge
November 3, 2021
Flash forward to 2021, and Nee, a Cranston resident for the past 36 years, has become a pillar of the labor movement locally. He was recently reelected as president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, an organization he first joined as executive director in 1983. He has also served as the union’s secretary-treasurer and was first voted to be its president in 2009. Nee’s achievements made him a natural fit for the United Way of Rhode Island’s Dante F. Mollo Labor United Award, which recognizes the strong partnership between the nonprofit organization and the labor movement. A past UWRI board member, he received the honor last week during the organization’s 95th Annual Celebration, which was held virtually.