LABOR AND ECONOMY
The Biden Jobs Boom Is Bigger Than We Thought
Washington Monthly
By Robert Shapiro
Jan. 19, 2022
When it comes to what’s been called the “Great Resignation,” there’s nothing new about Americans quitting their jobs to look for something better. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that from 2015 to 2019, an average of 38 million full-time and part-time working people voluntarily left their jobs per year—and that excludes retirements and layoffs. In 2021, those voluntary “quits” jumped to 47 million, the highest level ever. The pandemic almost certainly played a role by inspiring workers to reconsider their life choices. But for most people, moving from ruminating to resigning requires confidence that they can find a good position somewhere else. That’s why huge numbers of quits only happen in a booming job market. People who quit in 2021 generally found new positions much faster than normal. The number of open jobs waiting to be filled averaged 9.6 million per month in 2021, 47 percent higher than the average for 2015 to 2019.
JOINING TOGETHER
Activision Blizzard employees at Raven Software ask management to recognize new union
The Washington Post
By Shannon Liao
Jan. 21, 2022
Over 30 quality assurance testers at Activision Blizzard-run Raven Software have formally asked management to recognize their union. The 34 testers, most of them tasked with working on the popular game “Call of Duty: Warzone,” received a majority of signatures within their department to form a union. The workers in the aspiring union, named the Game Workers Alliance, cited recent layoffs, excessive overtime, low pay, expectation to relocate and allegations of toxic corporate culture at their parent company as the reasons motivating them to unionize.
Deadline
By David Robb
Jan. 21, 2022
The AFL-CIO’s Department for Professional Employees is urging Congress to increase federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to $565 million in fiscal year 2022 and the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to $201 million each – funding levels that were passed by the House of Representatives in July. “This is a critical moment for helping ensure that creative professionals can get back to work in the wake of the economic devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” DPE president Jennifer Dorning said in a letter to the chairs, vice chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House appropriations committees. “The CARES Act and American Rescue Plan helped creative professionals get through the worst of the pandemic and allowed them to start to get back on stage and return to sets, but the reality is that industry employment remains below pre-pandemic levels. Increased NEA, NEH, and CPB funding will help ensure that professionals working in the arts and public media can fully recover from the pandemic.”
King Soopers reaches tentative deal with union to end strike
Colorado Public Radio
By Matt Moret
Jan. 21, 2022
The union representing thousands of King Soopers employees announced Friday morning that it reached a tentative three-year deal with the company to end a 10-day strike. Workers and shoppers alike returned to King Soopers stores Friday. At several King Soopers in Denver, shoppers were returning to their usual stores. Parking lots were a bit more full than during the last week. Mike Lintz was one of those shoppers making her return to King Soopers. She said she’s frequented the company’s stores for about 40 years but didn’t cross the picket line during the strike.
UAW, AFL-CIO push GM, Mexican government to safeguard workers ahead of union vote
Detroit Free Press
By Eric D. Lawrence
Jan. 22, 2022
The UAW and AFL-CIO are calling on General Motors and the Mexico government to ensure upcoming union elections at a plant producing the profitable Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are fair and free of intimidation. “The UAW has a long history standing in solidarity with workers seeking independent union representation in the United States and around the world,” UAW President Ray Curry said in a news release. “This solidarity extends to our brothers and sisters in Mexico and the workers of General Motors Silao in their struggle to have a democratic and transparent union election.”
Portland workers picket city hall after voting to approve strike
The Oregonian
By Jayati Ramakrishnan
Jan. 22, 2022
About 150 municipal workers and their supporters gathered outside Portland’s city hall on Saturday for a rally, calling for Portland city commissioners to agree to their terms for a contract and avoid a strike. Municipal trade workers are at odds with city council over contract negotiations, and the city workers’ union, which represents employees like maintenance workers, clerical staff and mechanics, voted this week to authorize a strike.
Smith's grocery store employees threaten to strike
KOB4
By Brittany Costello
Jan. 21, 2022
From the moment the pandemic hit, grocery store workers have not only continued to feed America, but they've put themselves in harm’s way to do it. How are they repaid? Some employees say they haven't been. Now Smith's grocery store workers are threatening to strike. The local union is in the middle of negotiations with Kroger Corp. The contract is up Jan. 30. “Smith’s is offering these front line essential hero's quarters, they're looking at dollars,” said Greg Frazier, president of the local chapter of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.
IN THE STATES
Indiana union membership grew in 2021, despite a national decline
WFYI
By Justin Hicks
Jan. 20, 2022
Brett Voorhies, president of the Indiana State AFL-CIO, said pandemic working conditions and a tight labor market renewed interest in labor unions last year. “I really feel very confident about the future, about us growing and unions becoming more popular,” he said. “I think the millennials are really starting to get it and understand what it’s about as well.”