MUST READ
Historic Agreement: NWSLPA, NWSL agree to CBA
Front Row Soccer
Jan. 31, 2022
The NWSL Players Association announced Monday night that it had ratified its first Collective Bargaining Agreement in National Women’s Soccer League history. Subject to approval by the NWSL board of governors, players will report to preseason camp on Tuesday, the scheduled start of the preseason. “From our inception, the Players Association has put players first,” NWSL president Tori Huster said in a statement. “Our mission in this historic CBA was to put this same philosophy at the center of NWSL’s future. With the amount of care and attention that we have given this process since Fall 2020, we are proud that players can confidently enter the tenth season of the NWSL in a better position than ever before.”
POLITICS
AFL-CIO strongly backs U.S. House bill on China competition, chips
Reuters
By David Shepardson
Jan. 31, 2022
The largest U.S. labor organization said Monday it strongly supported a U.S. House of Representatives bill designed to improve competition with China, boost U.S. semiconductor production and reform key trade provisions.
AFL-CIO endorses House Democrats' China competition bill
The Hill
By Karl Evers-Hillstrom
Jan. 31 2022
“The AFL-CIO stands ready to fight for these priorities, to level the playing field against unfair trade practices and to improve opportunities for America’s hard-working families,” William Samuel, the federation’s government affairs director, wrote in a letter to lawmakers Monday. “We urge you to support this legislation and fight for the enactment of its provisions into law.”
IN THE STATES
Want a functional state? Treat government workers with dignity and respect (Opinion)
WyoFile
By Tammy Johnson
Jan. 27, 2022
Some years ago, when I worked in state government, my colleagues and I endured the tirades, whims and threats of our agency heads. My coworkers were some of the most competent, dedicated and professional people I have ever met, yet it often seemed to us like we had to work long, uncompensated hours and travel for days away from our families. Why? Because if we asked too many questions, we felt we could be targeted for retaliation. We knew we could be harassed, reassigned or even fired. There were few protections then, and that culture exists still today. Our Legislature should address the larger problem, which involves a lack of basic dignity on the job.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
As manufacturing jobs decline, some workers struggle to climb into the middle class
USA Today
By Charisse Jones
Jan. 31, 2022
The U.S. has lost more than 5 million manufacturing jobs within the past 25 years, hindering the financial mobility of workers without a college degree and taking a particularly heavy toll on workers of color, according to a new report from the leftleaning Economic Policy Institute. At the same time, low-wage service jobs have Soared. "All workers, and especially Black and brown workers were hurt by the loss of more than 5 million manufacturing jobs in this period,'' says Robert Scott, senior economist at EPI and co-author of the report that evaluated data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. International Trade Commission. "Rebalancing trade and rebuilding infrastructure offers a historic opportunity to create millions of good jobs for Black, brown and other workers of color, and women, who were the victims of systemic racism and discrimination, and (had) lack of access to educational resources and opportunities for advancement,'' Scott says.
JOINING TOGETHER
NWSL, NWSLPA Agree to 1st CBA in League History; Minimum Salaries, More Addressed
Bleacher Report
By Scott Polacek
Feb. 1, 2022
The National Women's Soccer League announced Monday that it had agreed to the first collective bargaining agreement in league history with the players' association. The CBA will be in place through the 2026 season and sets the stage for players to report to the first day of preseason on Tuesday. "The NWSLPA is grateful to our brothers and sisters in the labor movement who paved the way for us to get here and to our fans and partners for their unwavering support," the NWSLPA said in a statement. "... To the players who came before us: We stand on your shoulders. We hope we made you proud."
Vice Media Postproduction Workers Ratify New IATSE Contract
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Jan. 31, 2022
Postproduction workers at Vice Media have ratified a new three-year IATSE contract that reduces their working hours per week without diminishing their net weekly compensation. After months of negotiations, in a meeting on Saturday 97 percent of eligible Vice Media workers voted to ratify the agreement, which will decrease previously standard 50-hour work weeks to 40-hour work weeks. IATSE Local 700, the Motion Picture Editors Guild, bargains on behalf of about 100 staff and freelance postproduction workers based at the company’s Brooklyn headquarters and working in unscripted television, digital video and broadcast news. The Guild announced the deal’s ratification on Sunday.
Animation Guild Sets Date To Resume Contract Talks With AMPTP
Deadline
By David Robb
Jan. 31, 2022
The Animation Guild’s negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers for a new film and TV contract will resume February 14. The talks, which began November 19 but were paused December 3, will wrap up Hollywood’s current three-year collective bargaining cycle, which saw film and TV deals reached with the DGA shortly before the Covid-19 lockdown began in March 2020, then with SAG-AFTRA, the WGA and IATSE during the pandemic.