MUST READ
Labor unions and workers’ deeper quest for respect
Christian Science Monitor
By Mark Trumbull
Sept. 9, 2022
As I escorted Ms. Shuler around the room to meet the reporters who were present, she made a special point of also giving attention to other people there – the often “behind the scenes” workers including waitstaff and a C-SPAN camerawoman whose face lit up at the greeting.
LABOR DAY
Labor leaders believe Georgia's growth, emerging EV sector, a good sign for unions
The Augusta Chronicle
By Abraham Kenmore
Sept. 10, 2022
National AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Fred Redmond believes the Peach State is politically ripe for more growth in unions and more protections for workers. "Well here in the state of Georgia we have what we think is one of the best slates of candidates, particularly in the South, from the top to the bottom," Redmond told the USA Today network following a Labor Day speaking engagement in Atlanta. "We're feeling a lot of energy in Georgia. We think with what's happening in Georgia, particularly in the retail sector ... this is, you know, the place for me to be."
JOINING TOGETHER
MLB to voluntarily recognize minor league players' unionization with MLBPA
ESPN
By ESPN News Services
Sept. 9, 2022
"We are pleased Major League Baseball is moving forward with this process in a productive manner," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement. "While there are significant steps remaining, we are confident discussions will reach a positive outcome."
AFL-CIO President Shuler: Pandemic awakened nation to value of workers
People’s World.
By Mark Gruenberg
Sept. 9, 2022
The ravages of the coronavirus pandemic and the dependence of all of us on “essential” workers such as grocery stockers, nurses, home health care workers and truckers woke the entire nation—including them—to their value, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler says. And it accelerated the awareness and activism among those workers, especially younger workers, of their power, their value and their chances and ability to fight back against corporate exploitation, she adds. The country won’t revert to its past “normal” doze which ignored workers, either, Shuler predicts.
UAW members at Stellantis casting plant in Kokomo, Indiana, strike for local contract
The Detroit News
By Breana Noble
Sept, 10, 2022
Workers at a casting plant for the maker of Jeep and Ram vehicles on Saturday went on strike to demand a local agreement with Stellantis NV that provides members with a "safe and comfortable place to work," the United Auto Workers said in a statement. Leaders of UAW Local 1166 have been negotiating with the company since 2019, according to a letter sent earlier to members by local President Dave Willis Sr. “Stellantis claims it has no money to meet the basic needs of UAW Local 1166 members while, at the same time, it is making record profits and investing billions in a new battery plant across the street,” UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said in a statement. “This strike represents UAW Local 1166 members telling Stellantis enough is enough.”