MUST LISTEN
NC Policy Watch
By Clayton Henkel
Oct. 3, 2022
National AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler on the nation’s resurgent labor movement and why the issues it champions are resonating with a growing number of American workers.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Striketober Is Back As Workers Fight To Close The Wage Gap
Forbes Advisor
By Natalie Campisi
Oct. 3, 2022
Workers across the country are joining picket lines to secure higher wages, affordable healthcare and better working conditions at a rate that might outpace last year’s explosion of strike activity. In 2021, the wave of workers who walked off the job during October inspired the term “Striketober,” and since then strike activity has grown. Since the start of 2022, there have been more than 280 strikes or protests—up from 158 during the same period last year, according to Cornell University’s Labor Action Tracker. Strike activity is cutting through industries and geography. In the past weeks, 15,000 nurses throughout Minnesota, 6,000 educators in Seattle, 4,500 teachers in Columbus, Ohio, 1,000 food workers in San Francisco and over 1,000 mill workers in Lebanon, Oregon were among the workers who went on strike.
By Brandi Fowler
Sept. 30, 2022
The pandemic shifted how people think about work, and some workers, including Gen Z, are now eyeing labor unions. Before considering joining or starting one, look at the history of labor unions, the benefits, and how they work. A labor union is an organized group of workers who join to make decisions about conditions affecting their work. Those conditions can include the desire for higher pay rates and safer working conditions, to better access to healthcare. “Labor unions all start with a conversation. It is you and two or more co-workers talking about what you [want] to change in your workplace. It can be as casual or as formal as you want, but once that is in motion and you start to organize, if a majority of workers want to form a union, a more formal process starts.” — Kalina Newman is an external communications specialist for the AFL-CIO.
JOINING TOGETHER
SFO food workers ratify new contract with $5/hour raise following strike
CBS Bay Area
By CBS/Bay City News Service
Oct. 3, 2022
Fast food workers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on Sunday approved a new union contract, giving them a $5 per hour raise and free family health care, after 1,000 workers went out on strike for three days last week. An agreement between the union and the airport's consortium of restaurants was tentatively announced Thursday, after the union's bargaining committee unanimously approved it. The union said workers hadn't had a raise in three years and were in negotiations for the past nine months.
Delta Pilots Begin Voting on Strike Authorization
Jalopnik
By Ryan Erik King
Sept. 30, 2022
Delta Air Lines pilots can now vote against or for authorizing a strike. The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents 14,600 Delta pilots, has been negotiating with Delta since February 2020. Talks were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Negotiations resumed at the start of the year, but both sides have failed to reach an agreement.
University of Michigan nurses union ratifies 4-year contract agreement
CBS Detroit
By Dejanay Booth
Oct. 3, 2022
The University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council voted to ratify a contract after months of negotiations. According to the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA), the union voted last week on the new contract that will run through March 31, 2026, and includes a $273 million package.
Good Day Farm cannabis workers file petition for union election
Labor Tribune
Oct. 3, 2022
Workers at another medical cannabis facility in south St. Louis county have filed a petition to hold a union election. Employees at Good Day Farm on Lindbergh filed a petition to hold a union election and be represented by UFCW Local 655 — the largest private sector local union in the state.