Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
JOINING TOGETHER
The Mining Journal
By Journal Staff
Oct. 6, 2022
Dozens of nurses at U.P. Health System-Bell will form a union with the Michigan Nurses Association. Nursing staff from the Ishpeming facility voted 51-0 to form the union. The ballots from the mail-in election were counted by the National Labor Relations Board at its Milwaukee offices on Wednesday. “Now that we have formed a union, we will get to have a democratic say in our working conditions. The past few years have been difficult, but winning our union gives me hope,” said registered nurse Callie Ruohomaki. “We are ready to advocate to make improvements so that we can better recruit and retain nurses at our hospital.” According to an MNA press release, UPHS-Bell is the fourth health care facility in the Upper Peninsula where workers have voted to unionize with the MNA since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups include techs and ancillary staff at UPHS-Marquette, nurses at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital, and health care professionals at the Chippewa County Health Department.
Cedar Rapids BCTGM 100G workers take strike 200 miles to Ingredion headquarters
CBS2
By Shannon Moudy
Oct. 6, 2022
A fight that began in Cedar Rapids on August 1 made its way more than 200 miles east Thursday. BCTGM Local 100G members who work at Ingredion have been striking outside the facility on 1st Street for three months now. "We have had no member cross the line in 67 days of sacrifice," says Jason Davis, International Rep., BCTGM. "That is solidarity."
Kroger employees' union approves modified contract, avoids strike
WBNS
By 10TV Web Staff
Oct. 6, 2022
Thousands of Kroger union members have voted in favor of a new three-year contract, avoiding a potential strike. The Cincinnati-based company, Kroger, presented an updated contract last week to the UFCW Local 1059, the Columbus chapter of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union. Union negotiators tentatively agreed to an updated contract that Kroger produced, sending it out to its nearly 12,500 members.
Ascension nurses in Kansas could unionize
Becker’s Hospital Review
By Kelly Gooch
Oct. 6, 2022
Nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita, Kan., have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a union representation election. The National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, filed the petition Oct. 3 on behalf of the nurses. An election date has not been scheduled, the union told The Wichita Eagle. However, if nurses vote to unionize, the vote will cover 625 nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis.
City Colleges faculty, staff union authorizes strike
Chicago Sun-Times
By Nader Issa
Oct. 6, 2022
Faculty and staff at the City Colleges of Chicago have nearly unanimously voted to authorize a strike as their union presses on with contract negotiations centered on pay and improved academic support. An overwhelming 92% of 1,208 voting members approved a strike to pressure City Colleges leadership into meeting the union’s contract demands, the union announced Thursday. “They’ve essentially rejected almost all of our proposals except for a few, which has put us into the position of bargaining against ourselves,” said Tony Johnston, president of the Cook County College Teachers Union, which represents City Colleges workers and is affiliated with the Chicago Teachers Union’s parent organization.
Alexandria public sector workers vote to unionize
ALX Now
By Vernon Miles
Oct. 6, 2022
Nearly 200 Alexandria workers hopped onto a wave of unionization in Virginia following a new law allowing collective bargaining. In an election held by mail, the City of Alexandria Labor and Trades Bargaining unit voted to select the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 20 Local 3001 as their union representative, AFSCME said in a release “Determined to advocate for better pay and benefits like healthcare and retirement, workers chose to come together to have their voices respected in the workplace,” a release from District Council 20 said.
Film Academy Foundation Workers Launch Unionization Effort
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Oct. 6, 2022
Workers at the Academy Foundation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 501(c)(3) arm dedicated to safeguarding film history and education initiatives, have launched an attempt to form a union. The worker group, calling itself the Academy Foundation Workers Union, is seeking to be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 36, the same subsidiary backing the recently certified union at the Academy Museum. The group requested voluntary recognition from management in an email on Thursday and is seeking to include 100 workers — including those who work as archivists, film preservationists, librarians, curators, among other roles — in a bargaining unit.
Union says Alabama paper mill workers locked out of WestRock Mahrt Mill
AL.com
By William Thornton
Oct. 6, 2022
Three locals of the United Steelworkers (USW) today said that about 480 union members were locked out of their jobs at a Russell County paper mill. According to the union, members of locals 971, 1471 and 1972 were locked out this morning at WestRock Mahrt Mill in Cottonton. This comes after the deadline passed this morning for a renegotiated labor agreement between the locals and the company. The plant manufactures paperboard and other products.
NLRB
U.S. labor board says union representation petitions soar 53% in a year
Reuters
By Doyinsola Oladipo
Oct. 6, 2022
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) said on Thursday that union representation petitions increased 53% in fiscal year 2022 when compared with 2021 and were at the highest since 2016. “Given the spike in case intake we are seeing in the field, we can expect even more cases to come before the Board in fiscal year 2023," NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran said in a statement. The NLRB said 2,510 union petitions were filed in fiscal year 2022 ended September, up from 1,638 petitions in the same period a year ago. Unfair labor practice charges filed with NLRB field offices increased 19%, the agency added.