MUST READ
Your boss can monitor your activities without special software
The Washington Post
By Danielle Abril
Oct. 7, 2022
Despite the surveillance, workers are not powerless, said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. “There’s power in collective action,” she said. “You can form a union, but you can also create pressure … it takes some form of coming together to rebalance the scale.”
JOINING TOGETHER
Seattle shipyard painters unionize on the heels of Portland election
Northwest Labor Press
By Colin Staub
Oct. 7, 2022
In ballots counted Sept. 20, commercial ship painters at Speciality Finishes in Seattle voted 6-0 to join their Portland counterparts in affiliating with Painters Local 10. Specialty Finishes is a subsidiary of Vigor Industrial that operates at Vigor shipyards in Portland and Seattle. While the general Vigor workforce concentrates solely on ship repair, Specialty Finishes does repair work and fabricates components for offsite projects, like the suicide deterrent barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Workers at the two shipyards have long been union; members of multiple unions, they negotiate together, jointly represented by the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department. Until recently, the Specialty Finishes workers were nonunion outliers.
Strike by Philadelphia Museum of Art workers shows woes of 'prestige' jobs
NPR
By Laura Benshoff
Oct. 8, 2022
Workers are unionizing in fields where they haven't had a big presence, including world-class cultural institutions. Staff at around two dozen museums across the United States have joined unions since 2019, according to an NPR analysis of news reports and announcements. An ongoing strike at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, famous for its sweeping collection and cameo in the movie Rocky, is emblematic of the tensions driving this movement. One common thread, union organizers say, is the contradiction that comes from working with priceless pieces of art or history while struggling to pay your bills.
AFSCME reaches tentative agreement with OHSU
Northwest Labor Press
By Colin Staub
Oct. 7, 2022
With a potential strike just weeks away, AFSCME Local 328 and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) reached a tentative agreement Sept. 21 on a new three-year contract covering about 7,400 workers. If ratified by members, it would include across-the-board raises of 7%, 5%, and 5% over three years, plus a ratification bonus of $3,000 for full-time and $1,500 for part-time workers. Workers will vote on the agreement Oct. 3 through Oct. 9.
Kroger union members vote in favor of new three-year contract
ABC6
By Natalie Comer
Oct. 7, 2022
Thousands of Kroger union members voted in favor of the new three-year contract, avoiding a potential strike. The union signed off on the agreement late Thursday night, which impacts 12,500 members in the central Ohio region. Kroger said in a release that this is "great news for everyone including our community partners and customers." UFCW Local 1059 President Randy Quickel released the following statement: "Today, the members of Local 1059 voted to ratify the contract agreement with Kroger. Throughout the entirety of this contentious and uncertain bargaining period, Local 1059 members have continued to make their voices heard and advocated tirelessly for the best contract possible for Kroger employees across the central Ohio region.”
USW to rally for fair contract at U.S. Steel CEO appearance in Hobart
NWI.com
By Joseph S. Pete
Oct. 9, 2022
The United Steelworkers union plans to rally for a fair contract when U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt comes to town Tuesday. The union is planning a rally between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Utah Street and Lincoln Highway, near Avalon Manor. Burritt will be speak to the local chapter of the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, a professional association. U.S. Steel and USW have been negotiating for a new contract for steelworkers at its mills, including Gary Works and the Midwest Plant in Portage.
Philadelphia Museum of Art strike continues, with few signs of progress
Metro Philadelphia
By Jack Tomczuk
Oct. 10, 2022
Staff at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are entering their third week of picketing on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with little-to-no progress in recent days on an agreement that would end the strike, union officials said. Local 397, part of AFSCME District Council 47, is seeking its first contract with the museum, a process that began when employees voted to unionize in 2020.
NLRB
Strippers’ Union Wins Approval for Labor Board Mail-In Election
Bloomberg Law
By Robert Iafolla
Oct. 7, 2022
The union vying to represent strippers at a Los Angeles club got the go-ahead for an election from a National Labor Relations Board official. NLRB Regional Director Mori Rubin scheduled a mail ballot for exotic dancers and disc jockeys at Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in a Thursday order. The ballots will be mailed Oct. 14 and counted Nov. 7. The order setting an election for the dancers to potentially select Actors’ Equity Association as their bargaining representative is a crucial step to making Star Garden the first unionized strip club in the US since 1996, when strippers at the now-defunct Lusty Lady Peepshow in San Francisco formed the Exotic Dancers Union.
Broadway World
By Chloe Rabinowitz
Oct. 10, 2022
The National Labor Relations Board has approved a petition for a union recognition election by workers employed at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar seeking to be represented by the Actors' Equity Association. The approved bargaining unit includes both the dancers and DJs who work full or part time at the club, which is located in North Hollywood, CA. If workers choose to be represented by a union and the NLRB certifies the election results, the Star Garden dancers would become the only strippers currently unionized in the United States. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters on October 14. All ballots must be received by the NLRB on or before November 4. Votes will be counted by the NLRB on November 7, beginning at 2 pm PT.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
IBEW 1 Electrical Workers Minority Caucus ramps up annual coat drive
Labor Tribune
Oct. 10, 2022
The IBEW Electrical Workers Minority Caucus is ramping up its annual coat drive with the goal of distributing 700 coats to the needy. The minority caucus is part of the Electrical Connection, a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. “We’ve been tapping the generosity of our partners and friends to meet our goal this year,” said Sylvester Taylor, director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Electrical Connection. “This is the 18th year of our coat drive and our commitment only grows stronger as our members are out in the community and witness so many in our distressed neighborhoods needing basic necessities.”
RETIREMENT SECURITY
Illinois workers union challenging state’s decision to slash retiree health plan options
WCIA
By Renée Cooper
Oct. 7, 2022
The state employees union, AFSCME Council 31, confirmed it filed a grievance challenging the state’s decision to slash retired state workers’ health insurance options to one. After 10 years of the state-administered benefits program, retirees will go from having two or three choices in each county to one for the state. Retirees continue to express concern over the state contracting with Aetna and leaving them without a choice, particularly the thousands who still don’t know if they’ll be able to keep seeing Carle doctors come January.