MMIGRATION
DHS strengthens deportation protection for undocumented workers involved in employment claims
HR Dive
By Ginger Christ
Jan. 18, 2023
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler in a statement said the union supports DHS’ efforts to enforce labor laws. “Workers rely on each other to take action to help enforce our labor laws, so we are all at risk when employers can use immigration threats to scare workers into silence. The commonsense procedures DHS has put in place will provide temporary status protections and work permits to workers who are exercising their workplace rights and reporting violations,” Shuler said.
ORGANIZING
At MLK Conference, young organizers outline obstacles, opportunities
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
Jan. 18, 2023
Young organizers face both obstacles and opportunities when trying to convince workplace colleagues to go union, a panel of them said at the AFL-CIO’s Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative conference. And often it’s bosses’ mismanagement, exploitation and repression that presents both. “We came to the conclusion that organizing” with AFSCME “is the only way to let the bosses know we are serious” about such issues, including ending the years of discrimination at the city’s library system between whites and Blacks in a city that’s now majority-Black. “Black and brown workers are particularly vulnerable” to bosses’ unfair labor practices, discipline and firing, Mesekele said.
JOINING TOGETHER
University of Illinois at Chicago Faculty Members Strike
Inside Higher Ed
By Ryan Quinn
Jan. 18, 2023
University of Illinois at Chicago faculty members began striking Tuesday after their union said 12 hours of negotiations with administrators on Martin Luther King Jr. Day didn’t produce an agreement. “We passed proposals back and forth with the management team from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., when they passed us a counter that indicated that they had no interest in resolving our differences,” the union, UIC United Faculty, wrote on its website. The union is affiliated with the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers. Tuesday’s quad rally featured AFT national president Randi Weingarten, and AFT streamed the event online.
Las Vegas Culinary Union to Picket Outside Station Casinos Headquarters
Casino.org
By Devin O'Connor
Jan. 18, 2023
Culinary represents about 60K workers employed by Nevada casinos. Most casinos in the Las Vegas Valley and on the Strip are organized, with workers represented by the union. Station Casinos is one of the biggest exceptions. Though the company doesn’t operate a Strip casino, the locals-focused gaming operator runs eight casinos in Las Vegas, and all remain Culinary-free. Culinary Union has two pickets planned for Thursday outside Station Casinos headquarters. The first walk will take place from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. and the second from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. The trade group says the purpose of the pickets is to push for a first-time union contract with Station Casinos and “demand an end to unfair labor practices.”
Louisville's UAW branch discusses potential options for Glendale battery plant workers
WHAS
By Isaiah Kim-Martinez
Jan. 18, 2023
The labor union footprint in Kentucky could grow by the thousands in the years to come, as Ford's new electric battery plants in Glendale take shape. It will create 5,000 new, local jobs. But will they be union employees? That's been a big question. UAW Local 862, Louisville's branch of the major international labor union, has more than 16,000 employees across the Louisville Metro. Nearly 9,000 of them come from Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant in the east end. Now, they hope the giant site in progress in Hardin County will eventually add to that number. "[These will be] good-paying jobs -- potentially union jobs in the future," Local 862 President Todd Dunn said. Kentucky and Ford Motor Company have a decades-long history working hand-in-hand with the UAW. Dunn wants the next chapter to include employees from the state's largest economic development project ever. "Trying to have a footprint in Kentucky is so important," Dunn said. "It gave me chills knowing that such a facility is going in."
IN THE STATES
Michigan AFL-CIO: MLK said Right to Work laws destroy unions, hurt ability to improve wages
Michigan Advance
By Ken Coleman
Jan. 18, 2023
“The teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. remain at the forefront of our work, and Michigan’s labor movement reminded state legislators of his pro-worker message yesterday,” said Ron Bieber, Michigan AFL-CIO president. “Dr. King’s message was simple: the purpose of so-called ‘right-to-work’ laws is to destroy unions and our ability to improve wages and working conditions for all people. Every MLK Day we see politicians on both sides of the aisle quoting Dr. King. This year they have an opportunity to heed his message by repealing the anti-union ‘Right-to-Work’ for Less policies and fighting for the betterment of all working families.”
2023: New Year, New Worker Protections
Northwest Labor Press
By Graham Trainor
Jan. 18, 2023
Oregon has a rich history of worker activism and first-in-the-nation policy wins. From being the first state to recognize Labor Day as an official public holiday in 1887 to the most recent legislative session with a number of critical worker protections passed, Oregon’s reputation of being “Union Strong” continues to be widely visible. The Oregon labor movement and our partners continue to tirelessly push to make our state the best place to be a worker year-in and year-out. From the shop floor to the halls of the State Capitol, workers continue to make progress. Organizing and growth has led Oregon to jump from the 8th to the 4th most union dense state in 2021, with the highest union membership recorded in our state’s history, and recent legislative wins showcase major gains for workers.