Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
JOINING TOGETHER
Nurses at two central Michigan hospitals to hold strike authorization votes
Up North Live ABC
By Brandon Chew
Jan. 23, 2023
Nurses at two hospitals in central Michigan announced on Friday that they would be holding strike authorization votes later this week. Nurses at MyMichigan Alma and McLaren Central have been working under expired contracts since November, according to the Michigan Nurses Association. “Nurses are rising up because we know that something fundamental needs to change in health care if we’re going to be able to keep our patients safe,” said Shenan Shinabarger, a nurse at MyMichigan Alma and the president of their local Michigan Nurses Association bargaining unit.
Staff at St. Louis Public Radio takes step toward organizing
St. Louis Labor Tribune
Jan. 23, 2023
The staff of St. Louis Public Radio has taken the first step toward organizing the first public radio union in Missouri history. The organizing committee representing 42 staffers at St. Louis Public Radio presented CEO Tina Pamintuan and the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a statement of interest on Thursday that had been signed by more than 70 percent of the non-managerial employees. The statement invited Pamintuan and the university to voluntarily recognize the St. Louis Public Radio Guild as organized through the Communication Workers of America for collective bargaining.
Health care workers in CT calling for better staffing levels
CT Insider
By Ken Dixon
Jan. 23, 2023
Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, joined unionized hospital professionals and leading state lawmakers on Monday calling for more staff and better safety measures at a time when nurse burn-out and high patient ratios are threatening patients and staff alike.
CNH Industrial workers approve new deal 8 months after hitting the picket lines
WQAD 8
By Associated Press
Jan. 23, 2023
More than 1,000 CNH Industrial workers who have been on strike since last May approved a new contract Saturday with the maker of tractors, bulldozers, backhoes and other heavy equipment. The United Auto Workers said union members in Racine, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Iowa, approved the deal two weeks after they rejected an earlier agreement. “This agreement reflects the effort of a determined bargaining team and members being on an almost nine-month strike,” UAW President Ray Curry said in a statement.
‘SNL’ Postproduction Workers Authorize Strike as Contract Negotiations Stall
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Jan. 23, 2023
A recently unionized group of postproduction workers at Saturday Night Live has authorized a strike in an effort to expedite negotiations on their first contract, which they claim have stalled in early stages of talks. On Thursday, Jan. 12, the crew of around 20 part-time film editors, editors, assistant editors and media managers voted in a meeting over Zoom to allow their union to order a strike if necessary amid the slow-moving contract talks, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The group, which unionized with the IATSE-affiliated Motion Picture Editors Guild in October, is responsible for postproduction on pretaped sketches, like music videos and commercial parodies, shot before the live show. After the union was voluntarily recognized by NBC management in October, the group has so far only had one bargaining session with NBC, with no additional dates currently scheduled. The Editors Guild sent management a package of proposals in December.
IN THE STATES
New WA labor council president April Sims brings lived experiences
The Seattle Times
By Renata Geraldo
Jan. 23, 2023
April Sims knows firsthand the difference unions can make in workers’ lives. The newly elected Washington State Labor Council president said her grandfather and mother experienced lifetime journeys from low-paying, no-benefits jobs to union-represented jobs that offered better life conditions. Sims made history as the first Black woman president of any AFL-CIO state federation. She was elected last year and sworn in this year. Her four-year term will last until 2027.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
IBEW Local 363 electrician earns state championship title
Mid Hudson News
Jan. 23, 2023
IBEW Local 363 journeyman electrician Hunter Doran has been named the State champion of the 2022 Ideal Tools Electrical Skills Competition. The journeyman electrician received his training through the union’s apprentice program. Doran works for Anytime Electric in Rock Tavern and competed against other electricians in timed events that tested their ability to plan and properly execute complex electrical installations, according to IBEW Local 363 Business Manager Sam Fratto.
INCOME INEQUALITY
New Kroger Payroll System Has Led To Wage Theft, Workers Allege
HuffPost
By Dave Jamieson
Jan. 23, 2023
A shift to a new payroll system at the grocery chain Kroger has left workers short on their paychecks and stirred up hundreds of employee complaints, according to a new lawsuit. A group of workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 filed a complaint in federal court on Jan. 19 seeking back pay and damages from Kroger. One plaintiff said he missed entire paychecks, while others said they weren’t paid for overtime or had unauthorized deductions made.