JOINING TOGETHER
WGA East Files Unfair Labor Practices Charge Against Bustle Digital Group
Deadline
By David Robb
Feb. 14, 2023
The WGA East has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the Bustle Digital Group, claiming that three of the 39 guild members who were laid off there recently were terminated “in retaliation for their concerted, protected union activity in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.”
Lowell TeleMedia Center to begin contract negotiations following union certification
The Lowell Sun
By Cameron Morsberger
Feb. 14, 2023
The Lowell TeleMedia Center, a nonprofit that provides local programming and broadcasts government meetings, announced its staff are now certified as a union. After a National Labor Relations Board election Feb. 3, a majority of the station’s staffers voted to unionize with the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians Local 18, bringing them one step closer to negotiating a contract with the board of directors. The LTC Staff Bargaining Unit shared the news in an email Monday night. This comes after six of seven staff members signed union cards in early December, hopeful that the board would voluntarily recognize them, which they did not. In the announcement, LTC staff stated the board sought counsel in Littler Mendelson, “the largest anti-union law firm in the United States.”
Ascension nurses in Kansas to rally as 1st union contract talks begin
Becker’s Hospital Review
By Kelly Gooch
Feb. 14, 2023
Nurses from Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita, Kan., plan to rally Feb. 15 as they begin negotiations on their first contract. Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph nurses in Wichita, who recently filed a petition for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board, are also slated to participate. "This is going to be a historic day for Wichita, both for us as nurses and for the entire community," Shelly Rader, a registered nurse in the emergency department at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, said in a Feb. 13 union news release. "Nurses are patient advocates, both at the bedside and at the bargaining table. We're rallying to show management we're excited about a contract that empowers us to give our patients the best care possible, especially through addressing the staffing crisis at our facility. The people of Wichita deserve nothing less, and that's why we unionized." Ascension Via Christi St. Francis nurses voted to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, in November. The vote covers more than 650 nurses at the hospital, which is part of St. Louis-based Ascension.
Striking Temple grad students rally with state lawmakers as talks resume
WHYY
By Tom MacDonald
Feb. 14, 2023
Striking graduate student teachers at Temple University rallied with supporters, including several state lawmakers, Tuesday in their quest for a new contract. The Temple University Graduate Students’ Association, representing about 750 graduate teaching assistants and research assistants, went on strike at the end of January. Union members said they spent more than a year negotiating with the school’s administration for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions. TUGSA says the average graduate worker makes $19,500 a year.
RAISING WAGES
Lawmakers push for higher pay for federal employees
Fox 8
By Basil John
Feb. 14, 2023
Lawmakers are pushing for higher pay for federal and dc government employees. Activists and Unions say the increase is overdue. “What we are asking for today is that you be given the respect that you deserve,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond said.
UNION BUSTING
NFL Players Rally with Phoenix Starbucks Baristas Over Union Busting
Phoenix New Times
By Katya Schwenk
Feb. 14, 2023
On Saturday — a day before the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale — a small crowd gathered in the shadow of a Starbucks on Indian School Road in Avondale. It was an unlikely gathering: NFL players stood beside Starbucks baristas chanting into bullhorns and holding signs that read, "Hey, union-busting CEOs. Let's play ball." "We are here to stand in solidarity with workers at Starbucks," said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, one of the largest labor unions in the country. "We know that players on the field are workers, too. So what better than to bring together that solidarity as we head into this Sunday."