MUST READ
‘Hard to ignore Julie Su’: Biden’s labor secretary pick fights for confirmation
The Guardian
By Steven Greenhouse
March 12, 2023
Su, the 54-year-old daughter of immigrants, has served as deputy labor secretary since 2021, having been narrowly confirmed 50 to 47. “I’m a huge fan,” said Liz Schuler, president of the AFL-CIO, the nation’s main labor federation. “I can’t imagine someone more prepared. She’s been working hand in glove with Marty Walsh,” the current labor secretary, who is leaving to head the National Hockey League Players’ Association. “She has the expertise,” Shuler added. “She’s a hard worker. She’s creative. We know that she will defend workers, especially the most vulnerable. This pick is a home run.”
POLITICS
Labor Chief Walsh Backs Su Succession, Exits With Few Regrets
Bloomberg Law
By Rebecca Rainey
March 10, 2023
Liz Shuler has done a really amazing job of attracting members, there’s now a whole sports division. So it’s certainly something that I’ll explore in the future.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Unemployment for Black and Hispanic women rose in February, but more workers join the labor force
CNBC
By Sarah Min
March 10, 2023
That could suggest broader weakness in the labor market even amid a stronger-than-expected jobs report, according to AFL-CIO chief economist William Spriggs. In February, the U.S. economy added 311,000 payrolls, though the unemployment rate ticked up and wages rose slightly. “The Federal Reserve has characterized the labor market as, ‘Oh, the labor market is so tight, employers can’t find anybody,’ but women went out, they looked, and some of them did get jobs, but a lot of them didn’t,” Spriggs said.
JOINING TOGETHER
Temple, striking grad students reach second tentative agreement to end walkout
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
By John L. Micek
March 10, 2023
In a statement, Dan Bauder, the president of the Philadelphia branch of the AFL-CIO, said he was “thrilled” the striking students had reached an agreement to end the more than six-week-old walkout. “It’s an incredibly difficult decision to go on strike. Workers risk retaliation and intimidation with no promise of a win at the end,” Bauder said. “These workers stood together through all these things and worse and because of their strength and solidarity, have a fair contract that shows that the university’s administration respects them and the work they do.”
Chicago Field Museum staff votes to unionize
ABC 7 Chicago
By Sun-Times Media Wire
March 10, 2023
Workers at Chicago's Field Museum have voted to unionize with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The employees voted 175-66 to affiliate with AFSCME's Council 31, the union said. It said the National Labor Relations Board counted ballots Thursday that were cast during an election last month. The vote means nearly 300 employees at the museum will become union members. Leaders of the organizing drive said the lopsided vote came despite an aggressive anti-union campaign from museum management.
Culinary union, Sodexo avert strike with late-night contract deal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
By Richard N. Velotta
March 10, 2023
Negotiating teams from the Culinary union and Sodexo Live!, the contracted food service provider for the Las Vegas Convention Center, averted a strike Friday night — six hours before workers vowed to walk off their jobs and form picket lines. Representatives of Culinary Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165 announced Friday evening that they’d establish picket lines at various locations around the Convention Center and walk off the job Saturday at 6 a.m. But at about 11:55 p.m. Friday, union officials announced an agreement had been reached on a four-year contract. Union officials didn’t say when a ratification vote would be scheduled. “The Culinary union has fought hard to protect workers over the last 88 years and we are proud that this new agreement is the best contract with the highest wage increases that Sodexo Live!-Centerplate workers have ever had while continuing to protect health care and pension benefits for 400 hospitality workers who work so hard every day to keep the Las Vegas Convention Center running,” Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary union, said in a news release.
United Center concessions workers reach tentative agreement with Levy to avoid strike
ABC7
By John Garcia and Eric Horng
March 12, 2023
United Center concessions workers have reached a tentative agreement with Levy to avoid another strike, the company and labor union said on Sunday. The labor union, bargaining committee and Levy reached a tentative agreement for employees at the United Center during their most recent bargaining session, avoiding a potential strike during the Big Ten tournament, both Levy and Unite Here Local 1 said. Union membership will vote on whether to ratify the agreement in the coming days. "No work stoppage will occur pending the outcome of the membership vote," the labor union said.
UAW members ratify new 6-year contract with Caterpillar
WCBU
By Tim Shelley
March 12, 2023
UAW members across four locals in Illinois and Pennsylvania voted over the weekend to ratify a new six-year contract with Caterpillar. The contract is effective Monday. It covers about 7,000 UAW members working at facilities in East Peoria, Morton, Mapleton, Mossville, Decatur, Pontiac, and York, Penn.
IN THE STATES
Michigan Democrats Take Major Step to Roll Back Right-to-Work Law
WSJM
March 10, 2023
Aaron Pelo, communications director of the Michigan AFL-CIO, said if the measure becomes law, it will restore many rights workers have lost. “The action that the House just took is really, in our eyes, a restoration of worker freedom,” Pelo explained. “It puts power back into the hands of Michigan workers to negotiate for better wages and better benefits, and safer workplaces.”
States Look to Ease Some Child-Labor Laws Amid Tight Market
The Wall Street Journal
By Adolfo Flores and Jennifer Calfas
March 10, 2023
Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, opposes the legislation and said lawmakers could better address labor shortages by creating more desirable jobs—with better pay and benefits. “We care about our kids,” Mr. Wishman said. “They deserve better from our elected officials than to be used as cheap labor for multinational corporations.”
Connecticut Public
By Maricarmen Cajahuaringa
March 11, 2023
Workers, union representatives and state legislators gathered in support of three bills to reform labor laws. One proposal would bring tipped based wages for some tipped based workers up to standard minimum wage rates. Two other bills aim for more predictable scheduling, and expanding paid sick days. Ed Hawthorne, president of the AFL-CIO of Connecticut, said the bills would provide a major boost to low wage workers who helped the economy during the peak of the pandemic. He highlighted that these workers are disproportionately women and people of color. “All of these workers were deemed essential at the height of the pandemic and now they are facing skyrocketing inflation,” Hawthorne said. “Let’s raise their wages, give them predictable hours and give them time off when they’re sick.”