Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Low-wage workers have seen historically fast real wage growth in the pandemic business cycle
Economic Policy Institute
By Elise Gould and Katherine deCourcy
March 23, 2023
Over the past 40 years, low- and middle-wage workers in the U.S. labor market have experienced only a few short years of strong growth in real (inflation-adjusted) wages. The current business cycle is a notable exception for the lowest-paid workers in our economy. Even in the face of rising prices, low-wage workers have experienced historically fast real wage growth. Large policy investments, combined with a tight labor market, made these strong gains possible. Women and Black and Hispanic workers have particularly benefited. But these workers still face steep wage gaps relative to men and white workers. And the nation’s lowest-paid workers still receive wages that are inadequate to meet most families’ basic needs. Policymakers need to strengthen labor standards so that workers can lock in the gains made and continue to build on them, even in weaker labor markets.
JOINING TOGETHER
AFM Local 802 Musicians to Picket Outside Lincoln Center as Part of Strike for a Fair Contract
Broadway World
By Chloe Rabinowitz
March 23, 2023
Musicians represented by the New York City musicians' union (AFM Local 802) will picket outside Lincoln Center with live music on Sunday, March 26 at 11:30am as part of their strike for a fair contract against the music producer Distinguished Concerts International New York. "We'd rather be playing music for the public than walking a picket line," said DCINY percussionist Andy Blanco and violinist Tallie Brunfelt in a joint statement. "As long as DCINY continues to reject the fundamental aspects of a union contract, we have no choice but to strike."
Artnet News
By Sarah Cascone
March 23, 2023
After more than a year of negotiations for a union contract, workers at New York’s Hispanic Society Museum and Library have authorized a strike. The unionization effort started after the museum board terminated pension plan for workers, who had not received raises in a year. Staff filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board in May 2021, joining the Technical, Office, and Professional Union, Local 2110, part of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union.
‘Saturday Night Live’ crew ratifies first-ever contract after threats to strike
Los Angeles Times
By Jonah Valdez
March 23, 2023
Members of the “Saturday Night Live” postproduction crew unanimously ratified their first-ever contract agreement with NBC this week, averting a possible strike. The crew of about two dozen had won recognition as a union of Editors Guild IATSE Local 700 in October and began to negotiate with NBC in December. However, by mid-January, after the union introduced its wage proposal, contract negotiations began to stall. Later that month, the crew authorized a strike and, in March, set a deadline of April 1 for the company to come to an agreement.
Agreement between unions, Walt Disney World would bring starting pay up to $18 per hour
My News 13
By Spectrum News Staff
March 23, 2023
The agreement provides for a raise that would bring the salary for all Disney World theme park workers who are union members to $18 per hour minimum this year, STCU representatives said. The tentative deal must be approved by union members, and a ratification vote has been scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 29. The outcome will be announced after the vote. According to the trade council, six STCU affiliates — IATSE Local 631, IBT Local 385, TCU Local 1908, UFCW Local 1625, UNITE HERE Local 362, and UNITE HERE Local 737 — have said they unanimously support the agreement and will recommend that members ratify it. “Securing an $18.00 minimum hourly rate this year, increasing the overall economic value of Disney’s original offer, and ensuring full back pay for every worker, are the priorities union members were determined to fight for," STCU President Matt Hollis said. “Today, we won that fight!”
Nurses at MarinHealth Medical Center reach deal, avert strike
CBS Bay Area
By Bay City News Service
March 23, 2023
Nurses with MarinHealth in the Marin County community of Greenbrae reached a tentative contract agreement subsequently avoiding a strike that would have started Tuesday, according to the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United. The registered nurses with MarinHealth Medical Center reached the agreement on Tuesday, averting a one-day strike. Nurses had been in negotiations for about nine months with little movement on important issues. Nurses are expected to vote Monday on the tentative agreement.
IN THE STATES
Michigan is set to become first state in 58 years to overturn right-to-work law
Salon
By Sharon Zhang
March 23, 2023
After Michigan Democrats scored their first trifecta of controlling the House, Senate and governor's office in decades this past election, the state is now set to become the first state in six decades to overturn its anti-worker "right-to-work" law. The bill's passage is a major victory for labor unions, which have long denounced right-to-work laws as stifling workers, hamstringing unions and worsening working conditions. For decades, the tide has been in favor of right-to-work laws — the last time a state repealed a right-to-work law was Indiana, in 1965, only for it to be reinstated in 2012. "It's huge," Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber told Michigan Radio. "It's huge for the entire labor movement nationally to have a victory for working people and make progress for a change."
INCOME INEQUALITY
‘Wildly Talented’ Disney Workers Target Gender Pay Gap
Labor Notes
By Derek Seidman
March 23, 2023
Disney World workers in Central Florida are battling with management for a new and improved union contract. In the process, they’re also trying to correct a gaping historical injustice. Workers with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 631 say a major pay gap exists at Disney World that leaves workers in traditionally feminized jobs, such as costume-making, earning significantly less than workers in traditionally masculinized jobs with comparable skills levels, such as stagehand labor.