POLITICS
More than 250 business leaders back Julie Su for Labor secretary as nomination hangs in the balance
CNBC
By Emma Kinery
May 4, 2023
More than 250 business leaders are urging the Senate to confirm acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to helm the department, according to a letter obtained by CNBC. If confirmed, Su would be the first Asian American and Pacific Islander Cabinet secretary in the Biden administration. She would join Cabinet-level AAPI officials Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and Arati Prabhakar, Office of Science and Technology policy director. Su also has the backing of labor unions including the United Mine Workers, NABTU, LiUNA, the IBEW and AFL-CIO, as well as the Small Business Majority to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
JOINING TOGETHER
Striking Writers Are on the Front Line of a Battle Between AI and Workers
Vice
By Chloe Xiang
May 4, 2023
“We basically came to the table and said ‘scripts are written by writers and writers are people’ and they came back with the dystopian proposal of ‘well, what if they weren’t,’” Josh Gondelman, a TV comedy writer and a member of WGA East Council, told Motherboard at Wednesday's protest (VICE union workers are WGAE members). Rather than opening up a discussion about how AI can be integrated into the industry and what protections for writers need to be in place once that happens, Gondelman said the AMPTP’s reaction was, “Just, ‘once a year we’ll update you with how many of you we’ve replaced with machines.’” Many writers at the strike emphasized that their stance isn’t anti-AI as a whole, but pro-regulation in order to support working people. “Technology is changing very fast, the writers are aware of that, we know that AI is a thing and will probably be a tool that’s used in the future and all we want to do is make sure that’s fairly regulated,” Sasha Stewart, a TV writer, comedian, and WGA East Council member told Motherboard. “We want to make sure that at the end of the day, a script is written by a human being, and that human being is a writer’s guild member.”
St. Louis union strikes, leaving many construction projects on hold
Fox2
By Joey Schneider
May 4, 2023
Workers from one St. Louis-area labor union on strike after their contract expired a few days, placing some St. Louis area construction projects are on hold. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 513 are working to negotiate a new contract with the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis. The latest I.U.O.E. 513 union contract expired on May 1. Len Toenjes, president of the AGC of Missouri, says both sides met Wednesday after a few weeks of negotiations. He says there has been progress toward a new deal, but a few issues are still being discussed.
Toledo Blade union members renew efforts to secure a labor contract
WYSO
By Erin Gottsacker
May 4, 2023
A union representing Toledo Blade employees is renewing its efforts to secure a labor contract. The last contract between the Toledo NewsGuild and Block Communications, the newspaper’s owner, expired in 2017. Union members have been negotiating since then to secure a new contract, but have recently doubled down on those efforts after a change in union leadership.
Springfield Symphony Orchestra and musicians reach agreement after years of negotiations
CT Public
By Jill Kaufman
May 4, 2023
After three years of waging a heated and public debate, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and its 64 union musicians jointly announced a collective bargaining agreement on Thursday. A significant sticking point had been the number of concerts performed, per season. The musicians wanted 10, the symphony said five. They agreed to eight. Violinist and local American Federation of Musicians President Beth Welty said both sides had to compromise. The standoff had been going on too long. "I think had we kept being at loggerheads — if it's gonna kill the orchestra what's the point?" she said. "Better to sacrifice a couple of concerts now in the hopes we're gonna rebuild to [be] even better later."
IN THE STATES
Rhode Island House Passes Domestic Worker Minimum Wage
The Newport Buzz
By Christian Winthrop
May 4, 2023
The Rhode Island House of Representatives today passed a bill by Rep. Leonela Felix to ensure domestic workers are paid at least the state’s minimum wage. For most workers, Rhode Island’s minimum wage is currently $13 per hour and on track to reach $15 by 2025. But for domestic workers, most of whom are women and people of color, the minimum wage is less than half that, at just $7.25. “Since this nation’s founding, workers have been coming together to organize and advocate for better conditions,” said Patrick Crowley, secretary treasurer for the Rhode Island AFL-CIO. “We have won many important victories improving working conditions, but too often jobs primarily done by women, immigrants and people of color have been excluded from these gains. This bill is an important step in rectifying past wrongs that will benefit the almost 1,500 Rhode Islanders working in domestic service.”
Iowa governor will sign bill rolling back labor protections for children
The Washington Post
By Jacob Bogage
May 4, 2023
Opponents of the Iowa bill said it will put children in dangerous occupations at a young age and stunt their educational development. “Do I want my 16-year-old operating a power saw as a job? No, I don’t,” Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa branch of the AFL-CIO, said in an interview.
Bill would put cap on how many patients Maine nurses could care for simultaneously
Fox23
By Stephanie Grindley and Ted Homer
May 4, 2023
Backers of the "Maine Quality Care Act" say safe staffing saves lives. The bill limits the number of patients a nurse can care for at any one time to a maximum of four patients, depending on the situation. The bill is backed by the Maine AFLCIO, the Maine State Nurses Association, which represents 4,000 nurses in Maine and the nation's largest nurses’ union.