Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
JOINING TOGETHER
Nurses at St. Charles Hospital in Bend vote to authorize strike
OPB
By Joni Auden Land
May 22, 2023
The union representing nurses at St. Charles Health System in Bend announced Monday that they have authorized a strike, possibly setting up the hospital’s first nurses strike in more than 40 years. Nurses at the hospital — the largest employer in Central Oregon — are preparing for a strike due to what they say is chronic understaffing that endangers patients and is overworking staff. “Management has failed to take our contract negotiations seriously. They have failed to come to the table with reasonable offers and have failed to listen to the serious concerns of their nursing staff,” Erin Harrington, an intensive care unit nurse leading the bargaining unit, said in a statement.
Hispanic Society Museum Workers Approved a New Union Contract, Ending a Grueling Two-Month Strike
Art Net News
By Sarah Cascone
May 22, 2023
After eight long weeks, workers at New York’s Hispanic Society Museum and Library have ended their strike and voted to approve their first union contract. The fraught labor battle recently led to a demonstration outside the home of Philippe de Montebello, the institution’s chairman and former director of the Met Museum. “We are elated about the new contract,” Patrick Lenaghan, the museum’s curator of prints, photographs, and sculptures, said in a statement. “It provides the security we never had before. With this, we can concentrate on the work we love and dedicated so many years to.” The Hispanic Society first organized in May 2021 amid a groundswell of unionization at museums across the U.S. Workers petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to join Local 2110, part of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union. A few months earlier, the museum had ended its pension plan for staff members, and staff sought improved benefits and salaries.
Five day strike comes to end, contract agreement reached for Dalton Public Schools bus drivers
Local 3 News
By Dallas Payeton
May 22, 2023
Dalton Public Schools bus drivers are back on the job. They were on strike against first student. The bus drivers are members of Amalgamated Transit Union. The president of the local chapter considers the contract agreement a victory and a move in the right direction. Contract negotiations between Amalgamated Transit Union and First Student were settled following a vote amongst members.
KTVZ
By KTVZ news sources
May 22, 2023
“Strikes are always a last resort, never a first resort. But the unsafe working conditions at St. Charles Medical Center have become so serious, and the lack of action from management so glaring, that the nurses have been forced to issue a code red,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), ONA’s national union. “Patient care, and the rights of the workers who help them, is at stake. The 1.7 million members of the American Federation of Teachers have your back. We are with you in this fight for a fair contract and we will be with you, in solidarity, for as long as it takes to win.”
Epic Games' Bandcamp Has Unionized
The Gamer
By Sean Murray
May 22, 2023
Fortnite and Unreal developer Epic Games now has a union. Bandcamp, the music distribution platform aimed at bringing artists to the world, has formed Epic's first union after holding a successful union vote. "Today, a majority of eligible Bandcamp workers voted 31-7 in favor of forming Bandcamp United, a union represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)," the new union wrote in a statement. "The vote results now await certification by the National Labor Relations Board, with a collective bargaining process to follow."
Workers at NYC fresh food market go union on card-check
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
May 22, 2023
New York City residents who patronize the city’s leading outdoor fresh produce markets, run at various locations by the non-profit GrowNYC, now will have a new reason to increase their purchases: The staff is going union. RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum noted the overwhelming card count forced recognition. “The strength GrowNYC workers have shown throughout their union effort convinced their employer to recognize them,” he said in a statement. “Their strength at the bargaining table will gain them the necessary protections they need to continue to service our city’s greenmarkets, farm stands, and CSA, composting and educational programs. GrowNYC did the right thing.”
IN THE STATES
Labor Tribune
BY Staff
May 22, 2023
The Illinois AFL-CIO and Chicago Workers Collaborative stood with legislators, advocates and workers on Latino Unity Day to urge the passage of the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act (SB281). “Passing the Temp Worker Fairness and Safety Act is a crucial step to address the uptick we are seeing in workplace deaths among Black and Brown workers,” said Senator Robert Peters, the bill’s Senate sponsor. “We cannot continue to ignore the plight of these workers and their families. We must take action to ensure that they are protected from exploitation and unsafe working conditions.” “Illinois is the beating heart of the American Labor Movement in the 21st century. Union or not, we are committed to fighting until all workers in our state are paid a living wage and kept safe at work,” remarked Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO. “Temp Workers are unfairly taken advantage of in Illinois and it’s up to all of us to stand in solidarity with them and their advocates as they fight for the same fundamental job protections that all workers deserve.”
UNION BUSTING
Companies Are Taking a Harder Line on Union Organizers, Workers Say
The New York Times
By Noam Scheiber
May 22, 2023
“It took us time to realize they weren’t firing us just because of time and attendance,” said Ms. Wyatt, who is part of a charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board in March accusing Apple of unfair labor practices. A pattern of similar worker accusations — and corporate denials — has arisen at Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and REI as retail workers have sought to form unions in the past two years. Initially, the employers countered the organizing campaigns with criticism of unions and other means of dissuasion.