SUPREME COURT
AFL-CIO’s Shuler: Glacier NW decision will not deter workers
The Stand
June 1, 2023
The following is a statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released today regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling in Glacier Northwest Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with corporations over working people. But when the facts are revealed on remand, it will be clear the union acted properly and the truck drivers’ strike was protected by federal law.
Supreme Court warns unions against strikes that damage an employer’s property
Los Angeles Times
By David G. Savage
June 1, 2023
“But when the facts are revealed on remand, it will be clear the union acted properly and the truck drivers’ strike was protected by federal law,” Shuler said. “This decision will in no way deter workers from going on strike.”
JOINING TOGETHER
McLaren Lapeer nurses vote unanimously to authorize strike
The Detroit News
By Hannah Mackay
June 1, 2023
Nurses at McLaren Hospital in Lapeer have voted unanimously to authorize a strike, the Michigan Nurses Association announced Thursday. The union represents roughly 250 nurses at the hospital who have been working without a contract since May 9, according to the Michigan Nurses Association, the largest union for registered nurses in the state. Negotiations for a new contract began nearly three months ago, according to the union.
Orange County’s Hotel Workers Consider Striking Over Pay Raises
Voice of OC
By Hosam Elattar
June 1, 2023
Hotel workers throughout Orange County, and Southern California, might go on strike as they demand a $5 an hour increase to their wages. Unite Here Local 11, union representing 32,000 hotel workers in Southern California and Arizona, are calling on workers to authorize a strike on June 8, according to Ada Briceño, co-president of the union. Briceño said in a Wednesday phone interview workers are getting squeezed by housing costs and need higher pay.“They’re sleeping on other people’s couches, they’re living in their cars and they’re one paycheck away from homelessness,” she said, adding that she is confident they will authorize a strike.
Better hours, better pay? Workers at Fayetteville’s Chemours factory holding a union vote
The Fayetteville Observer
By Paul Woolverton
June 1, 2023
Workers at the Chemours Co. chemical plant near Fayetteville are scheduled to vote Thursday and Friday whether to unionize. The vote involves 230 employees, says a news release from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). Voting will be by secret ballot and it concludes at 8 p.m. Friday, says a Notice of Election document from the National Labor Relations Board.
Nurses at St. Francis hospital vote to authorize strike
KMUW
By Daniel Caudill
June 1, 2023
Nurses at Ascension Via Christi – St. Francis voted Wednesday to authorize a strike. The nurses voted 93% in favor of authorizing a strike, said National Nurses United, the union representing nurses at St. Francis and St. Joseph. The vote does not mean nurses are immediately going on strike. Instead, the vote serves to put pressure on Ascension at the bargaining table.
Rochester Public Transit bus driver strike possible early as next week
KTTC
By KTTC Staff
June 1, 2023
A bus driver strike is possible for Rochester Public Transit bus drivers as soon as next week. The City of Rochester’s contracted transit operator, Transdev U.S., and the union representing Rochester Public Transit (RPT) bus drivers, Amalgamated Transit Worker Union (ATU) Local 1005, will begin mediation on Monday, June 5 in an attempt to get the two parties to agree on a new contract in Rochester.
LiUNA Local 955 continues fight for higher pay for city of Columbia workers
KOMU
By Grace Gilles
June 1, 2023
Members of LiUNA Local 955 hosted an Essential Workers Picnic at Shepard Boulevard Park Thursday night, as they continued their fight for higher wages for city employees. LiUNA Local 955 represents about 230 service and maintenance workers for the city of Columbia, including public works, utilities and the airport.
Ascension Seton nurses 'overwhelmingly' vote to authorize one-day strike
CBS Austin
By Stephanie Becerra
June 1, 2023
About 900 Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin (ASMCA) nurses "overwhelmingly" voted Wednesday and Thursday to authorize a one-day strike. The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) who represents the ASMCA nurses made the announcement late Thursday night -- saying 98% of RNs voted to strike.
United Steelworkers seeking vote to unionize thousands of Pitt staff
Trib Live
By Bill Schackner
June 1, 2023
The United Steelworkers said it intends to file paperwork Monday calling for a state-supervised labor election that could unionize more than 5,000 workers at the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus and four branches. The USW already represents about 3,000 full- and part-time faculty on Pitt’s main campus in Oakland and branches in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown and Titusville. Formed in 2021, that union is negotiating with Pitt on its first contract.
IN THE STATES
River Cities’ Reader
By Alyssa Goodstein
June 1, 2023
Following the General Assembly’s adjournment, the Illinois AFL-CIO released the following statement: “Working Illinoisans celebrated numerous victories this legislative session, building on recent successes that have included the Workers’ Rights Amendment, Paid Leave for All, higher minimum wages, fairer workers compensation laws, and a robust state construction program.
Union leaders, politicians promise to fight Master Lock's decision to close Milwaukee plant
WUMW
By Chuck Quirmbach
June 1, 2023
Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale told the crowd that Master Lock's parent company, Illinois-based Fortune Brands, is very profitable but still wants more profit by moving the lock component work out of the U.S. "After 102 years of dedicated service, all highly-skilled Milwaukee workers, men and women who built Master Lock from a five employee shop, to the global brand it is today, are now being treated like expendable parts, to be discarded in the quest for higher profits. Are we going to let this stand? No! We are not!" Bloomingdale exclaimed.
WSLC’s April Sims: UW ‘doesn’t get a pass’ on fair pay
The Stand
June 1, 2023
April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, released the following statement today regarding the looming June 7 strike date for Postdocs and Research Scientists/Engineers at the University of Washington. Postdocs’ collective bargaining agreement expired on Jan. 31, 2023. RSEs joined together in a union in June 2022 and have been in negotiations for their first contract since August 2022. “As the largest public employer in the state, the University of Washington sets an example of what it means to act in the public good. It’s time for UW to stop looking for work-arounds and pay people fairly. The state of Washington has made a clear policy choice that workers should be paid a living wage because wages have fallen way behind for too many. The University of Washington doesn’t get a pass: that would set a dangerous precedent for every employer in the state. I stand with Postdoctoral Scholars and Research Scientists/Engineers in their fight for a living wage, and think this fight affects all workers in Washington.”
Labor council votes UNITE HERE union of the year
Times Standard
By Sage Alexander
June 1, 2023
UNITE HERE, the labor union that organized 125 hospitality workers at Blue Lake Rancheria businesses last year, was voted union of the year by the Humboldt and Del Norte Central Labor Council at their awards banquet Wednesday. “I never thought me, as a gas station attendant, would get to sit down and actually discuss with executives things we could do to improve working conditions,” said Jesse Chavez in an interview in May. Chavez was on the organizing committee and works at Blue Lake Fuel and Fun. He said this is his first time being in a union, and has worked at the casino for 5 years. Representatives from UNITE HERE, including regional staff, said executives of Blue Lake Casino were very receptive to the idea of unionization.