IN THE STATES
Star Tribune
By Evan Ramstad and Kavita Kumar
June 8, 2023
William Spriggs, a prominent Black economist who criticized how his field treated racial disparities and was an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, died late Tuesday in Washington. He was a professor and former chair of the economics department at Howard University, served advisory posts for Congress and the Federal Reserve and was an assistant secretary in the Labor Department during the Obama administration. Most recently, he was chief economist of the AFL-CIO. Spriggs was 68 years old. The AFL-CIO did not give a cause of death. Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed, called Spriggs a "brilliant economist" and "tireless advocate for working people." He noted Spriggs participated in numerous conferences the bank convened and influenced Kashkari's thinking on labor markets, economic opportunity, racial wealth gaps and other issues. He was also a mentor and friend to many at the Minneapolis Fed.
Cleveland.com
By Jeremy Pelzer
June 8, 2023
Ohio lawmakers are again trying to patch financial holes the state’s long-ailing unemployment benefits system – this time, by significantly cutting benefits. Senate Bill 116, introduced by two Senate Republicans, would cut the number of weeks jobless Ohioans can receive benefits from 26 weeks to a range of 12 to 20 weeks, depending on what the state’s unemployment rate is at the time. Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga said SB116 is “a non-starter” for him, as his union won’t support any proposal that improves the system’s finances by reducing benefits. “We have no interest in exploring an unemployment compensation bill that doesn’t really address the core and key issue – which is that employers have been shortchanging the system now for decades,” he said.
JOINING TOGETHER
St. Charles Health System and nurses union avoid strike with last-minute deal
Oregon Public Broadcasting
By Joni Auden Land
June 8, 2023
Following a 48-hour marathon of negotiations, St. Charles Health System and the Oregon Nurses Association reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Thursday, avoiding a potential strike that was set to begin Monday in Bend. The nurses association, which represents nearly 1,000 nurses at Central Oregon’s largest hospital, released few details about the agreement, as members still need to officially ratify it. What’s clear is that nurses will likely receive substantial pay raises.
Dancers at Oregon Club Aim to Form Second Strippers Union in U.S.
The Chronicle
By Kristine de Leon
June 8, 2023
Dancers from the Magic Tavern strip bar in Northwest Portland aim to become just the second unionized group of strippers in the U.S. The strippers, now formally employed by Magic Tavern, say after repeated and ignored demands for a safer workspace, they’ve filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board through the Actors’ Equity Association — an established union that typically represents stage actors and performers.
Barnes & Noble Flagship Votes Overwhelmingly To Join Union
Forbes
By Sharon Edelson
June 8, 2023
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said that workers at Barnes & Nobles’ flagship store in Union Square in Manhattan, voted overwhelmingly to join the RWDSU. This follows two wins in the last two months by employees at Barnes & NobleBKS 0.0% College Booksellers at Rutgers University with the RWDSU, and at independent bookstores McNally Jackson, Goods for the Study, Greenlight Bookstore and Book Culture, as well as the petition from workers at the Brooklyn, New York Barnes & Noble.
More strikes, more solidarity expected as LA enters ‘hot labor summer’
KCRW
By Steve Chiotakis
June 8, 2023
Labor tensions are simmering across the Southland. In Hollywood, the Writers Guild of America has entered its second month of striking, and Screen Actors Guild workers are poised to join them on the picket lines if they don’t hammer out a deal soon. Meanwhile, workers in hotels, fast food restaurants, at the LA ports, Dodger Stadium, Medieval Times, UPS are all enmeshed in their own negotiations and strikes, and the list seems to grow longer every day. That’s prompting some experts to predict that it’s going to be a “hot labor summer” in Los Angeles and beyond. “We have workers who are organizing, we have workers who are fighting for a better contract, we have workers who are fighting for a first contract,” says Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, executive officer of the California Labor Federation. “All of this means that they're taking to the streets, that they're getting out there. They're ensuring that their bosses know that they're gonna expect a little bit more and it's about time.”