Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
JOINING TOGETHER
Film Forum Union Ratifies First Contract
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
June 22, 2023
Unionized workers at the renowned New York cinema Film Forum have ratified their first contract, about a year after the group voted to unionize. An “overwhelming majority” of the 45-member bargaining unit, including both full- and part-time staffers, voted to ratify the five-year agreement, the union said, declining to give exact numbers. The deal will go into effect on July 1, 2023 and will run through June 30, 2028. The union is allied with UAW Local 2110, which represents workers at museums, universities, publishers and other cultural institutions. In the film space, the union also represents workers at Anthology Film Archives.
‘It’s about respect’: Union workers at Encore Boston Harbor vote to authorize strike
Boston 25 News
By Frank O'Laughlin
June 22, 2023
Union workers at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett voted Wednesday to authorize a labor strike in a continued push to secure a new contract. More than 98 percent of Encore workers who are members of Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 voted in favor of a labor strike that will begin at midnight on June 30, according to a Unite Here spokesperson. The strike will impact an array of workers at the resort casino, including room attendants, cocktail servers, bar porters, cooks, dishwashers, public area cleaners, and drivers, the spokesperson said.
Cleveland-Cliffs reaches new labor agreement with UAW
NWI.com
By Joseph S. Pete
June 22, 2023
Cleveland-Cliffs reached a new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers union at its Coshocton Works mill in Ohio. The UAW represents about 330 workers at the former AK Steel plant about halfway between Columbus and Akron. The 570,000-square-foot plant has stainless finishing operations and is one of the country's largest producers of flat-rolled stainless steel.
Hotel workers rally near LAX, may go on strike for July 4th holiday weekend
ABC7
By Staff
June 22, 2023
Hotel workers part of the Unite Here Local 11 union rallied near LAX on Thursday as a June 30 contract expiration date looms. The rally occurred on Century Boulevard. The union overwhelmingly authorized a strike earlier this month, and could begin the work stoppage at dozens of hotels as early as the July 4th weekend. The workers are concerned about the rising cost of housing, many commuting hours to get to work because they can't afford to live in the area.
IN THE STATES
Union workers rally; say wages are too low to afford living in LA
Fox 11
By FOX 11 Digital Team
June 22, 2023
Members of Local 11, hotel workers, also held a rally outside LAX hotels. In a UNITE HERE Local 11 survey, 53% of workers said that they either have moved in the past 5 years or will move in the near future due to soaring housing costs. Some hotel workers report commuting hours from areas like Apple Valley, Palmdale, California City and Victorville. The union is looking to create a hospitality workforce housing fund, in addition to better wages, healthcare benefits, pension and safer workloads. Their contracts expire June 30, and the union could call for a strike as early as July 4th weekend. If so, it would be the largest hotel worker strike in modern US industry.
City Council approves new union rights for city workers, paving way for contract negotiations
Nola.com
By Sophie Kasakove
June 22, 2023
In a victory for New Orleans labor rights advocates, unionizing city workers on Thursday gained the right to sit down at the bargaining table with members of Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration to negotiate over pay, worker protections and other benefits under a new law passed by the City Council. The ordinance, which was passed unanimously, will require the administration to meet with union officials representing city employees, and potentially police officers and firefighters, to hash out collective bargaining agreements.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Firefighters swing into action: How a golf tournament helps keep Altoona kids warm in winter
WJAC
By WJAC Staff
June 22, 2023
International Alliance of Firefighters members from across the state participated in a golf tournament Thursday to raise money for “Operation Warm.” “It’s all about the children,” explains Pat Miller, the president for IAFF local 299. “To be able to see a kid with their coat, that we know we handed them, it makes the firefighters here in Altoona appreciate all the hard work we do to make sure that we raise the funds to make sure that those kids have a warm coat in the wintertime.”