POLITICS
The Labor Nominee Making Sure Staffers Get Home for Bedtime
The Cut
By Andrea González-Ramírez
Aug. 7, 2023
As the head of the U.S. Department of Labor, acting secretary Julie Su oversees nearly 17,000 civil servants who are tasked with strengthening labor rights. Su, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, has spent her entire career fighting for workers. She started out as a civil-rights lawyer, and her anti-sweatshop work earned her a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2001. She moved into government after 17 years as a litigator. Su served as California’s labor commissioner from 2011 to 2018 before becoming the state’s labor secretary in Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration. Then, in 2021, she was tapped to join the Labor Department as deputy secretary. Su was nominated for the top job following the departure of former Labor secretary Marty Walsh earlier this year.
JOINING TOGETHER
Memphis Bakery Workers seek public support for 2-month strike
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
Aug. 7, 2023
Bakery Workers Local 399G members in Memphis, Tenn., forced to strike at the start of June for respect and against their profitable employer’s demand for no overtime pay and health care benefit cuts, are going public with their struggle with the firm, International Flavors and Fragrances. “I’m striking because of unfair negotiations and the right to an honest living for an honest day of work,” lead production operator Cornelius Moore, an 11-year veteran, told BCTGM. “I’m fighting for the younger generation of workers because I have a young family and my nieces, nephews, and younger sister are employed at this same plant. “I’m striking for fair wages and a fair day of work,” added Brad King, a maintenance specialist for five years. “I’m fighting for all the employees who, like me, went to work during Covid (the coronavirus) and made the company record profits. The company came to negotiations and basically spit in our faces.” BCTGM President Anthony Shelton reported International Flavors and Fragrances is worth $12 billion. But it demands workers forgo overtime pay—pay mandated by federal law—and pay more for their health insurance “without regard for the well-being of the hardworking men and women who make the product supplied to global giants like Nestle and Abbott Manufacturing, among others.” Shelton praised Local 399G members “for taking a strong stand against this company’s greed.”
San Jose city workers vote in favor of three day strike
CBS Bay Area
By Staff
Aug. 7, 2023
Thousands of unionized city employees in San Jose voted overwhelmingly in favor of a three-day strike, representatives of the union confirmed at a press conference in front of City Hall on Monday. Nearly 4,500 workers are prepared to walk off the job from August 15 to 17 after months of negotiations between the city and International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21 and the Municipal Employees' Federation-American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 101, the unions representing the striking city workers said. The vote, held last week, resulted in 99% of unionized workers approving the strike.
AFSCME Council 31 members ratify contract with Illinois
St. Louis Labor Tribune
By Elizabeth Donald
Aug. 7, 2023
AFSCME Council 31, the largest union of Illinois state employees, has ratified its new contract with the state after voting overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement. Negotiators for the state and Council 31 reached a tentative agreement on July 1. Labor leaders then met with locals throughout the state over the past two weeks to review and vote on the terms. “AFSCME members care deeply about serving their communities,” said AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch.
Marvel Studios VFX Crews Seek To Unionize With IATSE
Deadline
By David Robb
Aug. 7, 2023
Visual effects crews at Marvel Studios today filed for a unionization election with the National Labor Relations Board, with a supermajority of Marvel’s more than 50-worker crew having signed authorization cards saying they want to be represented by IATSE. “We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of solidarity that’s breaking down old barriers in the industry and proving we’re all in this fight together,” said IATSE President Matthew Loeb. “That doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Entertainment workers everywhere are sticking up for each other’s rights, that’s what our movement is all about. I congratulate these workers on taking this important step and using their collective voice.”
IN THE STATES
State Issue 1 campaigns make final push for voters ahead of high-stakes Aug. 8 election
Cleveland.com
By Andrew J. Tobias
Aug. 7, 2023
Among the canvassers who saw Ryan speak were Alexander Fraizer and Brittany Gilliam, both members of the United Food and Commercial Workers’ Columbus chapter. Fraizer, a Kroger grocery store employee, said many voters have brought up the abortion issue at their doorstep, while a few also cite a potential 2024 ballot issue to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Election Day is Tuesday. Here's how Ohio Issue 1 advocates are making their final pitch
The Columbus Dispatch
By Haley BeMiller
Aug. 7, 2023
“We’ve got to finish strong," Ohio AFL-CIO president Tim Burga told volunteers campaigning against Issue 1 in Whitehall on Sunday. "We’ve got today, tomorrow and Tuesday, and we’ve got to leave it all on the table, leave it all on the field, and drive this thing home."