MUST READ
60 years after the March on Washington, let’s recommit to the fight for justice (Opinion)
Afro News
By Fred Redmond
Aug. 26, 2023
Sixty years ago this month, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered perhaps his most famous speech to a quarter of a million people. He told the crowd that he dreamt of a day where “this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed,” where his children “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
JOINING TOGETHER
Workers give union leaders okay to call strike against automakers next month
The Washington Post
By Jeanne Whalen
Aug. 25, 2023
Members of the United Auto Workers edged closer to a strike with 97 percent voting to give their leaders permission to call a work stoppage at the Big Three automakers after their contract expires on Sept. 14, if contract negotiations don’t succeed before then, the union announced Friday.
Tufts University resident assistants' union authorizes strike on move-in day
CBS News Boston
By CBS Boston
Aug. 27, 2023
The union representing resident assistants at Tufts University is authorizing a one-day strike. The strike would happen on Tuesday, the same day students move in. United Labor of Tufts Resident Assistants (ULTRA) is represented by Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153.
Autoworkers Vote to Authorize Strikes if Negotiations Fail
The New York Times
By Neal E. Boudette
Aug. 25, 2023
The United Auto Workers union said on Friday that 97 percent of its members had voted to authorize strikes against General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis if the union and companies were unable to negotiate new labor contracts. The result gives the union’s president, Shawn Fain, the power to tell workers to walk off the job once the current contracts expire on Sept. 14.
University of Michigan grad student employees ratify new deal after historic strike
CBS Detroit
By Meredith Bruckner
Aug. 25, 2023
Members of the University of Michigan's Graduate Employees' Organization have ratified a new three-year contract with the administration, bringing a five-month strike to an end. Members of the union rallied on campus on Friday before marching to Rackham Graduate School to hold a press conference. The grad workers walked off the job on March 29, demanding a living wage and better benefits.
Labor unions are pushing hard for double-digit raises and better hours. Many are winning
CNBC
By Michael Wayland and Leslie Josephs
Aug. 27, 2023
From writers’ rooms to car factories, workers are pressing companies for higher pay and better quality of life. Many are willing to walk off the job to get there, and some are winning. Emboldened in the wake of shifting job security and grueling conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic, skyrocketing company profits, inflation, a decades-high approval rating for labor unions and growing disparity between worker pay and executive compensation, more workers across industries have taken a hard stance against companies for dramatic improvements in compensation and working conditions.
IN THE STATES
Jill Biden to headline Chicago Federation of Labor event in Chicago Wednesday
Chicago Sun-Times
By Lynn Sweet
Aug. 25, 2023
First Lady Jill Biden hits Chicago on Wednesday afternoon to headline the annual pre-Labor Day event sponsored by the Chicago Federation of Labor, part of a Midwest swing next week. The federation reception, in McCormick Place, will provide a venue for the first lady to deliver a White House tribute to organized labor, one of the strongest parts of the Democratic base. Chicago is a union city and the CFL, led by president Bob Reiter, is the third-largest central labor council of the national AFL-CIO.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Kansas AFL/CIO hosting annual golf tournament for Boys & Girls Clubs of Kansas
WIBW
By Melissa Brunner
Aug. 25, 2023
A state labor union is joining together to support opportunities for young people. Their annual golf tournament benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kansas is about to tee off. John Nave, executive vice president of the Kansas AFL - CIO visited Eye on NE Kansas to share details and invite people to sign up. Nave said the union started golf tournament when they realized many of its members used the Boys and Girls Clubs’ programs for their own children, particularly before and after school care. They decided to launch a fundraiser to support the organization.
Centre County organizations showcase what they do for those in need
WTAJ
By Tristan Klinefelter
Aug. 26, 2023
A chance to showcase charity organizations and give insight into daily operations of three Centre County organizations. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and Volunteer Centre County teamed up for the AFL-CIO annual community services institute conference. Members from across the state came to the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center. “Labor has always been at the forefront of community service,” President of Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Angela Ferritto said. “This is really one of the pillars that we operate under. It’s a big part of our programming and we’ve always wanted to be giving back to the communities. We want our communities to have a vibrancy.”
Fellow unions launch food drive to express solidarity with striking Hollywood actors, writers
ABC7
By Rob Hayes
Aug. 25, 2023
Organizers behind a food drive focused on the Hollywood strikes call the effort another example of solidarity as local unions band together in the wake of massive production shutdowns. The drive was organized by local International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and Teamster chapters, with help from charities like the Los Angeles Food Bank. Handed out to members of any unions affected by the strikes were packages of every day necessities.