Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
JOINING TOGETHER
Hormel employees to vote on "final offer" union contract
CBS News Minnesota
By WCCO Staff
Sept. 10, 2023
Workers at the Hormel plant in Austin, Minnesota will vote on a final offer from Hormel next week. Their current contract expired on Sunday. "Last week, Hormel gave us their "final offer." They refuse to give us good wages and secure pensions after record company profits. We, the bargaining committee, unanimously recommend a "NO" vote next week. We believe we can win more if we stick together," said a member from bargaining committee for the Austin plan. "As essential meatpacking workers, we were proud to feed America during the pandemic. We made huge sacrifices to keep our communities fed and should be compensated as the heroes we are."
Maryland, AFSCME leaders join forces to fill critical job openings
WBAL
By Tommie Clark
Sept. 10, 2023
Maryland and union leaders came together Saturday to sound the alarm on a staffing crisis. The leaders said thousands of public service jobs need to be filled in the state. "We are trying to fill that gap. There's a crisis in public service right now. There's a lot of vacancies. These are great jobs with great opportunities where people serve their communities," said Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME Maryland Council 3. More than 800,000 jobs in public service are open across the country. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and AFSCME leaders came together to do something about the vacancies in Maryland by hosting a job fair as part of AFSCME's "Staff the Front Lines" bus tour. It's a way for the union to partner with elected officials to recruit and retain essential workers.
Ottawa County Health Department employees unionize
Fox17
By Matt Witkos
Sept. 8, 2023
Ottawa County Health Department employees have formed a union. A representative told FOX 17 they want to protect their fellow workers. A union negotiator says it's because of their county board's actions. "(We want) stability and like the ability to do our jobs," Tom Nieboer, a negotiator with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) said.
Magic Tavern Becomes the Second Unionized Strip Club in the U.S.
Willamette Week
By Rachel Saslow
Sept. 8, 2023
The strippers at Northwest Portland’s Magic Tavern have unanimously voted to unionize with Actors’ Equity Association, making it the second unionized strip club in the country. “I’m over the moon,” says Daphne, a Magic Tavern stripper who helped lead the club’s unionization efforts. “There’s no feeling like hearing, ‘Yes, yes, yes,’ 16 times as they counted the votes.” After Equity certifies the election, it will begin the bargaining process on behalf of the strippers. Equity also represents Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood, Calif., which voted to unionize in May.
IATSE Charters New National Union for Freelance Production Department Workers
The Hollywood Reporter
By Carolyn Giardina and Katie Kilkenny
Sept. 8, 2023
It’s official: IATSE has chartered a new national local, the Production Workers Guild Local 111, created to represent freelance production department workers. The local, which is launching following a successful union card count earlier in the year, will start with an estimated 5,000 TV commercial production workers who work for companies represented by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers. This includes production assistants, production supervisors, assistant production supervisors, line producers and bidding producers on commercial projects.
US school bus drivers strike amid low pay and staff shortages
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
Sept. 8, 2023
The US is facing a series of school bus strikes as the new school year begins. School bus driver shortages and lagging compensation have incited several strikes and raised the prospect of a huge school bus driver strike in New York City. The Amalgamated Transit Union International president, John Costa, argued the nationwide school bus driver shortage is being driven by the nature of the work, low pay and lack of benefits driven by privatization of school bus services where municipalities accept the cheapest contract bids. “That’s what happens with privatization when there is a profit margin, that’s what it’s all about, greed and they take it off the workers’ backs,” said Costa. “The work is very hard. It’s long hours, in the summer sometimes they lose their jobs. A lot of the contracts don’t offer severance over summer like they do with teachers.”
1,900 Philly school cafeteria workers, climate staff have authorized a strike
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Kristen A. Graham
Sept. 10, 2023
Philadelphia School District cafeteria workers and climate staff have authorized a strike. The members of Unite Here Local 634 — 1,900 women and men who work across the district’s 216 schools — voted unanimously Saturday to empower their union leadership to call a strike if it so chooses. The step was announced Sunday by Nicole Hunt, 634′s president. Local 634′s contract expires Sept. 30; the vote represents an authorization, not a strike, and the employees will continue working unless a strike is called.
IN THE STATES
'McDonald's wouldn't pay sick leave:' Asheville workers, AFL-CIO rally for more rights
Citizen Times
By Will Hofmann
Sept. 8, 2023
AFBU has recently campaigned for living wages for local restaurants and cafés, where the unionization of Green Sage Café has been seen as an example for the future of the labor unionization in Asheville, president of the North Carolina State AFL-CIO MaryBe McMillian said.
Gov. Cooper champions union interests, urges 2024 voter turnout at 66th NC AFL-CIO Convention
ABC 13 News
By Kimberly King
Sept. 8, 2023
MaryBe McMillan, president of North Carolina’s State AFL-CIO, introduced the governor and said there were key focus points for the two-day union convention. “We talked about how to organize more workers in North Carolina and all types of jobs and industries,” said McMillan. “We’re seeing a lot more public support for unions than we’ve seen in decades. A lot of working people are fed up, fired up, and they want to get organized to make sure they get better treatment, better wages.”
St. Louis BUD program graduates 30th class of pre-apprentices
Labor Tribune
By Sheri Gassaway
Sept. 8, 2023
Jake Hummel, Missouri AFL-CIO and Missouri Works Initiative president, said now is a great time to get into the construction industry. “You are starting at an exciting time,” Hummel said to the graduates. “There are millions of dollars in construction work coming up with the recent Infrastructure Act. In fact, it’s the highest amount of construction work that I’ve seen in my lifetime.” Recognized as a comprehensive apprenticeship readiness program (ARP) by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), BUD offers enrollees a comprehensive introduction to construction employment by using NABTU’s nationally recognized Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) providing relevant national skills certification training, with a particular focus on job safety. The program is offered at no charge to selected individuals who meet the admission requirements.