MUST READ
Unions Put More Money in the Pockets of Black Folks
Word in Black
By Bria Overs
Sept. 8, 2023
“The union movement is the equalizer,” Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, says. The AFL-CIO represents 12.5 million workers internationally. “The fact of the matter is that the Black middle class was essentially built by the labor movement,” Redmond says. “What we see is that people are fed up, including Black workers, by not being able to share in the wealth they help create on these jobs every day.”
JOINING TOGETHER
Unionized Wood River workers prepare for contract vote, strike possible -union
Reuters
By Reuters Staff
Sept. 11, 2023
Unionized refinery workers at Phillips 66's (PSX.N) 356,000 barrel per day Wood River refinery in Roxana, Illinois, are preparing to vote on a final contract proposal with the refiner, according to union leaders on Monday. About 370 operators in the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399 will be voting on whether to accept the proposal on Wednesday evening, union officials said. The union has been in federal negotiations with the refiner since earlier this summer.
Philly Orchestra players reject a new contract as their old one expires
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Rita Giordano
Sept. 11, 2023
“The results of this vote send a clear message that Philadelphia’s musicians stand together and will not accept anything less than a fair contract,” said Holly Blake, orchestra contra-bassoonist and member of Local 77 of the American Federation of Musicians’ negotiating committee. “We have been bargaining in good faith with our management, whose decision to suddenly end negotiations on Friday and thrust an offer on the musicians was both insulting and demoralizing. Today we made clear that we are more unified than ever, and stand together for the future of the orchestra.”
There’s still no end in sight for the Hollywood strikes
NBC News
By Chloe Melas and Daniel Arkin
Sept. 11, 2023
The unions representing Hollywood’s striking screenwriters and actors remain miles apart from the big studios on key issues, meaning that the majority of entertainment productions are still on hold and most rank-and-file members remain out of work. The battle pits the two unions — the Writers Guild of America and the actors guild, SAG-AFTRA — against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a trade group that bargains for the major studios and streaming services. (The group represents NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.)
Deadline
By David Robb
Sept. 11, 2023
A bill that would provide unemployment insurance to striking workers in California passed the state Assembly on Monday and now is headed to the Senate Labor Committee and then to the Senate floor. If passed there, Senate Bill 799 would go to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.
Metro Transit employees vote to authorize strike
KSTP
By Kyle Brown
Sept. 11, 2023
Metro Transit workers voted to authorize a strike by an overwhelming margin Monday as they continue to negotiate a new contract. Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 — which represents bus drivers, rail operators, mechanics and other Metro Transit employees — cast their votes on Sunday and Monday; 94% favored a strike. Union members could begin picketing 10 days after filing a strike notice with their employer. ATU Local 1005 says it is pushing for a cost of living adjustment in its new contract and that negotiations have been ongoing since March. The union’s most recent contract expired at the end of July.
Chicago Tribune
By Steve Sadin
Sept. 11, 2023
Flexible scheduling for nurses at the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center was included in the three-year union contract approved in May, and the nurses consider it a necessity to provide the quality care the patients need. Monica Coleman, a registered nurse and the local director of National Nurses United working at the Lovell health care center, said Monday helping the nurses achieve an appropriate work-life balance is critical so they are in peak condition at all times. “We need enough time off between shifts so (we) are fresh and don’t make mistakes which can have serious consequences,” Coleman said.
Striking Nurses Rally In Essex County Outside Home Of Hospital CEO
Patch
By Eric Kiefer
Sept. 11, 2023
A large group of unionized nurses and their supporters rallied outside the suburban home of Robert Wood Johnson CEO Mark Manigan last weekend in Essex County, the latest turn in an ongoing, increasingly bitter labor dispute at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.