Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
JOINING TOGETHER
WGA, studios to resume negotiations Wednesday
CBS Los Angeles
BY KCAL-News Staff
Sept. 20, 2023
A new round of negotiations is set to begin Wednesday between striking writers and Hollywood studios. Protestors gather outside the Netflix studios Wednesday morning, ready to spend another day on the picket lines to show solidarity while negotiations are underway. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike for 140 days, without much progress with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Writers are hoping that the agreement to return to the table means that the AMPTP realizes that the cost of the strike is too great and that it needs to come to an end.
UAW Local 862 to host rally in support of striking workers
WAVE
By Quenton Robertson
Sept. 20, 2023
UAW Local 862 is hosting a rally to show solidarity and support to striking UAW workers, according to a release. UAW Local 862 President Todd Dunn will speak at the rally and will be joined by UAW Region Eight Director Tim Smith and Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan, event organizers said. The rally will start at 6 p.m. in front of the LAP Union Hall (Ron Gettelfinger Hall) on Thursday, Sept. 21. Dunn said the rally does not mean local plants will strike, but it is still on the table.
Louisville Ford plants host rally amid ongoing UAW nationwide strike. What to expect
Courier Journal
By Olivia Evans
Sept. 20, 2023
It has now been one week since the UAW launched a strike against all three Detroit automakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which owns the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat brands — for the first time in the union's 88-year history. The action came after the Detroit Three automakers failed to reach an agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW — the union representing roughly 150,000 autoworkers nationwide — before the contract expired at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14. Now, just one day before the UAW International President Shawn Fain announces the second wave of striking plants, UAW Local 862 in Louisville, representing 12,000 workers at the Ford Louisville Assembly Plant and the Kentucky Truck Plant, is hosting a rally at the LAP Union Hall, 3000 Fern Valley Road, at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 "to show solidarity and support to striking UAW workers," according to a news release from UAW Local 862.
City of Seattle employees rally as union negotiations continue
KING 5
By KING 5 Staff
Sept. 20, 2023
City of Seattle employees held a rally Tuesday afternoon as the Coalition of City Unions (CCU) continues negotiations over a new labor contract with city leaders. Workers are pushing for what they call an "equitable contract" with the city. The CCU represents over a dozen unions with workers in Seattle, including PROTEC17, LiUNA/Laborers Local 242, AFSCME Council 2, Local 104, Seattle Dispatchers Guild, Sheet Metal Workers Local 66, IIBEW Local 46, IAM District 160, Teamsters 117, Teamsters 763, IATSE Local 15, Painters/IUPAT District Council 5, IIUOE Local 302, and UNITE HERE! Local 8. Tuesday marked a year since negotiations began according to the union. CCU said in a release that despite Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell attending a recent negotiation session following a walkout, the two sides remain far apart in negotiations.
Metro Transit union authorizes strike
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
By H. Jiahong Pan
Sept. 20, 2023
Ninety-four percent of Metro Transit drivers, mechanics, cleaners and customer service agents voted on September 10 and 11 to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike. The authorization to call a strike comes as their union, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, negotiates a new three-year contract with Metro Transit to replace one that expired at the end of July. Over the past year, members have been rallying for a wage increase equivalent to the cost of living, plus one percent. Metro Transit reportedly countered with an offer that entails a three percent raise in the first year, plus a two percent raise in each of the following two years.
Perry County Steelworkers could go on strike soon if good faith negotiations don't resume
WSIL TV
By Paul Wilcoxen
Sept. 20, 2023
Steelworkers in Perry County have been working without a contract since Monday. They say they're ready to strike if negotiations don't resume quickly. "I'm not the only one that feels insulted by it as well,” said Local United Steelworkers Union vice president Marshall Dodds. Negotiations started in June between Local Steel Workers Union 7252 and representatives for the Eaton Corporation on a new contract. Those negotiations didn't last long.
Thousands of health care workers authorize strike at Kaiser Permanente
WUSA 9
By Matt Pusatory
Sept. 20, 2023
About 4,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente voted to approve a strike on Monday. Workers who are part of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 are moving closer to a strike over what they call unfair labor practices. This comes on the heels of nearly 65,000 SEIU members in Colorado, California, Oregon, and Southwest Washington voting to authorize a strike at Kaiser Permanente in the past two weeks.
YOUNG WORKERS
Is Gen Z the reason behind growing support for unions?
WXYZ Detroit
By Peter Maxwell
Sept. 20, 2023
This year appears to be the year of the union, with organized labor showing its power in a big way. From actors and writers in Hollywood, to the UAW, to grad students at the University of Michigan, unions have been making their voices heard. These unions are also getting serious support. According to a recent Gallup poll, 67% of Americans approve of labor unions. In a recent AFL-CIO poll, 88% of people under 30 view unions favorably, as do 91% of Democrats, 69% of Independents and 52% of Republicans.