Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
POLITICS
California congressman offers bill to allow striking workers to collect unemployment pay
Los Angeles Times
By Queenie Wong
Oct. 24, 2023
The political fight over whether workers on strike should be allowed to collect unemployment benefits is reigniting in Washington. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who is running for Senate, is planning to introduce legislation on Tuesday that would provide unemployment benefits nationwide to workers on strike. Most states don’t allow striking workers to collect unemployment with the exception of New York and New Jersey. Eligibility requirements and the amount of weekly unemployment pay also varies by state. Under the Empowering Striking Workers Act of 2023, workers would be able to collect unemployment pay after two weeks on strike, according to a draft of the bill viewed by The Times. Workers would also be eligible for unemployment benefits starting on the date a lockout begins, when the employer hired permanent replacement workers or if the worker becomes unemployed after a strike or lock-out ends, whichever is earlier.
JOINING TOGETHER
Hotel-workers' union planning big march Wednesday amid contract talks
CBS Los Angeles
By KCAL-News Staff
Oct. 24, 2023
The union representing thousands of hotel workers in the Los Angeles area is planning a large march in downtown L.A. Wednesday, with workers from "dozens more" hotels joining workers already striking five hotels, a spokeswoman for the union said Tuesday. Maria Hernandez, a spokeswoman for Unite Here Local 11, told City News Service that the union -- which has been staging strikes on a revolving basis, a handful of hotels at a time, since July -- would on Wednesday hold its most widespread action to date.
Strike threat looms as 3 SEPTA unions seek new contracts
NBC Philadelphia
By Hayden Mitman
Oct. 24, 2023
The largest union that represents SEPTA workers -- Transit Workers Union Local 234 -- has authorized a strike if a contract deal can't be reached by the end of October. And, in a statement released Monday, TWU Local 234 President Brian Pollitt warned that talks -- that began this week -- are "going nowhere fast." “The TWU bargaining team will continue to negotiate in good faith. However, the clock is ticking and if there is no agreement by midnight on October 31st our members gave us the green light to strike," Pollitt said in a statement.
Actors, studios to resume talks Tuesday; first lady Jill Biden expresses support for SAG-AFTRA
ABC7
By AP
Oct. 24, 2023
Negotiators for the SAG-AFTRA actors union and Hollywood studios will try again Tuesday to end the crippling strike that began July 14, as the sides resume talks that broke off nearly two weeks ago. "As we mark the 100th day of our strike, we are pleased to confirm the company executives have asked us to return to the table. Official negotiations will resume on Tuesday, October 24th," the union posted Saturday on social media.
US unions winning big gains amid ‘Great Reset’ in worker power
The Guardian
By Steven Greenhouse
Oct. 24, 2023
Workers are feeling not only rising expectations, but also rising frustration and anger, seeing corporate profits and CEO pay soar, while their pay has often failed to keep up with inflation. The United Auto Workers, before going on strike a month ago against GM, Ford and Stellantis, kept hammering the point that auto workers’ hourly pay has trailed inflation by 19% since 2008, while CEO pay has jumped by 40%. The union’s initial bargaining proposal was for a 46% raise, far more than the union won from Detroit’s automakers in 2019 – a four-year contract with raises of 3% in the second and fourth years and a 4% lump sum (but no raise) in years one and three.
Fairfax Connector workers seek pay raise, better sick leave in new contract
FFX Now
By Angela Woolsey
Oct. 24, 2023
Negotiations over pay, benefits and working conditions are underway for hundreds of Fairfax Connector employees. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 presented an initial proposal on Oct. 13 for a contract that would cover 546 members who work for Fairfax County’s bus system to Transdev, the company that operates the transit service, the union said in a press release yesterday (Monday).