Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
MUST READ
Ford, UAW reach tentative deal to end labor strikes
CNBC
By Michael Wayland
Oct. 25, 2023
″We told Ford to pony up and they did. We won things nobody thought was possible,” UAW President Shawn Fain said during a video posted online Wednesday night. He said the value of Ford’s offer increased by 50% compared to when the targeted, or “stand-up,” strikes began Sept. 15.
JOINING TOGETHER
AFL-CIO: Stands in solidarity as Wisconsin Watch workers launch union drive
Wis Politics
By Staff
Oct. 25, 2023
Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, released the following statement of solidarity as rank-and-file staff of Wisconsin Watch, the non-profit newsroom, announce the formation of the Wisconsin Watch Union with the NewsGuild-CWA. “We proudly stand in solidarity with the workers of Wisconsin Watch as they seek union rights and representation with the NewsGuild-CWA,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO. “Wisconsin workers are speaking up and taking action to build better workplaces with dignity and respect on the job. Working people are standing together to organize unions in their workplaces in order to build a fair and just economy that works for all. We look forward to supporting Wisconsin Watch workers through the process of organizing a union and securing a first union contract.”
Hotel workers union hold massive rally in downtown LA amid contract talks
ABC 7 Eyewitness News
By Sid Garcia
Oct. 25, 2023
Striking hotel workers and their supporters, numbering in the thousands, marched through downtown Los Angeles Wednesday in the union's largest single-day labor action since rotating work stoppages began in early July. Participants in the march organized by Unite Here Local 11 gathered Wednesday morning at Pershing Square, and the crowd quickly swelled, with many people being dropped off by buses. In a statement Tuesday, union officials said the march would include workers from 50 hotels, although it was unclear exactly how many different hotels were actually impacted.
United Auto Workers union and Ford reach tentative labor agreement
CNN Business
By Vanessa Yurkevich and Chris Isidore
Oct. 25, 2023
A bruising 41-day strike at Ford is near an end as the United Auto Workers and its largest employer have reached a tentative deal to return 16,600 strikers to the job within days and pay workers at least 25% more between now and 2028. But the strike will continue at America’s two other unionized automakers, General Motors, the nation’s largest car company, and Stellantis, which builds vehicles in North America under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler names. The 29,000 UAW members there will stay on strike until their companies agree to a similar package to the one reached with Ford.
SAG-AFTRA Reschedules Bargaining Session, Saying Union Needs More Time for Response to Latest Offer
Variety
By Gene Maddaus
Oct. 25, 2023
The planned Wednesday bargaining session between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was pushed back a day after the union told management it needed more time to respond to the latest offer put on the table. The sides had been expected to meet today at SAG-AFTRA headquarters in Los Angeles. The sides are now expected to meet on Thursday, as SAG-AFTRA confirmed in a short statement to members sent Wednesday evening. “Our committee spent today reviewing the latest AMPTP counter offer. We will be meeting across the table with the CEOs tomorrow,” the union’s negotiating committee wrote.
Students Vote to Form Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union in Landslide Election
The Harvard Crimson
By Cam E. Kettles
Oct. 25, 2023
Harvard’s non-academic student workers voted overwhelmingly to unionize with all but one ballot in favor after the initial vote tally. The win comes after nine months of organizing by the Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union-United Automobile Workers, joining a small handful of undergraduate unions across the county. Out of 154 accepted votes, 153 votes were in favor of the union. Votes were counted immediately after the two-day voting period concluded Wednesday at 4 pm. While the preliminary count is decisively in favor of unionizing, the result is not final until certified by the NLRB. Both parties can file objections to the tally in the next seven days.
Coffee By Design employees form union
News Center Maine
By News Center Maine Staff
Oct. 25, 2023
Baristas at Coffee By Design in Portland have officially unionized. A news release Wednesday from Local 327 of the Laborer's International Union of North America (LIUNA) announced paperwork has officially been filed by Coffee By Design management to recognize Local 327 as a collective bargaining agent and to begin contract negotiations immediately.
SAG-AFTRA Negotiations Rescheduled for Thursday
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Oct. 25, 2023
Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood studios have been rescheduled for Thursday after the performers’ union decided to take more time to offer responses to the companies’ latest proposals. Thursday’s face-to-face gathering will see SAG-AFTRA responding to the companies’ offers after what sources describe as a lackluster return to negotiations on Tuesday.
IN THE STATES
AFL-CIO leader: How you vote shapes your community, local, appellate court races matter (Opinion)
Erie Times-News
By George Piatecki
Oct. 24, 2023
The upcoming municipal elections will be headlined by contests to fill four vacancies at different levels of Pennsylvania's judicial system. Contested races at the county, municipal, and school board level will also be decided in the Nov. 7, 2023, election. While municipal elections may not garner the same attention and the same turnout as presidential and gubernatorial elections, it is important for all individuals to let their voices be heard in this election. Every vote counts; every election matters.
Kentuckiana Electrician and Training Center offering tuition-free training program
WLKY
By Sam Carter
Oct. 25, 2023
In Louisville, The Kentuckiana Electrician and Training Center seeks to fill that need by offering a tuition-free 4-year training program. The Training Center is affiliated with the local IBEW 369, which students join when they graduate. Applications are accepted all year. There is a similar program in Lexington.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
New Memorial Honors Victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Smithsonian Magazine
By Teresa Nowakowski
Oct. 25, 2023
Until recently, a bronze plaque was the only marker indicating that the building at the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place was the site of New York City’s deadliest workplace disaster prior to the 9/11 attacks. On March 25, 1911, 146 workers—mostly young women, many of whom were immigrants—died when a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Stymied by a broken elevator, a collapsed fire escape and a locked exit, many fell and jumped to their deaths on the sidewalk almost ten stories below. Now, over a century later, the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition, an organization of victims’ relatives and labor organizers, has unveiled a memorial honoring the victims of the fire and the tragedy’s role in the labor rights movement.
Toledo Firefighters Local 92 donates $5,000 to UAW Local 12
WTOL 11
By Kristy Gerlett
Oct. 25, 2023
Outside of the Toledo Firefighters Local 92 headquarters in downtown Toledo is a large sign that reads "SOLIDARITY WITH UAW." Forty-one days into the United Auto Workers strike against the Big Three, UAW Local 12 is continuing to ask for donations, and Local 92 responded with a big one. "We believe strongly that we are stronger together, so we are always going to support our union brothers and sisters," said Local 92 president Matt Tabb. "I sympathize with them and understand where they're coming from. We're fully in support of their activities right now."
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
Houston postal workers lead rally calling for end to assault on letter carriers
Fox 26
By Sherman Desselle
Oct. 25, 2023
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) is leading a rally at the North Shepherd Post Office on Thursday evening. NALC aims to raise awareness of the growing trend of assaults and robberies targeting letter carriers in the Houston area. The gathering, titled "Enough is Enough," also seeks to demand an immediate halt to the incidents as their members deliver mail to the residents and businesses.