Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
MUST READ
Detroit Casino Council says talks 'down to core issues' as strike nears one-month mark
The Detroit News
By Candice Williams
Nov. 15, 2023
Union leadership released the update ahead of a rally Wednesday evening outside MotorCity Casino attended by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. She also attended a rally Oct. 19 in Detroit with striking casino workers, autoworkers and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employees, the latter of whom have been on strike since Sept. 13.
POLITICS
Tucsonans urge Rep. Juan Ciscomani to avoid a government shutdown
KGUN9
By KGUN 9 News Staff
Nov. 14, 2023
"We're here to remind our congressman that we cannot use our veterans as a pawn in this game," Ryan Kelly, an organizing specialist for the Arizona AFL-CIO, told KGUN 9. "A lot of people don't realize that, you know, federal workers, of course, span the country and over a third of those workers are veterans themselves. And so when we have a government shutdown, we're hurting veterans directly," said Kelly.
JOINING TOGETHER
Kettering, firefighters’ union agree on three-year contract
Dayton Daily News
By Nick Blizzard
Nov. 15, 2023
A union for Kettering firefighters has reached a tentative three-year contract with the city that includes 2.5% raises each year. The deal with the International Association of Firefighters Local 2150 was approved by Kettering City Council on Tuesday night in a 6-0 vote. Union members have ratified the agreement, City Manager Matt Greeson said.
IATSE has an appetite for a strike ahead of contract negotiations
KCRW
By Steve Chiotakis
Nov. 15, 2023
As the dust settles in Hollywood in the wake of the recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, many behind-the-scenes workers are preparing for their own potentially rocky union negotiations next year. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) represents tens of thousands of below-the-line workers, including grips, sound mixers, animators, set builders, and more. IATSE’s worker contract is set to expire in July and members are pushing for a better work agreement. “We may work at the dream factory, but it's still a factory,” says Nora Meek, an animation storyboard artist, writer, and member of IATSE. “We still deserve all of the coverage and all of the benefits.”
Vermont Historical Society workers ratify first contract a year after forming their union
Vermont Biz
By Staff
Nov. 15, 2023
Exactly one year to the day after they requested voluntary recognition of their union, the workers at the Vermont Historical Society have ratified their first union contract. The Vermont Historical Society joins libraries in Burlington, Essex, Kellogg-Hubbard, Middlebury, Rutland and Springfield as the number of libraries in the state whose workers formed unions through AFSCME Council 93 continues to grow.
Delta Air Lines workers rally in Atlanta for labor union, rights
WABE
By Marlon Hyde
Nov. 15, 2023
Dozens of union organizers and Delta Air Lines workers held signs and chanted during a rally outside of the IBEW Building in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. Members of The Teamsters, the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM), and the Association of Flight Attendants were also in attendance. “Multiple groups of people have come together to help us win this election. So we are just trying to make life better. We just want better,” said ramp worker Amanda Goodman Berry, who has been with the company for over 25 years.
Emerson resident assistants file to unionize
The Berkeley Beacon
By Hannah Nguyen
Nov. 15, 2023
Emerson resident assistants representing campuses in Boston and the Netherlands announced Monday their intention to unionize, joining the wave of unionizing movements among RAs in Massachusetts. On Monday, nearly 100 students marched to the Office of Housing and Residential Education and the office of President Jay M. Bernhardt at 9 a.m. to deliver a letter requesting voluntary recognition. The college is expected to respond by the end of the day on Nov. 16. If the college declines the request, the RAs will take the matter to a vote with the National Labor Relations Board.
LightHouse workers vote to unionize
Mission Local
By Yujie Zhou
Nov. 15, 2023
By a 50-22 vote, workers at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired voted overwhelmingly to form a union, organizers said today, marking the formation of perhaps California’s first union serving visually impaired workers. The union will represent about 90 workers from the LightHouse’s five Northern California locations, about half of whom were either blind or visually impaired, according to the union. The union will be affiliated with the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 29, which also represent workers at nonprofits including GLIDE, Compass, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.
IN THE STATES
Proposed child labor enhancement bill would put migrant workers at risk, experts say
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
By Cassie Miller
Nov. 14, 2023
Angela Ferritto, president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, told the committee that safe and healthy working conditions are “critically important for children, who are especially vulnerable to long-term harm from hazardous or exploitive work environments that damage their health, well-being or access to education.”
Maine's number of registered apprentices has doubled since last year
News Center Maine
By Sam Olsen
Nov. 15, 2023
This week is National Apprenticeship Week, and when it comes to building a career, an apprenticeship could be a good first step. The Maine Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Program has registered more than 850 apprentices this year, up from about 460 last year, according to its director, Joan Dolan. "The job of the U.S. is a little different of Africa," Essohouna said. "I want to get more experience in construction." He started in a four-week pre-apprenticeship program and is now an apprentice working in the Carpenters Union. "I could tell right away he knew what he was talking about, but he just needed certain certifications," Sam Boss, the Maine AFL-CIO's Apprenticeship and Workforce equity director said. Boss said the pre-apprenticeship program especially helps to get more people from underrepresented backgrounds into careers in building and construction trades.