Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
MUST READ
Blue Cross, UAW reach tentative deal to end strike
Detroit Free Press
By JC Reindl
Nov. 28, 2023
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan announced late Tuesday that it has reached a tentative contract agreement with the UAW that would bring an end to a strike involving more than 1,000 Blue Cross workers. The Blues issued a statement saying several phone calls over the past week between Blue Cross CEO Daniel Loepp and UAW President Shawn Fain resulted in a verbal agreement for a deal. The deal is to be formalized Wednesday and later ratified. The Blue Cross workers have been on strike since Sept. 13 and would stay on strike until ratification. Their jobs include customer service, billing, claims and maintenance.
JOINING TOGETHER
New York City Ballet and Its Orchestra Reach Contract Deal
The New York Times
By Javier C. Hernández
Nov. 28, 2023
After months of wrangling, New York City Ballet and the union representing its musicians announced on Tuesday they had reached a deal for a new contract. The three-year contract, which is expected to be ratified by members of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, includes an increase in compensation of about 22 percent over three years, a central demand of the musicians, who had argued that they were underpaid because of salary cuts made during the pandemic.
City of Columbia water distribution workers will soon join LiUNA Local 955 union
KRCG
By Mark Slavit
Nov. 28, 2023
City of Columbia water distribution workers will soon join a union. Union leaders with LiUNA Local 955 said they made significant strides with city leaders during Tuesday’s negotiations. Some Columbia water distribution workers wanted to join Local 995 for better wages and working conditions. Water distribution workers requested that the city recognize their attempt to join the union in July. City leaders didn’t start negotiations until September. Union leaders hoped to finalize a bargain agreement with the City of Columbia by the end of the year. LiUNA Local 955 Representative Andrew Hutchinson said, “The city is willing to have a discussion on how we can move these workers into the collective bargaining agreement in a way that is equitable, that transitions them, and does not disadvantage them.”
Union for Fairfax Connector workers blasts pay proposal as contract nears expiration
FFX Now
By Angela Woolsey
Nov. 28, 2023
Fairfax Connector’s operator and workers remain far apart in their negotiations for a new labor contract, says the union representing drivers and other employees of Northern Virginia’s largest public bus system. Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 accused contractor Transdev of “clearly not [being] serious about bargaining in good faith” in a strongly worded statement issued last Wednesday (Nov. 22), just before Thanksgiving.
Ascension Seton nurses will strike again next week
KVUE
By Britny Eubank
Nov. 28, 2023
Unionized nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin plan to strike again next week. Ascension Seton said Tuesday that National Nurses United (NNU) issued the hospital a notice of intent to strike for one day starting at 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Last week, the union delivered a two-week strike notice to hospital management. The nurses have claimed for months that management is not providing them with the necessary equipment and resources they need to take care of patients.
Area union reports progress in Columbia Water Workers’ salary negotiations with city
ABC 17
By Mitchell Kaminski
Nov. 28, 2023
The City of Columbia and LiUNA Local 955 continued negotiations over the city's water distribution workers' salaries on Tuesday with the union saying that progress was made. The two sides met at the Columbia Convention and Visitors Center at 1:30 p.m. with negotiations lasting over an hour. According to the union, the negotiations will impact 23 of the city's water distribution employees.
Disney's remote animators seek to join union for higher pay
Reuters
By Reuters Staff
Nov. 28, 2023
Ten of Walt Disney's (DIS.N) animation workers who operate remotely across six U.S. states are seeking to unionize, the Animation Guild said on Tuesday. The workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board for an official union election and sought representation by the Animation Guild and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). "Artists and writers who do the same work for the same studios should have the same rights and standards on the job, regardless of where they live," Animation Guild organizer Ben Speight said in a statement.
IN THE STATES
Joaquín Rodríguez is WSLC’s new Racial & Gender Justice Director
The Stand
By Staff
Nov. 28, 2023
Joaquín Rodríguez has been named as the Director of Racial and Gender Justice for the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. This role was created to support the WSLC’s Race and Labor work as set forth by the council’s affiliated unions since 2015 — and reaffirmed through the transformational work of the previous and inaugural director, Kasi Perreira — that the labor movement in Washington state is dedicated to dismantling racial, gender, and economic oppression. It is our collective responsibility to work toward racial and gender justice in our movement.
UNION BUSTING
Legoland trying to deter ride techs’ bid to unionize, workers say
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
Nov. 28, 2023
Lego play sets have captivated children and adults alike for decades, but engineers at Legoland California are dealing with blocks of a different kind: opposition from management and hired union avoidance consultants trying to deter their bid to formally unionize. Ride technician engineers at Legoland in Carlsbad, California, filed for a union election to join International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), District Lodge 947 in September. They await a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board on accepting their bargaining unit, and permitting the election to be scheduled.