POLITICS
How Democrats flipped the script in House special
Politico
By Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin
Feb. 14, 2024
Democrat Tom Suozzi is heading back to the House. His victory over Republican Mazi Pilip to replace the scandal-scarred George Santos is a relief for Democrats, who can point to a clear victory in a bellwether suburban House seat. And the state’s AFL-CIO said union volunteers logged more than 200,000 voter contacts in the race. New York is among the most unionized states in the nation, and the results on Tuesday are a sign the unions’ muscles are still in good shape this election year.
ORGANIZING
UFCW Local Leads Fight to Win Washington's Strongest Tenant Protections
Labor Notes
By Ty Moore
Feb. 12, 2024
Grocery and retail workers helped win the strongest tenant protections in Washington state last November for the 100,000 renters in the city of Tacoma. First we had to beat the mayor’s and city council’s attempt to bring a competing watered-down ballot measure. And then we had to overcome a vicious and deceptive landlord opposition that smashed all previous political spending records in Tacoma. “We’ve created incredible goodwill in the community just as we gear up for a tough contract fight,” said Michael Whalen, who helped initiate the campaign as a dairy clerk and shop steward at Fred Meyer.
UArts faculty ratify first contract in school’s history
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Susan Snyder
Feb. 14, 2024
Faculty at the University of the Arts by a near unanimous vote ratified their new contract, which runs through June 2026, their union announced Wednesday. It’s the first faculty contract in the school’s nearly 150-year history. Nearly 90% of the 300 faculty members voted, and of those, 99% voted yes, according to the United Academics of Philadelphia (UAP), AFT Local 9608, the union that UArts faculty joined in 2020. The university’s board of trustees approved the agreement earlier this week.
Here’s Why Thousands Of Flight Attendants Are Threatening To Strike
Forbes
By James Farrell
Feb. 13, 2024
With a participation rate of roughly 93%, Alaska flight attendants represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) voted 99.48% in favor of authorizing a strike, amid the flight attendants’ negotiations with Alaska Airlines for a new contract.
No matter what happens next, unionizing at ZeniMax worked (Opinion)
Polygon
By Autumn Mitchell
Feb. 14, 2024
Not very long ago, I was one of the thousands of video game workers feeling gnawed on by this competitive, volatile industry. It felt like things were quickly becoming unsustainable. But something happened. During this round of layoffs, I felt something in addition to the familiar sadness and dread: I felt empowered. When I first joined ZeniMax in 2022 as a part-time QA contractor, it was immediately apparent that there were cultural and systemic issues in the department and in the industry. The pay was scandalously low, and there were no clear pathways to professional development or promotion.
MCA becomes latest Chicago museum to form union
Chicago Sun-Times
By Amy Yee
Feb. 14, 2024
Employees at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago are forming a union and joining a wave of labor organizing among cultural workers in the city and across the U.S. in recent years. MCA employees on Wednesday announced their new union with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31.
Student Dining Hall Workers at Smith Vote to Unionize
The Amherst Student
By Alicia Xin
Feb. 14, 2024
The dining hall student workers at Smith College successfully unionized on Feb. 1 after an effort spanning several semesters. In a 66-1 vote, 99 percent of the eligible employees voted in favor of forming the union, the United Smith Student Workers (USSW), which is affiliated with the Office and Professional Employees International Union.
Titaníque Backstage Workers Unionize With IATSE
Playbill
By Logan Culwell-Block
Feb. 14, 2024
Six crew members working for Off-Broadway's Titaníque have unanimously voted to unionize with theatrical union IATSE. The National Labor Relations Board election, held February 9, makes their union status official irrespective of voluntary recognition (or lack thereof) from the production. The move is part of a growing trend in Off-Broadway theatre, whose backstage workers are currently largely non-union, unlike their Broadway counterparts. Results of Titaníque's vote arrived as the industry awaits the results of a similar move from backstage workers at Atlantic Theater Company.
JOINING TOGETHER
REI workers win union vote at ninth location
Modern Retail
By Melissa Daniels
Feb. 13, 2024
Workers at a ninth REI location have voted to unionize, this time in Indianapolis, Indiana. And while none of the units have secured a contract yet, the win is another victory for the worker-led labor movement that is cropping up in retail stores. National Labor Relations Board records show the vote held Friday came in 27-17, indicating an approval rate of 61%. The store is located in Castleton, one of the largest and busiest shopping areas in the state.
Workers at LAX and LA Grand Hotel launch strikes over wages, staffing
Los Angeles Daily News
By Kevin Smith
Feb. 14, 2024
Labor unrest erupted at two Southland locations Wednesday, Feb. 14 as LAX food and beverage workers launched a three-day strike over wage concerns, and LA Grand Hotel workers also walked off the job, demanding higher wages and increased staffing. The actions highlight a wave of union activity that has swept Southern California in recent years as employees at restaurants, hotels and healthcare facilities rally for wages allowing them to keep pace with the region’s soaring housing costs. The LA Grand’s 40 cooks, housekeepers, dishwashers and other hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 11 earn a minimum wage of $20 to $25 an hour, depending on the job and tenure.
Actors’ Equity To Leaflet Broadway-Bound ‘Smash’ Workshop Warning Of Possible Strike
Deadline
By Greg Evans
Feb. 14, 2024
Actors’ Equity will hand out leaflets outside a workshop of the Broadway-bound Smash musical this week, “warning of the possibility of a strike” in light of ongoing negotiations with the Broadway League regarding compensation for work on shows in development. Equity President Kate Shindle is expected to be in attendance when the union leaflets the Smash developmental workshop Thursday morning and Friday afternoon outside the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
IN THE STATES
States Are Cracking Down on a Key Union-Busting Tactic
More Perfect Union
By Staff
Feb. 14, 2024
This year, Illinois may soon join them, with a bill called the Worker Freedom of Speech Act. The bill is a top priority for both the state AFL-CIO as well as Sen. Robert Peters, the bill’s primary sponsor and the chair of the Senate Labor Committee. (Rep. Marcus Evans, the House Labor and Commerce Chair, has introduced an identical bill in the House of Representatives.)
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Unions Play Crucial Role – in My Family and Others’ (LTE)
The Sand Paper
By Kylie Roberts
Feb. 14, 2024
This past year witnessed a renewed enthusiasm for and interest in labor movement action, such as the New Jersey nursing union strike at Robert Wood Johnson and national attention for the United Auto Workers and writers and actors in Hollywood. However, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 10% of American workers are union members.
People’s World
By Bryesen Cooper
Feb. 14, 2024
The first thing most people think about when they hear the word “fashion” isn’t labor unions. Likewise, when people hear about labor unions, they normally don’t think about fashion. Yet, the two are inextricably connected via one key link: working-class people. I recently interviewed Justine Medina, a Cuban-American woman, activist, and rank-and-file organizer for the Amazon Labor Union at the JFK8 Amazon Fulfillment Center in Staten Island, N.Y. She helped clarify what unions do and why they’re important.
WAGE THEFT
‘It has really gotten out of hand’: wage theft rampant in US construction
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
Feb. 14, 2024
For years, Cristian Céspedes worked as a foreman for a construction contractor, Unforgettable Coatings, in Las Vegas, where he and his co-workers often worked over 60 hours a week without overtime pay. He recalls having to tell workers who were injured on the job that they had to deal with the injury and pay for medical care themselves. He knew the treatment and conditions imposed on himself and his co-workers were wrong, but he didn’t know he could do anything about it.