LABOR AND ECONOMY
Major strikes in 2023 set 20-year record, Labor Department says
The Washington Post
By Lauren Kaori Gurley
Feb. 21, 2024
American workers led 33 major strikes in 2023, the most in more than two decades, the Labor Department reported Wednesday, as a booming labor market fueled a strong year of activity for unions. In total, 458,900 workers participated in major strikes, defined as involving 1,000 or more workers, according to the Labor Department. That’s more than three times the number of strikes in 2022, according to the agency’s data, which excludes a lot of strikes at smaller workplaces.
ORGANIZING
Vanderbilt Graduate Students Push for Official Campus Union
Nashville Scene
By Eli Motycka
Feb. 21, 2024
Vanderbilt University graduate students have collected hundreds of union authorization cards from colleagues, leaders say — a major step in winning official recognition from the school before the end of the year. Late last year, campus organizers officially associated with the United Auto Workers, which claims more than 400,000 active union members, in hopes of unionizing an estimated 2,200 graduate student workers.
Atlantic Theater Workers Vote to Join IATSE
Broadway World
By Stephi Wild
Feb. 21, 2024
178 crewmembers of the Atlantic Theatre Company have voted in favor of joining The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). This makes them the first group to unionize with IATSE in a major non-profit theater off-Broadway. Two weeks ago, workers at the off-Broadway musical “Titanique” voted unanimously in favor of IATSE representation.
JOINING TOGETHER
UChicago Medicine nurses vote authorize strike as negotiations continue
CBS News
By Jeramie Bizzle
Feb. 21, 2024
Nurses at UChicago Medicine gave union leaders the green light to call a strike. This comes as they continue to negotiate with management. Tuesday's 97 percent strike vote allowed union leaders to call a one-day strike over what they say are understaffing and patient safety concerns. No actual strike has been announced.
Ford, UAW reach contract agreement at Kentucky Truck plant, averting strike threat
ABC News
By The Associated Press
Feb. 21, 2024
Ford Motor Co. and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative agreement on a local contract at the company's largest and most profitable factory, averting the threat of a strike. The union said last week said that nearly 9,000 workers at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville would walk picket lines starting Friday if the contract dispute was not resolved.
After Unionization, Harvard Undergrads are Preparing to Bargain
The Harvard Crimson
By Aran Sonnad-Joshi and Sheerea X. Yu
Feb. 21, 2024
Following a successful vote to unionize last October, the Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union-United Auto Workers has begun preparing for negotiations. HUWU-UAW — which represents both undergraduate and graduate students working in food service, libraries, and offices at Harvard — passed with 153 out of 154 votes in favor of unionizing, joining the growing national wave of undergraduate unionization over the past eight years.
Logan County Commission employees approve union with UMWA
WVOW
By WVOW News
Nov. 19, 2023
Employees of the Logan County Commission voted and approved the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union to represent them. On Thursday, November seventeenth, the Logan County Commission employees overwhelmingly voted in favor UMWA representation in the workplace and to collectively bargain an employee contract.
STATE LEGISLATION
'Fight until our very last breath': Unions rally against bill weakening child labor law
Courier Journal
By Rebecca Grapevine
Feb. 21, 2024
Unions rallied in Capitol on Wednesday against legislation that would weaken Kentucky's child labor laws and allow driverless vehicles on its roads. "We are letting this legislature know that we will fight until our very last breath," said Tim Morris, the executive director of the Greater Louisville Central Labor Council.
IN THE STATES
Michigan revoked its anti-union laws; Wisconsin should too (Ediorial)
The Cap Times
By Cap Times Editorial
Feb. 21, 2024
According to the Economic Policy Institute: “Misleadingly named right-to-work (RTW) laws do not, as some unfamiliar with the term may assume, entail any guarantee of employment for people ready and willing to go to work. Rather, by making it harder for workers’ organizations to sustain themselves financially, state RTW laws aim to undermine unions’ bargaining strength. Because RTW laws lower wages and benefits, weaken workplace protections, and decrease the likelihood that employers will be required to negotiate with their employees, they are advanced as a strategy for attracting new businesses to a state. But EPI research shows that RTW laws do not have any positive impact on job growth.”
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
A. Philip Randolph “Gentle Warrior Awards” Gala marks museum’s 29th anniversary
Chicago Crusader
By Crusader Staff
Feb. 21, 2024
The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum (NAPRPPM) will mark its 29th anniversary by hosting the “Gentle Warrior Awards” Black Tie Gala Fundraiser on Saturday, February 24, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The event will take place at the Wintrust’s Grand Banking Hall, 231 S. LaSalle in Chicago. Returning as celebrity emcee is ABC 7 Chicago personality Hosea Sanders. “As the only museum of its kind in the world, part of our mission is to ensure that we remain labor strong,” said museum’s founder Dr. Lyn Hughes. “There are critical layers to our narrative that ultimately focus on the efforts and sacrifices made by African Americans in the U.S. labor movement and Civil Rights. We proudly enter our 29th year of recognizing these phenomenal individuals while continuing to educate the masses on how their contributions positively impact future generations.”