Today's AFL-CIO press clips
POLITICS
How Donald Trump Worked to Destroy America’s Labor Unions
Wilson County News
By Lawrence S. Wittner
June 17, 2024
Although Donald Trump has been eager to garner support from American labor unions for his re-election campaign, there are lots of reasons he’s not going to get it. Chief among them is his record in sabotaging the nation’s labor movement. During his decades as a wealthy businessman, Trump clashed with unions repeatedly. And, upon becoming President, he appointed people much like himself―from corporate backgrounds and hostile toward workers―to head key government agencies and departments. Naturally, an avalanche of anti-union policies followed.
TRANSPORTATION
Mass Transit
By Staff
June 17, 2024
The U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition unveiled a roadmap with guidance on how to launch a high-speed rail project. The first-of-its-kind action plan is intended to equip advocates with practical tips, realistic expectations and strategic support as they work to launch new high-speed train projects in their regions. “High-speed rail lines are complex megaprojects with unique challenges,” said Bernard Cohen, senior advisor for planning and operations at Alternate Concepts Inc., as well as former Massachusetts Department of Transportation secretary and the principal author of the roadmap. “We’ve created a practical guide that demystifies what’s involved in launching a new high-speed rail project.”
APPRENTICESHIPS/TRAINING
Iron Workers Local 396 apprentices place 2nd, 3rd in regional competition
Labor Tribune
By Staff
June 17, 2024
Congratulations to Iron Workers Local 396 apprentices Evan Leake and Josh Hake on earning 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the Iron Workers St. Louis and Vicinity District Council Apprenticeship Competition held at Iron Workers Local 46 in Springfield, Ill. “You made all of us at 396 proud,” the union shared.
JOINING TOGETHER
Actors’ Equity Union Goes on Strike Over Developmental Contracts
The Wrap
By Jacob Bryant
June 17, 2024
The Actors’ Equity Association will cease issuing contracts on developing live theatre work after negotiations for a new contract stalled. Equity and the Broadway League began negotiations on a new contract for the Development Agreement at the end of January and the current agreement expired on February 11. The talks broke down following “unacceptable” wage package offers according to a statement released by Equity Negotiating Team chair Stephen Bogardus.
Courant reporters ratify first union contract
Hartford Business Journal
By Skyler Frazer
June 17, 2024
Reporters from the country’s oldest continuously published newspaper have ratified their first union contract, The Hartford Courant Guild announced. The Hartford Courant Guild, which was formed by newsroom reporters in Feb. 2019, and seven other Tribune publications owned by hedge fund Alden Global Capital have ratified a new, five-year contract that includes a 3% raise this month and another 3% raise next year. The contract also includes protections for existing 401(k) matches and job security initiatives, according to information from the guild.
Food 4 Less workers to resume talks with company
CBS8
By City News Service
June 17, 2024
Negotiations are set to resume today between Food 4 Less and the union representing its approximately 6,000 workers, three days after employees finished voting overwhelming to authorize a strike. Food 4 Less has 15 stores in the Los Angeles area and is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., which also owns Ralphs. There are four locations in San Diego. The chain has stores a the Hazard Center, Market Creek Plaza, McGrath Center and University Square.
Actors’ Equity Ceases Development Contracts As Negotiations With Producers Stall
Deadline
By Greg Evans
June 17, 2024
Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, will cease issuing contracts for work on productions in development as negotiations with the Broadway League have stalled. “We never wanted it to come to this,” said Equity Negotiating Team Chair Stephen Bogardus in a statement, “but the wage package put across the table by The Broadway League was just plain unacceptable. Our members cannot afford to work on this contract at the proposed compensation levels over the next five years.”
Providence, nurses prepare for largest nurses strike in Oregon history
KGW8
By Sydney Dorner
June 16, 2024
More than 3,000 nurses across six different Providence Health facilities plan to strike on Tuesday. Nurses claim they are overworked, understaffed and underpaid, and the strike is a way to push for better conditions after the pandemic took so much out of them. "There was a lot of frustration. Folks were feeling like Providence was not hearing them," said Myrna Jensen from the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA). "The folks at the table were not listening when we said we need to have these things."
UAW members at GM's joint venture battery plant in Ohio approve contract
Detroit Free Press
By Reuters
June 17, 2024
UAW workers at the Ohio plant that supplies battery cells for General Motors electric vehicles have overwhelmingly approved a new contract. The workforce at Ultium Cells, which is a joint venture between GM and South Korea-based battery company LG Energy Solution, voted to unionize in December 2022, five months after the facility started production. The contract, which won 98% approval, will pay production workers $35 an hour by October 2027. UAW President Shawn Fain had praised the tentative agreement, which was announced last week. Workers voted over from 5 a.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Sunday.
SLUH nurses call rally to demand a fair contract
Labor Tribune
By Tim Rowden
June 17, 2024
Joe Barrios, Labor representative for National Nurses United (NNU/NNOC), which represents the nurses at SLUH, said nurses have been bargaining in good faith to reach a contract agreement but management has refused to provide meaningful cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and offered an insulting retention bonus that nurses would have to wait four years to receive. “Management came back with a very, very disappointing economic proposal,” he said.
STATE LEGISLATION
Top 5 Labor stories from the 2024 legislative session (Opinion)
Labor Tribune
By Jake Hummel
June 17, 2024
A lot happened in Jefferson City this session. While this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, here are five of the biggest Labor stories from the 2024 legislative session that every union member should be aware of: 1. We preserved the initiative petition process! Protecting citizens’ access to the ballot was our No. 1 priority this session, and with the help of a 50-plus hour filibuster by Senate Democrats, we got it done! The ability of Missouri citizens to bring an issue to the statewide ballot is an important check on politicians. We used a variation of that when 67 percent of the state told politicians they were wrong to pass (so-called) “right-to-work,” and they wanted it blocked. We’ve seen Missourians use the initiative petition process to raise the minimum wage, expand healthcare coverage and ban lobbyist gifts in Jefferson City. Keeping the initiative petition process was a huge win for union workers in Missouri.
IN THE STATES
Union leaders rally Monday ahead of City Council meeting on Stadium of the Future renovations
News4Jax
By Brianna Andrews
June 17, 2024
The Jacksonville City Council has three meetings on its calendar Monday and all three have agenda items related to the $1.4 billion renovation plan for EverBank Stadium. Ahead of the main meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, where the public is invited to share input on the deal, union leaders will gather to make sure their voices are heard when it comes to the development. In a message to members, the North Florida Labor Council encourages everyone to attend a news conference at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall, 117 West Duval St., before the special city council meeting on the stadium. The labor council says its leaders will be demanding workforce development as part of the stadium deal.
State Senator Nikil Saval Arrested At Rally For Workers
India West Journal
By India-West News Desk
June 17, 2024
State Senator Nikil Saval was arrested during a rally protesting Aramark’s treatment of Philadelphia stadium workers. The rally, on June 12, organized by the labor union Unite Here, aimed to highlight the poor wages and inadequate healthcare benefits provided to concessions workers at Philadelphia’s major sports venues. “The labor of Unite Here workers is a crucial part of what makes Philadelphia great,” Saval said in a statement following his arrest. “They work year-round—in the blistering cold, in the sweltering heat—to ensure Philly’s residents and visitors enjoy the best possible experiences. And in return, Aramark has repeatedly devalued their labor, leaving them forced to choose between feeding their families, keeping their homes, or seeking potentially lifesaving medical care. I refuse to let my constituents be mistreated by a wealthy corporation that gets richer every year from exploiting their labor. Their fight is my fight. I’m with them until they’re paid the wages and benefits they deserve.”
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
Insulators Local 1’s Ashley Cougill wins national tradeswomen award
Labor Tribune
By Sheri Gassaway
June 17, 2024
Ashley Cougill, an Insulators Local 1 journeyman, has been honored with a Tradeswoman Hero award from the North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU). The second-generation Insulator currently serves as an executive board member for Local 1. She’s also head of the Women’s Committee for the Midwest States Conference. She has also served as trustee for Local 1. ‘AN INSPIRATION’ “I’m nominating her because of her continued dedication to Local 1, Organized Labor and the advancement of women’s rights in the construction industry,” said Mike Ferguson, a Midwest international Insulators organizer. “I believe that she is a model union member and an inspiration to women who work in the building trades.”
Four members of IBEW Local 1 appointed to St. Louis County Boards
Labor Tribune
By Staff
June 17, 2024
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has appointed four members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 to St. Louis County boards that maintain electrical standards. Each new member was selected for their knowledge and prowess in the electrical industry. Dawn Puto, a 30-year electrician with IBEW Local 1 and full-time instructor at the IBEW/NECA Electrical Training Center, was named to the Board of Electrical Examiners. She fills the requirement to have a skilled electrician on the board. The board oversees qualifications and provides examinations for applicants seeking electrical licenses. Meanwhile, Sabrina Westfall, Mark Green and Bill Clements have been appointed to serve the Electrical Code Review Committee, which considers proposed changes to the St. Louis County electrical code.
CIVIL, HUMAN, AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS
Free Alabama Movement fights to abolish prison slavery
People’s World
By Erica Meade
The dry Alabama heat hung in the air as activists and organizers from across the Southeast gathered down the road from St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville, Ala., on May 18. For some, it was their first time, but for others in organizations such as the Tennessee Student Solidarity Network, it was one of many rallies they had attended outside this Alabama prison. The reason for this rally was similar to the many that had preceded it: to demand an end to the state’s work release program, which many unions are calling modern-day slavery. In December 2023, ten former and current inmates filed a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) and several public officials including Gov. Kay Ivey. The convicts do not stand alone in their lawsuit, with labor unions such as the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW) signing onto the suit as well.