Today's AFL-CIO press clips
POLITICS
Kamala Harris WI visit; 1st rally since presidential campaign launch
Fox 6 Milwaukee
By Zoe Chipalla and FOX6 News Digital Team
July 23, 2024
Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale: "Following a unanimous AFL-CIO endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president, Wisconsin union members proudly welcome Vice President Kamala Harris back to Wisconsin. Vice President Harris has been a true partner in leading the most pro-union administration in history. Kamala Harris is a champion of worker organizing and strong unions. With President Harris, we can build on the legacy of the Biden-Harris administration to create good union jobs, provide meaningful economic opportunity to all workers, and make our economy work for all of us. United, together, Wisconsin workers are ready to defeat Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and their devastating anti-worker Project 2025 agenda this November."
Harris piles up delegate pledges and union endorsements
People’s World
By John Wojcik and Mark Gruenberg
July 23, 2024
Meanwhile, the coveted labor endorsements continued to pile up with the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation representing more than 10 million workers, adding its full-throated endorsement of the Harris campaign. The federation’s Executive Council unanimously endorsed Harris yesterday. The move frees up the labor federation’s people power—its big weapon—and voluntary contributions from union members for Harris’s campaign. Four years ago, unionists made millions of phone calls and even did some door-knocking for the Biden-Harris ticket which was curtailed, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
AFL-CIO Unanimously Endorses Kamala Harris for President
Insider NJ
By Staff
July 23, 2024
Following a vote of its Executive Council, which represents 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, yesterday the AFL-CIO unanimously endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election. “From day one, Vice President Kamala Harris has been a true partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in history,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
American Federation of Musicians Endorses Kamala Harris for President
The Hollywood Reporter
By Caitlin Huston
July 23, 2024
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The union’s backing comes after a unanimous vote of the U.S. members of the AFM International Board, and what they see as the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to labor. This follows President Biden’s decision not to seek reelection and his subsequent endorsement of Harris. The New York-based union represents professional instrumental musicians in orchestras, bands, clubs and theater, as well as musicians working on film, television, commercials, and sound recordings.
Unions rally round Harris as Trump makes populist appeal to workers
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
July 23, 2024
US unions have begun to rally round Vice-President Kamala Harris as Democrats and Republicans gear up for a fight over the labor vote in November. The unions who have rallied to Harris so far are keen to see a continuation of the Biden administration’s strong record of union support. Biden has been touted as the most pro-union president ever, and became the first sitting president to walk a picket line during the United Auto Workers strike last year. Harris, too, has been a vocal union supporter and is already racking up endorsements.
TRANSPORTATION
Airplane Manufacturer Says One Pilot Enough, Ttd Explains Why It’s Not (Listen)
America’s Workforce Union Podcast
July 22, 2024
Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the problems with the claim by Airbus that their new planes can be flown with only one pilot. Regan also discussed a Project Labor Agreement for a high-speed rail project and a labor shortage for ferry workers in Washington.
Witness list set for House subcommittee hearing on rail safety
Trains.com
By Trains Staff
June 22, 2024
The Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure has released the list of witnesses scheduled to appear in its Tuesday hearing on railroad safety — and no one representing a railroad or rail-industry group is among the seven people on the agenda. The hearing, “Examining the State of Rail Safety in the Aftermath of the Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio,” is set for 2 p.m. ET in room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The committee says it will “review and discuss actions taken in response to the Norfolk Southern derailment … by the federal government and the freight railroad industry.” Live video of the hearing is slated to be available here.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Culinary Union pushes for eliminating sub-minimum wages, taxes on tips
News 3 LV
By Matthew Seeman
July 23, 2024
The Culinary Union said Monday it's calling on Nevada elected officials to support a federal ban on sub-minimum wages and taxes on tips. The influential labor group said that while workers in Nevada law bans a sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, more than 1 million workers in the U.S. earn at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. "It is outrageous that over a million workers in this country are not guaranteed a fair minimum wage in 2024," Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in a statement. "Employers across the nation need to take responsibility for paying a real minimum wage and [Congress] must ensure it."
ORGANIZING
For the first time since it was founded in 1870, The Salt Lake Tribune has a union
Utah Business
By Staff
July 23, 2024
With overwhelming support across the newsroom, leadership at The Salt Lake Tribune agreed to voluntarily accept the petition from the Salt Lake News Guild to form a union, marking the first time in the publication’s 154-year history that employees will be unionized. “This is a watershed moment for The Tribune and its employees,” members of the guild organizing committee said. “As a nonprofit newsroom, our first commitment is to informing our community. The journalists and production team are the lifeblood of The Tribune and there is no question that readers will benefit when we are organized and our work is respected and valued.”
NEGOTIATIONS & STRIKES
Video game performers move closer to strike as SAG-AFTRA negotiations stall over AI
Los Angeles Times
By Christi Carras
July 23, 2024
Video game actors are inching closer to a walkout as performers union SAG-AFTRA and the top video game companies struggle to reach a deal on contract terms related to artificial intelligence. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced over the weekend that its national board has granted its national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the authority to call a strike if the union cannot obtain a settlement with the companies. The announcement comes nearly a year after more than 30,000 union members voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike while bargaining for a new Interactive Media Agreement.
Autoworkers at Lear Seating Plant in Wentzville strike for safer working conditions
KSDK
By Mercedes Mackay and Tracy Hinson
July 23, 2024
Nearly 500 autoworkers in Wentzville fought for safer conditions and better pay. Workers from the Lear Seating Assembly Plant are on strike. The union vice president told 5 On Your Side they walked off the job because they feared their health and safety were being put at risk daily. Tuesday afternoon, UAW Local 282 President Bill Hugebeck elaborated on those health concerns: "We have several repetitive injuries, such as carpal tunnel, elbows, backs."
'Cut green beans, not benefits': Union workers at Hanover Foods authorize strike
Evening Sun
By Harrison Jones
July 23, 2024
Union workers at Hanover Foods authorized a strike if the company cannot agree on a new contract by the end of the month, according to a release by the union. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, the union that represents nearly 300 workers at the Hanover Foods plants, issued a release Monday saying workers voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike in the event that a contract cannot be agreed on by Aug. 2, 2024. The most recent labor contract for the workers expired at the end of 2023, the union said, and workers are continuing to work under an extension of the contract.
Merced County employees vote to authorize strike as contract negotiations continue
Merced Sun Star
By Andrew Kuhn
July 22, 2024
More than 90% of county employees represented by the AFSCME Local 2703 labor union have voted to authorize a strike if Merced County leaders and union representatives fail to reach an agreement after months of failed negotiations.
Baltimore-area Shoppers grocery workers ratify union contract that boosts pay, benefits
Baltimore Sun
By Lorraine Mirabella
July 23, 2024
Unionized workers at seven Baltimore-area Shoppers stores have agreed to a new two-year contract that boosts wages, benefits and workplace safety. Most of the 400 workers represented by Towson-brd UFCW Local 27 voted in favor of an agreement with higher pay scales and top-of-scale raises of $2.20 per hour over two years, the union said. The employer also agreed to no out-of-pocket cost increases or other changes in health care and to a fully funded pension plan.
SPORTS UNIONIZATION
NFL, NFLPA have begun discussions on a potential 18-game season
The Washington Post
By Mark Maske
July 23, 2024
The NFL Players Association has engaged in high-level discussions with the NFL about the potential implementation of an 18-game regular season, the NFLPA’s executive director said. Lloyd Howell said during a meeting Monday with Washington Post reporters and editors at the NFLPA’s headquarters in D.C. that the talks between the union and the league have not yet progressed to formal negotiations. But the discussions between the two sides, which have not been previously reported, indicate that the latest pursuit by the league and team owners of an 18-game season has moved beyond the hypothetical stage.
Disneyland worker explains why she and her colleagues are unhappy at Happiest Place on Earth
NBC Los Angeles
By Hetty Chang and Xuanjie Coco Huang
July 22, 2024
As thousands of Disneyland workers continue to negotiate with Disneyland over several issues including higher pay with a possible looming strike, a veteran employee explained Monday why she and her coworkers are preparing to walk off the job. Coleen Palmer, who has been working for the theme park’s gift shops for 37 years, said, although she loves her job, it’s becoming increasingly harder for her to afford things with her wages, including the very products she sells. "I love interacting with kids. I see what it does to them. That brings me joy, too,” Palmer said. “I still want to know that I don't have to worry about what to give up this month to pay rent.”
WGA East members at Pineapple Street Studios overwhelmingly ratify new contract with Audacy
Editor & Publisher
By Staff
July 23, 2024
Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Pineapple Street Studios, owned by Audacy, overwhelmingly ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. The 22-member Pineapple Street Studios bargaining unit includes the producers, editors, engineers and staff who make award-winning podcasts such as “Classy,” Wondery’s “Ghost Story,” Paper Kite’s “Million Dollar Advice” and HBO’s “Succession Podcast.”
NLRB
Lear, facing strike in Missouri, gets letter from GM that prompts UAW to file NLRB complaint
Detroit Free Press
By Jamie L. LaReau
July 23, 2024
General Motors told Lear Corp. on Tuesday that Lear is in breach of its contract with GM by not supplying the seats needed to keep GM's assembly line going at the Wentzville Assembly plant in Missouri, where GM makes its profitable midsize pickups and cargo vans, according to a person familiar with the situation. The notification came in the form of a letter after GM was forced to idle the factory on Monday because about 500 workers at the nearby Lear Wentzville facility went on strike at midnight Sunday. That was when their contract expired without a new tentative agreement with the company. The Lear plant supplies the seats for GM's vehicles made at Wentzville Assembly, which remained idled again on Tuesday.
IN THE STATES
Local labor leaders rally to re-elect Sen. Sherrod Brown
Herald-Star
By Christopher Dacanay
July 23, 2024
Officials with several local labor unions rallied Monday to support the re-election of Sen. Sherrod Brown, citing the Democrat’s record of supporting Ohio workers. The rally was a local stop in the “Workers for Sherrod” statewide tour ahead of the Nov. 5 general election, which will see Brown vie against Republican nominee Bernie Moreno. Chair of the Senate Banking Committee, Brown has been a senator since 2007 and serves alongside Sen. J.D. Vance, who is now the vice presidential pick for former president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump. A businessman from Westlake, Moreno’s campaign was endorsed by Trump in December.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
After letter carrier's slaying, co-workers say Postal Service is failing to deliver on safety
Chicago Sun-Times
By David Struett
July 22, 2024
The brazen slaying of a letter carrier in Chicago last week has her fellow postal workers fuming. Many gathered Monday to demand police find the killer of Octavia Redmond, a 48-year-old grandmother and wife of a letter carrier. The letter carriers also criticized the United States Postal Service for not protecting them.