Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
It's Time for a National Monument to Labor Hero Frances Perkins | Opinion
Newsweek
By Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO
Oct. 3, 2024
A monument to Secretary Perkins would stand as a monument not only to our country's history, but also to our future. She believed deep in her soul that "a government should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life." By honoring Secretary Perkins, we can make her legacy a living place that inspires our children and grandchildren, reaffirms our country's commitment to making our union more perfect, and tells our national story in a way that honors the contributions of all working people.
POLITICS
Milwaukee Independent
By Staff
Oct. 3, 2024
This week, a bill is expected to be introduced in Congress to appropriate federal dollars to help replace the antiquated keys with electronic versions that have no value to criminals, require all 93 U.S. attorneys to designate a prosecutor for postal crime, and to review sentencing guidelines for postal crimes, said Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
NV union organizer: Project 2025 threatens labor movement
This Is Reno
By Alex Gonzalez
Oct. 2, 2024
By Alex Gonzalez, Public News Service
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are aiming to appeal to labor groups on the campaign trail, especially in battleground states like Nevada. Christofer Kimes, organizer for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, lives just outside of Reno. He calls northern Nevada the “new Silicon Valley” and supports heavier union presence in the region to foster better wages, worker protections and benefits. Kimes commended the Biden-Harris administration for being pro-union and pointed to policies such as the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act as proof.
LABOR AND ECONOMY
Dockworkers’ union to suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract
AP
By Tom Krisher
Oct. 3, 2024
The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports reached a deal Thursday to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract. The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The temporary end to the strike came after the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement on wages, the union and ports said in a joint statement.
ORGANIZING
McMenamins stagehands to vote on union
Northwest Labor Press
By Cameron Crowell
Oct. 2, 2024
A unit of 60 stagehands at the McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale and the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove will vote this month on whether to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 28. “Workers are asking for representation so they can have predictability about whether and how much they will be working during each season, and [to] afford to live in our region,” said Rose Etta Venetucci, the business representative for IATSE Local 28.
Madison Montessori teachers’ new union might be a Wisconsin first
The Cap Times
By Natalie Yahr
Oct. 3, 2024
The 12-3 vote included all eligible staff from the three schools operated by Toad Hill Montessori Inc. — Toad Hill Children’s House, Toad Hill Toddler House and Blooming Grove Montessori — according to Andy Sernatinger, a business representative with Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 39, which will represent the workers. One vote was challenged by the employer and not counted.
UMWA: More Monongalia County departments want to unionize
WBOY
By Eric Minor
Oct. 3, 2024
On the heels of last week’s vote by the employees of the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office to join the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), local union leaders say other county employees have expressed an interest in organizing. UMWA District 31 Vice President Mike Payton spoke at Wednesday’s meeting of the Monongalia County Commissioners, where union representatives have been present for the past several months.
NEGOTIATIONS & STRIKES
County approves AFSCME contract
New Castle News
By Debbie Watcher
Oct. 3, 2024
Two months before their contract expired, the Lawrence County government workers and the county commissioners agreed on a four-year labor union contract. The commissioners in a 2-0 vote Tuesday ratified a bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employee Local 2902, affecting 74 employees from various departments.
Boeing union calls on new CEO to take reins after striking workers lose health insurance
USA Today
By Allison Lampert and David Shepardson
Oct. 3, 2024
In August, the former Rockwell Collins boss took over the reins of Boeing, which has been rocked by multiple crises this year, including the strike that has hit production of Boeing's strongest-selling 737 MAX jets. "It’s time for the new CEO to truly engage at the proposal-based level and to take the reins from his subordinates who are fumbling critical decisions like this one," said Brian Bryant, president of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Aerospace Workers, which represents the striking workers.
The New Yorker Union Members Unanimously Authorize Strike Ahead of Festival
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Oct. 3, 2024
More than three years ago, The New Yorker‘s unionized employees authorized and threatened a strike during a contentious first contract negotiation that culminated with scores of protestors descending on the Greenwich Village home of Condé Nast executive Anna Wintour days before a deal was ultimately reached. Now, as the labor group is in the middle of negotiating a second contract with mother ship Condé Nast, it is applying similar pressure.
The specialists who authenticate trading cards for eBay are rallying for a union contract
Polygon
By Nicole Carpenter
Oct. 3, 2024
TCGplayer workers, who have been unionized with Communications Workers of America for about a year, told Polygon eBay isn’t paying its hourly workers a fair wage for the work they do; Giacona said their role starts at $16.25 per hour, a number they called insulting for the specialized nature of the job. (They said the other departments, like shipping, tend to be “critically underpaid,” too.) That’s why the union is rallying in Syracuse on Thursday, just after publishing a detailed report on both wages at TCGplayer and the cost-of-living expense of the warehouse’s locale.
IAM members on strike at Molson Coors in Milwaukee
CBS 58
By Staff
Oct. 2, 2024
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Midwest Territory announced a strike at Molson Coors Beverage Company in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Oct. 2. According to a release, 43 IAM members at Molson Coors voted to reject the company's final offer and voted to strike on Tuesday, Oct. 1, as the contract expired at midnight. They said the main issues driving the strike are the wages not keeping up with inflation, as well as work/life balance.
Union machinists strike outside Miller Brewery against Molson-Coors
WTMJ
By Adam Roberts
Oct. 3, 2024
Workers at Miller Brewing in Milwaukee have taken to the picket line after members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers say contract negotiations with Miller’s parent company Molson-Coors have failed. Around 40 brewery machinists have walked off the job, demanding better work-life balance and updated insurance policies.
Airport Concession Workers Win $25 Minimum Wage
The Austin Chronicle
By Lina Fisher
Oct. 4, 2024
After months of fighting for higher pay, airport concession workers employed by Delaware North announced a victory in bargaining this week. The company has agreed to a $25 minimum wage, after 100% of voting workers who are unionized with UNITE HERE Local 23 elected to initiate a strike in August. Many concession workers received their last pay raise in 2022, when City Council increased the minimum wage for all employees of the city or city-contracted businesses to $20/hour. Now, 85% of Delaware North’s 400-plus employees at AUS will make at least $25, and the remaining workforce will have a pathway to $25 within the next year.
Lewiston-Auburn transit drivers ratify first contract with Western Maine Transportation Services
Maine Public
By Ari Snider
Oct. 2, 2024
Drivers with Lewiston-Auburn's Citylink bus service have ratified their first union contract with Western Maine Transportation Services. The agreement, which covers about a dozen transit workers, includes a nearly 13% wage increase over the course of the three year contract, retroactive to the beginning of this year. Andy O'Brien is a spokesperson for the Maine AFL-CIO, which supported the Citylink drivers. He said the transit union is pleased with the terms of the agreement.
JOINING TOGETHER
Postal workers union sounds alarm about USPS staffing, service and election preparedness
PBS
By Geoff Bennett and Azhar Merchant
Oct. 2, 2024
Postal workers are warning of what they call 'substandard performance' by the U.S. Postal Service. The American Postal Workers Union is calling for the public’s help in demanding improved staffing, better customer service and more opportunity for public input. It comes ahead of an election where millions will vote by mail. Geoff Bennett discussed more with union president Mark Dimondstein.
IN THE STATES
Walz campaigns with Fetterman in deep red York County
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
By John Cole
Oct. 2, 2024
Walz flew into Harrisburg International Airport on Wednesday afternoon and was greeted by Fetterman, his wife, Gisele Fetterman, Attorney General Michelle Henry, AFL-CIO Pennsylvania President Angela Ferritto, AFL-CIO Pennsylvania Secretary-Treasurer Maurice Cobb, and Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council President Rob Bair.
Labor Commissioner candidates square off in debate ahead of next month’s General Election
NC Newsline
By Reg Childress and Ahmed Jallow
Oct. 2, 2024
Braxton Winston and Luke Farley have collected competing, if mostly unsurprising endorsements in their contest to lead the state’s Department of Labor. Winston, who it is believed would be the first union member to serve in statewide office, collected the endorsement of the North Carolina Building Trade Council on Wednesday. The organization, which represents about 5,000 tradesman and women, cited the Democratic nominee’s commitment to worker safety and his background as a union member at Tuesday press conference in Raleigh.
AMAZON
Amazon Accused of Union-Busting After Drivers Unionize, NLRB Files Complaint
Bezinga
By Anusuya Lahir
Oct. 3, 2024
On Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charged Amazon.com Inc AMZN, a joint employer of its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) drivers, for failing to acknowledge and bargain with the Teamsters Union. As per the NLRB, Amazon employed multiple unfair labor practices to prevent union activities at a facility in Palmdale, California.