Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
Kamala Harris will be a president for the labor movement – and for working women
The Guardian
By Liz Shuler
Nov. 1, 2024
The 6.6 million union women in this country – nearly half of today’s labor movement – know an ally when we see one. We know we have one in Kamala Harris. As president of the AFL-CIO, representing 60 unions across the United States in every sector of the economy, I’ve crisscrossed the country seeing our union members get out the vote for Harris in this election. So many of us – whether we’re retail workers, caregivers, teachers, nurses, construction workers or in any line of work – see in vice-president Harris’s story something that mirrors our own.
POLITICS
Kamala Harris faces challenges matching Biden's labor union support
Reuters
By Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose
Oct. 31, 2024
If elected, Harris would make U.S. history as the first female and second Black president, and sexism and racism have been seen as a hurdle to her winning. Liz Shuler, president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO, said enthusiasm for Harris is strong overall but sexism is likely undermining support for her in some unions. "Let's be honest, there are people who look at a female candidate and at face value dismiss her because, you know, she's perceived as not being presidential," she said. "No one questions Donald Trump in that way." Finding these men at home can be a challenge and the AFL-CIO is addressing the problem instead by visiting men at their job sites, where chances of a conversation to address their concerns are much higher, she said.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Audrey Carleton
Oct. 31, 2024
But now, with the presidential election just days away, the fate of those initiatives — and the money and tax credits they generate — may well be settled at the ballot box in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, which will help determine whether Trump gets a second shot in the White House or Vice President Kamala Harris becomes Biden’s successor.
Kamala Harris says Trump will cut health programs if reelected
Reuters
By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland
Oct. 31, 2024
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris warned voters on Thursday that Republican Donald Trump and his allies would scale back healthcare programs if he wins the White House and said his comments at a Wednesday rally were offensive to women. In a brief press conference, Vice President Harris reminded voters that former President Trump had tried unsuccessfully to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, during his 2017-2021 presidency.
How Harris and Trump's stances on Medicare compare for 2024
CBS News
By Alexander Tin
Oct. 31, 2024
The future of Medicare, America's sweeping health insurance program for older adults, continues to come up on the campaign trail from both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump during this final stretch leading up to the 2024 presidential election. This year's voting comes at a time when the 67.5 million Americans enrolled in Medicare plans are starting to see significant changes, largely resulting from the Inflation Reduction Act that Vice President Kamala Harris cast a tie-breaking vote for in 2022. Harris has touted the law's more generous prescription spending benefits for seniors, which Biden administration officials say have not resulted in feared premium spikes or cutbacks for most drug plans.
It’s working people vs. billionaires — and a few of those pesky bugs — at union GOTV rally
Pittsburgh Union Progress
By Steve Mellon
Oct. 31, 2024
Weingarten was in town as part of her union’s get-out-the-vote bus tour, which stopped by the AFT’s Pittsburgh headquarters on the South Side on Wednesday to rally for all those union volunteers who’ve been beating the pavement for the Harris/Walz ticket. Before heading inside, however, Weingarten stood beside a blue charter bus with “AFT Votes” emblazoned on the side (a second line read: “Progress is Possible”), and offered her take on how things are playing out in what we’re hearing is the most important election of our lifetimes.
Kamala Harris says Trump’s comments on women are ‘offensive to everybody’
The Guardian
By The Associated Press
Oct. 31, 2024
Kamala Harris said on Thursday that Donald Trump’s comment that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not” showed that the Republican presidential nominee does not understand women’s “agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies”. “I think it’s offensive to everybody, by the way,” Harris said before she set out to spend the day campaigning in the western swing states of Arizona and Nevada.
ORGANIZING
New union petitions up sharply in Ohio, outpacing most of the Midwest, NLRB reports
Cleveland.com
By Zachary Smith
Oct. 30, 2024
Workers in Ohio and the rest of the United States increased their efforts to unionize in the last year, more than doubling union petitions with the National Labor Relations Board, according to data from the federal agency released earlier in the month. From October 2023 to September 2024, Ohio union petitions increased by 226% from three years earlier.
Dold Foods workers file for union election
Meat + Poultry
By Rachael Oatman
Oct. 31, 2024
Workers at the Dold Foods plant in Wichita, Kan., a subsidiary of Hormel Foods, filed for union election on Oct. 29. According to the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union Local 2, the official filing followed a barbecue hosted by the workers on Oct. 26 and a demonstration to management a few days later asking for voluntary recognition of the union. After management denied recognition, the workers filed for union election.
NEGOTIATIONS & STRIKES
Boeing, union reach sweetened contract offer in bid to end strike, vote scheduled for Monday
CNBC
By Leslie Josephs
Oct. 31, 2024
Boeing and its machinists’ union have agreed on a new negotiated offer to raise worker pay and potentially end a crippling strike that began almost seven weeks ago with a vote on the new proposal set for Monday. The union urged workers to approve the contract. “In every negotiation and strike, there is a point where we have extracted everything that we can in bargaining and by withholding our labor,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 said Thursday. “We are at that point now and risk a regressive or lesser offer in the future.”
Boeing Reaches New Deal With Union in Hopes of Ending Strike
The New York Times
By Niraj Chokshi
Oct. 31, 2024
Boeing’s largest union said on Thursday that it would hold a vote on a new contract offer, after workers rejected two earlier proposals. The union’s 33,000 members have been on strike since Sept. 13, dealing a damaging blow to the struggling aerospace manufacturer. The offer was negotiated by company and union leaders, with help from Biden administration officials, including the acting labor secretary, Julie Su. In a statement, the union encouraged workers to accept the offer in voting scheduled for Monday.
Striking Boeing workers to vote on 38% pay rise deal on Monday
CNN
By Reuters
Oct. 31, 2024
Striking Boeing workers on the US West Coast will vote on an improved contract offer on Monday, which includes a 38% pay rise over four years and a bigger signing bonus, their union said on Thursday. More than 30,000 factory workers who produce Boeing’s strongest-selling 737 MAX commercial jet and other planes have been on strike since September 13 and have rejected two earlier offers from Boeing. Boeing’s latest offer includes a $12,000 ratification bonus and the reinstatement of an annual bonus scheme that was not included in a previous offer, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a statement.
Benton County workers prepare to strike in mid-November
KLCC
By Nathan Wilk
Oct. 31, 2024
A union of Benton County staff members is preparing to potentially go on strike Nov. 13. AFSCME Local 2064 said it represents around 200 workers at the county, spanning multiple departments. That's around a third of all Benton County employees. Last week, participating union workers voted to authorize a strike. The move came after months of negotiations with the county on a new contract, which failed to produce an agreement. David Malone, a member of the union’s bargaining team and a county land surveyor, said the administration’s latest offer doesn’t address several of the workers' concerns.
Boston hotel workers expected to sign new deal Thursday
NBC Boston
By Marc Fortier
Oct. 31, 2024
Hotel workers in Boston are expected to vote on a new contract on Thursday. About 765 union workers have been on strike for 24 days. On Tuesday, officials from UNITE HERE Local 26, which represents Hilton hotel workers in Boston, said they had reached a tentative agreement with the company. The union did not immediately share specific details of the Hilton workers' agreement. If all goes as planned and the contract is ratified, employees will go back to work at 4 a.m. Friday.
CWA claims Sony looking to further 'monopoly position' with latest studio closures
Game Developer
By Chris Kerr
Oct. 31, 2024
The Communication Workers of America (CWA) has lambasted Sony over its decision to shutter Firewall Studios and Neon Koi. The labor union said the latest round of layoffs at Sony makes it clear that video game workers must pursue the "security of collective bargaining." "Collective bargaining not only allows workers a seat at the table to bargain for fair compensation, but also a voice on the job to have a say over how workers will be impacted by job cuts," reads a statement.
Boston Hilton Hotel Workers Ratify New Union Contract
WBZ News Radio
By Staff
Oct. 31, 2024
Hundreds more hotel workers in Boston are going back to work after ratifying a new contract, the workers' union announced. UNITE HERE Local 26 said 765 hotel workers at four Boston properties "resoundingly" ratified a new union contract with Hilton Hotels & Resorts Thursday, less than two weeks after the union reached a deal with Omni Hotels & Resorts.
UFCW 555 reaches agreement with Kroger
Northwest Labor Press
By Don McIntosh and Anna Del Savio
Oct. 31, 2024
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 reached agreement on a new set of three-year contracts covering around 4,500 Portland-area Fred Meyer grocery and meat department workers. The terms will apply throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington at Fred Meyer and QFC stores, which are owned by Kroger. The settlement comes two months after the previous contracts expired, and six weeks after a six-day strike. The new collective bargaining agreements raise pay for the most senior employees 50 cents more an hour than Fred Meyer was offering before the strike. In an Oct. 17 joint press release, Fred Meyer and Local 555 said the new agreements deliver “significant wage increases” and give the company “the operational flexibility needed to meet customer demands.” Members ratified the agreements Oct. 23-25.
Workers at 4 Boston Hilton hotels to stop strike, return to work on Friday with new contract
CBS News
By Riley Rourke
Oct. 31, 2024
Workers at four Boston Hilton Hotels will return to work on Friday after ratifying a new contract. The four hotels on strike included Hilton Boston Logan Airport, Hilton Boston Park Plaza, DoubleTree Hilton Boston-Cambridge, and Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites Boston Seaport. The strikes came to a stop on Tuesday, October 29 after the union, Unite Here Local 26 had reached a tentative deal. The contract was ratified on Thursday.
JOINING TOGETHER
John Oliver, Seth Meyers Among 1,250 WGA Members Calling for PBS to Reach Deal With Writers
The Wrap
By Jeremy Fuster
Oct. 31, 2024
A petition signed by more than 1,250 WGA members, including John Oliver and Seth Meyers, has been sent to PBS calling on the public station to engage with the union on key issues after months of stalling. “WGA members have waited since July for WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal to agree to meet — but the PBS employers didn’t come to the table with their proposals or respond to ours until the end of September, for a contract that was supposed to expire on October 9,” reads the petition, which was delivered Thursday morning to PBS management at the start of contract negotiations for the day.
IN THE STATES
Bosses and right-wing politicians team up to oppose Ohio’s Issue 1 anti-gerrymandering referendum
People’s World
By Nicholas Pollock
Oct. 31, 2024
Election Day is approaching fast, and by now much of the public in the Buckeye State has heard the arguments for and against Issue 1, the constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make citizens, not politicians, responsible for redistricting. People from a broad spectrum of groups that support workers and a fair political system have worked tirelessly, canvassing door-to-door to combat the steady flow of misinformation from the opposition. A lot of money has gone into the campaign against Issue 1, but who is behind these donations? A bit of digging turns up the usual suspects, and they are all tied to finance capital and the fascist candidate for president, Donald Trump. Citizens not Politicians – the grassroots, non-partisan coalition that has worked for the passage of the amendment – clearly (and proudly) displays the organizations and businesses that support Issue 1 on their website. Prominent among them are unions, like the AFL-CIO and the International Association of Fire Fighters. Endorsements come from political groups on the left, right, and center and from businesses and faith organizations.