Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
Trump won, but Labor Movement’s values remain steadfast (Opinion)
Labor Tribune
By Liz Shuler
Nov. 18, 2024
Organized Labor is the path forward. In unions, people have power to build a stable foundation for themselves and their families. To say, “It’s Better in a Union,” is not simply a slogan—it’s the way to level the playing field and create a path to economic security for every working person. The nearly 13 million union members of the AFL-CIO won’t be divided and we won’t back down. We will be there for each other and we will fight every step of the way for every worker in this country, no matter who sits in the Oval Office.
POLITICS
The voters have spoken (Opinion)
Labor Tribune
By Randi Weingarten
The voters have spoken. While we hoped and fought for a different outcome, we respect both their will and the peaceful transfer of power. At this moment, the country is more divided than ever, and our democracy is in jeopardy. On election night, we saw fear and anger win. Over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of “could have, should have, would have.” But the bottom line for most people who voted — and we saw many of them as we crisscrossed the country — was “who will help us improve our lives, the lives of our families and our communities?”
Trump’s ‘DOGE’ commission promises mass federal layoffs, ending telework
Government Executive
By Eric Katz
Nov. 18, 2024
“When it comes to changes in working conditions that could impact union contracts, [the American Federation of Government Employees] takes the position that such changes must be negotiated with the union through the normal collective bargaining process,” said Everet Kelley, president of AFGE, the largest federal employee union. He added that Ramaswamy’s assertion that civil servants are not working in person “is simply not backed up by data and reality.”
LABOR AND TECHNOLOGY
Organized Labor Is Key to Governing Big Tech
LawFare
By Sophia Paslaski
Nov. 18, 2024
The power of organized tech workers, it turns out, rivals that of the government when it comes to effecting change in Silicon Valley. From ensuring AI is not used in warfare to pushing regulation requiring transparency of AI-generated content, a thriving Silicon Valley labor movement could help create the guardrails for Big Tech that are desperately needed.
NLRB
Bosses’ Anti-Union Captive Audience Meetings Are Now Illegal
Jacobin
By Bob Funk
Nov. 18, 2024
On Tuesday of last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that mandatory meetings in which employees are forced to listen to employer diatribes concerning their labor rights are unlawful. The mandatory meetings are often referred to as “captive audience meetings.” Designed to halt union organizing momentum and scare workers into voting against unions, such meetings are a key tactic in bosses’ anti-union playbook and devastating for organizing workers trying to better their lives.
Establishing Workers’ Right Not to Hear Bosses’ Propaganda
The American Prospect
By Harold Meyerson
Nov. 18, 2024
One of the many ways that employers intimidate workers from joining unions is via the captive-audience meeting, in which those workers are subjected to their boss’s arguments against their unionizing. Employers require their workers to attend these meetings; not attending may be, depending on the boss’s mood, grounds for being penalized, demoted, or even discharged. Last week, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that such meetings violate the National Labor Relations Act, which was designed to give workers a free choice in deciding whether they wished to join a union. By requiring workers’ attendance at such meetings, the Board ruled, those workers’ choice became less free.
Accused of violating worker rights, SpaceX and Amazon go after labor board
NPR
By Andrea Hsu
Nov. 18, 2024
In the nearly four years that Joe Biden has been president, the National Labor Relations Board has taken an assertive — some say overly aggressive — approach to protecting workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. Now, SpaceX and Amazon are at the forefront of a corporate-led effort to monumentally change the labor agency. On Monday, attorneys for the two companies will try to convince a panel of judges at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that the labor agency, created by Congress in 1935, is unconstitutional.
ORGANIZING
St. Louis University graduate students vote to unionize
St. Louis Public Radio
By Chad Davis & Kate Grumke
Nov. 15, 2024
Some St. Louis University graduate students have voted to unionize. The Graduate Workers of St. Louis University Union-UAW will include more than 500 people who work for the school as teaching and research assistants. The union passed with 90% voting yes in the election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
50,000 Students In Higher Education Have Unionized In Just 2 Years
HuffPost
By Dave Jamieson
Nov. 18, 2024
A wave of labor organizing has been washing through U.S. universities as graduate students and other workers form new unions on campus. More than 50,000 students who work at U.S. universities have unionized over the past two years, the National Labor Relations Board announced Monday. The new bargaining units include graduate student teachers and researchers as well as undergraduate housing and dining employees.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Writers Guild East Members Vote to Authorize a Strike Against PBS
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Nov. 18, 2024
In a strike authorization vote whose results were released Monday, participating unionized staffers unanimously supported staging a work stoppage if management and their representatives can’t come to an agreement by the end of their current contract. Eighty-three percent of members from the bargaining unit — which encompasses 94 staffers at the PBS members stations WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal — participated in the vote. The union’s existing deal expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 21
WGA Writers Authorize Strike Against PBS Ahead Of Contract Expiration
Deadline
By Katie Campione
Nov. 18, 2024
Writers at PBS may soon be on strike, if a new deal between the company and the Writers Guild of America isn’t reached within the week. The WGA East revealed Monday that the 94-member bargaining unit of writers at PBS member stations WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal officially authorized a work stoppage, which will go into effect when the current contract expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 21. According to the guild, the vote had 83% participation, with 100% of voters favoring the strike authorization. The WGA East council and WGA West board of directors both unanimously approved the vote.
Union workers picket for 3rd day at Las Vegas casino with no talks slated
AP
By Staff
Nov. 17, 2024
The walkout by about 700 Culinary Workers Union laborers at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas comes a week before the second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix is due to draw hundreds of thousands of fans for Formula 1 racing on the Strip and nearby streets. It’s the first open-ended strike since 2002 for the largest labor union in Nevada, which has about 60,000 members.
Oregon Nurses Association holding solidarity rally amidst contract negotiations
KDRV
By Isabela Lund
Nov. 18, 2024
The Oregon Nurses Association is holding a solidarity rally right now on Crater Lake Avenue for member nurses with Providence Medford. They are now on their 10th month without a contract, with talks starting in January. These nurses are negotiating with Providence amidst contract negotiations, saying they have been fighting for higher wages, more benefits and more staff. ONA represents about 5,000 frontline nurses in nine Providence Health system facilities in the state.
Animation Guild Brings ‘March on the Boss’ Protests to Warner Bros.
The Wrap
By Jeremy Fuster
Nov. 18, 2024
The protest, which was estimated to have drawn hundreds of animators, was similar to the demonstrations staged in front of Netflix’s animation offices on Oct. 24 and the headquarters of DreamWorks on Nov. 12. The guild presented a petition signed by more than 62,000 Animation Guild members demanding a fair deal for their next bargaining agreement.
IN THE STATES
AFT-West Virginia elects new leadership at annual convention
WV News
By Staff
Nov. 18, 2024
The American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia (AFT-WV) elected new leadership during its annual convention held over the weekend at the Embassy Suites in Charleston. Kristie Skidmore, a 30-year veteran teacher from Randolph County, will now serve as president of the union. Skidmore, who has been a member-at-large on the AFT-WV Executive Board since 2017 and is currently president of AFT-Randolph County, succeeds Fred Albert, who retired after six years in the role.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
WDTV
By Brandy Kelly
Nov. 10, 2024
On Sunday, the United Mine Workers of America and families held a memorial service at the Farmington No. 9 Mine Memorial for the 56th anniversary of the Farmington Mine Disaster. 78 mine worker lost their lives on that tragic day. District 31 Vice President Mike Payton said it’s important for them to never forget that day.
EDUCATION
Rowan University, IBEW Local 102 expand education opportunities for members
ROI-NJ
By Staff
Nov. 18, 2024
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union (IBEW) Local 102 and Rowan University on Friday announced an expanded partnership designed to enhance educational opportunities for the union’s 2,500-plus members. The agreement creates an “earn as you learn” program that allows members to work full time, while earning university credit through their five-year apprenticeship training.
LABOR AND COMMUNITY
IBEW Local 309’s Chris Hankins: ‘Get the jobs done and get the kids in algebra’
Labor Tribune
By Carl Green
Nov. 18, 2024
As members, leaders and retirees of IBEW Local 309 gathered with their spouses for the annual awards banquet at Sunset Hills Country Club on Nov. 2, Business Manager Chris Hankins had a lot to be thankful for. It was only the second awards banquet since he became manager on Jan. 1 of last year when longtime leader Tim Evans retired. But the event was as festive and upbeat as ever as the local that serves much of St. Clair and Madison counties continues to roll along as a major player in construction, maintenance development and employment in the Metro-East region. The union is particularly good at finding young people with talent and drive, helping train them and putting them to work in jobs that can be lucrative.
CWA Local 6300 Golf Tournament raises $6K for United Way
Labor Tribune
By Staff
Nov. 18, 2024
CWA Local 6300 recently presented the United Way of Greater St. Louis with a $6,000 check from the proceeds of the union’s annual golf tournament. Celebrating the occasion is (from left) the United Way’s Rose McCowan and Jesica Rhodes-Tarrillion; AT&T’s Mike Brenecke, Rene Gonzalez and Mark Ringhausen; Local 6300’s Michael Songer, Floyd Bell and Fred Brown; and the United Way’s Sonja Gholston-Byrd. The golf tournament was held Oct. 19 at the Old Florissant Golf Club in Florissant, Mo.
RETIREMENT SECURITY
Fixing Tier 2 pensions would create a fair retirement for Illinois workers (Opinion)
The Chicago Tribune
By Pat Devaney
Nov. 18, 2024
Passing the Fair Retirement and Recruitment Act and finally fixing Tier 2 mean investing in a stronger state with better services for all. Let’s work together to fix the broken Tier 2 pension system and ensure Illinoisans continue to receive the high-quality public services we all depend on. When firefighters, nurses and teachers work hard their whole careers, we should keep up our end of the deal and make sure they can retire and afford to pay their bills. This legislation is a major step in the right direction, and we look forward to making it a reality in the weeks to come.