Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
Manchin, Sinema prevent Democrats from locking in majority on labor board through 2026
ABC News
By Matt Brown
Dec. 11, 2024
Labor unions decried the vote. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest consortium of labor unions, said the senators who rejected McFarren's nomination “voted against the working people of this country” and warned that the incoming Trump administration would direct the NLRB to side with management over workers. “Make no mistake: This vote had nothing to do with stopping Chair McFerran’s renomination and everything to do with reversing generations of progress workers have made toward building a fairer and more just economy," Shuler said.
POLITICS
Senate Democrats fail to secure NLRB majority under Trump in razor-thin vote
CBS News
By Kaia Hubbard
Dec. 11, 2024
A Democrat-led push to secure a majority on the National Labor Relations Board until 2026 fell short on Wednesday, as Senate Republicans and two independents blocked the nomination of Lauren McFerran to continue serving on the labor board. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture Monday on the nominations of McFerran, a Democrat, to remain for another five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board. McFerran is the current chair of the NLRB whose term is set to expire later this month. Her confirmation to another term would have maintained a Democratic majority on the board, in a move that would have marked a key victory for Democrats heading into a second Trump administration and a Republican trifecta in Washington.
Biden administration finalizes new regulations amid GOP repeal threats
The Washington Post
By Tony Romm
Dec. 11, 2024
The Biden administration is preparing new rules that would limit “junk fees,” cap bank overdraft charges and shield Americans from medical debt, as officials race over the next six weeks to finalize the remainder of the president’s economic agenda.
White House warns Trump of consequences of undoing key parts of Biden's legacy
NBC News
By Sahil Kapur
Dec. 11, 2024
In legacy mode, outgoing President Joe Biden’s White House is warning the Republicans who are about to take power against repealing his biggest achievements. “Repealing President Biden’s signature laws would be an historic redistribution of wealth from working Americans to Big Pharma and China,” Andrew Bates, a senior White House spokesperson, writes in the subject line of a new memo being circulated to interested parties and allies, which was first obtained by NBC News.
President Biden reportedly set to block sale of Pittsburgh's U.S. Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel
CBS News
By Patrick Damp and Chris Hoffman
Dec. 11, 2024
President Joe Biden is reportedly preparing to block the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel. As of Wednesday morning, a U.S. National Security Panel is reviewing the proposed $15 billion deal and the panel has to refer its decision on the merger to President Biden by Dec. 22 or 23. Bloomberg News reports that once it happens, the president is expected to block the deal on grounds of national security. That news comes as Nippon Steel announced it would give union employees of U.S. Steel each a $5,000 bonus should the deal go through. They also have promised to invest $1 billion in U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works. On Tuesday, The United Steelworkers responded, agreeing with President Biden's reported blocking of the deal, calling Nippon's offer of $5,000 to union members "attempted bribery."
'Crushing Blow to the Labor Agenda' as Manchin, Sinema Block Biden NLRB Nominee
Common Dreams
By Brett Wilkins
Dec. 11, 2024
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union, said on social media that while "Manchin and Sinema are responsible for killing voting rights, worker rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, childcare, vision, and dental for seniors, and an economy built for the people," the two obstructionist senators "are not the story." "Don't bury the lede," implored Nelson. "The entire GOP has relentlessly fought against anything good for the vast majority of the people of this country. The GOP shows once again their total disdain for their constituents."
Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema Sink Biden's Labor Nominee In Major Setback For Unions
HuffPost
By Dave Jamieson and Igor Bobic
Dec. 11, 2024
McFerran’s nomination gave unions hope that the board’s labor-friendly bent might persist for a couple of years into the next Trump era, before the incoming president could reverse its trajectory. Trump’s picks for the NLRB during his first term tended to side with businesses against workers and unions. The AFL-CIO labor federation had been urging union members and supporters to call their senators and pressure them to vote in McFerran’s favor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had said confirming McFerran was a priority heading into the holidays.
The Social Security Fairness Act has bipartisan support, but time is running out for Senate vote
CBS News
By Kate Gibson
Dec. 11, 2024
The House-passed Social Security Fairness Act enjoys rare bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, yet the odds of it getting enacted are growing smaller with each passing day. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to schedule a vote on the bill that would expand Social Security benefits to roughly 2.8 million retirees. Schumer, a Democrat and cosponsor of the legislation, could invoke a Senate rule that would skip a committee hearing and send the bill directly to a floor vote by the full Senate.
NLRB
NLRB raises bar for employers to change work terms without bargaining
Reuters
By Daniel Wiessner
Dec. 11, 2024
The National Labor Relations Board has made it more difficult for businesses to alter working conditions without bargaining with their employees' unions, returning to a longstanding legal standard that was wiped out during the Trump administration. The Democratic-led board in a 3-1 decision on Tuesday said employers can make unilateral changes to working conditions only when unions have "clearly and unmistakably" waived the ability to bargain over specific terms of employment.
ORGANIZING
Union at ‘Summer of Soul’ Producer RadicalMedia Voluntarily Recognized
The Hollywood Reporter
By Katie Kilkenny
Dec. 11, 2024
A Writers Guild of America East-backed union at the nonfiction entertainment division of RadicalMedia has been voluntarily recognized by management. That’s according to the WGA East, which says that a bargaining unit of 65 staffers in production and postproduction roles was recognized by the Summer of Soul producer on Dec. 6. The union is aiming to start negotiations over a first contract in the new year. RadicalMedia did not respond to a request for comment.
Technical production crew, including camera operaters and replay, for Timberwolves and Lynx unionize
KSTP
By KSTP
Dec. 11, 2024
On Wednesday, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 745 announced that the technical production crew for the Timberwolves and Lynx have voted to unionize. The 50 crew members for the two Minnesota professional basketball teams include people who run in-house cameras, replay, video production, audio and post-production. The vote to unionize took place the day prior, on Tuesday, with a “decisive” amount of people voting to join the union, the press release said. This is the second in-house TV production crew for a Minnesota professional sports team to vote to unionize, with the first being the crew for the Minnesota United in 2022.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
WNBA and players' union meet to discuss new CBA
The Washington Post
By Doug Feinberg
Dec. 11, 2024
The WNBA and the league’s players union met in person Wednesday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. “Today’s meeting included preliminary conversations and constructive dialogue, with a mutual agreement to continue discussions for a transformational, new CBA,” the two sides said in a joint statement. The WNBA players union opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement , two years before its expiration in October. The current CBA will still cover the 2025 season so the two sides have a year to negotiate a new agreement.
Duluth’s snowplow drivers, others in large union authorize strike, citing ‘crushing’ workloads
The Minnesota Star Tribune
By Jana Hollingsworth
Dec. 11, 2024
The union representing the city of Duluth’s largest body of employees has voted to strike amid stalled negotiations with administration. Nearly 500 workers are part of AFSCME Local 66, including snowplow drivers, inspectors, utility workers, and gas and waterline maintenance staffers. A news release from AFSCME says the union rejected administration’s “insulting” Nov. 26 settlement offer. “Our members are working short-staffed and being called on to work longer and harder every day,” Local 66 President Wendy Wohlwend said in the release. “The City is unable to fill critical vacancies due to low wages.”
TD Garden concession workers contemplate strike ahead of holidays
Boston Globe
By Diti Kohli
Dec. 11, 2024
The concession workers who staff the pizza stalls and beer taps at TD Garden will decide whether to strike on Sunday, after three months of stalled union contract negotiations with management. The union representing around 600 employees, from the suites to the merchandise stands, says that New York-based Delaware North has shrugged off its calls for better pay and protections, even as two Celtics’ Finals runs, March Madness, and other events have bolstered business in and around the arena. Should a strike vote pass, the Garden could be without hundreds of employees to staff concerts, holiday events, and Bruins and Celtics games. In a statement, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445 said its members are seeking stronger retirement benefits, protection from efforts to automate their jobs, and higher commission rates — a percentage return on sales for employees, which have not been raised in roughly a decade.
WNBA and players' union meet to discuss new CBA
ABC News
By Doug Feinberg
Dec. 11, 2024
The WNBA and the league's players union met in person Wednesday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement. “Today’s meeting included preliminary conversations and constructive dialogue, with a mutual agreement to continue discussions for a transformational, new CBA,” the two sides said in a joint statement. The WNBA players union opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, two years before its expiration in October. The current CBA will still cover the 2025 season so the two sides have a year to negotiate a new agreement.
Frontier flight attendants picketing for new contract at Atlanta airport
Fox 5 Atlanta
By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Dec. 11, 2024
Dozens of Frontier flight attendants will hit the picket line at the Atlanta airport on Wednesday to call for betting contracts and working conditions. The demonstration at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is part of the first nationwide Frontier Day of Action. In September, the Frontier flight attendants, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), voted 99.6% to authorize a strike. More than 92% of union flight attendants participated in the vote.
More than 600 concession workers at Boston’s TD Garden considering a strike
Boston 25 News
By Frank O'Laughlin
Dec. 11, 2024
More than 600 concession workers at Boston’s TD Garden are considering a strike after months of unsuccessful contract negotiations. The workers at the home of the Celtics and Bruins are slated to meet Sunday to vote for a strike authorization, UFCW Local 1445 announced Wednesday. Negotiations have been ongoing with TD Garden Management since early July and the workers’ contract expired in August, according to the union.
In Downtown San Francisco, Hotel Workers Have Been Striking for Months
KQED
By Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Farida Jhabvala Romero, Jessica Kariisa and Alan Montecillo
Dec. 11, 2024
Since Sept. 22, thousands of hotel workers at some of San Francisco’s largest hotels have been in a stalemate with employers, demanding wage increases and affordable health care. KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero explains why this dispute has dragged on, and why everyone has a stake in what happens to the city’s hotel industry.
WNBA, WNBPA meet in person for 'preliminary conversations' on new collective bargaining agreement
CBS Sports
By Jack Maloney
Dec. 11, 2024
The WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association met in person in New York on Wednesday for "preliminary conversations" on a new collective bargaining agreement, the two sides announced in a joint statement. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was present alongside members of the WNBA's labor relations committee. The WNBPA was represented by president Nneka Ogwumike, vice presidents Kelsey Plum and and Napheesa Collier, secretary Elizabeth Williams and player representatives Dijonai Carrington and Stefanie Dolson. WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson was also in attendance.
TD Garden concession workers to vote this weekend on strike authorization
NBC Boston
By Bianca Beltrán
Dec. 11, 2024
After months of contract negotiations, the union representing over 600 concessions workers at TD Garden says it may go on strike, in part because of the venue's move toward more self-checkout kiosks. "What we're really concerned about is that some of these stands that are currently operating with five or six of our members, maybe more, could be reduced to only having one or two, which could lead to a really huge reduction in our workforce," said Jack Kenslea, political director of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1445.
JOINING TOGETHER
N.J. local union says wages too low, pay disparity too wide, and healthcare costs are too high
NJ.com
By Matthew Enuco
Dec. 11, 2024
A coalition of local labor unions are planning a large demonstration at Thursday’s Camden County Commissioner’s meeting to demand higher salaries, better healthcare benefits and pay equity for members of the local chapter of the Communications Workers of America in the latest round of contract negotiations.