Today's AFL-CIO press clips
MUST READ
Will the U.S. Ever Be Ready for a Female President?
The New York Times
By Lisa Lerer and Jess Bidgood
Dec. 26, 2024
“People feel pretty stung by what happened,” said Liz Shuler, the first woman elected to lead the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the largest federation of unions in the country, who supported Ms. Harris and believes she made no significant missteps in the race. “She totally over-performed and yet fell short. So it does feel like that sucker punch of, like, ‘Wow, even when you do everything right, that glass ceiling is still elusive.’”
11 predictions for work and leadership in 2025
Time
By Jacob Clemente and Michelle Peng
Dec. 22, 2024
Worker organizing will continue to surge in 2025.
Liz Shuler President, AFL-CIO 2025 has the potential to be a transformative year for America’s workers and unions. Workers are exercising our power to stand up for our right to dignity and fair treatment in the workplace in ways we haven’t seen in generations. We’re seeing a resurgence in union organizing across industries. We expect more large-scale strikes to hold corporations accountable. As technology like artificial intelligence evolves and transforms work, workers will continue to demand a seat at the table to shape our futures. Labor is built on solidarity—and when seven in 10 Americans and nearly 90% of young people support unions, we know workers will continue to win.
POLITICS
Billionaire Elon Musk’s government takeover already crashes and burns
People’s World
By Mark Gruenberg
Dec. 20, 2024
“Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire with a history of attacking his employees and unions, is now using his power to hurt the working people who make this country run,” Shuler tweeted. “There’s nothing ‘efficient’ about a pair of billionaires shutting down the government and jeopardizing the paychecks and essential services that hardworking taxpayers and their families depend on days before Christmas,” Shuler’s second tweet said.
Congress Approves Full Social Security Benefits for Public Sector Retirees
The New York Times
By Maya C. Miller
Dec. 31, 2024
The Senate passed bipartisan legislation early Saturday that would give full Social Security benefits to a group of public sector retirees who currently receive them at a reduced level, sending the bill to President Biden. The vote to clear the measure was a lopsided 76 to 20, reflecting the broad popularity of an effort to allow approximately more than 2.8 million public pension recipients — some of them teachers, firefighters and police officers — to collect Social Security benefits at the same level as other beneficiaries.
Deal spares federal workers before Christmas but there’s concern about possible job cuts under Trump
AP News
By Brian Witte
Dec. 21, 2024
Many federal workers were already anxious about the possibility of future workforce reductions under the incoming Trump administration. Zuagar, who is president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2782, which represents federal workers at the census, has lived through shutdowns before. Many federal workers were already anxious about the possibility of future workforce reductions under the incoming Trump administration. Zuagar, who is president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2782, which represents federal workers at the census, has lived through shutdowns before.
Biden administration provides $4.28 billion in student debt relief
Politico
By Rebecca Carballo
Dec. 20, 2024
The Biden administration announced Friday the approval of $4.28 billion in additional student loan relief for 54,900 borrowers across the country who work in public service. This relief brings the total loan forgiveness by the administration to approximately $180 billion for nearly 5 million Americans, according to the Education Department.
Biden canceling student loan debt for 55K public service workers
The Hill
By Lexi Lonas Cochran
Dec. 20, 2024
President Biden announced on Friday he would be canceling more student debt for tens of thousands of public service workers, possibly his last major move on the issue before leaving office in a month. The administration said it will spend nearly $4.3 billion to cancel student debt for 55,000 such workers, the result of fixes made to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
Senate approves bill to expand Social Security to millions of Americans
CBS News
By Kate Gibson
Dec. 21, 2024
Nearly 3 million Americans will receive full Social Security benefits under legislation passed in the waning hours of the current Congress and now headed to President Biden, who is expected to sign into law. Senators voted 76-20 for the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate two federal policies that prevent nearly 3 million people, including police officers, firefighters, postal workers, teachers and others with a public pension, from collecting their full Social Security benefits. The legislation has been decades in the making, as the Senate held its first hearings into the policies in 2003. "The Senate finally corrects a 50-year mistake," proclaimed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, after senators approved the legislation at 12:15 a.m. Saturday.
Biden Signs Spending Bill, Finalizing End to Shutdown Drama
The New York Times
By Minho Kim
Dec. 21, 2024
President Biden on Saturday signed the spending package that allowed federal funds to keep flowing until mid-March, formally ending the week’s unexpected drama over the issue a few hours after the deadline for a shutdown had technically passed. Mr. Biden’s signature came after the Senate passed the legislation early on Saturday, after a bipartisan vote in the House on Friday evening. The bill, which maintains the current level of government funding and also provides $100 billion in disaster relief for regions still recovering from storms and $10 billion in direct aid for farmers, punted the spending deadline to the early months of the Trump administration, when Republicans will control both chambers of Congress.
Trump wants federal workers back in the office. It may be a tall task.
The Washington Post
By Lisa Rein
Dec. 26, 2024
“It’s in a lot of labor contracts,” Cathie McQuiston, deputy general counsel at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, said of the telework arrangements. “And at a lot of these agencies, the reality is, they don’t have the place to put people to force them back five days a week.”
Chuck Schumer says Biden-appointed judges will be bulwark against Trump
The Guardian
By Robert Tait
Dec. 26, 2024
Democrats will rely on judges appointed by Joe Biden to protect his White House legacy from Donald Trump and blunt the most extreme elements of the president-elect’s agenda, the outgoing Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has said. Schumer, a senator for New York and the highest-ranking elected Jewish official in US history, said the party would use the judiciary to spearhead a fightback following an election defeat that left a Republican “trifecta” in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
TRANSPORTATION
Airplane near-collisions are down in the US — but underlying problems remain
Politico
By Oriana Pawlyk
Dec. 29, 2024
ALPA leader Jason Ambrosi, whose union represents a majority of pilots for U.S. airlines, credited pilot awareness and technology for helping blunt the trend this year. He also praised the FAA for bringing the aviation community together to tackle the issue, which prompted organizations such as ALPA to remind its pilots to refocus on basics like reducing distractions, among other initiatives. But more redundancies to prevent such events are needed, he said. “You need to invest in the technology to help prevent this,” Ambrosi told POLITICO after appearing on a Senate aviation panel hearing earlier this month.
NLRB
NLRB seeks rare emergency injunctive relief for striking PG newsroom workers
Pittsburgh Union Progress
By Pittsburgh Union Progress
Dec. 21, 2024
The National Labor Relations Board late on Friday afternoon filed for a rare emergency injunction in federal court on behalf of the newsroom workers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that could help resolve several major issues that led to the editorial employees’ decision to walk out from the newspaper more than two years ago. If the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Philadelphia, grants the injunction in its entirety, the PG would have to restore the terms of the previous contract of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh — including the workers’ collectively bargained health insurance — and bargain a successor agreement in good faith with the journalists. The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh is one of the five unions that struck the Post-Gazette in October 2022 over a variety of unfair labor practice charges. The work stoppage continues by four of those unions, including the guild, and is the longest ongoing strike in America.
Las Vegas: Chippendales’ union files unfair labor practices complaint over wages, working conditions
CDC Gaming
By Greg Haas
Dec. 22, 2024
Chippendales aren’t getting the respect they deserve, according to the Actors’ Equity Association. The iconic performers for the all-male revue have been in residence at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for more than two decades. They joined the union in October. They anticipated a voluntary move to improve wages and working conditions. Now, as the act prepares to move to the Mat Franco Theater at The Linq in January, the union has filed an Unfair Labor Practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
ORGANIZING
Unions make waves across Southern California campuses, learning from each other as they go
LAist
By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
December 20, 2024
Solidarity among faculty on the same campus may not come as a surprise. But a recent flurry of union organizing at higher education institutions in Southern California shows how much attention faculty are paying to those in unionization efforts outside of their own.
Group of stagehands at two Portland venues announce efforts to unionize (Video)
News Center Maine
Dec. 19, 2024
The crews are responsible for putting on about 250 concerts a year at State Theatre and Thompson's Point.
UNION NEGOTIATIONS
Chicago Teachers Union accuses CPS of deliberately slowing negotiations
CBS News
By John Odenthal
Dec. 26, 2024
The Chicago Teachers Union on Thursday accused Chicago Public Schools officials of purposely slowing down contract negotiations. CPS denied doing any such thing—insisting it is bargaining in good faith. "So, our bargaining sessions earlier this week showed real promise. We felt a sense of urgency and commitment from both sides to try to land a deal," said CTU member Ziedre Foster. "Today, we experienced a significant shift." The negotiation meeting Thursday was the first since a judge issued CPS Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez's temporary restraining order earlier this week barring members of the Chicago Board of Education from taking part in the negotiations.
Oregon State University grad strike ends with 13% raise
Northwest Labor Press
By Anna Del Savio
Dec. 19, 2024
After nearly four weeks on strike, graduate student workers at Oregon State University ratified a new contract that gives teaching and research assistants an immediate 13% raise. Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE) members returned to classes and research labs on Tuesday, Dec. 10, after 93% voted to ratify the agreement. “The new contract is most certainly a compromise,” CGE President Austin Bosgraaf said. The contract doesn’t fully address the high cost of living in Corvallis, but it does provide immediate wage increases, annual raises for workers who continue in their positions for multiple years, and a shorter contract term than OSU had earlier insisted on, Bosgraaf said. CGE, also known as American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 6069, represents around 1,800 graduate teaching and research assistants at Oregon’s largest university. Around 1,000 of the represented workers are members.
1,500 striking Marriott hotel workers could soon return to work following tentative agreement
KRON
By Bay City News
Dec. 19, 2024
Striking hotel workers at Marriott hotels in San Francisco have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract, the union said Thursday. Members of the Unite Here Local 2 union will vote Thursday on whether to ratify the tentative agreement, the union said. The tentative agreement was reached Wednesday night, according to the union, following five days of negotiations.
J.M. Smucker workers secure new deal after 7-week strike
WGRZ
By Sarah Russo
Dec. 21, 2024
Employees at the J.M. Smucker-owned Milk-Bone plant in Buffalo have reached a new collective bargaining agreement, ending their seven-week strike. The 170 members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers Union voted to ratify the new deal this week according to a press release from BCTGM.
Striking SF Hotel Workers Reach a Deal with Marriott
KQED
By Farida Jhabvala Romero
Dec. 20, 2024
Workers at several Marriott hotels in San Francisco overwhelmingly ratified a new contract deal on Thursday night to end a monthslong strike, a hopeful sign for employees at other city hotel brands who remain at the picket line. The four-year agreement with San Francisco’s largest hotel employer includes wage and pension increases, protections against understaffing and no additional health care benefit costs for about 2,000 employees at seven Marriott hotels, according to Anand Singh, lead negotiator for Unite Here Local 2.
Union seeks worker pay, safety commitments from Micron
WAER
By Scott Willis
Dec. 20, 2024
Micron’s recently signed agreement with the federal government to build a massive chip making facility in Clay is renewing demands for family sustaining wages and worker protections. The company is receiving more than $13 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act. The union Communications Workers of America says Micron promised to meet back in April to discuss compensation, when the preliminary funding agreement was first announced. CWA semiconductor campaigns director Etana Jacobi says they’re still waiting.
Milk-Bone employees end strike and reach new agreement(Video)
WGRZ
By wgrz.com
Dec. 21, 2024
After a seven-week strike, employees of the J.M. Smucker owned Milk-Bone plant in Buffalo have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.
Culinary Union strike reaches 36 days as contract dispute continues
KSNV
By News 3 Staff
Dec. 22, 2024
The Culinary Union's strike against Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has reached its 36th day, marking the longest strike led by the union in over 22 years. The strike, which began on November 15 at 5 a.m., involves 700 hospitality workers who are demanding a new five-year union contract. Hundreds of striking workers and union members have maintained continuous picket lines at every entrance and exit along Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road surrounding the casino property.
Hyatt hotel workers approve new contract; Emboldening Hilton employees to continue
NBC Bay Area
By Bay City News
Dec. 21, 2024
San Francisco Hyatt hotel workers who have been on strike for the past three months unanimously approved a new union contract on Saturday, the employees' union said in a press release. It is the same four-year contract as one reached with Marriott hotels on Thursday that the Unite Here Local 2 union said included wage increases, preserved its health insurance plan, and would prevent understaffing and workload increase that have plagued the industry since the COVID-19 pandemic. Unite Here Local 2, the union representing the striking hotel workers, negotiated a tentative contract with Hyatt Hotels Corporation late Friday. Hundreds of union members who work at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, Hotel Kabuki, and Hyatt Regency San Francisco at Embarcadero all voted 'yes' on Saturday to ratify the contract.
Animation Guild Ratifies Contract With Studios and Streamers
The Hollywood Reporter
By Rick Porter
Dec. 23, 2024
Members of The Animation Guild have voted to accept their new contract with studios and streamers. Per the guild, 76.1 percent of voting members chose to accept the deal, which covers 2024-27 and includes wage increases and key protections for members with regard to use of artificial intelligence in animation. After three months of negotiations, The Animation Guild reached a tentative deal with members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in late November. The vote in favor of ratification came after a few members of the union’s negotiating committee said they would vote against the deal, citing concerns about the AI provisions of the contract. That led the guild’s executive board to issue a statement calling the agreement “the strongest contract the Union has negotiated in the last decade.”
The Animation Guild Ratifies Deal With Studios
Deadline
By Peter White
Dec. 23, 2024
Members of the Animation Guild have overwhelmingly agreed to ratify its three-year deal with the studios. The guild saw 76.1% of its members in favor of the contract with the AMPTP. This comes after months of negotiations with the studio reps. The new three-year deal – the 2024-2027 Animation Guild Master Agreement – wasn’t, however, as popular as its previous deal, signed in July 2022, which saw 87% members vote in support.
Failed negotiations resulted in union members walking out on the job at news outlets in 2024
Fox News
By Kendall Tietz
Dec. 29, 2024
Years-long contract fights at media companies came to a head in 2024. Unions from the New York Times, NBC and Forbes issued warnings to leadership about their intentions during critical events for the company in recent months. Beginning on November 4, the day before the 2024 Election, the New York Times Tech Guild announced it was going on a strike, which lasted for a week. The Tech guild voted to unionize in March 2022 and was in negotiations with leadership for over two and a half years in an effort to get a contract.
IKEA union votes to continue its strike
Cecil Whig
By Jane Bellmyer
Dec. 29, 2024
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge I460, District 4 voted Friday to continue their strike against IKEA. Specifically the workers went on strike Nov. 15 against the distribution center in Perryville, seeking wages that keep pace with the economy and mirror the success of the Swedish furniture company. David Sullivan, IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President, said the strike also is an effort to protect long time employees from favoritism, with the goal of a just and respectful workplace.
200 Ski Patrollers Strike at Park City: Safety Concerns Loom Amid Contract Dispute
Teton Gravity
By Nico Johnson
Dec. 28, 2024
Citing inadequate pay and benefits, nearly 200 ski patrollers and mountain safety workers at Park City Mountain Resort began an unfair labor strike on Friday, December 27th. The strike comes after nine months of stalled contract negotiations between the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association and Vail Resorts. Patrollers are demanding a base wage of $23/hour and a sliding pay scale for more experienced workers. For comparison, nearby Powder Mountain starts its ski patrollers at $26 an hour. Deer Valley recently raised its starting wage for patrollers to $23.50.
Culinary union pickets Virgin Hotels Las Vegas amid arbitration dispute
8 News Now
By Madison Kimbro
Dec. 29, 2024
Culinary Union workers took to the streets outside Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Saturday, holding signs and staging a picket line in response to the hotel’s request for arbitration. “We have never settled a strike or contract dispute by arbitration in the history of Las Vegas,” Ted Pappageorge, Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union, shared with 8 News Now. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is going to great lengths to prevent the Culinary Union from invading their space, even constructing a turf wall to shield hotel guests from the sight of the strike line. Despite these efforts, the unionized workers remain steadfast in their fight.
JOINING TOGETHER
North Alabama unions announce solidarity with striking Starbucks, Amazon workers
Alabama Political Reporter
By Alex Jobin
Dec. 25, 2024
On Tuesday, the unions of the North Alabama Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO, released a statement announcing their solidarity with Starbucks and Amazon workers who went on strike just before the Christmas holiday. “The unions of the North Alabama Area Labor Council (NAALC), AFL-CIO, stand united in our solidarity with strike actions being taken across the country – including right here in North Alabama – against the corporate behemoths and white collar crime syndicates of Amazon and Starbucks,” reads the official press release.
Union leaders push for pay hikes to match cost of living for city workers
KGUN
By Maria Staubs
Dec. 20, 2024
City employees are set to receive a $1,000 holiday bonus, recently approved by the Tucson City Council. While the bonus is a welcomed gesture for many, some city workers say it's not enough to meet their needs. Ben Lucero, president of AFSCME Local 905, which represents around 650 city workers, says the bonus falls short. "When it comes to paying your bills and feeding your families, a one-time bonus doesn’t continue to cover that. A cost-of-living raise would," Lucero said. "And that’s something people can count on."
IN THE STATES
Alabama profits off prisoners who work at McDonald’s but deems them too dangerous for parole
AP
By Robin McdowelL and Margie Mason
Dec. 20, 2024
Alabama collected more than $13 million in work release fees in fiscal year 2024. But the prisoner lawsuit filed in federal court late last year with backing from the powerful AFL-CIO federation of unions, estimates the corrections department actually rakes in about $450 million in benefits from prison labor annually. That takes into consideration money saved by not having to hire civilians to maintain the sprawling prison system or work for government agencies.
Unemployment benefits to increase to 26 weeks in Michigan with new law
WWMT
By Mid-Michigan NOW
Dec. 23, 2024
“This victory for working people has been over a decade in the making,” said Ron Bieber, President of Michigan AFL-CIO. “Michigan workers are the strongest in the world and they deserve a safety net that allows them to provide for their families, put food on the table, and keep the lights on while they get back on their feet. Finally, Michigan’s unemployment benefits will be restored to full strength after years of lagging behind our midwestern neighbors and practically every other state in the country. We applaud the bipartisan coalition of legislators who voted to put the working class first in passing this legislation and are so proud of all the hard work that went in to get it to the Governor’s desk.”
APPRENTICESHIPS & TRAINING
High schoolers graduate from trades training program
Albuquerque Journal
By Megan Gleason
Dec. 19, 2024
The first PNM Power Pros class graduated this month. The Public Service Company of New Mexico, Ace Leadership High School and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 611 in September launched the program that trains high schoolers in electrical work. Students who graduate from the program receive a certificate of completion, OSHA 10 certification and high school elective credits, according to PNM.
WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
RWDSU, Tyson Foods release statements following Tyson Foods Plant explosion
WALB
By Ty Grant
Dec. 27, 2024
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and Tyson Foods have released statements following an explosion at the Tyson Foods Plant in Camilla. Overnight, there was an explosion at Tyson’s Camilla, Georgia poultry plant represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU, which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States and Edgar Fields, President of the Southeast Council of the RWDSU, issued the following joint statement: “Sadly, our members have reported to us that a person was severely injured and may not survive; and several union members were severely burned in a boiler explosion this morning at the Tyson poultry processing facility in Camilla, Georgia.
Occupational Cancer is Killing Fire Fighters
Firehouse
By Staff
Dec. 20, 2024
Occupational cancer is claiming the lives of more fire fighters than any other cause, including fires and other on-scene incidents. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN) are committed to reversing this trend. During the 2025 Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month, the IAFF and FCSN will partner to deliver targeted education and best practices and resources to reduce the impact of cancer on fire fighters.
UNION BUSTING
Newbury Comics accused of union-busting tactics, firing employee for organizing
Boston Globe
By Stella Tannenbaum
Dec. 24, 2024
Ahead of a vote by Newbury Comics warehouse workers on whether to unionize, a national union has accused the local comic book and music store chain of union-busting tactics, including unlawfully firing a longtime employee for being a lead organizer. Chris LaBove, a warehouse lead who had worked at the retailer’s Brighton warehouse since 2009, said Newbury Comics fired them on Nov. 25, about a week after the company first indicated it had learned of the warehouse employees’ organizing efforts. This prompted the union, the United Auto Workers, to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.