UFCW, REPRESENTING 130,000 WORKERS, FACE CRUCIAL CONTRACT TALKS THIS YEAR

A faceoff is brewing in the retail grocery industry as union contracts with two giant chains, mainly in the west, expire this year. Seventy thousand workers at the Kroger and Albertson stores, represented by four locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers, are in negotiations with the chains.

They are Locals 7, 770, 324, and 3000. Local 7 was set to strike but postponed it for 100 days while negotiations proceeded. Sixty thousand more employees in other stores represented by UFCW locals have contracts expiring this year.

Local 7 and 770 were among those who led the successful fight to block the proposed merger between Albertson and Kroger in 2023. Eventually the national UFCW, attorneys from eight states, and the Federal Trade Commission came out against the merger which would have been the largest supermarket merger in American history, worth $25 billion. It was finally judged to be a violation of the anti-trust laws and was blocked in court.

In These Times, Vol. 49, No. 4, 5/25

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SOME LATEST WINS FOR WORKERS

Sally Field in scene from pro-labor movie Norma Rae

Below are listed some recent lesser-known examples of wins for working people as listed by the AFL-CIO in late May.

Northwestern University Food Service Workers Ratify New Contract: After a 12-day strike this year, members of UNITE HERE Local 1 who staff dining facilities at Northwestern University have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. Cooks, cashiers, dishwashers and catering staff on campus are employed by food service contractor Compass Group. Highlights of the new agreement include wage increases of $8 per hour over the lifetime of the contract, a 250% increase in employer pension contributions and more.

VFX Workers Ratify First Three Contracts with Major U.S. Studios: Visual effects (VFX) workers for Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures and movie franchise Avatar voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first contracts as Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) members. The agreements are a major step forward for the VFX industry, establishing important standard union protections such as overtime pay, a pension and health plan, enforceable rest periods and more.

UAW Members Reach TA with General Dynamics Electric Boat: UAW Local 571 reached a tentative agreement  with submarine manufacturer General Dynamics Electric Boat on Sunday ahead of the union’s midnight strike deadline. More than 2,400 members who build nuclear submarines at the Groton, Connecticut, shipyard would be covered by the new five-year contract. The deal includes major wins such as a 30% wage increase over the lifetime of the agreement and improved wage progression provisions.

U Is for Union: Sesame Workshop Staff Win Union Election: Workers at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the beloved children’s educational program “Sesame Street,” voted 55–19 to join the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 153. Despite management attempting to cancel the National Labor Relations Board election twice and trying to turn away eligible staff on the day of the vote, members of Sesame Workers Union (SWU) stood strong and secured a powerful victory.

Divers at Orlando’s Discovery Cove Theme Park Vote to Join IUOE: Divers at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove theme park unanimously voted to join the Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 30 last week, forming the first union at the Orlando, Florida, resort. With a 100% turnout rate for the election, divers and dive technicians are celebrating this milestone victory. These workers perform essential underwater maintenance duties at the aquatic-themed resort, and cite concerns around wages and lack of a voice on the job as core motivators for joining IUOE

Norse Atlantic Airways Flight Attendants Ratify New Contract: U.S.-based Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) members who work for Norse Atlantic Airways voted overwhelmingly in support of ratifying a new contract. The Norwegian low-cost, long-haul airline was founded in 2021 and has a flight attendant base in John F. Kennedy International Airport. Highlights of the deal include provisions that ensure job security, raise total compensation with the highest per diem in the industry, increase the number of sick days and more.

Washington State Governor Signs Striking Worker UI Benefits Bill into Law: Washington State Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill into law Monday that will extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to striking workers. Senate Bill 504, which goes into effect Jan. 1, provides up to six weeks of benefits to workers starting 15 to 21 days after a strike or lockout begins. Having access to this financial resource levels the playing field for union members walking the picket line, giving them more time to settle the fair contract they are owed.

AFL-CIO Website, 5/22

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WRITERS GUILD 2023 STRIKE INSPIRES OTHERS TO ORGANIZE

The strike of members of the Hollywood Writers Guild two years ago brought some big gains for writers but has also brought an additional effect. Inspired by the writers, about 22,000 of the entertainment industry’s lowest paid workers have organized, led by the newly-formed Production Assistants United. They include early career workers like production and casting assistants, video game makers, and special effects workers.

The organizing momentum has also expanded into other entertainment industry sectors, such as theater workers, ballet dancers, and even Chippendales dancers.

Payday Report, 5/2

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APRIL BITS AND PIECES

AFT SUES ADMINISTRATION OVER VIRTUAL SHUTDOWN OF LABOR MEDIATION SERVICE

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and 10 other unions have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to prevent the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)’s dismantling. FMCS is a federal agency that mediates labor disputes in both public and private sectors and has played a key role in workplace negotiations at companies like Starbucks, Boeing, and Apple. Following the administration’s March 14 executive order, which directed FMCS to significantly downsize, the agency placed 90% of its employees on administrative leave and shut down all of its field offices. The lawsuit alleges that the administration’s actions are unconstitutional and that FMCS’s compliance with the order violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

On Labor, 4/15

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MARCH BITS AND PIECES

UNION HITS SPEEDUP ON POULTRY PRODUCTION LINES

Adding another item to the attack on workers the Trump administration is dishing out, the US Department .of Agriculture on March 18 issued waivers to rules that limit line speeds in pork and poultry production plants across the country. The faster line speedups cuts down the time workers in these plants have to process the meats and increases the risk of accidents to workers and disease to consumers.

“Increased line speeds will hurt workers – it’s not a maybe, it’s a definite – and increased production speeds will jeopardize the health and safety of every American that eats chicken,” declared  Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States, as well as meatpacking and processing workers in other parts of the country. “The announcement by the USDA and Secretary Rollins echoes the same lack of consideration they had for our essential food processing workers during the first Trump administration and it will put us all at risk. We rely on the thousands of workers to safely produce the food on our tables every single day, they can’t do that safely at these speeds – we learned that lesson the hard way just five short years ago – let’s not irreparably injure workers to learn what we already know.

 “Worker safety must be a priority, and these facilities cannot operate at these speeds without increased staffing, which cannot happen the way they are constructed now. Issuing waivers to a multi-billion dollar industry with no oversight to ensure it’s done safely and properly is a recipe for disaster

 “The USDA must make worker safety a priority, not profits.”

Labor Start, 3/18

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FEBRUARY BITS AND PIECES

WORDS OF CAUTION OVER TRUMP LABOR SECRETARY PICK PROVE TRUE

When Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR)  was first chosen by Donald Trump to be Secretary of Labor, some saw it as an act friendly to unions and a possible glimmer of hope. But many labor leaders, including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and National Education Association President Betsy Pringle were saying “not so fast.” They warned not too much should be made of the appointment. Trump “has threatened to take the unprecedented action of removing current pro-worker NLRB members in the middle of their term,” Pringle pointed out, “replacing them with his corporate friends. And he is promising to appoint judges and justices who are hostile to workers and unions.” (See item Union Leaders Urge Caution” on Labor News Page of this site.)

Their words didn’t take long to be proven true. At her Senate confirmation Feb.19, she clearly stated that she supports so-called “right to work” laws of many states that outlaw union shops in collective bargaining agreements, allowing workers receiving the benefits of those agreements to not belong to the union or pay union dues, thereby severely weakening the union bargaining position.

The reason for the guarded optimism of some over her appointment was that she was one of only three Republicans in the House of Representatives who sponsored the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act that would weaken these “right to work” state laws. Now she says that she signed onto the bill only because she “wanted to be at that table,” not because she was fully supportive of its provisions. When asked directly by anti-labor Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) if she still supports the PRO Act, she made it very clear that she did not. Paul is the lead sponsor of a National Right to Work Act currently in Congress.

Common Dreams, 2/19

 

SEVERAL UNIONS SUE TO STOP MUSK FROM ACCESSING PRIVATE DATA ON PEOPLE

Three Trump administration agencies were sued on Feb. 23 by several unions in an attempt to stop Elon Musk’s DOGE operation from getting into sensitive federal data on millions of Americans.

The suit, filed in a federal court in Maryland by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the National Federation of Federal Employees alleges that the Treasury Department has disclosed the contents of a government system that includes records on Americans’ tax refunds and Social Security benefits.

The suit also asserts that the Department of three agencies of the Trump administration Education has unlawfully disclosed data on the system that houses personal information on 43 million recipients of student loans. And people on Musk’s staff have been given the authority to access information from the Office of Personnel Management on people applying for federal jobs, as well as current and former federal employees.

Politico, 2/10

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PROTECTING IMMIGRANT FELLOW WORKERS FROM TRUMP ATTACKS

Labor Notes, an organization dedicated to the growth of the labor movement is holding a special on line workshop Jan. 6 to discuss what unions can do to protect immigrant fellow workers and union members from the threatened attacks by the incoming Trump administration.

The Labor Notes call to action, as posted on their website, reads as follows:

“As the Trump administration cracks down on undocumented workers, that persecution threatens the power and solidarity of all of us in the labor movement. From farm workers to food processing to janitors to taxi drivers to building trades to everyone whose labor makes society run, we draw strength from the recognition that an injury to one is an injury to all.

“Join rank-and-file union members at the Labor Notes National Call on building solidarity to support immigrant workers.

“When: Monday, January 6
Time: 8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PT
Where: This is an online event and will be held via Zoom.

“This national online workshop will start with a panel of union members and leaders sharing lessons on how we beat divisions in our unions and communities, and then laying out action plans for how we go on offense when immigrant co-workers are under attack.”

Courtesy Locker Associates, New York

For further information and how you can join in the Zoom conference click this link.

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DECEMBER BITS & PIECES

PITTSBURGH NEWSPAPER WORKERS BEGIN THIRD YEAR ON STRIKE

Communication Workers of America strikers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette began their third year of picketing the newspaper this past October. It is one of the longest strikes in America today.

Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh-CWA walked out two years ago after the paper  unilaterally cut off the healthcare of its production, advertising, and distribution workers. Despite several court decisions favoring the union, the newspaper still refuses to bargain in good faith.

CWA News, 12/5

 

AFL-CIO HEAD CALLS FOR LABOR-CENTERED DEMOCRATIC PARTY

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler this week outlined a program calling upon the Democratic National Committee to re-orient its goals by bringing “working people back to its center.” Noting that union members voted for Democratic endorsed candidates from the top of the ticket on down at a much higher rate than the general public, she outlined a four-point program for the DNC when it elects a new slate of officers in the coming months. To see her full statement, click on the link below.

AFL-CIO Press Release, 12/10

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WISCONSIN JUDGE NIXES LAW THAT LIMITED UNION RIGHTS

In a significant judicial victory, a judge in Wisconsin state court threw out a 2011 state law that had deprived public workers of the right to collective bargaining. The law, pushed through the legislature by the anti-labor governor at the time, Scott Walker, was enacted after Republicans won control the executive and legislative branches of the state government in 2010.

But, in a brazen political move, the law exempted police and firefighters unions, two unions that were supporters of Walker and Republicans. The law caused an uproar across the state at the time as thousands of workers turned out at the capital to protest it.

Judge Jacob Frost of Dane County Circuit Court ruled Dec. 2 that this selective choice of workers who get collective bargaining rights was a violation of the state constitution.

While former Gov. Walker condemned the decision of Judge Frost, the present governor, Tony Evers, hailed it as “great news for Wisconsin workers.” And Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale declared that “restoring union freedoms to Wisconsin workers will strengthen Wisconsin’s middle class, lift up the voices of workers and lead to better public services for our communities.”

The decision is certain to be appealed.

NY Times, 12/2

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NLRB REPORTS BIG SURGE IN UNION ELECTION FILINGS

Since 2021, the year President Biden took office, the number of union election petitions filed with the National Labor Relations Board has skyrocketed, the board recently reported. In the last year alone, the requests have jumped 29 percent from nearly 2,600 to nearly 3,600. Under the law, if 30 percent of the workers in a workplace sign union authorization cards, the NLRB is charged with reviewing the petitions and conducting an election. And if a majority of the workers select a union, the employer must bargain in good faith with that union.

The big jump in union election filings reflects the  labor-friendly policies of the Biden administration and the presidential appointments to the NLRB that has changed the board’s policies.

Over the years, however, Republican appointees to the board have disproportionately been corporate-friendly lawyers, or even those advising companies on how to avoid unionization. This has severely weakened the ability of unions to get the board to enforce the law. Many unions have avoided the NLRB altogether.

The change in NLRB policies has created one big problem – a shortage of personnel to handle the huge caseload of approving petitions and supervising elections. The board pointed to the fact that when it faced a similar situation back in 2011 during the Obama administration, it had 62 percent more field staff. Cuts during the Trump years have since made the situation difficult.

Huffpost, 10/15

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