CONGRESS DROPS PART OF TRUMP TAX BILL THAT HAD ENDED FEDERAL WORKER PROTECTIONS
Yielding to pressure, the House and Senate have dropped a piece of Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law July 1 that would have stripped new federal workers of traditional job protections. The provision would have forced new federal employees to give up their traditional job protections or take a big cut in their pay. One union official called the measure to force federal workers to pay for their civil service job protections “criminal extortion.”
As of this writing, some 9,000 Philadelphia municipal workers are out on strike after their union, AFSCME District Council 33, and the city failed to reach agreement on a new contract. The workers involved include sanitation, police dispatch, street maintenance, and water services with “mountains of trash” piling up in city streets.
UFCW AND 2 BIG WESTERN GROCRERY CHAINS REACH AGREEMENT
Grocery workers, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, in Colorado and Southern California have reached tentative agreements with grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons, avoiding a strike. The union had authorized a strike in June. The agreement still has to be ratified by a vote of the union membership.
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.
https://www.spotlightonlabor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/icon.png500500Paul Beckerhttps://www.spotlightonlabor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/spotlight_logo_.pngPaul Becker2025-06-03 17:14:452025-06-03 17:15:42UFCW, REPRESENTING 130,000 WORKERS, FACE CRUCIAL CONTRACT TALKS THIS YEAR
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.
JULY BITS AND PIECES
Labor BriefsCONGRESS DROPS PART OF TRUMP TAX BILL THAT HAD ENDED FEDERAL WORKER PROTECTIONS
Yielding to pressure, the House and Senate have dropped a piece of Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law July 1 that would have stripped new federal workers of traditional job protections. The provision would have forced new federal employees to give up their traditional job protections or take a big cut in their pay. One union official called the measure to force federal workers to pay for their civil service job protections “criminal extortion.”
Huffington Post, 5/22; Labor Press, 7/8
PHILLY CITY WORKERS STRIKE
As of this writing, some 9,000 Philadelphia municipal workers are out on strike after their union, AFSCME District Council 33, and the city failed to reach agreement on a new contract. The workers involved include sanitation, police dispatch, street maintenance, and water services with “mountains of trash” piling up in city streets.
On Labor, 7/6
UFCW AND 2 BIG WESTERN GROCRERY CHAINS REACH AGREEMENT
Grocery workers, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, in Colorado and Southern California have reached tentative agreements with grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons, avoiding a strike. The union had authorized a strike in June. The agreement still has to be ratified by a vote of the union membership.
On Labor, 7/6
UFCW, REPRESENTING 130,000 WORKERS, FACE CRUCIAL CONTRACT TALKS THIS YEAR
Labor BriefsA 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
SOME LATEST WINS FOR WORKERS
Labor BriefsSally 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