Last Week in Labor: Feb. 13-20, 2026
California sees multiple major strikes, 2025 labor numbers are out, and more for your weekend.
Good morning, Friday morning.
Welcome back to another installment of my weekly labor news digest. As always, if there is an item that you'd like to see in the digest, please shoot me an email or leave a comment, and I'll make sure to get it into the next one.
This week's digest is a little California-heavy, as there are a number of strikes currently rocking the state. In the coming week[s], you'll see a few deeper dives into what's happening here on the West Coast, and what to expect from this Spring/Summer.
A small note: this digest is likely to look clipped in your email (there's always so much news!)—don't forget to click "read entire message" at the bottom to see the full newsletter.
Alright, let's get into it.
Notable News in Labor
31,000 Kaiser workers still on strike after nearly a month—patients face cancelled treatments and hours-long pharmacy lines
Thousands of Kaiser health care workers, including 22,000 nurses in Southern California, are on strike to demand better pay and staffing. The walk out has resulted in canceled or delayed appointments and surgeries, patients say.
Kristen Hwang
Weeks before studio negotiations, the Writers Guild of America’s staff union goes on strike
Just a month before the Writers Guild sits down with major film and TV studios, its own staff union is striking right outside their offices, citing unfair labor practices.
Follow
USC Keck, Norris Nurses Begin Seven-Day Strike | ALT 98.7 | LA Local News
Hundreds of unionized nurses at Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Center hit the picket lines Thursday to begin a seven- day strike amid prolonged contract talks.
City News Service
San Francisco Teachers Strike Ends With Tentative Agreement on Raises, Benefits
The contract would provide fully-funded health care and a two-year, 8.5% raise for classified staff. Teachers will get a 5% raise over two years.
Lauren Wagner
Picketers expected at Fresno State as part of statewide Teamsters strike
Teamsters Local 2010, the union for skilled workers across California State University (CSU), will be striking from Feb. 17-20, because they say that the public university system has been unable to raise their annual salaries. There are 1,100 skilled trades workers across the CSU, including electricians and locksmiths who work to keep facilities operating on…
Manpreet Kaur
CFA Members Picket in Solidarity with Teamsters Members on Strike - California Faculty Association
Thousands of union members from Teamsters Local 2010, CFA, CSU Employees Union (CSUEU), Academic Professional of California (APC), UAW Local 4123, as well
Preetina Singh
Washington farmworker union bill falters in Senate | Capital Press
Legislation to give Washington farmworkers collective-bargaining rights stalled, failing to meet a deadline to pass the Senate. Senate leaders didn’t bring Senate Bill 6045 up for a vote […]
Don Jenkins
Unionized workers at Movement climbing gym in Philadelphia struggle to ink their first contract
The outcome of negotiations in Philly and New York will shape the climbing industry, union says.
Meir Rinde
Seton nurses call off strike after reaching tentative agreement with AHMC
Registered nurses at AHMC Seton Medical Center in Daly City, Calif., have called off their one-day strike scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19. Nurses have reached a tentative agreement with AHMC on a new union contract that addresses the issues they were set to strike over, namely, safe staffing and nurse recruitment and retention.
California Nurses Association/National Nurses Untied
Newark city employees’ union in contract dispute, seeks factfinder
Newark city employees’ union, AFSCME Local 2963, alleges unfair contract negotiations and denial of overtime pay, leading to a dispute.
, The Advocate
Nurses are protesting ICE on February 19
The largest nurses union in the country is organizing nationwide protests on February 19 against federal immigration authorities.
Anna Gabriella Casalme
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Unions & the Trump Administration
Overcoming attacks on working people, public service workers are organizing
The latest annual report on union membership by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the power of the union difference.
AFSCME Staff
Union: Immigration Policy Threatens Hospitality Industry
Union leaders say the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown has not only scared workers but has also discouraged international tourism.
SupplyChainBrain
US union membership soared to 16-year high in 2025 despite Trump assault
Union coverage slightly increased last year even as White House tried to eliminate contracts for thousands of workers
Michael Sainato
Commentary & Analysis
Labor Movement, Attack!
Another year of decline. Here’s how to fix it.
Hamilton Nolan
Lawmakers haven’t given up on Colorado’s unions and neither should Polis (Opinion)
“Despite Colorado’s law being positioned as a ‘compromise,’ the Labor Peace Act actually plays out more like the famously anti-union ‘right-to-work’ laws seen elsewher…
Megan Schrader
What Will It Take to Unionize Chipotle?
Workers in Michigan became the first Chipotle employees to ever win union recognition. Three years of fighting management for a contract they didn’t get taught them everything the next Chipotle union campaign will need to know.
Faith Bennett
That's all I've got for today's digest, we'll be back again next Friday with another installment. I hope you have a good weekend, and as always, thanks for sticking around.
In love and solidarity,
Mel
