Last Week in Labor

Last Week in Labor: November 14-21 2025.

Welcome back to the weekly labor digest.

Welcome back to Last Week in Labor, a digest of headlines from around the country that you may have missed. You'll have noticed that it's been awhile since I was able to get a new digest up on the site. I could regale you with tales of why that is, but I'll spare you the dirty details. Best just get back into it. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom, as I have an exciting announcement for the future of the newsletter that I can't wait to share with you.

Alright, let's dig in.

Notable News in Labor

‘No contract, no coffee’: what to know about the Starbucks workers’ strike in 65 US cities

Starbucks workers are still on strike, with more than 40 stores joining the picket lines in the last week. Michael Sainato over at The Guardian has a great explainer out about the strike.

For additional conversation about the strike, here's a recent Working People episode on the topic.

Postdoctoral scholars rally for membership in graduate workers union

On Yale's campus, hundreds of postdoctoral scholars rallied to join the graduate workers union, represented by UNITE HERE Local 33. According to local campus reporting, a supermajority of postdocs signed union cards before the rally was over. Here's a great report from the event by Kade Gajdusek & Catherine Cheng of Yale Daily News.

Minneapolis Educators Are Showing a Way Forward for Labor

In Jacobin this week, Michael McQuarrie has some great reporting out of Minneapolis, where the Minneapolis Federation of Educators has just won a 'historic' new 2-year contract with Minneapolis Public Schools.

Workers of the Met, Unite

In New York City, over 1000 workers of the Metropolitan Museum of Art have filed for union representation with the NLRB. Hell Gate reports:

County employees meet to discuss potential strike in near future

Solano County, CA employees are nearing a strike authorization over ongoing negotiations with the county. Members of multiple unions attended a Strike School last week to discuss potential future work stoppages. No timeline has been set, but the word 'strike' is in the air. Check out local reporting on the issue:

Broadway musicians ratify agreement

On Nov 3, Broadway musicians represented by AFM Local 802 overwhelmingly ratified their contract, after a strike authorization forced employers back to the table. Here's the notice, and additional reporting from October.

The Nation’s Longest Ongoing Strike Is Over—but the Battle Isn’t

Some recent reporting on the monumental Pittsburgh PG strike win.

I spoke with Newsguild International President Jon Schleuss via text message when news of the win dropped the other week, and here's what he had to say (Note: I am a member of Newsguild Local 32035):

The Blocks' shameless attempts at union busting failed again. What the Blocks — and all owners like them — need to understand is that they cannot break the law. We are stronger, braver and more principled than any boss can possibly imagine. The NewsGuild stands ready to support every journalist and all of our members in whatever it takes, however long it takes.

Report: MLB & MLBPA Held Meeting to Discuss CBA Issues

If you know me at all, or follow me on social media, then you know that I'm a giant baseball nerd. A real freakin' sicko for America's greatest sport.

Which also means I'm following the upcoming CBA negotiations with interest. Recent reporting says that it's more than likely we're going to see a lockout in Major League Baseball's future. As things develop, you know I'll be on it.

Production Assistants Working On Netflix’s ‘The Four Seasons’ File For A Union Election

Production assistants and assistants on Netflix‘s The Four Seasons are looking to unionize.

The group is filing for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board with the goal of joining a union aligned with LiUNA Local 724, the Hollywood laborers’ group. Production Assistants United, a grassroots organizing movement, is helping organize the group and received a supermajority of signed union authorization cards from crew members on the show in October.

SEPTA workers vote to authorize strike, raising possibility of major transit disruptions

The labor revolution in Philly continues apace, with news coming down that SEPTA workers have authorized a strike. If a strike happens, 5,000 SEPTA workers will walk off the job. More reporting on the struggle below.

LA County Federation of Labor backs Eunisses Hernandez for Re-election Run

In a decisive show of confidence in her leadership and unwavering commitment to working families, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, has officially endorsed Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez for re-election in Los Angeles City Council District 1.

UC workers go on two-day strike

More than 40,000 custodians, food service workers, patient care assistants, and hospital technicians represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 held a two-day strike Monday and Tuesday across UC campuses, where they’re advocating for a contract focused on affordable healthcare, livable wages, and job security.

Unions Respond to the Trump Administration

How Employers and Labor Groups Are Trying to Protect Workers From ICE

Here is some excellent recent reporting from a friend and dear colleague, Jeremy Lindenfeld, on the ways employers and unions are trying to shore up protections for immigrant workers.

IAM Union Urges Congress to Support Restoring Federal Workers’ Collective Bargaining Rights

Last week, IAM wrote a letter to congress urging that they support and pass a new bill that would restore federal workers' collective bargaining rights. Take a look.

In related news, house lawmakers collected enough signatures to force a vote on that bill. WAW will send updates if/when that vote is complete.

Abandoning' kids' futures: AFT Pres. slams Trump Dept. of Education changes

Dangerous New Trump Bill Threatens Veterans’ Health Care

APWU with a short article about how VA-related healthcare bills are bad for Veterans everywhere.

BCTGM Joins Frontline Solidarity Against Mass Deportation Agenda

Last Friday, President Liz Shuler convened State Federation and Central Labor Council leaders from locations targeted by the Trump Administration to strengthen Labor’s frontline solidarity in the face of escalating militarization and ICE abuse.

In attendance was BCTGM Local 252G (Memphis, Tenn.) member Kevin Bradshaw, who also serves as president of the Memphis and West Tennessee Central Labor Council and vice president of the Tennessee State Federation.

Check out the full blog here.

Nurses warn proposed loan changes would limit access to graduate education

The Department of Education has proposed changing the definition of what constitutes a “professional degree” to exclude nursing — a move that could significantly limit nurses’ access to graduate education, according to the American Nurses Association.

The changes are related to federal student loan reforms passed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation eliminates the Grad PLUS program, which allowed students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance, including living expenses. Additionally, it places a $200,000 lifetime cap on federal loans for graduate students in professional degree programs — a designation that, under the Education Department’s proposed regulatory language, would no longer include nursing.

Read the full report here and a statement from ANA below.

Statement from the American Nurses Association on Proposed Federal Loan Policy Changes

Excluding nursing from professional degree classification jeopardizes efforts to strengthen and expand the U.S. nursing workforce

ANA

Rally and food drive calls attention to SNAP cuts, food insecurity, and the strain on local food banks

Some good reporting from Steve Ahlquist about the ongoing strain that the shutdown caused and the fallout from the GOP playing footsie with the livelihoods of Americans.

"They aren’t just cutting SNAP, they’re raising rents, underfunding schools, and making healthcare unaffordable. This isn’t about saving money; it’s about them getting a thrill..."

Commentary & Analysis

David McCall, United Steelworkers International President: The Empty Promise

A striking piece of writing from USW International President David McCall, who has been speaking with workers across the country--particularly older workers--who have been hit the hardest by the affordability crisis in the United States. Worth a read.

What this Fascist Moment Demands of Labor Unions

At the LA Sentinel, Dr. Melina Abdullah writes about the power of unions to combat the Trump regime, and offers a clear-eyed analysis of how they are failing in some ways to meet the moment--and what they can do to take better action.

The Trump regime understands that labor unions are one of the greatest forces against fascism. This is why he signed an executive order stripping federal workers of their collective bargaining rights, stacked the National Labor Relations Board with his anti-worker cronies, blocked increases to the federal minimum wage, and made it harder for workers to unionize. With each Trump move, unions have fought back and continue to organize using just about every tool to win back what was lost and more.

Read the whole piece, if you can.

Despite Trump's Anti-Worker Agenda, Workers Rights Expanding at State and Local Level - TVLR

Dockworkers’ power – from Italy to the Bay Area

A nice reportback from a recent dockworkers' meeting on the West Coast.

Looking Ahead...

If you're in the San Francisco area next week, an interesting panel discussion will be happening: Teamsters, the Fight to Organize Amazon, AI, & the Struggle Against Fascism in the IBT. Might be worth checking out.

A reminder to my readers that if you've got an action, a potluck, a baseball game, a union picket, or any other labor-related event coming up and you'd like to get some eyes on it or invite folks to join, this newsletter is for you. Send me an email at melbuer@proton.me and I'll make sure to add it to next week's digest.

Alrighty, there's this week's digest. I hope you found something inspiring in it, or learned a bit about the boatloads of work that folks are doing in service of the cause of labor all over this country.

And, as promised...some news from me.

Next week, I'll be starting a month-long Holiday Subscription Drive to help get me over the hump and fundraise for a really dope new podcast project that I've been working on the last month or so. That's right, I'm getting back behind the mic for the first time in awhile, and I'm extremely stoked about the prospect. More details about the podcast, what it entails, and where to listen will be forthcoming– you'll hear more about it the week after Thanksgiving.

Starting Monday, 11/24, I'll be offering discounts on annual subscriptions for some of my subscription tiers. I'll be posting more about this on Monday, but I thought I'd give folks a heads up.

If this drive is successful, I'll be able to pay a producer a decent rate to help me put out new episodes of the podcast, and give myself the necessary breathing room to really dig into the reporting projects I simply haven't had the resources for.

All this and more next week. Thanks for your support and your readership,

In love and solidarity,

Mel

Last Week in Labor: November 14-21 2025.