Last Week in Labor: November 24-30, 2024
The Animation Guild secures a new TA with AMPTP after months of negotiations, USPS workers fighting for a fair contract, and more headlines for your week.
The Animation Guild secures a new TA with AMPTP after months of negotiations, USPS workers fighting for a fair contract, and more headlines for your week.
Welcome back from your holiday, folks, I hope it was a lovely Thanksgiving with friends and family, if you celebrated it. We’re back this week with another digest of headlines you may have missed while you were enjoying your food comas on your couches.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter if you’re finding this outside of an email so you can get updates every week.
Onwards…
Notable News in Labor
Duluth union hosts food drive amid negotiations
DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - A strategically timed food drive was held in downtown Duluth on Tuesday.
AFSCME Local 66, a union representing City of Duluth employees, is in contract negotiations with the City.
To show support for their bargaining team, other members gathered outside city hall on Tuesday for a food drive.
Arlington Transit Workers Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract with 98% Voting to Approve
(Arlington, VA) November 27, 2024 – Arlington Transit workers overwhelmingly ratified their first contract with Transdev as members of ATU Local 689 this week. After months of negotiations, the ratified contract marks another major step forward for ART workers who will now be working under a strong union contract which guarantees competitive pay and improved working conditions. Throughout the negotiations which began in May, the Union fought to drastically improve the quality of life for ART workers who were the lowest paid transit workers in the region.
Trump Labor pick surprises unions, rattles business
President-elect Trump’s pick for Labor secretary has organized labor cheering and business groups sounding worried as the atypically labor-friendly choice could signal a new and more receptive stance toward unions from Republicans, who have long resisted labor’s agenda.
Amazon Workers in Over 30 Countries Take Coordinated Action on Black Friday
The “Make Amazon Pay” campaign includes strikes and protests on six continents, disrupting a major shopping weekend.
Read the full report here. (Editor’s note: This strike continues through Cyber Monday—don’t cross the picket line!)
Amazon is requiring workers to come back to the office five days a week. Are Boston companies following suit?
From giant companies like Amazon to local businesses, many executives have been rethinking their return-to-office requirements after a year of relative stability.
Union members at Women & Infants authorize strike
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Healthcare workers at Women & Infants Hospital voted to authorize a strike on Dec. 12.
SEIU1199 New England said it represents more than 2,000 “frontline staff” at Woman & Infants including nurses, dietary and technical workers.
'Just a start': UnityPoint nurses try to unionize 1,550 coworkers over pay, work conditions
More than 50 nurses turned out in chilly conditions Tuesday afternoon to show their support for unionizing Unity Point Health nurses in Des Moines.
"As nurses, we are told we are the backbone of this institution. However, we are given little to no power to impact decisions and policy changes that impact our ability to safely care for our patients, steer the health of our workplace and affect our own personal livelihood," said Cassie Freml, a registered nurse with Unity Point at Tuesday's rally.
The nurses say they intend to form a union over their concerns about compensation, working conditions and patient care through Teamsters Local 90
US Postal Service suspends Canada mail delivery amid national workers' strike
USPS Workers Are Fed Up and Fighting for a Better Deal
More Perfect UnionUSPS Workers Are Fed Up and Fighting for a Better DealBy Paul Blest and Jordan Zakarin, More Perfect Union…Read more2 months ago · 76 likes · More Perfect Union
SEIU Local 1199 gets new contract at Middletown's Garnet Health Medical Center
Members of SEIU Local 1199 are celebrating a new three-year contract with Middletown’s Garnet Health Medical Center. Union members previously picketed the hospital earlier this month, after their contract expired in September. The new contract, passed on a 638-to-8 vote, includes a 15% raise over three years, improved job security, increased base pay, and significantly higher on-call pay according to the union.
The Animation Guild reaches tentative deal with AMPTP
AI protections, wage increases and better contributions to health and pension funds are among the gains TAG achieved in the agreement.
Unionization effort at UNLV grows among graduate assistants dissatisfied with pay
Diamond and other graduate assistants say they are overworked and underpaid — often putting in more than their authorized 20 hours a week. That’s why they are looking to unionize in a push for better pay and benefits.
Graduate assistants at UNLV, UNR and the Desert Research Institute are seeking to organize through the Nevada Graduate Student Workers, operating under the United Auto Workers union.
Read the full (and very good) report here.
Strike Authorization Vote Called by Caltech Postdocs and Grad Workers Union
Nearly a year after forming their union, workers will vote on Strike Authorization on December 4 and 5.
Union Power on Thanksgiving Day in SF Where UNITE HERE 2 Hotel Workers Continue Strike
2500 San Francisco Unite Here Local 2 hotel workers continue their strike and spoke out on Thanksgiving Day
Culinary Union hosts Thanksgiving dinner for Virgin Las Vegas strikers
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — On the 16th day of the ongoing strike, the Culinary Union hosted a holiday dinner for Virgin Las Vegas strikers on Saturday.
BLET members ratify contract with Florida, Gulf & Atlantic
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen at the Florida, Gulf & Atlantic Railway have ratified a five-year agreement, their first since joining the union last year, the BLET has announced.
Commentary & Analysis
Postal Workers Won a Wildcat Strike in 1970, What Lessons Can We Learn Today? - TVLR 11/30/24
NLRB Edge11/22/2024: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Engaged in Bad Faith BargainingILWU, Alaska Division, Unit 223 (Matson Navigation Co.), 373 NLRB No. 133, 19-CB-214679 (Published Board Decision…Read more2 months ago · 7 likes · Matt Bruenig
Mailmen Used to Be Middle Class. Now They're Living in Poverty - MPU
Unions Should Pursue Aggressive Organizing During Trump Term, And Here's Why - TVLR
3 Ways Workers’ Rights Are on the Chopping Block Under President Trump
Judging by the first Trump administration, workers and unions are set to face new attacks and a rollback of rights.
Labor by the Numbers
There were 49 petitions for union representation filed with the NLRB last week. Some notable filings…
- 38 staff workers at UAW Region 9A have filed for representation
- 32 workers at the cancer center at Temple University Hospital have filed for representation with SEIU Local 1957
- 16 Directors, Assistant Directors, and Floor Directors at WGN-TV in Chicago have filed for representation with IBEW Local 1220
Looking Ahead
If you’ve got a…
- workshop,
- seminar,
- panel,
- conference,
- labor action,
- strike,
- protest
- walkout,
- negotiation,
- sit-in,
- or other item you’d like eyes on, shoot me a message.
I’ll add it to the "Looking Ahead” section and get it front of folks who might be able to join you in solidarity. Seriously. Send me a message. Shoot me an email at mel.buer.reports@gmail.com or mel@therealnews.com, send me a DM on Bluesky, send out your last carrier pigeon. If I get the message, I’ll add it to the digest.
That’s it for this Monday, I hope you have a wonderful start to your week, and I hope you’ll stick around.
In solidarity,
Mel
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