Last Week In Labor: November 3-9, 2024
US Labor News and Headlines you might have missed--
Welcome back to Words About Work, and a very happy Veteran’s Day to you, my friends. Last week was quite a doozy for news, as you can imagine. For this week’s digest, I’ll be breaking down the headlines into sections: elections coverage and labor news more generally.
There’s a lot here, and it’s not everything that I’ve come across this last week - I’ll be sharing some reporting in the coming days/weeks on some important labor fights that are worth highlighting. In the meantime, here’s the inaugural off-hiatus digest.
Alright, let’s dive in.
US Unions React to Trump’s Election
AFL-CIO President on the 2024 Election Results
Presidential administrations change, but the labor movement’s values do not. We stand for the freedom to organize and for the right to collectively bargain. We stand for solidarity—the kind that is built when working people stand together to take on the biggest, richest bosses and the most powerful extremist politicians. Most importantly, we know how to fight back when anyone comes after our freedoms.
This result is a blow for every worker who depends on our elected leaders to fight for our jobs, our unions and our contracts. We organized for months to produce a nearly 17-point advantage for Vice President Kamala Harris with union members. But it is clear that the economic struggle working-class people are facing is causing real pain and neither party has sufficiently addressed it.
AAUP President: Election of Trump-Vance ‘Disappointing,’ ‘Higher Ed Must Organize’
Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, released a post-election statement calling on all academic workers to come together and organize against what he called a “disappointing” result.
From this Inside Higher Ed report,
“The AAUP is committed to defending our campuses and the mission of higher education through organizing our communities to face the challenges that lie ahead,” Wolfson wrote. “Our collective power is needed now more than ever.”
To read the full report, you can check it out here.
United AFA Post-Election Statement: “The Power of Solidarity over Uncertainty”
It is incumbent upon each of us to continue to leverage our Solidarity and our power to advance our profession and advance our careers. For a significant part of our country's history, Unions have been the driving force to give working people a voice and an investment in our future. Today is no different. Although the path may have changed, our Solidarity is our only way forward.
Statement Regarding 2024 US Elections: ‘Solidarity Is Our Only Path Forward’ - IATSE
Matthew D. Loeb, international president of IATSE, issued a statement after the election.
Over the past 130 years, IATSE has seen wars, economic downturns, and hostile administrations come and go, and we will endure this as well. We will continue to relentlessly advocate for fair and just workplaces, and fight to provide security and prosperity for every worker in entertainment, regardless of the political climate. We will not waiver from this mission, and we will not back down.
Labor-Related Election Analysis
Labor Now Needs to Be an Anti-Fascist Movement - In These Times
MAGA forces have begun what they believe to be their final offensive against everything on the Left. One way to fight back is for organized labor to become a conscious anti-fascist movement
Read the full commentary here.
The White House Will Be Shedding Its Union Label - The New York Times
After gains by organized labor under President Biden, a second Trump administration is likely to change course on regulation and enforcement.
To Unfuck Politics, Create More Union Members - Hamilton Nolan
The big blind spot.
How Things WorkTo Unfuck Politics, Create More Union MembersThe election went bad and now we are in the time when everyone races to write about How The Democrats Can Get Back on Track. Let me, up front, try to be clear about what I am going to write here, so the point doesn’t get subsumed into the enormous universe of post-election muck. This is not an existential “What did …Read more2 months ago · 98 likes · 31 comments · Hamilton Nolan
Democrats “Lose When They Fail to Prioritize a Strong, Working-Class Message” - The Nation
Fantastic analysis here on what the Dems failed to do during their doomed campaign—from John Nichols.
Sanders was not alone in expressing frustration. One of the savviest and most outspoken labor leaders in the country, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades president Jimmy Williams Jr. held nothing back in his postelection analysis. Williams gained notice earlier this year when he called upon the US government to “stop funding the genocide” in Gaza and urged the Biden administration to immediately halt all military aid to Israel. He’s not afraid to call out Democrats when they are on the wrong side of issues—and when they stumble in their strategies and messaging.
Why Did the Democrats Lose? Because They Gave Up on the Working Class 40 Years Ago - Common Dreams
Solid op-ed from Les Leopold over at Common Dreams.
It should have been obvious that the Democrats could not cuddle up to Wall Street and then pretend that the “opportunity society” would help working people emerge from 40 years of mass layoffs and stagnant wages. It was so clear that the Democrats would be viewed as members and defenders of the elite establishment that rules over both the economy and government, and that Trump would be seen as the disrupter—the friend of the working class.
It really hurts to have called this one. I so wanted to be wrong.
Unions Bet Big on Harris. Now They’re Bracing for Consequences. - The New York Times
Government unions, service worker unions and industrial unions all face possible repercussions from Donald Trump’s victory, but not necessarily all the same kind.
Reagan Was a Disaster for the Labor Movement. A Second Trump Term Could Be Worse. - In These Times
(This one’s a little older than a week, but worth a read)
The Right has given us plenty of indications of the dangers a second Trump term could pose to labor. To see how bad things might get, we can look to another example of a brutally anti-labor presidency: Ronald Reagan’s.
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General US Labor News
Massachusetts voters allow Uber, Lyft drivers to unionize
Nearly 54% of voters approved a ballot measure that would pave the way for rideshare drivers to unionize in the state—the first U.S. state to do so.
With 94% of precincts reporting, 53.9% of voters endorsed a novel framework that would allow ride-share drivers who are considered by the companies to be independent contractors to organize and bargain collectively over pay and benefits, according to the Associated Press, which called the vote mid-Wednesday.
Potential Transit Workers Strike in Philly on Hold
Transit workers in Philadelphia did not go on strike at midnight on Nov 7 when their contract expired, but a walkout is still possible. From the Transit Workers Union statement:
TWU Local 234 President Brian Pollitt said that sufficient progress was made at the bargaining table to keep talking – and keep the SEPTA system moving – for now.
“We’re willing to go the extra mile and grant additional time to reach a fair agreement,” Pollitt said Thursday night. “However, let me be clear: if SEPTA’s managers fail to meet our demands, we will be on the picket line.”
AFSCME Local 3299 to strike against the UC on Nov. 20 and 21
The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3299 are all set to strike at the University of California on Nov 20 and 21.
From the excellent coverage at UCLA’s Daily Bruin,
The union, which represents patient care and service workers across the UC, authorized a strike with 99% support from voters Oct. 31. The strike authorization vote followed AFSCME Local 3299’s unfair labor charge against the University, which claimed the UC approached contract bargaining in bad faith.
Shedd Aquarium employees win union election despite management’s misinformation campaign
More than 75% of eligible workers voted yes to form a union at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, in a big win for AFSCME. From their release earlier this week:
When certified, Shedd Workers United/AFSCME will represent about 180 employees, marking nine straight victories for the AFSCME Cultural Workers United (CWU) campaign in Chicago.
“Shedd is an institution focused on sustainability for marine life. Together in our union, we can ensure an equal focus on making it a sustainable place to work,” the Shedd Workers United organizing committee said.
Read the full release and the details of the campaign here.
Amazon workers in Alabama will have third labor union vote after judge finds illegal influence
Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, will decide for the third time whether to unionize—a federal judge ruled that Amazon illegally influenced the most recent vote at the warehouse.
According to Safiyah Riddle at AP,
Administrative law judge Michael Silverstein on Tuesday ordered the third vote for Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Birmingham, after determining that Amazon committed six violations leading up to the second election in March 2022.
Amazon managers surveilled employees’ union activities and threatened workers with plant closure if they voted with the union, Silverstein said in an 87-page decision. Amazon managers also removed pro-union materials from areas where anti-union materials were available, the judge determined.
Culinary Union announces Virgin Hotels strike ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix
Postal workers to host rally in Wilmington demanding better union contract
Some postal workers in Wilmington, Delaware, are rallying to ‘vote no’ on their proposed contract.
Postal workers in Wilmington are not in love with their new labor agreement between the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service.
Some of them will be rallying in Rodney Square in Wilmington on Veterans Day and voting "no" on the ratification of the contract. Those organizing the rally said the proposed wage raise and reduction of "office time" and routes hurt the entire workforce.
To read the full report, click here.
Encore AV Workers in Las Vegas Face Union-Busting, Launch Public Campaign with IATSE in Response
Workers employed by Encore, an audio-visual services provider for major resorts across the Las Vegas Strip, are launching a public unionization campaign backed by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Despite workers’ federal rights to unionize, Encore was set to begin hosting mandatory union-busting meetings intended to persuade workers from joining together to form a union.
Read the full release from IATSE here.
Boeing factory strike ends as workers vote to accept contract
Unions on Strike and a Newspaper on Pause
The New York Times and the unions representing its workers have had a handful of labor disputes, including one that left the city without The Times for 114 days.
'A power play': UAW officials say CNH closure aimed at union contract concessions
This one hits close to home, as I spent many hours with CNH plant workers in Burlington during their months-long strike a couple years back. This is now the second plant to close or threaten to close after a particularly ugly and public strike that culminated in good wins for the workers (Kelloggs in Omaha being the first).
Teamsters continue to strike at Marathon refinery in Detroit
On Saturday, a rally was held to support Teamsters who have been on strike at Marathon Petroleum’s refinery in Detroit for eight weeks.
Unions by the Numbers
Last week, there were 53 filings for union representation across the United States. Here are a few that stood out to me.
- 5 more Starbucks stores filed for representation this week, with an additional store well on it’s way to scheduling an election
- Front Desk Clerks, Guest Service Representatives, VIP Lounge Representatives and Head Cashier Clerks at the New York, New York Casino in Las Vegas have filed for representation with Teamsters Local 986
- Medical workers at private practices all across the country continue to organize at an impressive clip
Alrighty folks, that’s it for this week’s digest. I hope you have an enjoyable Monday, and I’ll see you back here next week with another round up.
Got any labor tips you want me to throw into the digest, or investigate outright? Shoot me a message.
And, if you like what I do and want to support my work on this newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber today. I’d love to really build this into something sustainable for myself as we head into an uncertain future. If you feel so inclined and want to help me get there, that would be incredible.
With all my love and solidarity,
Mel Buer
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