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WGA on strike, Rutgers faculty ratify contracts, and more headlines you missed

Happy (very belated) International Workers Day!

Welcome back to Words About Work, a weekly digest of US labor headlines that you may have missed. We kicked off the month with International Workers Day, where workers around the world celebrated each other in the struggle, so a happy belated International Workers Day to you!  I spent my afternoon marching with my partner and fellow workers in downtown LA—it was an incredible experience.

I want to thank everyone for their patience while I’ve been in the midst of a bit of chaos. My 31st birthday was earlier this month and I’ve been in the midst of some exciting things at work, so this weekly digest is a bit late (two weeks or so….). We’re getting back into the swing of things with a new digest! Thanks again to the folks who have subscribed to this newsletter. I hope that my small contribution to the swirl of news around the labor movement is something that folks continue to find important.

I’m not super great at advertising myself in any meaningful fashion, but if you like what I’m doing here and you would like to support me, please share this newsletter with friends and comrades, and consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Each digest is free and public and will never sit behind a paywall, but I do appreciate any additional support that folks send my way.

Okay, onto the headlines…

Writers Guild of America On Strike!

On May 2nd, more 11,000 writers represented by the Writers Guild of America walked off the job on strike, after failing to reach an agreement with the AMPTP. As of writing this, the second week of the strike is halfway over, and social media has been buzzing with conversations and updates since the beginning. I’m listing some recent updates and in-depth coverage to help readers get a better sense of what’s going on, what happens next, and how to support strikers. Follow the WGA social media accounts for updates as the strike continues, as well.

Rutgers unions vote to ratify new contracts

On May 8th, faculty represented by three unions voted with an overwhelming majority to ratify five tentative agreements after a hard-fought battle to secure better working conditions on the Rutgers campus. Here’s a breakdown of the votes on each of the agreements:

  • 92% were for the contract covering some 6,250 full-time faculty and graduate workers represented by Rutgers AAUP-AFT and AAUP-BHSNJ (this agreement includes faculty in AAUP-BHSNJ for the first time.)
  • 97% for the contract covering some 2,800 adjunct faculty represented by the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union.
  • 95% for the contract covering some 750 postdoctoral associates and fellows represented by Rutgers AAUP-AFT.
  • 100% for the contract covering 22 Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Counselors represented by Rutgers AAUP-AFT.
  • 97% for a separate contract covering full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, graduate workers and others who teach Winter and Summer session courses at Rutgers.

Architects file for a union at Snøhetta U.S. studios

Workers at the firm filed for a union with Architectural Workers United, an independent union formed last year. Their statement reads in part:

“We are architects, landscape architects, designers, and operations staff who care deeply for Snøhetta, our projects, and the collaborative culture that makes our firm unique,” the statement continues. “We are proud of our work at Snøhetta and we are committed to our studio’s success. Through unionization, we will gain a collective voice in the future of our workplace and our profession.”

More coverage here.

Immigrant workers face off against private equity-owned hotel giant in DC

According to a recent press release from UNITE HERE,

Hotel workers at the Sofitel, overwhelmingly immigrants, women and people color, are organizing to join UNITE HERE and the International Union of Operating Engineers.  The hotel, operated by Accor and owned by Brookfield Asset Management, has held mandatory anti-union meetings  and threatened to change the schedule of an employee who is leading the union organizing effort.

More coverage of UNITE HERE’s ongoing fight for daily housekeeping in their union hotels here.

Starbucks worker in Buffalo files petition to decertify union

In the latest of a series of union-busting challenges to the ongoing Starbucks organizing drive, a worker at a store in Buffalo filed a petition with the NLRB to decertify the union. This store was the 6th Starbucks store to unionize back in 2022. According to local reporting,

"This is a very aggressive attack by Starbucks," Buffalo attorney Robert Boreanaz said. "It's something that they're doing not just for the effect at the Buffalo store, they're hoping to have this ripple effect to some of the other stores as well."

Boreanaz is a labor and employment attorney in Buffalo, and not directly involved in the brewing battle between Starbucks and the union.

"They're trying to send a message to those unionized, and newly unionized shops, that they're not going to go anywhere, and they're going to suffer the consequences of possibly having a decertification petition filed against them," Boreanaz said.

I’ll stay on this one as the story develops.

Southwest Airlines Pilots authorize strike

Last week, Southwest Airlines pilots voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in the midst of contract negotiations. Pilots with SWAPA authorized the strike nearly unanimously - 98% voted in support.

"Pilots (have) already made their voices heard about the operational disasters and the lack of progress after three-plus years of stagnant negotiations," SWAPA said.

More info here.

Last Week(s) In Union Elections

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been more than 700 petitions for union representation filed with the NLRB. There are too many to name for this little digest, but here are a few of the major takeaways:

  • Despite major challenges at other unionized stores from The Corporation, Starbucks workers continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight for fair working conditions. Multiple stores across the country have filed for representation in the last couple of weeks, adding to the ranks of a growing union.
  • Walmart workers in Kansas City have filed for representation with the Industrial Workers of the World, which is absolutely rad as hell.
  • University workers continue to build out their corner of the labor movement, with workers at Stanford, Harvard, University of Southern California, and elsewhere filing for representation over the last few weeks.

That’s it for me this week. I’ll be back on track next week with a far more detailed digest that really digs into the headlines for you. (It’s much easier to dig in when you’re not sifting through three weeks of headlines).

If haven’t yet subscribed to this newsletter, take a moment and sign up! It’s free - you’ll get a digest every week. If you’d like to sign up for a paid subscription as a token of your appreciation for this work, you’d make my day. :D

As always, if you’d like me to include something in the digest or you’re wanting to see me focus on a specific industry or labor struggle, shoot me a message. I’m happy to dig and write deeper dives throughout the week. Best way to reach me is via my work email, mel@therealnews.com, or on my Twitter account.

If you’ve got suggestions on how to improve this newsletter, want to tell me how I’m doing, or want to see a specific section added to the weekly digest, leave a comment below. I love hearing from you!

Alright, that’s it for me.

As always, my enduring love and solidarity with you,

Mel

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