Some Leading Labor Movement News And Events: organizing, a boycott, attacks on civil rights, requests for solidarity, and union victories!

From Portland Jobs with Justice:

The monthly Early Ed social is happening this Friday, April 12th, on the heated back patio at Bye and Bye, 6:30 - 9pm. Get support and strategies from fellow early educators, about anything from working conditions to education!

Under 21 welcome until 8pm. Tell a friend.
Preschool teachers, nannies, sitters, any childcare workers - please stop by if you can! Solidarity means a lot to people working in a tough field.

Friday, April 12th from 6:30 - 9pm!
Bye and Bye (1011 NE Alberta St)
Contact: pdxccla@gmail.com / IG @pdxchildcarelaboralliance

Please join Postdocs at OHSU for a picket on April 16, gathering at Elizabeth Caruthers Park outside of OHSU CHH2 building. This marks the only day of mediation that OHSU is willing to schedule, despite that they have made no indication they are willing to invest in their postdoc researchers. Join us to call for justice for Postdocs!

Tuesday, April 16 from 12 - 2pm
Elizabeth Caruthers Park (outside of the OHSU Center for Health & Healing)

Radio Jornalera - Day Laborers & Oregon Migrant Community Launch Community Radio Station - Get involved!

On Friday, March 29, Viva Inclusive Migrant Network and NDLON (National Day Laborers Organizing Network) launched Oregon’s “Radio Jornalera” at Augustana Lutheran Church! The radio station in Portland will aim to promote migrant rights, workers rights, music, art, and culture through programs hosted by Day laborers, other members of the migrant community, and other social justice movements.

How you can help:

* Volunteer to support the radio show and expand the programming by adding your own show, too! Every Wednesday there will be a training on the boards.
* Are you skilled in content creation (banners, flyers) or setting up websites? Help the radio station with theirs.
* Do you have experience with setting up 501c3s, websites, and/or writing grants? Viva Inclusive Migrant Network is looking for help with setting up its nonprofit.
* Connect with Viva's community defense project, Defensa del barrio, to be ready to respond when there is wage theft or when there is a raid.
* Please tune in to the programming on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, which is currently Monday and Friday, 6pm.

Please email, call, text Francisco Aguirre at VIVA Inclusive Migrant Network at  francisco@oregonviva.org, 503-752-4882) about any of these opportunities.

Boycott Coors!

The Coors family, executives, and stockholders are living the high life while refusing to negotiate a fair contract with workers who make the beer. The workers behind the Molson-Coors brand beverages and record profits were forced onto the picket line Feb. 17 after the company refused to offer more than 99 cents an hour in new wages. Teamsters have renewed their long-running national boycott of the brand for it's anti-worker positions.

Until Molson Coors serves up a fair deal for hardworking Texas Teamsters in Fort Worth, join us in putting them on ice. Take part in a bit of history, renewed by Texas Teamsters, and join us in supporting the Boycott!

Teamsters Local 223 members in Eugene kicked off a Day of Action by flyering customers and supermarkets about the Boycott. Here in Portland, members circulated flyers and promoted the Boycott at recent actions! Support the Boycott and circulate the flier, here!

From Red Hot Worker Hits:

From Portside:

FEDERAL COURT STRIKES MAJOR BLOW TO BLACK VOTING RIGHTS

A federal district court’s order on Thursday allowing South Carolina to use a racially discriminatory congressional map for the 2024 election cycle is a gut punch to Black voters.

“For over a century, the NAACP has worked fervently to protect Black Americans’ access to the ballot box. Make no mistake — these discriminatory maps are a direct attempt to suppress Black voices ahead of a consequential election,” Brenda Murphy, the president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement.

Without a fair map, it would be enormously difficult for Black voters to elect a representative who has their interests at heart and who would fight for them on issues ranging from education to criminal justice to health care. READ MORE HERE.

From Jacobin:

Ron Carey’s Lessons in Labor Movement Reform by STEVE EARLY RAND WILSON

Books about union presidents are usually penned by professional writers — either academic historians, labor journalists, or paid flacks. Past accounts of the life and work of labor organization chiefs like John L. Lewis, Walter Reuther, Jimmy Hoffa, or Cesar Chavez have run the gamut from hagiographic to constructively critical. Few have had a biographer whose view of their leadership role is rooted in firsthand experience as a blue-collar worker in the same industry and union.

Ken Reiman’s personal connection to the subject matter of Ron Carey and the Teamsters resulted from his long career as a UPS driver and activist in the local union that Carey led before becoming president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in the 1990s. Reiman’s insights into the workplace culture and organizational politics of IBT Local 804 in Queens, New York, before, during, and after Carey’s presidency provide a rank-and-file perspective on the challenges of institutional change in organized labor over the past fifty years.

Carey’s story, as told by Reiman, contains many important lessons for younger union activists, whether they are Teamsters or involved in other unions. Organized labor today is in a state of very positive ferment. A reform movement in the United Auto Workers (UAW), modeled after Teamsters for a Democratic Union (TDU), has had similar success winning direct election of top officers and using that system to oust old-guard officials. READ MORE HERE.

From IATSE:

Following three days of in-person negotiations, IATSE Local 871 reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on their craft-specific issues on Wednesday. Now seven of the 13 West Coast Studio Locals (80, 600, 695, 706, 729, 800 and 871) have reached tentative agreements with the AMPTP.

More information regarding these Local agreements will be provided to members by their Local Unions once Memorandums of Agreement have been formally drafted by the lawyers of both parties and submitted to the corresponding Local for approval. It’s important to note the process is not complete until the conclusion of Basic Agreement General Negotiations, which cover issues like wage increases, pension and health contributions, artificial intelligence (AI), job security and residuals. In other words, members should expect the Local agreements to be only part of the overall package to come in the General negotiations, which are expected to restart on April 29 and run through May 16. READ MORE HERE.

Dodger Stadium Tour Guides Vote to Unionize Join Local B-192

During a National Labor Relations Board election on Tuesday afternoon, a group of nearly 40 tour guides, tour leads and one plant data collector (a.k.a. the guide of the stadium’s “garden tour”) voted to join IATSE B-192, a growing Local that represents fellow tour guides at Universal Studios Hollywood and ushers at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Workers are responsible for leading the wide array of tours that the stadium now offers — from basic stadium tours to pregame tours to Jackie Robinson and “Fernandomania” (devoted to Fernando Valenzuela) tours, with offerings in English, Spanish and Japanese — the tour guides work year-round.

Some Photos From The Front Lines Of Union Organizing

IATSE members employed in off-Broadway productions are on the move!

REI workers are organizing!

Women trade unionists from Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa met at a World

 Federation of Trade Unions meeting.

Another victory for the UAW!

4000 Volkswagon workers in Tennessee are organizing!

Nurses represented by National Nurses United (NNU) at two hospitals in the 

Kansas City, Kansas region rallied outside Research Medical Center last week to 

kick off contract negotiations as they fight for improved staffing, safety and services.

Note: I am sorry that I did not keep better track of the sources for the photos above and the texts given. Most of the photos came from the AFL-CIO, I think. The photo of the women members of the World Federation of Trade Unions came from a digest sent out by the WFTU. The other photos either came from the unions mentioned, thhe metro Washington Labor Council, or from The Red Hot Worker, a great source of clips sent out by SEIU.

Who is on strike, who is bringing home wins, and negotiations we need to be watching

This from the AFL-CIO:

Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Onion Inc., ratified a new contract with parent company G/O Media. The Onion Inc. Union, the 36-member bargaining unit representing the creative staff at The Onion, The A.V. Club, Deadspin and The Takeout, voted to authorize a strike if a new deal could not be reached. The new three-year agreement includes raising the minimum starting salary by $10,000 to $60,000 in the first year of the contract, and up to $64,000 in the final year of the contract, 3% raises in each subsequent year of the contract, a minimum of 12 weeks severance pay with no cap in the event of layoffs, successorship language that allows workers to receive full severance if their employment is terminated in the event of a sale or within 30 days of working with the new entity, the establishment of a policy on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) within 12 months, a gender-neutral increase in parental leave, WPATH standard of care in health benefits, and increased guaranteed holidays. Read more here.

From the Chicago Teachers Union:

It is day three of a strike for the schools students deserve at Instituto del Progreso Latino. Progress at the bargaining table has come at a snail’s pace. This strike was completely avoidable by the charter school operator, but regrettably Instituto’s school leaders and board of directors have failed to put the interests the community they committed to serve first.

Educators took a stand to make sure Instituto del Progreso Latino fulfills its mission to provide immigrant students an education. Currently, the school has 10 vacancies in core subject areas, zero special education teachers, and lacks bilingual education services. It took 2 years for Instituto’s management to reach an agreement with the union on sanctuary protections for students and staff. Management can do the right thing and agree to a staffing and compensation package that will recruit and retain educators, provide needed student services and stabilize our schools. Read more here.

From the Culinary Workers union in Las Vegas:

The union has announced a nuber of impressive victories in Las Vegas and more are coming. Sunday the union annpounced that "The Culinary Union is pleased to announce that a tentative agreement on a new 5-year contract was just reached with the Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino for nearly 200 hospitality workers and we congratulate workers on winning the best contract ever." Follow the union's progress here.

UFCW Local 3000 has more good news. The Local recently announced a "Hard Fought Wins After Historic 9-Day ULP Strike and Consumer Boycott Campaign that followed a historic 3 day ULP strike over Black Friday Weekend" at Macy's. 

IATSE won a great victory in British Columbia and voluntary union recognition at Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company.

Building trades workers in San Diego won a big victory when the City Council there unanimously passed a blanket project labor agreement (PLA) last week.

The Communications Workers of America UPTE-CWA Local 9119 optometrists who work at the University of California (UC) walked off the job this week in response to unfair labor practices by the university and "(O)ver 200 members of the NewsGuild-CWA, working for Tribune Publishing, staged a one-day walkout last week to protest the company’s refusal to pay journalists, designers and editors a fair wage and management’s threat to take away the 401(k) match benefit. Workers from the Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, Virginian-Pilot, Morning Call, Suburban Chicago Tribune, Design and Production Studios, and Tribune Content Agency participated in the walkout—the single largest coordinated action journalists at the company have taken against Alden Global Capital since the hedge fund purchased Tribune Publishing in 2021." 

Photo from The NewsGuild

And we're watching: The IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts, which includes Teamsters Local 399, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (IBEW), Laborers International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA!), United Association Plumbers Local 78 (UA) and Operating Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association (OPCMIA) Local 755, have announced that they will be jointly bargaining their shared Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan proposals in the 2024 bargaining cycle with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Studios (AMPTP). See this. IATSE is following negotians between the American Federation of Musicians and the AMPTP and has declared support for the Musicians.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees members "aren't going to just settle."

Matthew Loeb, President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) told a labor gathering in Las Vegas the other day that IATSE is ready to strike should negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) not go well this Spring. The AMPTP describes itself as "the entertainment industry's official collective bargaining representative" and "negotiates 58 industry-wide collective bargaining agreements on behalf of hundreds of motion picture and television producers."

Brother Loeb said, "Nothing’s off the table, and we’re not going to give up our strength and our ability because they sapped us...Everybody’s bank account got sapped because they were unreasonable for months and months. My folks aren’t going to just settle.”

The entertainment industry may have been counting on IATSE members being "strike weary" after protracted entertainment industry strikes last year went on longer than expected despite drawing strong support from the labor movement and the public. In fact, IATSE had a pretty good 2023 and union and public solidarity helped make that so. Loeb and his advisors within the union have their fingers on the nation's pulse. “Folks are fed up. And I don’t know what to call it, if it’s a post-Covid wake of dissatisfaction, but people are ready to fight and the studios would be ill advised to think that they’ve weakened us to the point that we can’t,” Loeb has been quoted as saying.

These remarks came during a panel on AI that was part of the AFL-CIO's Labor Innovation & Technology Summit at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas this week (see this also). There is much to say about AI from a union perspective, or perspectives. Loeb was clear in saying that “(T)he studios are on notice that this is a crucial issue for us and we’re going to fight very hard…We’re going to look closely at the deals that were already made and if we can draw from that....We have a pretty uphill climb in terms of making sure (our) people are safe and that they’re secure and protected." Loeb is framing part of the national debates on AI about jobs.

The Teamsters and the Writers Guild of America-West (WGA), unions with good relations with IATSE, seems to be taking a go-slow approach where AI is concerned. The President of  Teamsters Local 399 and the President of WGA-West understand that the employers that the three unions deal with together are concerned about negotiating union contracts that may negatively impact their ability to use AI in the future. On the one hand, then, the unions have the challenge of making the industry employers negotiate over something that most employers refuse to negotiate over---the use of technology---and, on the other hand, they're approaching contract bargaining with a high level of coordination, recent strike experience, and a willingness by IATSE to strike. It's reasonable to expect that the employer's concerns about the future of AI, competition, and the entertainment industry's economics will stiffen employer resistance to union demands. Meanwhile, there is significant public debate and concerns about AI that go beyond looking at AI solely through a union lens and some strong labor allies are staking out advanced positions on AI as well. Local 399 is using political action in California to take on the state's governor and the tech companies, and the local is using this as wedge to warn California Governor Newsom to not run again. Intended or not, this fight will impact union negotiations with AMPTP and will help affect public perceptions of AI.

Photo from Wikipedia

Disney seems to be playing defense as the unions are setting the ground for contentious negotiations. Paramount is in such a deep financial mess that it may merge with some greedy entertainment companies that seem more interested in acquisitions than entertainment. Overall employment in the entertainment industry seems to be down. Still, IATSE is willing to talk about striking and is taking an aggressive legal stand with a recalcitrant employer that probably sends a strong union message to industry employers. The union is not letting up on organizing in areas where how technology is used is contentious, pushing the point that unions can organize, go into major negotiations prepared to strike, and go into court to protect their members' interests in the same period.  

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of any of the organizations or individuals mentioned in the post or those of the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter..

The Oregon AFL-CIO and the labor movement are celebrating a year of progress

The Oregon AFL-CIO has a post up marking a year of progress for the labor movement in Oregon. The introduction to the post says in part that "From a windfall of legislative wins during the 2023 Oregon Legislature, to supporting unions on strike around the state, to winning in local elections, to an exciting and inspiring 2023 Oregon AFL-CIO Convention, we are proud and fired up by everything Oregon Labor has done together this year." The Oregon AFL-CIO claims to have 288+ affiliated unions with more than 300,000 members and more than 7500 activists. It has been a good year for most of the labor movement.

The post goes through the 2023 legislative wins by labor and provides a legislative scorecard, it reviews union organizing victories and carries an announcement for the 2024 Oregon Labor Organizing Summit to be held on May 30, 2024 in Portland, reminds us of the strikes and collective bargaining struggles many of us went through in 2023, provides a look-back on the Oregon AFL-CIO's convention, and gives a brief closing statement on what to look forward to in 2024.  

Please read the post here and consider what is being said there and where you fit in. You are absolutely needed and encouraged to participate, learn and lead in 2024.

Some labor media and unions are also making predictions and celebrating wins in 2023. Working In These Times has a list of predictions for U.S. labor in 2024. The Remembering The Triangle Fire Coalition has a moving video up of the October Triangle Fire Memorial. The Metro Washington Labor Council is celebrating some great victories won by the American Federation of Government Employees, and wins by AFSCME.

The Metro Washington Labor Council also lists these union wins:

* Moon Rabbit workers and UNITE HERE Local 25 won union recognition and bargaining of a first contract from InterContinental Hotel Group after picketing for weeks and official calls for a public boycott.
* Compass workers at World Bank, Smithsonian, NIH, and DC universities won contracts with a $20 minimum wage with UNITE HERE Local 23.
* Kaiser Permanente workers went on strike and eventually ratified a landmark new contract with OPEIU Local 2.
* Unionized office cleaners with 32BJ SEIU won a new contract for more than 9,000 workers in the DC region with pay increases of over $3.50/hour.
* ACLU of DC staff unionized with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild.
* Brookings Institution staff reached their first union agreement with NPEU.
* More Perfect Union staff ratified their first union contract with Washington-Baltimore News Guild.
* Staff at Solid State Books ratified their first ever union contract with UFCW Local 400.
* Grocery workers at Safeway and Giant ratified strong new contracts with UFCW Local 400.
* Nurses at George Washington University Hospital voted YES to form a union with the District of Columbia Nurses Association.
* Washington Post staff walked off the job for the first time in decades, calling on the company to bargain with the Post Guild.
* Starbucks workers throughout the region unionized with Starbucks Workers United and Workers United Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board.
* Maryland public employees won $13 million in back wages after AFSCME Maryland Council 3 filed complaints to the U.S. Department of Labor.
* Tens of thousands of TSA workers got the largest pay raise in decades thanks to bargaining from AFGE.
* Ironworkers at a number of work sites voted YES to unionize with the Ironworkers Union.
* Social Security Administration workers fought for better pay, staffing, and conditions with AFGE.
* Transit workers at Transdev, WMATA, Loudon County, Fairfax Connector, and National Express Transit fought for better wages with ATU Local 689.
* University System of Maryland workers continue bargaining for fair pay, better telework policies, and sustainable workloads with AFSCME Council 3.
* DC Public School teachers with Washington Teachers' Union continued working toward a new contract with the school system.
* Hotel workers at Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square continue to fight for union recognition with UNITE HERE Local 25.
* And Montgomery County passed a landmark bill to stabilize rent, with the support of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, UFCW 1994 MCGEO, UFCW Local 400, UNITE HERE Local 23, and UNITE HERE Local 25.

Washington, DC is far away, but I mention their report because it shows the power of cooperation between unions. An encouraging article on the national AFL-CIO blog goes into great detail on union contract wins in 2023 and shows scores of union wins.

See some great news from IATSE!

 

Closer to home, the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) shows that Washington State is the third most unionized state. A drop in some union's membership in 2022 doesn't take factor in the union organizing victories won in the state through 2023. A  WSLC report says "According to the latest (Bureau of Labor Statistics) report, Washington had 615,000 union members in 2022, representing 18 percent of the state’s workforce. Only New York and Hawaii had a higher percentage of union members in their workforces than Washington state. For 2021, the BLS estimated Washington had 629,000 union members and 19 percent union density." April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, is quoted as saying, "As working people have reassessed their jobs and lives during the pandemic, unions have become more popular than ever,” Sims said. “There’s no question that more and more working people are organizing, but these latest statistics don’t reflect that because many of them have yet to get their first union contract or are still fighting in court for union recognition."

Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings, Jr..

 Photo from the CWA website.

One of the most astute and pointed end-of-year union statements has come from Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings, Jr. Looking ahead to 2024, Brother Cummings said, "And we’re just getting started. Next year will be one of unprecedented opportunities. We must use every resource at our disposal to bargain stronger contracts, organize more workers to join CWA, and elect pro-worker candidates to office. I want to take what we know in our hearts as union members – that when we work together, we are more powerful than those against us, and we will be even stronger in the future as we continue to build our relationships with our allies. As my work on your behalf takes me across the country, I plan to visit even more worksites so that I can understand the challenges you are facing and discuss what we can do to address them." He added a strong ask to support workers on strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a strike that should be winning stronger support from within the national labor movement than it has.

This is not a complete list of the unions and allied organizations celebrating wins and looking forward to more wins in 2024, but I hope that it gives readers a taste for activism and progress.

Workers at Valley Ford Truck near Cleveland, Ohio are on strike a week before 

Christmas, saying the company hasn’t given them a fair contract. Photo from 

Sean McDonnell, Cleveland.com

Solidarity with performing artists needed!

 

Some Union News & Headlines For November 30, 2023

On this date in labor history Mother Jones died in 1930 and the anti-WTO march was held in Seattle in 1999. I know that we have some readers who were in Seattle for the 1999 demonstration, so a special thanks goes out to them today.

Photo taken from the Oregon AFL-CIO

The Oregon AFL-CIO listed the following in the Oregon Labor Dispatch under today's date:

Rally with SEIU Local 503 Members at Portland State University
Tomorrow: Friday, December 1, Urban Plaza, SW Mill St in Portland at noon
SEIU Local 503 members are rallying at PSU to show they are united, strong, and fighting for the fair contract they deserve. Join with them to send a strong message to PSU administration!

University of Oregon Labor Center Collective Bargaining Institute
December 3-8, University Place Hotel, Portland Oregon
Want to be ready for your next round of bargaining? Join union leaders from around the state at the Labor Education and Research Center's Collective Bargaining Institute. In this hands-on program, participants learn all the fundamentals of effective negotiations -- from drafting proposals and contract costing, to managing the bargaining team and finding a settlement. Scholarships are available! Click here for more details and to register online.

81st Annual Children’s Holiday Party - Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter
December 9, 9:00am -12:00pm, Ken Allen AFSCME Labor Canter, 1400 Tandem Ave NE in Salem
Join the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter for a free and fun-filled event with cookies, crafts, gift bags, live music and the one and only Caesar the No Drama Llama.

The Labor Market: Flea Market and Maker Fair
December 9-10, Goldsmith Blocks Building, 412 NW Couch in Portland, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind film worker flea market and maker fair! The Labor Market will feature original works of art, handcrafts and other creative products made by film workers, and a flea market where treasures you’ve seen on the screen in locally filmed tv shows and movies could be waiting to be discovered. All sales of goods go directly to the Union member-vendor. The market will have live music, entertainment, raffles, and special guest Santa Claus.

The following graphic comes from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). IATSE is one of many unions that, along with the AFL-CIO, are marking Native American Heritage Month. 

PCUN, Oregon's farmworker union, is reporting the following today:

Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the hardworking people who harvest and process our foods, often under dangerous conditions and usually for a very low wage. According to the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS), around 2.4 million farmworkers labor on US farms and ranches, and about 71% of farmworkers who work in crop production are immigrants. At least half, or 1.2 million farmworkers, are undocumented, which creates many barriers for families in the United States when it comes to accessing services that are critical for the well-being of our communities. One of the best ways to thank a farmworker is to support pathways to legalization and citizenship for the hands that feed America, in addition to supporting the collective bargaining rights of farmworkers.

We at the Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter strongly encourage you to go to PCUN's website and support PCUN as you are able to.

Photo from KPIC

In other news...

* Labor's Community Service Agency has issued an appeal for support for union families over the holidays. Part of the solidarity appeal reads as follows:

We are humbly asking you to make a donation today, so collectively, we can provide holiday resources to our union families and create a memorable holiday season during a difficult time. We cannot continue our program without your financial support, as it is a crucial part of the work we do. Can we again rely on you to assist working families during the holiday season? Because harm to one brother or sister is harm to all of us.

Our message: Please help out if you can. Remember the old adage to give 'til it hurts and then 'til it feels good.

* The National Domestic Workers Alliance is gathering stories from people who have had to stay home because of issues with childcare. Collecting these stories is an important part of their campaign, but the Alliance is working on many other issues as well. Please go to their page and submit your story, but also consider joining in their December 11 Zoom event with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su.

* The Oregon Center for Public Policy has a new plan out to build economic justice in Oregon. This means raising incomes, building workers' power, changing the tax system and much more. Can you get space on your union meeting or Chapter or Council agenda to discuss their plan and perhaps have a speaker from the Center?

* The Communications Workers of America is reporting a string of union organizing victories. According to the union, "Over the past month, workers have joined CWA at Education Week and Rising for Justice (Washington-Baltimore NewsGuild, TNG-CWA Local 32035), The Guardian and Journal Pioneer newspapers (CWA Canada Local 30130), Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (United Media Guild, TNG-CWA Local 36047), Google Help (Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009), and Wisconsin Watch (Milwaukee Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA Local 34051)." This short list does not include Wells Fargo workers at two bank branches in Albuquerque, NM, and Bethel, AL. who filed for the bank’s first-ever union elections on Monday.

* Trader Joe's United, the union seeking to represent workers at Trader Joe's, is working on a campaign to end junk fees and hold greedy corporations accountable to consumers. This campaign potentially affects most workers and deserves everyone's support. Also, please check in with the union as you consider your holiday shopping options.

* Starbucks Workers United is claiming a victory after their recent strike. The union says that "Our Red Cup Rebellion, where more than 5,000 Starbucks workers went on strike, has already landed a major victory - the ability for workers to pause mobile orders during especially busy rushes."

They need our help spreading the word on social media.

* A great learning and activating opportunity here: Minnesota unions and their community partners are gearing up for an unprecedented wave of potential strikes and community actions with a deadline of the first week of March 2024. This date likely coincides with similar potential action here in Oregon. Representing tens of thousands of workers with contracts expiring and other deadlines at that time, labor and allied organizations are working together to align their demands and narratives to win at the bargaining table and push politicians at city hall and the state capitol. We have much to learn from this organizing.

Join Bargaining for The Common Good, In These Times, The Center for Innovation in Worker Organization, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, The Action Center on Race and The Economy, The Kalmanovitz Initiative, Workday Magazine and other partners on Tuesday, January 9th, 2024: at 3:00 PM (PST) for a webinar featuring representative labor and community leaders from across the movement. The talk will be about going on the offensive and winning. Go to Bargaining for the Common Good to register for the event.

Photo from the UAW

* An article by Julia Conley posted on Common Dreams yesterday under the headline "UAW Launches Largest Union Organizing Drive in US History" indicates that the United Auto Workers has been taking lots of calls from workers employed in non-union auto plants and parts suppliers since setting the contracts with the Big Three auto companies and feels confident that it can lead a new wave of mass organizing now. This union push will have to have two sides to it---organizing workers in the plants and taking on politics---because many of the plants are in "right to work states" and the union will face strong opposition from Republican office holders. Conley quotes the union's president as saying, "You don't have to worry about how you're gonna pay your rent or feed your family while the company makes billions. A better life is out there. It starts with you—UAW."

The AFL-CIO meanwhile announced that "After 11 weeks on strike, the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network (BCN). The contract includes the reduction of wage progression from 22 years to five, significant general wage increases, a $6,500 ratification bonus for Blue Cross Blue Shield workers, a $5,000 ratification bonus for BCN workers, inflation protection bonuses of $1,000 each year of the contract and protections against outsourcing. Members will remain on strike during the ratification process."

Photo from the UAW

Photo from the AFL-CIO's Daily Brief of 

November 30, 2023 and a UAW press release

Some Upcoming Events & Labor Solidarity News

Important event announcement: The Labor Solidarity Project will be hosting an outstanding event this Thursday, November 30, at 6:00 PM (PST) featuring Dr. Diana Johnson, discussing her work on multiracial coalition building in Seattle during the final decades of the 20th century. Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of History and Ethnic Studies and the Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at California State University, San Bernardino. She received her MA and PhD from the University of California Davis and specializes in the history of race and ethnicity in the United States, political activism, and oral history. She recently published her first monograph, Seattle in Coalition: Multiracial Alliances, Labor Politics, and Transnational Activism in the Pacific Northwest, 1970-1999 with the University of North Carolina Press in 2023. This work chronicles the history of Black, Native American, Chicanx, and Asian American labor and political activists stemming from Seattle. More specifically, she examines how activists built coalitions across ethnic, regional and international lines, challenging racial inequalities, capitalist labor systems, and globalization. At Cal State San Bernardino, Dr. Johnson primarily teaches courses in systemic racism, immigration in America, and racial activism during the 1960s and 1970s. The Zoom link is https://washington.zoom.us/j/93515461794

Also:

From the Marion County Democrats located at

 245 High Street NE in Salem.

AND:

IATSE Local 488 will host a film worker flea market and maker fair in Portland’s Old Town District to benefit film crews who are still recovering from the strike. It will feature items used in local TV and movie productions, plus original art and crafts made by IATSE Local 488 members. It is open to the general public and will include live entertainment, raffles, and special guests. 

Read more here.
Vendor sign up here.
December 9-10 from 10am - 6pm
Goldsmith Blocks Building (412 NW Couch St)

AND:

Don't forget to order your 2024 labor history calendar from the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association!

Some Labor Solidarity News

AFL-CIO: The Oregon Labor Dispatch of November 17, 2023 has a link to a press release issued by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on November 16 applauding "President Biden’s announcement today of the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally, a framework that will reshape how U.S. government agencies conduct international diplomacy by putting workers’ rights and standards at the center." The press release argues that this is a "game changer for workers in the U.S. and around the world" and says that "We need a global economy that puts working people at the center, and we look forward to collaborating with the Biden administration to implement and execute the strategy with our partners and allies at home and abroad."

A report in In These Times claims that the AFL-CIO recently intervened to "squash" a resolution passed by the Olympia, Washington-based Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council (TLM CLC) supporting a ceasefire in Palestine/Israel .

From The Northwest Labor Press

An article in the Pacific Northwest Labor Press dated November 16, 2023 meanwhile highlighted remarks made by Hannah Winchester, political action committee co-chair at Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, at a Portland rally supporting a ceasefire. The article noted that "Over a dozen local unions have also signed on to a labor letter calling for a ceasefire, including the Oregon Education Association and Portland Association of Teachers."

Oregon AFL-CIO: Please visit the Oregon AFL-CIO blog and read the Oregon Labor Dispatch to keep up with what the Oregon AFL-CIO is doing. The strike map on the blog shows no strikes currently underway in Oregon, but it is important to keep an eye on this. An October 31 post on the blog predicted more strikes in Oregon as the Auto Workers moved to settle their contracts with the Big Three automakers. Another post on that date provided links to the State Federation's Legislative Scorecard and to the Federation's overview of the last Oregon legislative session and highlighted officeholders and politicians who the Federation regards as friends of working people. This is important reading, so please take a look.

The November 17, 2023 Labor Dispatch report provides a list of short labor news items and action items. The list includes an invitation to our upcoming holiday party (December 9, 9:00am -12:00pm, Ken Allen AFSCME Labor Canter, 1400 Tandem Ave NE in Salem), an announcement concerning the  University of Oregon Labor Center Collective Bargaining Institute to be held on December 3-8, at the University Place Hotel in Portland, and a solidarity action supporting Multnomah County dentists. "The dentists stand united, asking for the opportunity to provide patients meaningful care, in an environment that allows enough time to do the work," says the post.

Alphabet Workers Union: A group of Google contractors, some of whom have worked on Search and Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot Bard, have voted to unionize. A news report claims that "Following the filing for unionization, the group, which included 120 writers, graphic designers and coordinators, among others, were told more than half the team would be laid off, according to the Alphabet Workers Union, which alleged the layoffs were an act of retaliation." See this article for details. The Alphabet Workers Union frequently works with the Communication Workers of America. 

Communications Workers of America: An interesting article in The New Republic highlights bank workers who are opting to organize with CWA.

CWA's Call Center Workers United are on strike at Maximus, or were the last I heard. This is an important strike given the needs to organize call center workers and take on racism and the conditions that divide these workers. Please go to the website, get on their email alert list and follow through with the light asks that the union is putting out.

Steelworkers (USW): The Fall 2023 USW@Work publication ran two very important articles. One article on two-tier wage systems put it well when saying that "Unscrupulous employers often look for ways to divide union members, whether by age or job classification or other factors, and multi-tiered wage and benefit systems can play into bosses’ hands by helping them to serve that purpose." The article also said that "Success in eliminating tiers has come from workplaces large and small, improving lives and building solidarity for thousands of members. In the paper industry, one of the largest employers of USW members, workers achieved a series of strong contracts that cut tier systems, including in the union’s master agreement with International Paper, and Local 1013 and Local 1853 at Georgia Pacific."

From USW@Work

Another inspiring article in the United Steelworkers publication covered the recent USW International Women's Conference. Amanda Buda, a delegate of Local 412 at the University of Guelph in Ontario, is quoted in the article as saying, "There are a lot of people here that are in the same boat and in very similar situations. If I have any advice, it's that you don't know what you don't know. It’s always best if you have any type of question to reach out and ask a current union member how they did it, because there's always an answer and information that will benefit you in the long run.”

From USW@Work

Trade Unions for Energy Democracy: Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) recently issued an important report on developments in Argentina that will likely affect global privatization and the fight to hold on to public services and resources in many countries, including the U.S. There is much talk in TUED and elsewhere about a Global Green New Deal. We should become familiar with these ideas because they are affecting us, our work and our unions.  

Photo from UE News 

United Electrical Workers Research and Education Fund (UEWREF): The UEWREF and the United Electrical Workers proudly reported winning $6.5 million in bonuses for Durham, North Carolina city workers as part of their on-going organizing in the South and in workplaces with majority-Black workers. The Durham victory was won through direct action on the job in a right-to-work and racist environment. UEWREF is in need to funds to keep the ball rolling, so please contribute if you can.