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The Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition Says Governor Has 'Betrayed More Than Half a Million' Public Service Workers 'By Vetoing Historic' Collective Bargaining Legislation

Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(RICHMOND, VIRGINIA) - The Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition, which collectively represents hundreds of thousands of Workers across the Commonwealth, issued the following joint statement in response to Governor Abigail Spanberger’s betrayal of half a million Virginia Public Service Workers - including Teachers, Firefighters, Home Care Workers, State Workers, County Workers, City Workers and some Higher Education Workers - by expressing her plan to veto historic legislation that would have allowed Workers to collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits and working conditions:

The Virginia Public Sector Labor Coalition - which comprises the: Virginia AFL-CIO; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the American Federation of Teachers; the American Federation of Teachers-American Association of University Professors; the Communications Workers of America (CWA); Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512; the Virginia Education Association (VEA); the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters (VPFF); UNITE HERE; and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 - released the following statement:

Shame.

Governor Abigail Spanberger (has) betrayed half a million of Virginia’s Public Service Workers by going back on her campaign promise to support Collective Bargaining Rights for the people who keep our Commonwealth and communities running every day.

Instead of aligning herself with General Assembly Democrats who unanimously supported this Bill, Spanberger instead vetoed the Bill just as her predecessor Glenn Youngkin did, sending Virginia Workers the crystal-clear message that they are no better off than they were under a Republican Governor.

Many Workers were excited by her promise to finally give them a voice on the job and are now left questioning why she has left them behind.

It is Orwellian for the Governor to suggest that she supports Collective Bargaining Rights while introducing a version of the Bill that delayed extending those rights to local Workers until the next decade, inserted a kill-switch into the bill that would have effectively allowed a future Governor to end Collective Bargaining without a single vote from the General Assembly, and took Workers’ rights in Virginia backwards by weakening existing Collective Bargaining Agreements and reducing Worker protections across the Commonwealth.

To then hide behind local politicians who are scared to sit down with their own Workers, instead of acknowledging the many local Elected Officials who called on her to sign the Bill and the half a million Public Service Workers whose lives could have been made better by this Bill, is cowardly.

The Governor thinks she knows what is best for Workers and that is precisely the problem.

She is not listening to Workers.

Virginia’s ban on Collective Bargaining is rooted in the efforts of Black Hospital Workers to organize the University of Virginia Hospital in the 1940s.

Until 2020, Virginia was one of only three States with a blanket ban on Collective Bargaining, with the other two being North Carolina and South Carolina.

It is shameful the Governor turned her back on an opportunity to undo this remaining legacy of Jim Crow in Virginia.

The right to Collectively Bargain is foundational to all other Workers’ Rights.

To be clear: In the middle of an affordability crisis, the Governor has denied half a million Public Service Workers the freedom to bargain for a living wage, affordable health care and safe workplaces.

Working Families thank General Assembly Democrats, especially the Legislation’s patrons Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell and House Democratic Caucus Chair Kathy Tran, who have stood with and fought alongside Virginia’s Workers.

To Directly Access This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: Gov. Spanberger Betrays More Than Half a Million Public Service Workers By Vetoing Historic Collective Bargaining Legislation | American Federation of Teachers

AFA-Represented United Flight Attendants Ratify New Contract That Features A 31% Average Wage Increase For Nearly 30,000 Flight Attendants

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - United Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA), have voted by 82% to ratify a new contract that provides a 31% average wage increase for the nearly 30,000 Flight Attendants - plus boarding pay (additional 7%-8% compensation on average) this Summer, and $741 million in retroactive pay, among many other improvements.

“The contract will immediately change the lives of United Flight Attendants, especially our thousands of new hires who have been hired since the pandemic,” AFA President Ken Diaz said. “Our solidarity delivered the goods.”

“The United Airlines Flight Attendant contract now leads the industry in total value for Flight Attendants - and it should,” said AFA-CWA President Sara Nelson, whose Union represents more than 55,000 Flight Attendants who are employed at 20 Airlines. “We will continue to press forward with all of our contracts and build power with our organizing to ensure Flight Attendants are respected with meaningful return for our work as Aviation’s First responders.”

The five-year contract includes: 31% base pay rate increase this Summer - Average increase in base pay with June and August 2026 raises compounded; Boarding pay (on average 7-8% increase to compensation); $741 Million in Retro Pay; Expanded job security aligned with United Pilots, including limits on Express flying, code and revenue share; Restrictions on red-eye flying; Sit Pay for scheduled and rescheduled sits over 2.5 hours (incentive to decrease long, unpaid sits); Per Diem and 401k contribution increases; 10 weeks paid maternity and two weeks paid parental and adoption leaves; Elimination of 24 hour on-call reserve with 14 Hours Reserve Availability Periods; Improved language in Hotels and Electronic Notification; and Increased Pay for premiums including International Purser and Language position.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: United Flight Attendants Ratify New Contract - Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

AFSCME Local 3299 - Which Represents More Than 40,000 Workers In The University Of California System, Plans An 'Open-Ended' Strike Starting Thursday At UC Santa Cruz, 'Accusing The University Of Bad-Faith' Bargaining

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299 - which represents more than 40,000 Workers employed in the University of California (UC) System, including 530 at UC Santa Cruz, is planning an open-ended strike starting Thursday (May 14th). The Union accuses the University of bad-faith bargaining. Workers are employed in a span a range of occupations, such as food service, transportation, Electricians, Custodians and Patient Care Workers, like Nurse’s Aides and Radiology Technologists. AFSCME says wages simply don’t keep up with rising housing and health care costs. The Workers have filed two Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Charges against UC, including: Unlawful imposition of health care increases and other unlawful terms and refusal to bargain over housing benefits. AFSCME Local 3299 Executive Director Liz Perlman told Lookout Santa Cruz: “It’s the first time, not only for our Union, but also for an open-ended hospital Strike in the Public Sector in California. This is really a last resort. After two years, we’ve tried everything else. Their average salary is ($62,000), which, you know, in Santa Cruz County is just nearly impossible to live on. The UCs are in some of the most expensive real estate in the country. They don’t move, but everything gets more and more expensive around them.”

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: Open Ended Strike! – AFSCME 3299 And UC workers prepare for systemwide open-ended strike on Thursday, with local impacts to patients, buses, dining services - Lookout Santa Cruz

United Natural Foods Incorporated Teamsters 'Ratify Strong First' Contract - Warehouse Workers 'Win 23%' Wage Increase, Teamsters Health Care & Pension

Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(LANCASTER, TEXAS) – Teamsters Local 745 Members employed at United Natural Foods Incorporated (UNFI) in Lancaster, Texas have overwhelmingly ratified their first Teamsters contract that covers 300 Warehouse Workers and delivers a 23% wage increase, Teamsters health care, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan and strong job protections.

“This contract is going to change our lives for years to come,” said Laqurria Marshall, a Warehouse Worker and Member of Local 745. “We organized because we wanted better wages, affordable health care and real retirement security. By standing together as Teamsters, we secured all of that and more.”

Workers at UNFI’s Lancaster Distribution Center voted to join the Teamsters in December, following an earlier organizing victory by Drivers at the same Facility.

With the ratification of this agreement, the Lancaster Facility is now a wall-to-wall Teamsters Shop.

“Our Members at UNFI fought hard and stayed united from Day One. This agreement proves what Workers can accomplish when they fight together as Teamsters,” said Brent Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 745 and Teamsters Southern Region International Vice President. “We promised these Workers we would fight to win the wages, benefits and protections that they deserved and that is exactly what we delivered.”

UNFI is the primary distributor for Amazon-owned Whole Foods.

Since 2022, more than 3,500 UNFI Workers have organized with the Teamsters, bringing total Teamsters Membership to more than 5,500 nationwide.

Newly organized Workers at UNFI Facilities across the country continue to win strong first contracts that raise standards at the company, Union Officials said.

“We are continuing to win strong contracts at UNFI and across the entire Food Distribution Industry,” said Tom Erickson, who serves as Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. “This victory in Texas is another example of the power Workers have as Members of our Union.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters represents 1.3 million Members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

To Read This Labor News Report In Its Entirety, Go To: UNFI Teamsters Ratify Strong First Contract - International Brotherhood of Teamsters

REI Outdoor Equipment Retail Workers 'Launch Consumer Boycott Of The Chain After Management Fails Reach A Contract By A Deadline Set By The RWDSU'

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Mark Gruenberg at People’s World reports that in Bellingham, Washington, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Workers (RWDSU) - which represents REI Retail Outdoor Equipment Chain Employees, have asked REI’s 70,000 Co-Op Members and other consumers to vote with their feet and stay away from its stores. The boycott began on May Day after management failed to reach an agreement with the Union by a deadline set by the RWDSU. The Workers now plan to Strike from May 15th through the 25th against the chain, which likes to advertise itself as Pro-Worker and ecologically friendly. Those dates coincide with REI’s big anniversary sale. Meanwhile, Workers employed at REI’s big San Diego Store have filed for a Union Recognition Election. Key issues for the 119 Workers are staffing, working hours, low pay and questionable working conditions. If they win, they’d be REI’s 12th Store to Unionize, but with United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 135, San Diego media reported, rather than the RWDSU, a semi-independent UFCW Sector. RWDSU has organized REI’s flagship SoHo Store in New York City and 10 others. The flurry of moves involving REI marks yet another instance of low-paid Retail Workers finally being fed up with low pay - especially in expensive Cities like New York, Chicago and San Diego, and unfavorable working conditions.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: REI workers launch consumer boycott of chain – People's World

Snapshot Courtesy Of UFCW Local 3000’s Facebook Page.

'AI Is Taking Jobs:' 'Tens Of Thousands' Of Tech Workers 'Are Being Laid Off In 2026' & The $725 Billion That Replaced Them Is Going To 'Four' Companies

Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Don Lair at 24/7 Wall St reports Mark Zuckerberg told 8,000 Meta Employees in early May that their jobs were a casualty of the company's AI (Artificial Intelligence) infrastructure budget. And Amazon has cut roughly 30,000 roles in the last five months. Microsoft has shed about 125,000 through "voluntary" departures. And Alphabet is in the middle of an ongoing 1,500. The headlines compress into a single phrase: AI is taking jobs.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Tens of Thousands of Tech Workers Are Being Laid Off in 2026. The $725 Billion That Replaced Them Is Going to Four Companies.

Teamsters-Represented Brookfield Zoo Workers Reach Tentative Contract Agreement To End ULP Strike

Thu, 07 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Sara Tenenbaum at CBS News Chicago reports Teamsters Local 727, which represents about 100 Members employed at the Brookfield Zoo, has reached a tentative contract agreement to end a three-day Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strike. The four-year agreement reportedly includes a 20% wage increase over the course of the contract. The Zoo has also agreed to continue to ensure health care plans through an increased contribution, as well as to enhancements to staffing for the Animal Care and Facilities Teams. The Teamsters represent Animal Care Specialists, Patrol Officers, Custodians, Groundskeepers, Patrol Officers, Aides and Seasonal Workers.

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: Brookfield Zoo, Teamsters Local 727 union reach tentative agreement to end strike And Teamsters at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago Launch ULP Strike - International Brotherhood of Teamsters

'Do You See Us Now, Nike?:' Why Oregon Educators & Asian Garment Workers Are 'Fighting Nike Together'

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Jasmin Malik Chua at Footwear News reports that for decades, Nike told the world to "Just Do It." Now, Oregon Educators and Asian Garment Workers say they're just done. If the affinity between the two groups-backed by the Asia Floor Wage Alliance, Global Labor Justice, the Portland Association of Teachers and Jobs With Justice isn't obvious, it's only at first glance. Both charge the Sportswear Goliath with fueling a "race to the bottom" by cutting tax deals that siphon funds from public education and underpaying the people who make its sneakers and clothes. Their Just Sign It Campaign calls on Nike to sign a legally binding fair tax and wage agreement that funds Oregon's Schools and pays a living wage to Workers across its supply chains in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Instead of bossing others around, they say, it's time to heed the predominantly Female Workers who churn out its merchandise and the working Oregonians who have subsidized its profits. "The Garment Industry in Asia and public education in Oregon have a shared problem," said Abiramy Sivalogananthan, South Asia Coordinator for the Asia Floor Wage Alliance, a coalition of Trade Unions and Labor Rights Organizations. "Nike has built a system of extraction that benefits executives and investors at the expense of Working People. We each have power, but together we have a lot of power."

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: 'Injury to one is injury to all': Why Oregon educators and Asian garment workers are fighting Nike together And #SeeUsNike: Garment Workers Risk Going Public, Demanding Wage Justice – Asia Floor Wage Alliance

160,000-Member SAG-AFTRA & AMPTP Studios Reach A Tentative Contract Deal That Covers Motion Pictures, Scripted Prime Time Dramatic TV, Streaming Content & New Media

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a tentative agreement on terms for a successor contract to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Contracts covering motion pictures, scripted prime time dramatic television, streaming content and new media. The tentative agreement is subject to approval by the SAG-AFTRA National Board, which will meet in the coming days to review the terms. The specific details will not be released in advance of the Board’s review. Negotiations began February 9th and recessed on March 15th. Talks resumed on April 27th and concluded May 2nd (2026). SAG-AFTRA represents 160,000 Actors, Announcers, Broadcast Journalists, Dancers, DJs, News Writers, News Editors, Program Hosts, Puppeteers, Recording Artists, Singers, Stunt Performers, Voiceover Artists and other Entertainment and Media Professionals.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: SAG-AFTRA and studios reach tentative contract deal

May Day 2026: U.S. Labor Movement 'Reclaims' International Workers' Day

Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

For most of the 20th Century, May Day - International Workers’ Day - was largely absent from the official calendar of the U.S. Labor Movement.

While Workers around the globe marched on May 1st to honor the martyrs of Chicago’s 1886 Haymarket uprising, bosses here at home pushed their Employees to only observe Labor Day in September, leaving May Day - the original Workers’ holiday - to the Left, Immigrant Rights Activists and the occasional Socialist rally.

That era is over.

On May 1st of this year, Labor Councils from Milwaukee to North Carolina, from United Food & Commercial Workers’ UFCW Locals to Teachers’ Unions, marched with a demand that cuts to the heart of today’s crisis: Workers Over Billionaires.

The scale and character of this year’s mobilizations represent something new: The formal re-entry of U.S. Organized Labor into International Workers’ Day, on a national scale, for the first time in generations.

When the people of Minnesota shut down their State to protest ICE occupation in January, the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, Teachers, Unite HERE and the Amalgamated Transit Union were in the lead, showing what’s possible.

In temperatures of minus-30 degrees, more than 100,000 Workers and residents marched and brought much of the economy there to a halt, forcing a partial Federal retreat.

That action is the model for today.

The demands Workers are carrying into the streets reflect the weight of the current moment.

Corporations are waging a coordinated offensive on wages and benefits even as profits soar.

The National AFL-CIO has documented Working Women and People of Color stand to lose the most as employers race to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) - often without Workers’ consent - to hire, monitor, evaluate and even fire Employees.

Nearly 80% of those who will see their jobs erased by AI in the next decade could be earning less than $38,000 a year.

Unions from the Longshoremen to the Las Vegas Culinary Workers have begun writing AI protections directly into contracts, requiring bargaining before any AI implementation.

Meanwhile, corporations have raced to roll back DEI commitments and equal-opportunity programs with barely a word of public accountability.

Workers and community groups are boycotting the companies leading that retreat, particularly Target.

And Immigrants from coast to coast continue to be marked for deportation and harassment as the ruling class tries to split Workers and turn us against one another.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: May Day 2026: U.S. labor movement reclaims International Workers’ Day – People's World And For More, Go To: Hundreds Of Thousands March In May Day “Workers Over Billionaires” Boycott — Schools Shut Across Five States As NEA Leads Largest Labor Mobilization In A Decade - USA Herald

Artificial Intelligence's 'Negative Impact' On Working People: Meta Chief Mark Zuckerberg Says AI Costs 'Contributed To Layoffs Of 8,000 Staffers'

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Antonio Pequeño IV at Forbes reports Meta Chief Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged his company’s spending on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has contributed to layoffs at Meta, according to a recording of an internal meeting reported by The Wall Street Journal. Zuckerberg said “compute and infrastructure” and “people-oriented things” were the main drivers of cost at Meta, acknowledging the company’s increasing investments in AI and saying “that means that we do need to take down the size of the company somewhat,” according to The Journal. Meta is slated to reduce its workforce by 10% soon, cutting 8,000 Employees to offset its spending on AI, according to multiple outlets. Zuckerberg also told Employees Meta could reduce team sizes to take into account the speed and efficiency of AI tools to take care of work, noting: “If a team used to take fifty or one-hundred people and now it takes ten, having fifty or one-hundred people on that team can actually be counterproductive going forward so I think we need to fix that.” Meta’s job cuts are slated to begin on May 20th as the company also ditches plans to fill 6,000 open roles.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Mark Zuckerberg says AI costs contributed to layoffs of 8,000 staffers, report says

'A Win for Working People Nationwide:' Virginia AFL-CIO 'Celebrates Passage' Of Redistricting Referendum

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia AFL-CIO is applauding the successful passage of the referendum to temporarily adopt new Congressional Districts in order to fight back against Donald Trump’s redistricting war. Virginia AFL-CIO President Doris Crouse-Mays issued the following statement: This is a win for Working People nationwide. Over the last year, the Trump Administration and his loyalists have attacked Union-powered clean energy projects, ripped up Federal Worker Collective Bargaining Agreements and given even more power to corrupt billionaires. It’s clear the White House is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain control of Congress, even if it means suppressing the voices of Working People. Virginians know that if Trump is allowed to continue to use his influence to redraw maps in his favor, we’re going to see more of the same Anti-Worker agenda that has already wreaked havoc on our jobs and communities. I am proud to say that Working People stood together and demanded an end to billionaires playing games with our Democracy.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Multiple lawsuits challenge Virginia’s redistricting election. Here’s where each case stands.

Organized Labor Joins With Performers & Lawmakers To 'Condemn' Paramount's $110 Billion Mega-Merger With Warner-Discovery

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In an orgy of tons of money being thrown around, one monster Hollywood Entertainment Conglomerate, Paramount, bought another, Warner Bros. Discovery, in a $110 billion mega-merger, which could leave Unions, Workers, consumers and Lawmakers on the outside looking in while CEOs enrich themselves and an oligopoly’s clout grows larger.

And that’s even without taking into consideration that big Donald Trump pal David Ellison, the Paramount CEO, hosted the President at a Downtown D.C. bash the night of the deal (April 23rd).

That’s not a coincidence.

The sale drew protests in New York in the morning and outside the White House in the evening.

Paramount, which also owns CBS - and which has turned that network’s news division in a Trump-pleasing direction - and CNN, gobbled up Discovery just months ago.

It won the bidding for Warner by offering $31 a share.

That was four times the trading price of Warner on Securities Exchanges.

The Warner Board, meeting by Zoom on the morning of April 23rd, took just minutes to seal the deal.

Voting numbers were not disclosed.

The loser in the war for Warner - Netflix, didn’t do too badly.

In an indication of the massive amounts of money capitalists throw around in such transactions, Netflix’s Board okayed using the funds it saved from its losing bid for Warner for a $25 billion stock buyback, enriching its investors and its honchos.

In a minor revolt, the Warner Board okayed the Paramount deal, but shareholders, a larger group, revolted against the $551 million golden parachute for Warner’s CEO, David Zaslav, and nine-figure sums for his team.

The stockholder votes are non-binding, though.

Left outside looking in as all this money and clout were exercised were Lawmakers, the Writers Guild of America and 4,000 top performers, led by long-time Political Activist Jane Fonda.

They signed an open letter against the merger.

And other Workers besides the stars fear their jobs could disappear into “economies of scale” - i.e., layoffs and increasing use of Artificial Intelligence to replace them - or both.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Union, lawmakers, performers condemn Paramount’s $110B mega-merger with Warner-Discovery – People's World

The International Association Of Machinists Files An Unfair Labor Practice Charge Against Apple 'Over Discriminatory Treatment of Unionized Workers' At Apple's 'First Unionized Store In The U.S.'

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Apple, alleging the company unlawfully discriminated against Unionized Workers at its Towson, Maryland Retail Store, which is the first Unionized Apple retail location in the United States. The Workers employed there are represented by the IAM. According to the ULP Charge, Apple has denied Towson Employees the ability to access transfer rights and other opportunities provided to non-represented Employees affected by Store closures at other locations. The IAM alleges these actions, taken in retaliation for the Workers’ protected Union activity, constitute discrimination in violation of Federal Labor Law. The ULP charge follows Apple’s decision to close the Towson Store while offering transfer opportunities to Employees at two Non-Union Apple Stores closing in the same timeframe. The Towson Workers, by contrast, have been told they must reapply for positions through the same process as external candidates. “This is about whether Workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights,” IAM Union International President Brian Bryant said. “Apple is denying Union-represented Workers the same opportunities it is giving to others - and doing so because these Workers chose to organize. That is discrimination, and it is exactly what Federal Labor Law is designed to prevent.” The Towson Store employs nearly 90 Workers and serves as a key retail and service hub for the Baltimore Region, providing critical access to Apple products and support for students, Working Families and small businesses. The IAM is calling on Apple to reverse course and treat its Towson Workers fairly.

To Directly Access This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: IAM Union Files Unfair Labor Practice Charge Against Apple Over Discriminatory Treatment of Unionized Workers - IAM Union

Auto Workers Employed At Tesla, BMW & More 'Move To Join The UAW' - Union Campaigns 'Increase To Involve Employees At 13 Non-Union' Automakers

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Victor Ordonez at ABC News reports thousands of Workers employed at 13 Non-Union Automakers - including Tesla, Toyota, BMW and Nissan, have moved to join the United Auto Workers (UAW). The Auto Workers are signing Union Cards on-line at the UAW's website as part of simultaneous campaigns across the 13 Automakers. The UAW called it an "unprecedented move." "To all the Auto Workers out there working without the benefits of a Union: Now it's your turn," UAW President Shawn Fain said. The drive encompasses nearly 150,000 Auto Workers across BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. The push comes after UAW's weeks-long labor dispute with the Big Three U.S. Automakers - General Motors, Stellantis and Ford, which brought tens of thousands of its Union Members to picket lines. The dispute ended with similar labor deals across the Big Three, which called for a roughly 25% raise over four years, as well as significant improvements on pensions and the right to protest the closure of plants.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Autoworkers at Tesla, BMW and more move to join UAW, union says - ABC News

Teamster-Represented Costco Workers 'Vote To Authorize Nationwide Strike Over Fair Wages & Benefits' In A New Contract

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Leah Sarnoff and Darren Reynolds at ABC News reports Teamster-represented Workers employed at Costco Wholesale locations across the country have voted to authorize a Strike, with more than 85% of Members in favor of hitting the picket lines. The Teamsters represent more than 18,000 Costco Employees nationally. Union President Sean O’Brien said: "Our Members have spoken loud and clear - Costco must deliver a fair contract or they'll be held accountable." The Teamsters said "fair wages and benefits" are the catalyst for the Strike. According to the Union, the Wholesale Giant recently reported $254 billion in annual revenue and $7.4 billion in net profits, which marked a 135% increase since 2018. "Yet, despite these record gains, the company refuses to meet the Teamsters' demands for fair wages and benefits that reflect the company's enormous success," the Union said.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Costco's unionized workers vote to authorize nationwide strike - ABC News

After A Three-Week Strike, JBS 'Concedes' To Meatpacking Workers - Company 'Gives In To Nearly Every Demand,' Plus A $1.50 An Hour Wage Increase & 'Ground-Breaking' Policy On Personal Protective Equipment

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Caitlyn Clark and Lisa Xu at LaborNotes report on the 3,800 Meatpacking Workers who are represented by United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 in Greeley, Colorado - who launched the industry’s first major Strike in 40 years. Their three-week Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strike was the first time Workers had ever struck the JBS Greeley Beef Packing Plant, one of the company’s largest. ULP Charges against JBS included the illegal termination of a Bargaining Committee Member and surveillance and intimidation of Workers for participation in Union activity. With 57 languages spoken under one roof, the Strike united the Plant’s largely Immigrant Workforce to take on the biggest Meatpacking Company in the world. The Local had spent nearly a year in negotiations following the contract’s expiration in July 2025. JBS returned to the bargaining table after the Strike - and when the dust settled, the company had conceded to almost every demand. In addition to $1.50 an hour in wage increases over the short two-year agreement, workers won a ground-breaking policy on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), challenging JBS’s previous system of garnishing wages to replace necessary PPE when it was lost, damaged or stolen. JBS was charging Workers up to $1,100 to pay for mesh vests, gloves, arm guards and knife sharpeners.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: After 3-Week Strike, JBS Concedes to Meatpacking Workers | Labor Notes

Photo Courtesy Of UFCW Local 7’s Facebook Page.

Federal Employee Unions 'Sue To Block 'FLRA's 'Political Seizure' Of Union Elections - 'Warn Fast-Track Changes With The Agency's Political Appointees Will Bog Down, Rather Than Streamline,' The Election Process

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Erich Wagner at Government Executive reports a coalition of Labor Groups are suing the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) in an effort to block new regulations granting the Agency’s political appointees control over Union Elections at Federal Agencies, arguing both that the Agency robbed stakeholders of the opportunity to weigh in on the changes and that the measure would have the opposite effect from its stated aim. Since 1983, the handling of petitions for Union Elections and other petitions relating to the composition of Bargaining Units at Federal Agencies have primarily been handled by the FLRA’s Regional Directors and their Staff - career Employees, with a process by which parties can appeal their decisions to the Authority’s three-member Board, Presidential Appointees confirmed by the Senate. But last month, the FLRA issued an interim final rule wresting control of those petitions from Regional Directors, who the Agency said will now work “collaboratively” with the three-member authority to process, and remove the appeals process. The rule, set to take effect on Thursday (April 23rd), bypassed the notice-and-comment period agencies traditionally employ when they consider major changes to their operating rules. “After reexamination of its practices, the FLRA finds the memorandum of delegated authorities and responsibilities to the (Regional Directors), and the related regulations governing representation matters, merit revision,” the rule states. “The FLRA envisions a streamlined process in which representation matters are resolved through the collaborative efforts of the Regional Offices and the authority - rather than a strict separation of an initial decision by an RD, followed by a possible appeal to, and potentially duplicative decision by, the authority.” The legal challenge - filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, National Association of Government Employees, National Federation of Federal Employees and other Unions, argues the interim rule’s “threadbare” justification for upending four decades of precedent, the peremptory implementation window and failure to seek public comment before finalizing the regulations all amount to the type of “arbitrary and capricious” decision making forbidden by the Administrative Procedure Act.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Labor groups sue to block FLRA’s political seizure of union elections - Government Executive

AFA-CWA Reaches Tentative Contract Agreement With United Airlines, 'Winning Boarding & Sit Pay'

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Flight Attendants employed at United Airlines and represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA) have reached a tentative contract agreement with the company after more than four years of bargaining. The agreement came during mediated bargaining and is expected to: Improve base pay rates; Place restrictions on red-eye flying; Provide for sit pay for scheduled and rescheduled sits over 2.5 hours; Increased compensation for retro payments; and Improved language in hotels and electronic notification. This contract would also continue to solidify boarding pay as a new standard for compensation going forward. If ratified, the improved pay scales and boarding pay would go into effect on May 31st. The tentative agreement will go to AFA-CWA Members for a vote starting on April 23rd, with voting concluding on May 12th. The tentative agreement was made possible by the determination of AFA-CWA United Airlines Flight Attendants and the hard work of the AFA-CWA United Master Executive Council.

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: United Flight Attendants Reach Tentative Agreement - Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

'Republican Attacks On Working People,' Part One: President Trump 'Yanks Dollars From Minnesota Unless It Kills' Project Labor Agreements

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(HIBBING, MINNESOTA) - In what could be a portent for other Counties and Cities seeking Federal funds for infrastructure projects, the GOP Trump Administration’s Transportation Department is threatening to yank $7.7 million for five County road and bridge projects, unless the County drops its requirements that contractors sign Project Labor Agreements (PLAs). And, given the strong Union Tradition in Minnesota’s Northland, the County Board is - so far - refusing. But it also faces the fact that $7.7 million is a lot of money for a Rural County and that it may seek more Federal funds for other projects down the line and face the same dilemma. Nevertheless, the Trump Administration’s demand “is Union-Busting 101,” said County Board Chair Mike Jugovich, a Steelworker. “I don’t bust Unions. I build them.” Members of the area’s Building and Construction Trades Unions jammed the March 24th meeting of the County Board in Hibbing to speak up strongly for PLAs, which guarantee projects finish with set budgets, high quality, good pay for local Union Workers - not imported cheaper labor, and Labor-Management disputes jointly worked out through cooperation on the job. The requirement about dropping PLAs appears to have come from a series of e-mails from former TV reality star Sean Duffy, now Trump’s Transportation Secretary, and his office, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Trump yanks dollars from Minnesota unless it kills Project Labor Agreements – People's World

'Power In The Hands Of People': Union Leaders 'Push To Revive' The U.S. Labor Movement, Organizers 'Unveil New Drive To Reverse Decline' In Union Membership 'As Workers Seek To Combat Growing Wealth Inequality'

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Michael Sainato at The Guardian reports leaders of some of the largest Unions in the U.S. have unveiled a drive to jumpstart the country’s Labor Movement and combat growing wealth inequality under Donald Trump. To make it easier for Workers to join a Union and strengthen the hand of new Unions negotiating with powerful businesses, a string of prominent Organizers have joined together to launch Union Now, a non-profit designed to increase Labor Union Density. “This is really about trying to put power in the hands of people,” said Sara Nelson, the President of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA)-Communications Workers of America (CWA) - the largest Flight Attendants Union in the U.S. and one of the leaders of the push. She suggested the time had come for Workers to start thinking - in some ways - more like the companies that employ them. “There’s (70%) of Workers who want a Union and (10%) have them,” she said. “If it were a company, they would figure out how to get the product into the hands of the (70%) who wanted it.” The architects of Union Now hope it will provide mobilizing Workers with financial firepower. “The reality is that even if Unions spent all of their money on organizing and all of their efforts on organizing, it wouldn’t be enough,” Nelson said. “They have to also do all the representation of their current Members, have contract fights and all the rest.”

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: ‘Power in the hands of people’: union leaders push to revive ailing US labor movement | US unions | The Guardian And UNION NOW

Los Angeles School Strike 'Averted' - The Service Employees International Union & United Teachers Los Angeles Reach Tentative Contract Agreement With The L.A. Unified School District

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA) - In the early hours of Tuesday (April 14th) morning, Members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 reached a tentative contract agreement (TA) with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). With a TA also in place for their Union Brothers, Sisters and Siblings in the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) - an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the planned work stoppage at the county’s second-largest School District has been called off. The deal covering 30,000 Custodians, Food Workers, Special Education Assistants and Bus Drivers was reached just hours before the Strike deadline. LAUSD settled contracts with 38,000 Member-strong UTLA and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles over the weekend. SEIU and UTLA both won wage increases, protections against subcontracting and more. “The truth has always been clear - the District CAN afford these changes. With this agreement, resources will begin to be redirected away from unnecessary spending and toward the students and classrooms that need them most,” UTLA Vice President Julie Van Winkle said. “This contract fight has never been about prolonging conflict. It has always been about securing the respect and investments that Educators and students deserve. This TA is a powerful step forward and a momentous win for the Los Angeles School Community.” Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said: “This agreement was won through the bold action and courage of thousands of Workers who were willing to sacrifice to improve conditions in their schools and their lives. A Strike was always the last resort and we are proud that we could work with the School District and Mayor Karen Bass to reach an agreement that recognizes the contributions of Front-Line Workers in our schools.”

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: LAUSD strike averted: Tentative deal reached with SEIU Local 99, schools to open Tuesday - ABC7 Los Angeles

Photo Courtesy Of The National AFL-CIO.

UFCW Local 7 & JBS Reach Tentative Contract Agreement For 3,800 Striking Union-Represented Workers Employed At The Company's Northern Colorado Meatpacking Plant, Which 'Processes As Much As 8% Of The Country's Beef'

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Katie Langford at The Denver Post reports United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 - which represents thousands of Northern Colorado Meatpacking Workers, and JBS has reached a tentative contract agreement. The UFCW announced the agreement following two days of negotiations that resumed after a three-week Strike at the Flagship Beef Processing Plant in Greeley. The Union represents 3,800 Workers at the Plant, who Union Officials say face unsafe working conditions and inadequate pay. Thousands of the Company’s Workers walked off the job on March 16th after the UFCW said JBS refused to increase minimum wages and committed Unfair Labor Practices during negotiations. The Strike was the first at an American Meatpacking Plant in four decades and the first walkout at the Greeley Facility, which is also the City’s top employer. JBS is the world’s largest Meatpacking Company and has an estimated value of $17 billion. The Greeley Plant, which operates as Swift Beef Company, processes as much as 8% of the country’s beef.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: JBS, union reach tentative deal for Colorado meatpacking workers

CWA Members Employed At DirecTV 'Authorize Strike If' Contract Negotiations 'Fail To Reach A Fair' Agreement

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Communications Workers of America (CWA) Members employed by DirecTV have voted overwhelmingly to give Union Leaders the authority to call a Strike if negotiations between the CWA and the company fail to reach a fair agreement. The Strike Authorization Vote comes as CWA's contract with DirecTV - covering nearly 300 Customer Service Call Center Workers in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Minnesota, and Colorado, expired on February 14th (2026). The top priorities for Workers at the bargaining table include higher wages, lower health care costs and fair working conditions - including the ability to take their hard-earned days off and take reasonable breaks between calls. The Union Members demonstrated their commitment to these goals by voting to reject a tentative agreement on March 27th that failed to provide fair working conditions. “We are the Workers DirecTV customers contact when they have problems using the service,” said Dallas Morgan, a Customer Service Representative at DirecTV and member of CWA Local 2009 in Huntington, West Virginia. “The results of the Strike Authorization Vote send a clear message to DirecTV that if the company values the work we provide, they will get serious about negotiating a contract that allows us to take more than a ten-second break in between calls and secures wages that reflect the real cost of living.”

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: DirecTV CWA union workers authorize strike if contract talks fall short - WV MetroNews

'After No Kings,' Detroit Unions 'Are Mobilizing For May Day'

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

An estimated eight million people turned out to protest at more than 3,000 U.S. destinations on No Kings Day III on March 28th (2026).

It’s described as the largest protest in U.S. History and the largest rebuke of Trump’s Presidency.

As many as 200,000 turned out for the flagship protest in Minneapolis - site of the videotaped ICE murders of Human Rights Supporters Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

The anger expressed in the streets is a response to masked ICE aggression against Immigrants and people wrongly identified as Immigrants, and their defenders.

Minneapolis was particularly targeted for occupation by 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol Agents in retribution against the public display of resistance during the protests of the killing of George Floyd back in 2020.

It was also targeted for its large Somali population, described by President Donald Trump as “garbage.”

The No Kings protesters were also expressing anger over the military attacks against Iran at the hands of the U.S. and Israel and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, in tandem with the deteriorating living conditions for the broad masses across the country.

The overwhelming messaging in the many creative signs held by the demonstrators was in opposition to the Billionaire Class, Trump’s threats to illegally thwart voting rights come the Mid-Term Elections in November - and fascism.

In Detroit and the surrounding region, there were over 25 demonstrations - Downtown, in the suburbs and even the rural sectors where Trump enjoyed electoral support in 2024.

At Woodward Avenue, just north of Detroit, site of the internationally-renowned classic car and hotrod event - the Woodward Dream Cruise, thousands took over the sidewalks and the median of the four-lane boulevard.

Many more in cars, trucks and even semi-truck trailers cruised by with blaring horns and holding their own signs or displaying fists in solidarity.

The overwhelming number of participants were White and ranged considerably by age.

LGBTQ contingents were also present.

While Union Members were among the attendees, Unions were not formally represented.

And, Pro-Trump or MAGA counter-protesters were extremely scarce.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: After No Kings, Detroit unions are mobilizing for May Day – People's World

'Five Ways' Trump's Proposed Budget 'Hurts' The Working Class

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Monica Potts at The New Republic reports President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget proposal that he has sent to Congress doubles down on MAGA pet projects while taking a sledgehammer to a number of programs that help the Working Class. Among the casualties could be new Moms trying to buy food and families with moderate incomes trying to buy homes. But Congress doesn’t have to pay attention to this budget proposal. In fact, White House budget requests are often ignored - but they reveal where a President’s priorities lie and this one shows how unserious Trump is as a champion of the country’s Working Class. Here are just five ways this proposal would hurt the Working Class if Congress takes him up on it as Trump is targeting Food Programs, Assistance for Electricity Bills, Career and Technical Education, Grants for Rural and Minority-run Small Businesses, and Low-Income Housing Programs.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Five Ways Trump’s Proposed Budget Hurts the Working Class | The New Republic

DHL-Represented Teamsters Reach Tentative Contract Agreement That Union Officials Say 'Delivers Higher Wages, Stronger Job Protections And Averts A Nationwide Strike'

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The Teamsters National Negotiating Committee has reached a tentative contract agreement with DHL that averts a national Strike that would have involved thousands of Workers across 26 Locals across the country.

“Our Members at DHL held management’s feet to the fire and demanded a contract that recognizes the hard work they perform every day,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said. “This agreement sets a new benchmark at the company and proves once again that no one fights harder for Workers in the Delivery and Logistics Industry than the Teamsters. With our Members ready to take action, we secure real gains and force corporations to respect the people who make their profits possible.”

The new four-year agreement includes a 20% wage increase, higher health and welfare contributions and critical job protections.

It also establishes robust safeguards against AI (Artificial Intelligence)-driven routing systems that undermine seniority and explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles that threaten Teamsters jobs.

“I’ve worked at DHL for twenty-six years and this is by far the best contract we’ve ever negotiated,” said Eric Camarena, a DHL Dock Worker and Teamsters Local 986 Shop Steward. “I’m proud to have been part of this Negotiating Committee and of what we achieved together. We stood united and demanded what we’re worth.”

The DHL Teamsters National Master Agreement protects thousands of Workers nationwide and was set to expire on March 31st.

Teamsters at DHL had voted by a 96% margin to authorize a Strike, demonstrating their readiness to take action to secure a fair agreement.

“This contract is the result of Rank-and-File power and a clear reminder to DHL that we are always ready to Strike, if necessary,” said Bill Hamilton, who serves as Director of the Teamsters Express Division. “Our Members were united and forced DHL to deliver real gains. The agreement protects jobs, raises standards and puts DHL Teamsters in a stronger position for the future.”

DHL Teamsters will vote on the agreement in the coming weeks.

The Teamsters represent 1.3 million Members in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go To: DHL Teamsters Reach Tentative Agreement on Strong New Contract - International Brotherhood of Teamsters

'It's A Record' - Amazon 'Spent More Than $26 Million On Anti-Union' Consultants In 2025

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Dave Jamieson at The Huffington Post reports Amazon spent more than $26 million on Anti-Union Labor Consultants in 2025, according to new Federal disclosure forms, marking the largest such expenditure by a U.S. employer reported in a single year. The filings with the U.S. Labor Department show Amazon hired at least six firms that specialize in helping corporations defeat Union Organizing Campaigns. The company issued hundreds of payments throughout the year, averaging more than $56,000 apiece - higher than the average annual wage of one of its Warehouse Workers. Amazon has spent years battling Union Campaigns by the Teamsters, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and other Unions. Early on, much of that organizing focused on the Retail Behemoth’s Fulfillment Centers, where Workers pick, pack and ship orders - but has since spread to its Distribution Hubs and subcontracted Driver network. Bob Funk, who serves as the Executive Director of LaborLab - a non-profit that tracks the Anti-Union Consulting Industry, described the Amazon spending as “huge.” He also noted the persuader work captured in the Federal filings typically does not include spending on Labor Attorneys who fight Union Campaigns through the National Labor Relations Board, which is often more expensive.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Amazon spent more than $26 million on anti-union consultants in 2025

Union-Represented Pharmacy Workers Ratify Four-Year Contract with Kaiser Across Southern & Central California, Secure 21.5% Wage Increases Over Life Of Contract

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Union-represented Workers employed at Kaiser Permanente locations across Southern and Central California have ratified a new four-year contract that lasts through March 2030 and includes 21.5% wage increases over the next four years, as well as 6.5% raises in March and October of this year. Additional wage grid and market adjustments bring the total increase to 25% to 30% for many Members. The agreement also includes provisions to safeguard against the impact of Artificial Intelligence. “We came together with Kaiser Permanente Workers across the country to achieve these strong successor contracts,” said the Union said in a statement. “It reflects the months of hard work that went into negotiations and the solidarity shown by all of us at the bargaining table and the Alliance of Healthcare Unions.” The Union represents Workers across Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Kern Counties, including Pharmacy Assistants, Pharmacy Technicians, Clinical Lab Scientists, Medical Lab Technicians and Clinical and Administrative Staff. In February, Workers staged a three-day Strike at Kaiser Permanente Facilities across Southern California and Bakersfield.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Pharmacy workers, others ratify four-year contract with Kaiser – San Diego Union-Tribune

What's Next Up After 'No Kings 3.0?' 'Could It Be A General Strike Held On May Day?'

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

C.J. Atkins at People’s World reports that on the heels of the massive No Kings mobilizations that saw millions take to the streets over the weekend, the fight against the MAGA agenda and the spiraling economic crisis is entering a new phase. Standing before a crowd of thousands at the flagship rally in Minnesota, Indivisible Co-Founder Ezra Levin issued a call that seemed to echo the sentiments of a growing Labor-Community Alliance: A nationwide “General Strike” on May 1st. “The next major national action of this movement is not just going to be another protest,” Levin declared. “It is a tactical escalation. It is an economic show of force.” The call for action on May Day - which is International Workers’ Day, is being organized under the banner of the May Day Strong Coalition with the demand of “No Work, No School, No Shopping.” The goal is to shut down the engines of profit that sustain the current Trump Administration’s agenda and to demand a government that invests in health care, housing and schools - rather than war, blockades and the intimidation of Immigrants. The momentum for a national walkout is rooted in the recent Minnesota General Strike, which started in Minneapolis. In January, Minnesota residents and workers electrified the movement by launching a citywide General Strike against the brutal tactics of Federal Immigration Enforcement. Despite temperatures plunging to -30 degrees, over 100,000 people marched and hundreds of businesses closed down.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Next up after No Kings? A May Day general strike – People's World

Labor 'Wins When They Run Union Members For Office'

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Ned Rust at Jacobin reports in Maine, polls show Graham Platner - a Union-recruited Oysterman, trouncing both current State Governor Janet Mills, the establishment Democrat pick, and Susan Collins, the incumbent Republican Senator.

It’s not just Blue States either.

Down in deep-Red Alabama, dues-paying Plumber Andrew Sneed is outraising his GOP opponent, incumbent Representative Dale Strong, all while forgoing corporate donations.

And in Texas, Taylor Rehmet, a Local President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, stunned pundits by handily winning a runoff for the State Senate.

Time will tell how Rehmet fares in office and whether Platner and Sneed notch victories at the ballot box.

Regardless, something seems to be happening out there for the very few Union-linked Candidates we have put out in the field - and in not exactly Labor-friendly regions either.

A new report from the Center for Working-Class Politics (CWCP), Arizona State University’s Center for Work and Democracy, and Jacobin titled Can Unions Make a Difference? that appears to get to the crux of the matter.

By way of diagnosing the problem, the study demonstrates the insane wealth stats highlighted by Senator Bernie Sanders and his compatriots on the Fighting Oligarchy Tour are of similar disproportion to the in-real-life class composition of our government.

Today, less than 10% of the Nation’s voters are in a Union - down from more than 30% in the 1960s when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. saw the writing on the wall and decried “Right-To-Work” as a false slogan meant to eviscerate Labor Unions.

And yet right now, the percentage of candidates we’re trying to send to Congress who also happen to be Union Members is nowhere close to 10%.

The CWCP took the trouble to identify all Congressional Candidates between 2010 and 2022 and found that just 5% have been Union Members.

CWCP Director Jared Abbott says the Center is now accumulating evidence that in 2026, Platner and Sneed are among just 3.5% of declared political candidates with Organized Labor ties.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: Labor Wins When They Run Union Members for Office

Unionized Kaiser Mental Health Therapists Strike In California 'To Uphold' Patient Care

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Marilyn Bechtel at People’s World reports out of Oakland, California that some 2,400 Mental Health Professionals employed at Kaiser Permanente took to the picket line in Northern California and the Central Valley to participate in a one-day Unfair Labor Practices (ULP) Strike aimed at upholding and strengthening patient care safeguards they won in a 10-week strike four years ago - and meeting new challenges posed by technology. The therapists, represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), have been without a contract since September. The Union says Kaiser is seeking to roll back improvements the therapists won in 2022, including more time for patient support work and measures to ensure that. After the intake process, patients can receive timely follow-up for ongoing care. The NUHW says the Health Care Giant is also looking to open the door to replacing therapists’ work with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and subcontracting more care to providers outside Kaiser. The Psychologists, Social Workers, Chemical Dependency Counselors and other Mental Health Clinicians were joined on the picket lines by some 23,000 Registered Nurses represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United and by Stationary Engineers represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 39. Picket lines were launched in Santa Rosa, Fresno, Sacramento, and Santa Clara - as well as Oakland.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Kaiser mental health therapists strike to uphold patient care – People's World

Photo Courtesy Of The California Nurses Association Via Facebook.

More Than 68,000 Union-Represented Los Angeles Educators & Staff Members Announce April Strike Date 'If' School Administrators 'Refuse To Settle A Fair' Contract

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA) - More than 68,000 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Educators and Staff Members - represented by United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99, respectively - are ready to Strike if School Administrators refuse to settle a fair deal by April 14th. In the past decade, Los Angeles-area residents have seen inflation rise by more than 40%, putting a major financial strain on Workers. Local 99 - which has been bargaining for a new contract for 2.5 years - says that 99% of its Members are unable to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles. ULTA shares 56% of its Members are dealing with credit card debt and 30% have worked a second job. LAUSD has so far failed to offer meaningful proposals around salaries, class size enforcement, limitations on sub-contracting, staffing ratios and support for Special Education Programs. UTLA Vice President Julie Van Winkle said: “This is definitely to fight for public schools - a fight to make sure that we get the resources that we need at our schools. But it’s also a fight for working people. It’s not okay to live in the biggest City, in the richest State, in the richest country in the history of the world, and to have Public Educators that can’t even afford to live in the City where we teach.” During a Fight for LA joint rally that featured a crowd in different Union T-shirts, SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said: “Now, this is what solidarity looks like. All of us here together, all colors ready to go!”

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Los Angeles Unified faces potential strike by 68,000 teachers, other employees starting April 14 | EdSource

Photo Courtesy Of The United Teachers Los Angeles’s Facebook Page.

BP 'Locks Out' 900 USW-Represented Oil Workers In Indiana - Union Members 'Have Been Working Without A Contract Since February 1st', BP 'Hires Replacement Workers & Solicits The Services Of A Union-Busting Firm'

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Paul Kaczocha at People’s World reports Energy Giant BP - once known as British Petroleum, has locked out 900 United Steelworkers (USW)-represented Employees at its Whiting, Indiana Oil Refinery, the largest in the Midwest. Negotiations have been underway between the Workers and management since the Union’s contract ended on February 1st. USW Local 7-1 President Eric Schultz said the lockout followed a proposal the Union made: “We presented BP with an offer that included accepting several of their proposals, only for them to reject that after just four hours and serve us with a lockout notice.” BP has been seeking a six-year contract and 150-day notice before a Strike or lockout, saying that “industrial peace” would bring stability to its operations. The USW says the Union will not accept BP’s proposals, including cutting 100 Union jobs, eliminating all Union jobs in its Environmental Department, cutting pay for most job classifications and stripping away bargaining rights. Said Schultz: “They continue to demand we cut more than (100) jobs, accept pay cuts to nearly all positions and give up our bargaining rights. That’s just unacceptable. We are prepared to keep fighting for a fair agreement that protects local jobs, protects wages and protects the rights of our Members.” Management has already hired replacement Workers and solicited the services of a Union-Busting Company called Starcon, Union Officials said.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: BP locks out 900 oil workers in Indiana – People's World

Nearly 10,000-Represented Teamsters Nurses Employed At Corewell Health In Michigan Authorize A Strike, 'Sending A Clear Message They Are Prepared To Walk If A Fair Contract Isn't Bargained'

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(DETROIT, MICHIGAN) - Cameron Harrison at People’s World reports that after 16 months of contract negotiations and what Workers describe as continued bad-faith tactics by Corewell Health, nearly 10,000 Registered Nurses (RN) have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a Strike. The Nurses, who are Members of Teamsters Local 2024, announced nearly 90% of voting Members supported the Strike Authorization. They hope to send a clear message to the Michigan Health Care Conglomerate that they are prepared to walk off the job if a fair contract isn’t secured. The authorization does not mean a walkout is imminent, but it gives the Union’s Bargaining Team the power to call one if negotiations continue to stall. The newly-organized Nurses, who work across nine Hospitals and Campuses in Southeastern Michigan, have been fighting for their first Union contract since June 2025. Their demands center on safe Nurse-to-patient ratios, fair wages, affordable health insurance, arbitrary disciplinary protection, and improved workplace safety for Workers and patients alike. Rachel Szadyr, a Cardiac ICU Nurse and Bargaining Committee Member at Corewell, said: “This overwhelming Strike vote shows Nurses are done being bullied into silence while executives put profits over patients and gamble with our safety and our licenses. It’s no secret Nurses everywhere are struggling. We keep losing incredible Nurses because of a rigged system that lets so‑called non-profit Hospitals pile more responsibility onto Nurses, while stripping away the resources we need to provide safe care.” The Strike vote marks the latest escalation in a high-profile battle between the newly-Unionized workforce and one of Michigan’s largest Hospital Systems - a virtual health care monopoly. In November 2024, the Nurses made history by beating back an aggressive, $1.7 million Union-Busting campaign to join the Teamsters. That first victory, with nearly 63% of the vote going to the Union, was hailed as one of the largest single Union Elections in the U.S. in decades.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Patients before profits: 10,000 Teamsters nurses at Corewell authorize strike – People's World

From The United Steelworkers: The SAVE Act 'Silences Eligible Voices At The Ballot Box'

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

On February 11th (2026), the House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act by a vote of 218-to-213 after stripping the contents of a bipartisan Veterans Bill and using it as the vehicle for the legislation. The SAVE Act would require documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote or update voter registration - documents that an estimated 21 million eligible voters do not have easy access to. These requirements would disproportionately impact Working Class Americans, including rural voters, Naturalized Citizens, young voters, Women whose names have changed, Seniors and Communities of Color that already face barriers accessing official records. The United Steelworkers (USW) believe elections must be secure, but every eligible voter deserves a fair and equal voice at the ballot box. The SAVE Act creates unnecessary barriers that could silence millions of Working People.

USW Editor’s Note: To Access the Above Flier, Go To: http://usw.to/5ma

The WNBA & Its Players' Union Reach Tentative Agreement On A New Contract

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The WNBA and its Players' Union have reached an agreement in principle on a transformational new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The deal comes 17 months after the Players opted out of their previous agreement and five months after the previous deal was initially set to expire, with talks often becoming contentious. A new salary cap will start at $7 million, up from $1.5 million under the previous agreement, according to a person with knowledge of the agreed-upon terms who was not allowed to comment publicly, the Associated Press reported. Additionally, Players will make an average salary of around $600,000 and minimum contracts will be above $300,000. Across the life of the deal, Players will earn an average share of 20% of gross revenue. A term sheet should be done in the next day or two. It will then need to be ratified by the Players and then approved by the WNBA's Board of Governors.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: WNBA and players' union reach tentative deal on a new collective bargaining agreement

From The Economic Policy Institute: How Trump 'Is Weaponizing The EEOC Against The Workers It Was Built To Protect' - 'A More Diverse Workforce Isn't DEI-Motivated Discrimination, It's Just Demographic Change'

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – President Donald Trump’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently opened a Federal investigation into Nike and its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives - alleging systemic discrimination against White Workers. This is the first time the EEOC has targeted a large private employer with a Federal investigation and subpoena explicitly linked to their DEI initiatives and hiring goals. Shortly thereafter, the EEOC sued a Coca-Cola Bottling Company for sex discrimination following a networking event it held for Female Employees. The EEOC Chair closed a busy February with a letter to Fortune 500 companies, warning them about “unlawful discrimination” related to their use of DEI initiatives. These recent EEOC actions reflect Trump’s undue control over the Agency and his Administration’s effective weaponization of the EEOC to fight against DEI, a broad set of programs and initiatives designed to remedy the long and well-documented history of systemic injustices against People of Color and Women in the labor market. Established by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC has operated as an independent Federal Agency throughout its 60-year history enforcing Employment Non-Discrimination Laws - until last year.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: A more diverse workforce isn’t ‘DEI-motivated discrimination’—it’s just demographic change: How Trump is weaponizing the EEOC against the workers it was built to protect | Economic Policy Institute

Labor Perspective From AFGE President Everett Kelley: The System Is 'Failing' TSA Workers - 'And Travelers Are Paying The Price'

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

MS NOW Editor’s Note: Everett Kelley is the National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest Union representing Federal and Washington, D.C. Government Employees. Kelley recently authored a Labor Perspective that appeared on MS NOW, which reads - in part:

In the most recent pay period, many TSA (Transportation and Security Agency) Officers received only a fraction of their normal pay.

Now, the checks have stopped entirely.

If you’ve traveled through airports such as New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong or Houston’s Hobby recently, you may have seen something unusual.

Security lines stretching farther than you, or anyone, would expect.

In you flew out of New Orleans on Sunday, you may have seen those security lines stretch out into the parking garage.

They also stretched outside at least one terminal in Houston.

Maybe you were worried about missing your flight.

Maybe you were frustrated and stood there wondering what was going on.

Across the country, TSA Officers are once again being asked to report to work without a paycheck.

Let me tell you what was going on.

Those lines were not a fluke.

They were a warning about what happens when the people responsible for keeping our Aviation System safe are forced to choose between performing a public service that keeps us all safe for no pay - or flipping burgers with pay.

Across the country, TSA Officers are once again being asked to report to work without a paycheck.

In the most recent pay period, many Officers received only a fraction of their normal pay.

Some Members of the American Federation of Government Employees took home as little as $5.

Now, the checks have stopped entirely.

Instead, we have partisan gridlock once again.

It’s long past time for Congress to get together and pay the folks keeping American air travelers safe.

So, if you are frustrated standing in that long security line, I understand.

But I hope you will also think about the Officer at the end of that checkpoint lane.

They showed up for work without knowing when they will be paid.

They showed up because they take their mission seriously.

They showed up because protecting the traveling public matters to them.

A long airport line is an inconvenience.

What politicians are doing to these Workers is far worse.

To Read AFGE President Kelley’s Labor Perspective In Its Entirety, Go To: Long TSA wait times during this shutdown are a warning of worse to come

Photo Courtesy Of The AFGE’s Facebook Page.

3,800 UFCW-Represented Meatpacking Workers Are Set To Strike At A Colorado Plant Monday, 'The First Labor Strike In The Meatpacking Industry In Decades'

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Michael Sainato at The Guardian reports 3,800 Workers employed at JBS USA, the world’s largest meat producer, are set to begin an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Strike Monday (March 16th) in Greeley, Colorado - in what will be the first Labor Strike in the industry in decades. The walkout threatens to put further strain on U.S. meat prices - ground beef prices soared 15% last year - and could prove a headache for the Trump Administration as it struggles with poor polling on cost-of-living issues. The decision came after 99% of the Workers represented by United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 voted to authorize a ULP S strike after nine months of negotiations over a new contract. Local 7 President Kim Cordova said it will be the first Strike action ever carried out at the plant. Workers say JBS has forced them to pay out-of-pocket for expensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), discriminated against Immigrant Workers and tried to force through low-ball contract options.

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Nearly 4,000 US meatpacking workers to strike at plant run by top Trump donor | US unions | The Guardian And JBS Workers to Strike over Unfair labor Practices beginning March 16, 2026 — UFCW Local 7