(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – After 45 bargaining sessions over the last two years, Communications of America (CWA) Local 1168 has reached a tentative, and first, three-year contract covering 28 Clinical Engineering Department/BioMed Bargaining Unit Workers employed by Kaleida Health in Buffalo. A ratification vote has been scheduled for March 2nd. The more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, distinguished African-American Actor, Director, Educator and Actors’ Equity/Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Union Member Stephen McKinley Henderson recently sat down with WNYLaborToday.com Editor-Publisher Tom Campbell for a wide-ranging more»

Nearly two years into the Coronavirus Pandemic, the long-term impact on Workers is not fully clear. Many Americans lost their jobs, while others walked away voluntarily in what’s been dubbed the “Great Resignation.” The Federal Government helped stabilize the economy and bring down unemployment, but it also contributed to a sharp rise in more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Multiple leaders of the Starbucks Union Drive in Buffalo have been warned that they may be fired in the coming weeks as a result of policy shifts planned by Starbucks management after the first successful unionization effort at one of the company’s U.S. stores. The new rules appear to target several of the Starbucks Workers who more»

(LEWISTON, NEW YORK) - Unionized Nursing Home Workers employed at Ascension Living at Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston have voted unanimously to authorize a one-day Strike. The Health Care Workers are represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East and have been working without a contract since December 31st more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – In the wake of a recent shooting/stabbing that occurred outside McKinley High School, the Buffalo Teachers Federation’s (BTF) Board of Delegates Thursday evening (February 17th) issued a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the leadership of Schools Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash. In addition, the BTF also called for more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, Dr. Michael Edbauer, the new President of Highmark Western and Northeastern New York, which includes oversight of Union-represented Highmark/Blue Cross Blue Shield in Western New York, tells WNYLaborToday.com he’s proud of Highmark/BCBNWNY’s “Labor DNA” and looks forward to more»

(LEWISTON, NEW YORK) - More than 150 Nursing Home Workers employed at Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston, who are represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East, have been working without a contract since December 31st, 2021. But on Thursday (February 10th), they held an informational picket to call attention more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17 Business Manager Gary Swain said he was buoyed by the recent results of Workers United’s successful organizing campaign with Starbucks’ Partners - an effort that started here in Buffalo and now has spread like wildfire across the United States. Swain told more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - The Communications Workers of America (CWA) District One, in collaboration with Health Care Workers and local artists Brendan Bannon and Ariel Aberg-Riger, have unveiled an interactive website chronicling the harrowing stories of Buffalo Health Care Heroes at Mercy Hospital who’ve spent the last two years fighting on the more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - The recent surge in cases due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has overwhelmed hospitals across New York State, yet Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Members are still on the front lines providing services. Kristina Landy, a CSEA Erie County Local Member and Senior Respiratory Therapist at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) more»

(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) - Buffalo-Headquartered Rich Products Corporation, already embroiled in a high-profile Labor Dispute on the West Coast, has had $145,000 in fines proposed against it by the U.S. Department of Labor after a 42-year-old Employee suffered a fatal injury at its Chicago-area Pizza Plant. Federal Officials say Rich Products’ Sanitation more»

(WESTERN NEW YORK) - Since December more than 580 Health Care Workers represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East at five nursing homes operated by The Grand Healthcare System have ratified new contracts. The new Union agreements include increased wages, shift differentials, longevity bonuses and wage more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - After months of bargaining, mobilizing and the threat of a Strike, CWA Members employed at Frontier Communications in Connecticut (CWA Local 1298) and in Upstate New York (CWA Locals 1170 in Rochester, 1111 in Elmira and 1122 in Buffalo) have reached a three-year agreement. The new deal with Frontier, a leading provider of more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – United Auto Workers (UAW) National President Ray Curry and the UAW International Executive Board announced the passing (on Monday, January 17th) of former UAW Region 9 Director Geri Ochocinska - the first Woman elected as a Regional Director, serving two terms from 1998 until her retirement in 2006. In 1994, Ochocinska was also more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – The Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) is calling for a district delineation, distribution, posting and enforcement of COVID protocols in Buffalo’s Public Schools to “ensure that students, their parents, School Staff and the Buffalo Community are and remain safe.” As such, the BTF is calling for: Delineation and more»

LaborPress Editor’s Note: Bill Raisch serves as Director of the National Labor & Management Conference and as Executive Director of the International Center for Enterprise Preparedness at New York University where he advances collaborative efforts to address shared challenges to our organizations, communities and the Nation. Trillions of more»

(DUNKIRK, NEW YORK) - Commendations, honors and plaques surrounded Doug Stock (Pictured Above/Dunkirk Observer Photo) as he sat in the kitchen area of his Fredonia home, though his attention soon drifted to a document he received more than five decades ago that would serve as the beginning of a new journey and mission. “It’s my letter of more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Starbucks Workers United, the Union of Starbucks Partners organizing in Buffalo, has once again won a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling relating to its upcoming Union votes for three Buffalo area stores. The victory is the same outcome from the previous NLRB hearing decided in October in which the NLRB ruled that as per more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Starbucks Partners in Buffalo have won another major victory as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled the attempt by Starbucks to pack the voting list with Partners from another store has failed. As a result, the NLRB has further ruled that Partners employed at the company’s Genesee Street store, located across more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, from left to right: Salvation Army of Niagara Falls’ Majors Steve and Delia Carroll; United Way of Greater Niagara Labor Liaison Bill Jakobi; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 237 Representative Mark Hewitt; Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President Jim more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Starbucks Workers in Buffalo - who are employed at the company’s first Unionized store in the United States, walked off their jobs on Wednesday (January 5th) to protest what they described as unsafe working conditions in the wake of surging COVID-19 cases. Starbucks Partners employed at the company’s Elmwood Avenue more»

LaborNotes.org Editor’s Note: Mike Parker and Martha Gruelle are the co-authors of Democracy Is Power: Rebuilding Unions from the Bottom Up. Got tips on running a meeting? Email them to dan@labornotes.org. This article is an excerpt from the book Democracy Is Power: Rebuilding Unions from the Bottom Up, available for $10. Union Membership more»

Marked by walkouts, strikes, petitions and open letters, 2021 was the biggest year yet for Workers in the U.S. video game industry taking a stand against labor conditions. A vocal contingent of Video Game Workers has warned employers they won’t tolerate subpar labor conditions just to fulfill their childhood dream of making video games. “In my more»

(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - On December 22nd, 2021, the New York Department of Labor (NYSDOL) adopted rules implementing the State’s Sick Leave Law (NY Labor Law §196-b, or the Sick Leave Law), providing long-awaited clarification, which went into effect over a year ago on September 30th, 2020. The rules were proposed on December 9th, 2020 and adopted more»

(GETZVILLE, NEW YORK) – Instead of picketing, more than 200 Nursing Home Workers represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East who are employed at the Weinberg Campus in the Buffalo Suburb of Getzville, are celebrating a big victory this Holiday Season. Workers reached a new, two-year agreement with more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Many non-profits across the country have been devastated by the negative impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic over the past 24 months - including the Buffalo Naval Park, which serves as home for a number of military artifacts, most notably the decommissioned USS Sullivans Destroyer. The Buffalo & Erie County Naval & more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, from left to right: Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) National Vice President Jim Louis; DiVal Safety Equipment, Incorporated Representative Kyle Staub; Bill Nasca, BLET Division 421 Local Chairman; BLET Division 421 Secretary-Treasurer Chris Eleczko;; and a representative of more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – For the third straight year, Members of National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) Branch 3 in Buffalo have been honored as NALC Heroes, this time receiving a Unit Citation for their efforts that helped a local Veteran through Summertime heat. Kevin Bystrak and the late Jody Kotowski - who was Western New York's first more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) confirmed last week that Workers United will be certified as the Collective Bargaining Representative for partners at the Starbucks Elmwood location in Buffalo, New York. Partners just made history when they won an election to form a Union, the first of its kind among Starbucks corporate more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, on the right, West Hertel Academy Custodian Bob Harrell, who has not had a raise in nearly 12 years and makes just $12.17 an hour, less than the present $12.50 New York State Minimum Wage. Standing next to him is International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17 Business Manager Gary Swain. more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, (on the left) Mike Werner, a Sergeant-of-Arms with United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6992 who’s worked at DuPont’s Tonawanda Plant for six years as a Process Specialist, stands next to Leo Sperduti, a Maintenance Mechanic at the DuPont Plant who also serves as Financial Secretary for USW Local more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, CWA Representatives Colleen Brennan (on the left) and Pat Carcaci hold up one of the CWA’s Is Your AT&T Store Naughty Or Nice? filers outside a company retail store in the Niagara County City of Lockport on Saturday (December 11th). The Union held actions across CWA District One over the more»

(KENMORE, NEW YORK) - More than 80 Health Care Workers represented by 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East at the Schofield Residence in the Buffalo Suburb of Kenmore are celebrating a big contract victory this Holiday Season. Schofield Residence is a 120-bed Skilled Nursing Facility that’s been providing more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Baristas with Starbucks Workers United’s Organizing Committee are cautiously optimistic one or more stores will soon become the first of the corporation’s locations to Unionize in the United States. Results are expected today (Thursday, December 9th) for three of six Starbucks stores in the Buffalo area that had filed for more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured Above, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh addresses Western New York Union Leaders during a mid-day luncheon that was held during his visit to Buffalo on Monday (December 6th). (WNYLaborToday.com Photos) (BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – New England Patriots fan and U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh headed into more»

(GETZVILLE, NEW YORK) - Dozens of 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East-represented Nursing Home Workers who are employed at the Weinberg Campus in the Buffalo Suburb of Getzville recently held a “march on the boss” (Pictured Above/1199 SEIU Photo) to notify their employer that they will picket the facility on more»

CSEA Editor’s Note: Pictured above from left to right: Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Erie County Local 1st Vice President Steve Szymura; CSEA Western Region President Steve Healy; Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown; CSEA Erie County Local President Denise Szymura; and SUNY at Buffalo Local Treasurer Mona Columbo. (BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – more»

(NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK) – It is said the generosity of Organized Labor knows no bounds and that is certainly true up in Niagara County where the Niagara-Orleans AFL-CIO Central Labor Council’s affiliated Member Unions came together to donate $2,500 to help make the Christmas Holidays a bit merrier for 20 needy area families. In fact, in each more»

It’s inspiring to see Union Members in revolt against two-tier at the Farm Equipment Maker John Deere, the Hospital Chain Kaiser Permanente, the Cereal Maker Kellogg’s, and the Parcel Giant UPS. Two-tier isn’t just an unfair idea - it’s also a Union-killer. In case your employer hasn’t acquainted you with this repugnant more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – Just a couple of days before Thanksgiving, the Kaleida Health System Administration and the Unions representing its workforce - Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1168, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17 and 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU), met for their bi-weekly oversight more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Will Westlake, a Starbucks Barista in Hamburg, New York – just outside Buffalo, whose store recently filed for a Union Election, was told by a manager he could attend an earlier mandatory Anti-Union meeting in early November because he was scheduled to work early the next day. The meeting was in a nearby hotel and when Westlake more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - Thousands of dollars in food and gift certificates that have been donated by Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) Members will be distributed today (Tuesday, November 23rd) to more than 200 needy families throughout the Buffalo area through several charitable and non-profit groups in an effort to “make sure those families enjoy a more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) - The Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) is warning of “dangerous increases” in COVID-19 cases within the City of Buffalo’s Public School System. The BTF has sent correspondence to the Superintendent, Board of Education and Erie County Department of Health showing that in the Buffalo Public Schools: From September 3rd, more»

(WESTERN NEW YORK) – More than 100 Nursing Home Workers who’ve been hit hard during the COVID-19 Pandemic are fighting for fair wages, safe staffing and a Union Contract at two Western New York and Rochester area facilities that are owned or operated by The Grand Healthcare System and its CEO, Jeremy B. Strauss. Nursing Home Workers employed at more»

(NEW YORK CITY) – New York Attorney General Letitia James has released the following statement in support of Starbucks Employees in Buffalo and their efforts to Unionize: “I fully support Starbucks Employees in Buffalo for bravely exercising their fundamental right to Unionize. They are courageously standing up to a multi-billion-dollar more»

(LAKEVIEW, NEW YORK) – Saying he was “impressed” with what he was seeing, Chris Pinheiro - the New York State Department of Labor’s (DOL) new Apprenticeship Training Director, led a number of State DOL Representatives on a guided tour of International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 17’s sprawling 400-acre Training more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Steve Bailey (pictured above) is the New York State Nurses Association’s new Western New York Regional Director. Bailey, who has 30 years of experience working as a Registered Nurse (RN), is currently employed at the Erie County Medical Center’s (ECMC) Terrace View Nursing Home in Buffalo. (Photos Taken more»

(BUFFALO, NEW YORK) – After a 35-day Strike at Catholic Health Systems’ Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo, Communications Workers of America (CWA)-represented Caregivers walked back through the front doors of the hospital this week, armed with a groundbreaking contract that dramatically increases Staffing Ratios and a commitment to work with more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: Pictured above, 80-year National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Member Stephen La Barber was honored and recognized this past weekend in Niagara Falls for his many years of being a NALC Union Member. From left to right: NALC Region 11 Business Agent Mark Camilli; Kent Hankin, Branch 3 Director of Retirees; La more»