WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: The Special Olympics’ 2025 Buffalo Polar Plunge registered an all-time best, raising more than $703,000 earlier this month to help a variety of Athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate and compete in a number of competitive sports. Included in that total was $21,500 raised by the Western New York more»

Keith Brower Brown and Natascha Elena Uhlmann at Labor Notes report on the many and big contract fights that are lining up for Unions and their Members in 2026: The coming year could keep the Strikes rolling through steel mills, State offices, telephone lines, axle plants, baseball diamonds and hospitals from coast to coast, as well as in manufacturing, more»

Charlotte Hansen at CNYCentral.com reports New York State Attorney General Letitia James has announced she is suing UPS. The shipping company is accused of underpaying thousands of Holiday Workers across New York State during peak season by failing to record all hours worked and manipulating timekeeping systems to reduce paid hours. UPS is the largest more»

Pat Bradley at WAMC Northeast Public Radio reports on a virtual forum held by the New York State Nurses Association that focused a spotlight on the growing concerns Caregivers have about the future of rural health care services: Vicki Davis-Courson – who serves as NYSNA’s Eastern Regional Director and is a Nurse at the UVM Health Network CVPH more»

Penn State Faculty Members have filed to form a Union with the Penn State Faculty Alliance (PSFA)-Service Employees International Union (⁠SEIU) Local 668. Members of the Organizing Committee were joined by fellow Union Allies from across the State and the country in Harrisburg, as they announced the filing - the largest Union Campaign in more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 47,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) at 400 airports across the country, has denounced U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate the Collective Bargaining Agreement between AFGE and the Transportation more»

Mark Gruenberg at People’s World reports that if the comments by members of the Supreme U.S. Court’s Right-Wing Majority supporting the idea of a “unitary executive” were not enough to convince people that they were out to kill Workers’ Rights, their decision not to hear a lawsuit by the Office and Professional Employees more»

Cassandra Yorgey at FinanceBuzz Money reports Trade careers offer genuine opportunities for Workers without previous experience to build reliable pay and long-term stability. But here are a few of the well-paying trade jobs that usually really mean no experience necessary: Solar Panel Installation Technician/Median annual salary: $51,860; Flight more»

Government Executive reports the House voted 231-to-195 late last week to pass legislation that would nullify President Trump’s efforts to strip more than one million Federal Workers of their Collective Bargaining Rights, sending the measure over to the Senate, where its prospects are less rosy. Twenty Republican Lawmakers broke ranks to support the more»

Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, which represents Employees at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), has reached a tentative deal on a new contract. The agreement avoids a planned Strike. Local 234, which represents about 5,000 SEPTA Employees, had been working without a contract since November 7th, 2025, when its last more»

(WOODSIDE, QUEENS) – More than 200 Drivers employed at Amazon’s DBK1 Facility in Woodside, Queens have organized a Union with Teamsters Local 804. Workers marched on company management this to deliver the news and demand a union contract, becoming the latest to join nearly 10,000 Amazon workers across five states who have organized with the more»

(NEW YORK CITY) - New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ (SAG-AFTRA) New York Local Office to sign groundbreaking legislation that strengthens individual rights and consumer protections. The Governor signed S.8391/A.8882 and S.8420-A/A.8887-B - two Bills championed by more»

Chase Jordan at The Charlotte Observer reports that on a recent, but chilly, afternoon in Northwest Charlotte, United Steelworkers (USW) Members and Corning Employees rallied across the street from the company's six-story building in support of expanding Unionization and better working conditions. "Wendell Weeks, you can't hide, we can see your greedy more»

Elizabeth Elkind at Fox News reports 13 House Republicans joined Democrats in advancing a Bill to reverse President Donald Trump's Executive Order (EO) cracking down on Federal Worker Unions. The Bill was led by U.S. Representative Jared Golden (Democrat-Maine), who forced a vote on the measure via a mechanism called a discharge petition, which is designed more»

Utah Lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly in a special session to strike a controversial new law barring Public Employees from collective bargaining. The move came less than a year after Republican Legislators narrowly voted to pass it, several months after Labor Unions broke signature-gathering records as they mounted a referendum effort to repeal the law more»

Aurora Berry at WSKG/PBS reports the Communication Workers of America (CWA) has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against an Ithaca Hospital. Nurses at the Cayuga Medical Center just announced their plans to Unionize. A statement from the CWA said hospital management read an Anti-Union message during a mandatory meeting and that more»

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) has announced a nearly $4.2 million investment in Advanced Manufacturing Registered Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Programs. This investment comes as part of Governor Josh Shapiro’s commitment to strengthening and supporting the Commonwealth’s Workforce for generations, according more»

WNYLaborToday.com Editor’s Note: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 237 has made a $30,000 donation to the United Way of Greater Niagara’s (UWGN) for its 2025 fundraising drive. Pictured from left to right: Local 237 Business Manager John Scherrer; UWGN President Andrea Gray; and Local 237 President Tom Martin. The more»

As the Trump Administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) looks to expand the dangerous, Anti-Worker One Touch, Make Ready (OTMR) policy, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) has filed comments with the agency, emphasizing how OTMR creates safety risks for both Workers and the public. CWA Members have repeatedly advocated against more»

Cameron Harrison at People’s World reports from Lansing, Michigan that in contempt for both Democracy and the Working Class, Republican Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall has appealed to the State’s Supreme Court after lower courts unanimously ruled his blatant obstruction of Pro-Worker Legislation unconstitutional. According to the Michigan more»

Nazeefa Ahmed at The Chief reports Postdoctoral Researchers represented by the Einstein Researchers United Union recently rallied in the Bronx to call for for labor protections and fair wages from the Einstein College of Medicine Administration. The gathering happened before the latest bargaining session with management and included Union Members and allies more»

From New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection's Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga: New York City has a basic promise to the 58,000 Fast Food Employees within its five Boroughs: The right to a predictable, stable and regular schedule. It’s not just an ideal. It’s the law - the Fair Workweek Law. And the agency I proudly oversee, more»

In another major win for a historically underrepresented group of entertainment Industry Workers, Production Assistants (PAs) on two more television series have voted to join Production Assistants United, an affiliate of Laborers (LIUNA) Local 724. Staff on the All American and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage voted in separate National Labor more»

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday (December 8th) in Trump v. Slaughter, a case that will determine the President's authority to remove heads of independent Federal Agencies - and could overturn a 90-year-old precedent that protects some officials from termination without cause. The case stems from President Donald Trump's attempt to fire Federal more»

Chauncey K. Robinson at People’s World reports from Buena Park, California that usually LEGO is associated with physically building things up, but in this case, workers are accusing the company of tearing down their chances of getting Union Representation. Employees at the Downtown Disney LEGO store claim the company is using illegal Union-Busting more»

David Krechevsky at The Hartford Business Journal reports Connecticut has recognized the first group of Registered Apprentices to join the State’s Transportation Maintainer Workforce, marking the launch of a new training pipeline for highway operations jobs. The inaugural class of nine Apprentices completed 2,044 hours of training over the past year, more»

David Bacon, a California Writer and Documentary Photographer, is a former Union Organizer who now documents Labor, the global economy, war and migration - and the struggle for Human Rights. He recently penned a Labor Op-Ed that was headlined: The Labor Movement Needs A Freedom Agenda, that was published in People’s World. It reads, in part: When more»

Following threats made by President Donald Trump against Minnesota’s Somali Immigrants, Unions and local allies held a demonstration at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last week to rally around their targeted community members and call out the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and some airlines for cooperating with U.S. Immigration more»

Matthew Euzarraga at WPIX-TV 11 reports that according to a Brooklyn-based website the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has two of the most sought-after jobs in New York City for 2025. Other notable employers include Madison Square Garden and the City’s Apprenticeship Training Program. More than one million people used Bandana to search for more»

Lane Russell at WSTM/WTVH in Syracuse reports some New Yorkers will be ringing in the New Year with a raise. Across the State, the minimum wage is increasing by 50 cents on January 1st, 2026, the same amount it rose at the beginning of 2025. In much of New York the minimum wage will increase from $15.50 to $16. That's a 3.23% increase, slightly higher than more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Nearly 500 Employees at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have announced the formation of their Union, EDF Together. The Workers have submitted a super-majority of Union Authorization Cards from Union-eligible Staff and hope to receive voluntary recognition from EDF’s Executive Management Team - following in the more»

Eric Dirnback at Labor Notes reports every few years a book comes out that tries to explain what’s happening in the Labor Movement and maybe cheer us up from the bad news of Union decline. Dave Kamper’s new book - Who’s Got the Power: The Resurgence of American Unions, does the job. And it’s packed with insights about Unions and more»

Aurelia Glass at American Progress reports Unions are popular across ages and demographic groups in America, but Gen Z Men stand out for their high levels of support. According to Center for American Progress analysis of polling data from 2024, Gen Z Men have the highest approval for Unions among any generation or gender group - higher support for Unions more»

More than 350 Registered Nurses (RNs) employed at the Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca have formed a Union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Nurses said they Unionized because of deteriorating conditions that impact both their working conditions and patient care. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, Nurses have seen increasing short staffing that can more»

Amani Bayo at The Columbus Dispatch reports all eight Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams locations in Columbus have moved to Unionize, with 80 Workers filing a petition to join United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1059. According to a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the Employees are seeking to Unionize "all Full-Time and more»

Stuart Dixon at TeamSense reports the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution is here. To future-proof your career prospects, it may be time to look beyond the cubicle. The outlook is increasingly uncertain for many Office Professionals: Intel has been busy cutting roughly 24,000 jobs this year - about a quarter of its core Workforce. Meanwhile, Amazon more»

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Unionized Journalists employed at POLITICO and E&E News (The PEN Guild) have secured a major victory in their arbitration case against POLITICO management over the company’s unilateral introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that bypassed negotiated safeguards and undermined core journalistic standards. In a more»

Peter Fousek and Cameron Harrison at People’s World report the struggle over who controls the roof over a Worker’s head erupted into open confrontation on the steps of New Haven, Connecticut’s City Hall, as a newly formed Public Tenants Union at Sunset Ridge Apartments faced down a landlord-backed “counter-demonstration.” The more»

Hilal Bahcetepe at The Chief in New York City reports Workers employed at the Al Gore-backed Technology Refurbisher and Seller Back Market announced their Union - Back Market United, ahead of the e-Commerce Company’s busiest week of the year. “E-Commerce Businesses typically don’t Unionize, so this is impressive for them to do especially more»

Dr. Lawrence Wittner, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor of History Emeritus at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany and the Author of Confronting the Bomb (Stanford University Press). The following, in part, was published in the On-Line Publication, The Z Network: Although President Donald Trump has claimed that “every policy” more»

Every day, roughly 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement age in America and many of them are skilled Tradespeople who’ve spent decades perfecting their crafts. Electricians who can troubleshoot complex industrial systems, Plumbers who understand aging infrastructure, Welders who work on critical infrastructure - they’re all walking out the door, more»

Across the United States, a quiet but serious problem is unfolding for Blue Collar Workers. While many people are focused on how Artificial Intelligence might replace office jobs, the Workers who build, repair, transport and manufacture the country’s goods are facing growing difficulties right now. Even with repeated promises to revive key industries, more»

Tracey Lamm at The Hawk Eye reports for the past nine years, skilled Trade Apprenticeship Programs have joined with the Iowa Army National Guard and IowaWorks to introduce high school students to the world of work, available in a different sort of classroom. Nearly 300 students from across Southeast Iowa recently convened at the Iowa Army National Guard more»

Steve Kennedy at Talking Points Memo reports that for nine decades, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has stood as the Federal Government’s primary guardian of Workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. Created in the depths of the Great Depression, the NLRB was designed to be a buffer between Workers and the concentrated more»

Fred Lambert at Electrek reports the Boring Company, Elon Musk’s Tunneling Startup, is reportedly facing significant issues with its new project in Nashville, Tennessee. A key subcontractor has walked off the job, alleging the company failed to pay for work completed on the Music City Loop, claiming they received only 5% of what they are owed. Shane more»

Starbucks will pay around $35 million to more than 15,000 New York City Workers to settle claims it denied them stable schedules and arbitrarily cut their hours, City Officials announced Monday (December 1st). Starbucks will also pay $3.4 million in civil penalties under the agreement with the City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Starbucks more»

(KINGSTON, NEW YORK) – Members of the Ulster County Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) have ratified a new four-year contract bargaining with Ulster County, covering the period from January 1st, 2025 through December 31st, 2028. The contract is scheduled to go before the Ulster County Legislature for approval on Wednesday (December 3rd). The more»

Workers employed at the iconic Salt Lake City LGBTQ+ bar The SunTrapp have formally Unionized with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7765 and been voluntarily recognized by their employer. Natalie Jankowski, Lead Bartender and Organizing Worker, said: “We organized out of love for The SunTrapp and the community it represents. This victory more»

The Trump Administration will cut the pay of all Farmworkers by reducing the minimum wages paid to Workers filling seasonal agricultural jobs in the H-2A Visa Program. By lowering wage rates implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) estimates more than 350,000 H-2A Farmworkers could see their annual wages cut more»

Food Service Workers, Members of UNITE HERE Local 17, at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have ratified a new contract that averted a potential Strike during the busy Thanksgiving travel week. “It is an historic agreement that includes the HIGHEST wage increases ever won at the Airport,” the Union said in a statement. HMSHost operates more»