Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.
Warrior Met Coal Strikers ‘Keep This Company Profitable,’ Union President Tells U.S. Senate: “Today is the 323rd day of the strike, and Wright, along with Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, was in Washington to bring attention through the hearing. About 1,100 miners with the United Mine Workers of America began a strike against Warrior Met Coal last April 1. Roberts told the committee that Warrior Met has advertised job openings around the country to replace the union members on strike, offering higher pay and benefits. ‘I think it’s disgraceful that these workers have been on strike for this long a time,’ Roberts said. ‘There are 800 of these families that have suffered through this strike, but they have suffered for five years because of what happened to them when these investors rolled into town, couldn’t spell coal, couldn’t tell you what color it is...all they knew was that there was some money to be made here, and they’re gone now. Now we’re tasked for how we keep this company profitable.’”
Lynn Rhinehart Chronicles Journey from Midland to U.S. Dept. of Labor: “Every day, Midland native Lynn Rhinehart looks at her grandfather’s union pins before she starts her workday. The union pins of a Dow Chemical mechanic are a gentle reminder of the importance of Rhinehart’s work at the U.S. Department of Labor as well as her Midland roots. As a senior counselor in the Office of the Secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor, Rhinehart supports Secretary Marty Walsh, who is the vice chair of the White House Task Force on Organizing and Empowerment. After college, Rhinehart began looking for jobs that dealt with labor movements. She was employed as a paralegal at Bedhoff & Kaiser, one of the leading labor law firms in the country. She then worked at the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in the health and safety department and as a lawyer.”
AFT President Randi Weingarten Announces Six-Figure Investment in Newark Public Schools Teacher Education Academy: “Today, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten announced spring and summer stipends to support Newark Public Schools Red Hawks Riding Teacher Academy where students can enter a dual-enrollment program with Montclair State University. This high school experience with a high-quality teacher preparation program helps create a pipeline to educate, train, prepare and retain future teachers, and to diversify the teacher workforce. These stipends will provide up to $125,000 for students in the program during the 2022 spring and summer terms: ‘The students of today are the teachers of tomorrow, and there’s a deep yearning among so many high schoolers to serve and give back to the communities where they live,’ said Weingarten.”
Employer-Dominated Union Ousted at Mexican GM Plant: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called the SINTTIA win a significant victory not only for workers in Mexico but around the world: ‘In a democratic union, workers will advocate for higher wages and improved health and safety standards at the Silao facility, helping to set new standards in the automobile industry,’ Shuler said in a statement.”
Marybe McMillan: Rare Opportunity for Congress to Help American Competitiveness: “On behalf of North Carolina workers, this legislation is critical to meet the challenges of the 21st century, lower costs for North Carolinians, and create good-paying jobs here at home. The COMPETES Act will empower North Carolina workers by creating more training opportunities for in-demand skills, while also providing American businesses the chance to build technologies that industries across the country need to innovate and lead in the global economy. As the President of North Carolina AFL-CIO, I advocate for over 100,000 members in the collective fight for good jobs and an economy that works for everyone. By voting against the COMPETES ACT, Congressman Ted Budd has dealt a blow to union members and working people across the state.”
Young Workers Give Unions New Hope: “Workers in their 20s, and even in their teens, are leading ongoing efforts to unionize companies large and small, from Starbucks and REI to local cannabis dispensaries. The Alphabet Workers Union, formed last year and now representing 800 Google employees, is run by five people who are under 35. Multiple polls show union approval is high, and growing, among the youngest workers. And U.S. union membership levels are even ticking upward for workers between 25 and 34, even as they decline among other age groups. Between 2019 and 2021, the overall percentage of U.S. union members stayed flat. But the percentage of workers ages 25-34 who are union members rose from 8.8% to 9.4%, or around 68,000 workers, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Young workers say they see unions as the best way to combat wage inequality and poor working conditions.”
Murphy: ‘Norcross has Dedicated His Life to Fighting for NJ’s Working Families’: “‘I am proud to join with Governor Murphy to support the reelection of Donald Norcross. Don is not the typical career politician. He spent most of his life as a blue-collar electrician and he knows the enormous challenges that our working families are under. From making a decent wage, rising health care costs, providing safe neighborhoods, providing education for our children, to just simply putting food on the table – Donald knows the issues that affect us and he takes care of us.’ – Charles Wowkanech, President NJ AFL-CIO.”
Biden Pro-Union Panel’s Recommendations: Boost Organizing, Hit Union-Busters: “The report also wants all of Biden’s administration to follow his lead and use the ‘bully pulpit’ to advocate unionizing, including in speeches, appearances, interviews, and public service announcements. That’s what Biden did in the Bessemer campaign. ‘The choice of forming a union is the worker’s choice, full stop…There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, and no anti-union propaganda,’ he said then. ‘This unprecedented report recognizes the critical role unions play in creating a fairer economy,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a prepared response. ‘Now, Congress must do its part. In order to fully empower workers, it is time to pass both the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which will ensure every worker who wants to join a union may freely do so.’ The Communications Workers made those points, too, and others.”
For These LA Fans, Work, Work, Work is Their Ticket into the Super Bowl: “Williams is one of thousands of workers who will descend on the stadium Sunday, some in the pre-dawn hours, to work as bartenders, dishwashers, janitors, servers and cooks. Unlike the more than 70,000 fans expected to attend, they’ll catch a peek at the game during their shifts or while on break. Collectively, they’re the engine that keeps the stadium running. As part of its development agreement, SoFi pledged to hire local workers, according to Inglewood city officials. More than 1,200 Inglewood residents helped build the stadium; SoFi staff did not release the number of Inglewood residents currently employed there.”
Culinary Union Icon Retires After 32 Years: “Geoconda Argüello-Kline, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, has retired after 32 years of advocating for hospitality workers with the influential union. Argüello-Kline, who has served as the secretary-treasurer of the union for the last decade, retired on Feb. 3, the union announced Friday. ‘It is with so much love in my heart that I say it has been an honor of my life to represent Culinary Union members as an elected officer,’ Argüello-Kline wrote in a letter to union members. Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez said that workers across Nevada ‘are better for having Geoconda Argüello-Kline’s service in our labor movement.’ ‘In Nevada, we often look at our Culinary union siblings for inspiration on what can be achieved. Just the past two years with the odds stacked against them fighting the pandemic they set national precedent on how to fight for worker safety and job protections under the leadership of Argüello-Kline,’ Martinez said in a statement.”