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.
We Must Start Preparing the U.S. Workforce for the Effects of AI—Now: “Recognizing that workers aren’t in a position to assess the downsides of AI, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO union federation, has called for having a government agency vet AI technologies to determine whether they’re harmful to workers—just as the FDA vets drugs to make ‘sure drugs don’t kill people before they’re put out into the world.’”
The Marshall Project, Pulitzer-Winning Nonprofit Newsroom, to Unionize: “Staffers at the criminal justice journalism nonprofit the Marshall Project announced Thursday that they are unionizing, a move that puts the award-winning newsroom among the growing ranks of organized labor in the digital and nonprofit media world. The Marshall Project Guild will be part of the NewsGuild of New York, CWA Local 31003, and as a ‘wall-to-wall’ union will represent about 50 staffers on the editorial and business sides. The union, which has the support of more than 80% of the staff, is receiving voluntary recognition.”
Twin Cities Workers Headed for Massive Coordinated Strikes: “More than 13,000 workers around the Twin Cities—Teachers, Laborers, Service Employees and United Food and Commercial Workers, transit workers—are headed for coordinated strikes in mid-March unless their bosses, including Minneapolis city officials, reach new pacts with their union locals. The potential strikes by the ‘What Could We Win Together?’ coalition could see 8,000 janitors and security guards, members of SEIU Local 26, take a hike. Joining them would be 3,700 teachers and staffers from the St. Paul Federation of Teachers/AFT, 1,000 workers at 12 nursing homes represented by Local 26 and by UFCW Local 663 and 400 Minneapolis city workers, members of Laborers Local 363. Also in the coalition: 2,000 Metro Transit workers in Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005.”
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Workers Vote to Unionize: “Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Workers voted to unionize on Feb. 8, according to the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals website. The ballot count revealed that 81% of workers voted to be represented by the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.”
Philadelphia School District Reaches Deal with Teachers Union: “The school district and the teachers union have tentatively agreed to a one-year contract extension to its current collective bargaining agreement. The current contract would have expired on Aug. 31. The union represents 13,000 teachers, counselors, nurses, secretaries and other school workers across 216 district schools. ‘This agreement, settled more than six months before the expiration of our current CBA (collective bargaining agreement), is a forward-thinking down payment on a long-term commitment to ensuring that our schools are fully staffed with qualified teachers and support staff,’ said Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry T. Jordan in a statement.”
Tempe Hotel Workers Are Picketing Their Employer and Guests Are Checking Out in Solidarity: “After hotel employees won union representation in 2015 after conducting a hunger strike to protest poor working conditions, Hernandez said workers have been more open to fighting for better protections and pay. She said workers have rallied around Borg since his suspension and subsequent termination. ‘We know our rights, and we’re going to fight for what we deserve,’ Hernandez said. Some of the guests staying at Tempe Mission Palms have also shown support for the workers on the picket line, according to Rachele Smith, a communications organizer for UNITE HERE Local 11. Smith said some guests have checked out of the hotel after learning about the ongoing picket.”
Corporate Giants Aim to Hobble National Labor Relations Board: “Corporate giants are taking aim at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and attempting to hobble the agency in charge of protecting unions and their members. Amazon, Starbucks, SpaceX and Trader Joe’s are all facing complaints from the NLRB over their alleged harassment, intimidation and illegal firings of unionizing employees. The companies have responded by challenging the constitutionality of the NLRB in federal court, which could upend the structure of the New Deal-era agency.”
AMC Theatres’ Workers at Universal City Location Attempt to Unionize: “The latest coming attraction for Universal Cinema AMC at CityWalk Hollywood? A union election at the National Labor Relations Board. On Feb. 20, the crew union IATSE petitioned the NLRB for an election to determine if 44 staffers at the Universal City location will decide to join their ranks. The union is attempting to represent a broad swath of roles—including ushers, cooks, bartenders, janitors and others—at the sprawling, 19-theater location, situated on the same campus as the Universal Studios theme park.”
Homegrown Sustainable Sandwiches Fired a Union Organizer—and Sparked an Organizing Drive: “Homegrown Sustainable Sandwiches, a Seattle-based chain, was founded with the mission of creating a more sustainable food system; however, as one former employee tells TRNN, Homegrown’s business model is ‘not actually sustainable for their workers.’ Workers at Homegrown voted overwhelmingly to unionize with UNITE HERE Local 8 in late 2022, and they have been fighting for a first contract ever since. In fact, workers from two Homegrown stores have been on strike since late last fall in protest of the unfair termination of union leader Sydney Lankford, who was fired after speaking up at a union delegation. As of this week, workers at the Redmond Homegrown location have been on strike for over 100 days. We talk with Sydney Lankford and Perry, two members of the Homegrown workers union who are currently on strike.”
Part-Time Adjuncts in Cinematic Arts Unionize at Southern California: “Part‐time adjunct faculty who teach at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts have unionized. The mail-in election took place this month among non-tenure-track adjuncts who work for the school remotely or at the University Park campus, according to information from the National Labor Relations Board. The tally was 206 to 13 out of 290 eligible voters, the NLRB said.”
Harvard Proctors and Tutors Plan to Launch Unionization Push: “Some Harvard residential tutors, proctors, and house aides are planning to publicly launch a campaign for unionization, an effort they have been quietly working towards since last spring. The group, called Harvard Union of Residential Advisors, has been organizing privately since May and plans to file a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board.”
Starbucks and Union Agree to Work Out Framework for Contract Talks: “Starbucks and the union that represents employees in roughly 400 of its U.S. stores announced Tuesday that they were beginning discussions on a ‘foundational framework’ that would help the company reach labor agreements with unionized workers and resolve litigation between the two sides. The union greeted the development as a major shift in strategy for Starbucks, which has taken steps to resist union organizing at the company since the campaign began in 2021, moves that federal labor regulators have said violated labor law hundreds of times.”
Honoring Black History Month: “[February] marks…Black History Month. It can never be overstated the critical role Black unionists played and continue to play in building our modern Labor Movement, securing the hard-fought workplace protections that we all enjoy today, and advancing civil rights across the country. Black workers have been on the front lines of so many of the most pressing Labor rights issues of the times and have powerfully organized to fight systemic racism and exploitation. We still have so much to learn from the history of our country’s earliest Black trade unions; inspiring figures like A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Hattie Canty, Clara Holder, Arlene Holt Baker and so many others; pivotal moments like the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike; and the ongoing efforts of Black workers across our country who are walking picket lines, leading our unions and driving change as we speak.”
Wells Fargo Workers at Apopka Bank File Petition to Unionize: “Bank workers at a Wells Fargo branch in Apopka have officially gone public with their desire to join Wells Fargo United, a union affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). This makes them the second Wells Fargo branch in Florida to seek unionization, and one of just a few nationwide.”
Nearly 60 New Members Join Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562: “Congratulations to the nearly 60 new members of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 who were initiated into the union last week. A few years back, Local 562 Business Manager John O’Mara started a new tradition with initiations by asking each individual to tell their ‘why.’ Here, a new member shares why he joined the union. ‘Hearing their answers and excitement to join the local is truly inspiring,’ Local 562 shared on its Facebook page. ‘Here is to keeping that same ‘why’ throughout your career, with the same enthusiasm.’”
AFSCME Members Vote to Ratify Agreement with Eastern Illinois University: “AFSCME members have voted to ratify the agreement with Eastern Illinois University. The union said the new contract will mean wage increases and parental leave for university employees. After nine months of bargaining and picketing that involved a federal mediator, a new union contract has been agreed upon.”
St. Paul Teachers Set March 11 Strike Date as Contract Talks Continue: “Leaders of the St. Paul Federation of Educators said Monday they’ve set March 11 as the date its members will strike if a contract deal with the district is not in place. Negotiations between the two sides continue. A mediation session is scheduled for Friday. In a statement, the union said while it did not make the decision lightly, it was necessary in order to ‘retain our educators in St. Paul through strong wages and affordable insurance, and continue to build the school communities that our students and their families deserve.’”
UAW President Shawn Fain on Labor's Comeback: ‘This is What Happens When Workers Get Power’: “Earlier this month, President Joe Biden paid a visit to the critical battleground state of Michigan. He came to Detroit—Motor City—to court union voters. Mr. Biden had just won the United Auto Workers' endorsement, and he was eager to share the spotlight with UAW president Shawn Fain. Fain told the crowd, ‘You know what the hell's going to happen if this man's not president, because we've seen what happens. Labor went backwards.’ ‘You all are the ones that brung me to the dance,’ Mr. Biden told union workers. ‘And I never left it.’”
Can a Tech Giant Be Woke?: “Liz Shuler, the AFL-CIO’s president, said Microsoft had gone further in collaborating with organized labor than almost any other major company. She said she first met Mr. Smith to discuss labor issues almost two years ago, at which point he told her, ‘If workers want a union, why shouldn’t they be able to form one?’ Then he added: ‘This is the prevailing winds of change in the country. I think Microsoft should be adapting to it instead of resisting it.’”
Striking Workers Could Soon Qualify for Unemployment Benefits: “Many workers who go on strike could soon gain a new bit of leverage against their employers: unemployment benefits. Lawmakers in several states are considering the novel approach of extending unemployment insurance to workers who hit the picket lines, saying it would help level the playing field with deep-pocketed companies that can starve their workforces in contract fights. Strikers do not qualify for such benefits in the vast majority of states.”
Union Workers Ratify New Meijer Contracts with Wage Increases, More Time Off: “Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 951 voted this week to ratify new contracts with Meijer that contain improvements to wages, paid time off, 401(k), health care and pay for more than 25,000 Meijer employees. The three separate, four-year contracts approved this week are effective Feb. 25. The contracts cover employees working in retail, distribution centers and transportation and retail facility maintenance and offer immediate wage increases of up to $1.50 per hour.”