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.
Kroger Union Members Ratify New Contract, Increasing Hourly Wages: “Kroger's unionized employees in Michigan and members of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 951 ratified a new labor contract earlier this week, which increases hourly wages and invests in benefits for employees.”
Machinist Union Strikes for 5 Days at NASA’s Stennis Space Center Over Wages, Benefits: “Around 200 union members working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center went on a strike for five days before the union voted to settle on Monday evening, accepting a compromise deal. The strike lasted for five workdays, said John Piatt, a business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union.”
The ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Event That Will Reset the WNBA: “When the time comes to negotiate a new CBA, Women’s National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Jackson said, WNBA players are ‘laser focused’ on specific salaries instead of a compensation model that currently gives players the opportunity to earn more through other means such as bonuses and marketing agreements. ‘All eyes on that deal and what it could set us up for next,’ Jackson said. ‘Many [players] crafted their contracts to give them greater opportunity to renegotiate something that is more appropriate and closer to their value, particularly in this new system that we have.’”
Hollywood Crew Members Reach Tentative Deal with Major Studios: “Film and TV crew members have reached a tentative contract deal with the major Hollywood studios after months of bargaining, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced Tuesday night. The resolution arrived before the current contract’s expiration date, finally permitting the entertainment industry to breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of two marathon strikes waged by actors and screenwriters. IATSE’s Hollywood Basic Agreement spans three years and covers some 50,000 craftspeople primarily based in Los Angeles.”
Ending Two-Tier Wage System Key Postal Workers Goal in Talks: “Eliminating yet another two-tier wage system and lifting the lowest ranks of its members out of the ranks of poverty-wage workers are among the key goals of the Postal Workers as they opened talks on June 25 on a new contract with the U.S. Postal Service. Any agreement, whether it’s achieved through collective bargaining, as APWU hopes, or by a pact which arbitrators impose, would be the largest single contract unions and bosses would achieve this year. The current contract, covering 190,000 workers, expires in September. The two sides in the talks appeared to have a very different focus. APWU President Mark Dimondstein emphasized raising wages, eliminating two tiers, and expanding the USPS into new lines of business to increase its revenues. He also pushed achieving safety, stability and better working conditions for union members, including an end to a management culture of toleration or worse of bullying and harassment on the job.”
Food 4 Less Workers’ Union Reaches Tentative Labor Deal with Grocer to Avert Potential Strike: “The union representing thousands of Food 4 Less workers reached a tentative contract agreement today with the grocery company, averting a potential strike. Workers had previously authorized a work stoppage if labor talks failed. But on Tuesday, representatives of United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 8GS, 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442 announced that they had reached a tentative deal that includes 'substantial wage increases for all workers, more guaranteed hours and other contract improvements.’”
Joe Biden’s Climate Law Has Created More Than 300,000 Clean Energy Jobs: “U.S. companies have created more than 300,000 clean energy jobs since President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in August 2022, according to a detailed new analysis from an environmental advocacy group. Climate Power, a left-leaning organization focused on combating climate change, has been meticulously tracking public announcements of clean energy jobs from the private sector since the law’s passage. As of May 31, it found that U.S. companies have announced or moved forward with projects accounting for more than 312,900 new clean energy jobs for electricians, mechanics, construction workers, technicians, support staff and others.”
AFL-CIO Celebrates LGBTQIA+ Pride Month: “This June, we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring equity, dignity, and inclusion both in life and in the workplace. Collective bargaining remains the best tool against discrimination of any kind, which is why the AFL-CIO fights so that working people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions can enjoy the protections of a union contract. We honor the legacy of queer organizers, whose contributions have too often gone underappreciated and unknown. From Bayard Rustin’s central role in the March on Washington to the ongoing advocacy of Pride at Work, queer leaders have always been at the cutting edge of worker advancements. Still, queer people face ongoing discrimination due to the lack of adequate federal protections in the workplace. Meanwhile, state legislatures continue to pass extreme, discriminatory laws that restrict both LGBTQIA+ rights, especially trans rights, and the freedom to join a union. This movement will never tolerate hate and will continue to be a force for progress whether it’s in the courts, on the streets or at the ballot box this fall. The AFL-CIO proudly stands in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community everywhere, this month and always.”
iHeartMedia Workers Vote to Ratify First Union Contract: “More than two years after negotiations began, iHeartMedia workers represented by the Writers Guild of America East have ratified their first labor contract. Ninety-nine percent of the 100-member group voted to ratify the contract in a recent vote, while one percent voted against. The WGA East represents writers, producers, editors and other people who work in storytelling at the audio company.”
Apple TV Visual Effects Workers File to Unionize with IATSE: “As it continues to press forward with its campaign to organize visual effects workers, IATSE has made a bid to represent a small group of these professionals who work on Apple television series. On Friday the union announced that it had submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board to represent 17 workers at six Apple Studios LLC shows including Bubbi, Jiminy, Foxtrot, Government Cheese, Surface and Blackbird. The union is seeking to represent roles such as VFX production supervisor/manager, VFX coordinator, VFX production assistant, VFX witness camera operator and VFX on-set supervisor, among other classifications. According to IATSE, a 'supermajority’ of the proposed bargaining unit has signed union authorization cards.”
Laborers Union Looking for Apprentices, Has Jobs to Fill: “They’re called ‘Construction Craft Laborers,’ but perhaps you know them through the work they do—residential, commercial and public project construction jobs. In Southern Illinois, these laborers are all part of Local 773 of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. The Marion-based branch has more than 4,000 professional members.”