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.
Project 2025 Exposed: Child Labor and Decimated Unions Promised with Trump’s Election: “Donald Trump took a private flight with the head of Project 2025, Kevin Roberts, The Washington Post reports. Jody Calemine, director of advocacy for the AFL-CIO, joins Joy Reid to discuss the potential, destructive impact of Project 2025 on labor unions and the American worker.” (Learn more about how Project 2025 affects you.)
What Is Tim Walz's Record on the Economy? Look at Minnesota: “The AFL-CIO, the nation's largest labor organization, praised the selection of Walz as vice presidential nominee. ‘We know that Gov. Walz will be a strong partner in the Harris White House, fighting every day to improve the lives of workers in communities across America,’ AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement on Tuesday.”
AFL-CIO Warns of CEO Payflation Crisis Fueled by Stock Buybacks, Trump Tax Cuts: “The largest federation of labor unions in the U.S. published a report Thursday warning that the country is facing a crisis of ‘CEO payflation’ as executive compensation at leading companies surges, a trend fueled by former President Donald Trump's regressive tax cuts and record stock buybacks. The AFL-CIO's annual report on executive pay shows that the CEO-to-median-worker-pay ratio at S&P 500 companies was 268 to 1 last year, meaning that ‘it would take more than five career lifetimes for workers to earn what CEOs receive in just one year.’ ‘This level of inequality is not sustainable,’ Fred Redmond, the AFL-CIO's secretary-treasurer, said during a press call on Thursday. ‘Working people are sick and tired of politicians like Donald Trump pushing massive tax breaks for CEOs.’”
Harris and Walz Are Showing Their Support for Organized Labor with Appearance at Detroit Union Hall: “Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are set to play up their support for organized labor during an appearance at a Detroit-area union hall as the new Democratic ticket lavishes attention on a crucial base of support. Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and Walz, who joined the ticket on Tuesday, plan to speak on Thursday to several dozen United Auto Workers members. After President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign last month and endorsed his vice president, organized labor quickly rallied around Harris. The AFL-CIO endorsed her after having first backed Biden. The UAW formally backed her last week.”
Apple Store Workers Get First U.S. Contract: “Workers at the first unionized Apple Store in the country ratified a labor contract with the tech giant on Tuesday, after a year and a half in which bargaining appeared to stall for long stretches and union campaigns at other stores fell short. After the union announced the outcome, Apple said it did not dispute the result and was pleased to have an agreement. The contract, covering about 85 workers at a Towson, Md., store who voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in June 2022, will provide a typical worker with a raise of roughly 10% over the next three years.”
Storm King Workers Approve First Union Contracts: “Unionized workers at Storm King Art Center, in New York’s Hudson Valley, have approved their first labor union contract, ending months of negotiations over benefits and better wages. Approximately 75 workers at the beloved sculpture park, home to large-scale works by artists such as Richard Serra and Alexander Calder, voted in June 2023 to join two units of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 1000, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).”
Iron Workers, Operating Engineers Locals Celebrate Topping Out of Eastbound Span of I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge: “Talented union members from Iron Workers Locals 396 and 392 and Operating Engineers Locals 513 and 520 recently ‘topped out’ on the Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks Bridge project. The July 21 ceremony, marking the setting of the eastbound brdge, took place on a barge in the middle of the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Madison County, Ill. The new structure is being built directly south of the existing Chain of Rocks Bridge, and is the first of the project’s twin bridges to be built. Work on the westbound span is expected to begin in 2025.”
UAW Local 282 Members End Strike at Lear with Tentative Agreement: “After a three day strike, UAW Local 282 members at Lear are back to work with a tentative four-year agreement that includes a 30% wage increase for production workers and a 35% increase for maintenance employees. The 460 employees, who make seats for GM vehicles, went on strike early July 22 for better health and safety protections on the job, higher wages and improved health and retirement benefits. The action halted production at the nearby GM Wentzville Assembly plant, which ran out of Lear-made seats.”
UAW Leader Says Trump Would Send the Labor Movement into Reverse If He's Elected Again: “Putting Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket increases the Democrats’ chance of winning Michigan and keeping the White House in November, the head of the United Auto Workers union says. In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Shawn Fain said former President Donald Trump is beholden to billionaires, knows nothing about the auto industry and would send the labor movement into reverse if he's elected again.”
Workers at 4 Café Ceres Locations Vote to Unionize: “Baristas at Café Ceres have voted to unionize with Unite Here 17. The union, which represents service industry workers in Minnesota, announced the results of the election on Saturday, Aug. 3. Workers at four Café Ceres locations, as well as Colita, informed Chef Daniel Del Prado's DDP Restaurant Group of their intention to unionize in June. The company did not voluntarily recognize either union, forcing a vote overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).”