Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
IAM Members at IKEA Perryville Ratify New Contract: After more than two months on the picket line, workers represented by Machinists (IAM) Local I460, District 4 at the IKEA Distribution Center in Perryville, Maryland, have ratified a new contract. Members initially began their work stoppage last year on Nov. 15 after rejecting management’s proposal that would have stripped workers of their seniority rights and failed to keep up with the rising costs of living. “The members took to the picket lines demanding fair wages and protections for seniority to ensure a just and respectful workplace,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan in a press release. “After weeks of negotiations, the new agreement delivers increased wages and preserves critical seniority language for employees with 18 or more years of service. Our members stood up strong for respect and dignity, which will make our union stronger. This contract ensures fairness and respect for long-serving employees while delivering well-earned wage increases for everyone. We are grateful for the community support during the strike.”
Brightline Onboard Workers Make History by Joining TWU: Onboard and lead attendants at Florida’s privately owned passenger railroad, Brightline, voted to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU) on Tuesday, making them the largest group of railroad workers who have successfully organized in more than two decades. These staff members—who sell concessions and provide other passenger services on trains running between Miami and Orlando—approached TWU last year in hopes of building a stronger voice on the job. Workers cited concerns around a restrictive sick time policy, unfair disciplinary processes and unpredictable work schedules. In response to their organizing efforts, Brightline hired notorious union-busting law firm Littler Mendelson and started rolling out aggressive tactics like having the company president call workers at home to intimidate them. But members refused to back down and ended up securing a 2-to-1 margin of victory in their election. “Brightline ran an ugly anti-union, anti-worker campaign against their own workforce, but let’s put that behind us,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a press release. “We’re committed to working to ensure the railroad is successful while helping our newest members secure better wages, better working conditions, respect in the workplace, and other goals that they set.”
Noguchi Museum Workers Vote Unanimously to Form Union: Staff at the Noguchi Museum in New York City voted unanimously this week to join UAW Local 2110. The Noguchi Union is a wall-to-wall unit that covers 55 workers across different departments at the cultural institution. Local 2110 also represents their peers at the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Members first went public with their organizing efforts a few months after the museum—which is dedicated to the works of vocal anti-war activist Isamu Noguchi—implemented a ban on Palestinian headscarves known as keffiyehs. This spurred workers to fight for representation so they can secure fair grievance procedures and protections against discrimination, among other issues like fair pay. “With a UNANIMOUS UNION YES VOTE WE WON OUR UNION ELECTION,” said the Noguchi Union in a social media post. “The Noguchi Museum staff is excited to announce the formation of its union! Our members seek to negotiate for a more equitable, inclusive, and transparent workplace.”
VA Memorial Products Service Employees Vote to Join AFGE: The Federal Labor Relations Authority last week officially certified the election where Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA’s) Memorial Products Service (MPS) workers successfully voted to join AFGE Local 17. These newly minted members work at three remote processing locations in Illinois, Kansas and Tennessee—before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had worked out of offices located at the cemeteries. Local 17 previously represented the workers in Tennessee and Kansas, but once they became remote, the NCA designated them as unrepresented. Now that MPS staff won their election, they’re looking forward to addressing things like overtime concerns and issues with performance evaluations. “I was really excited,” said Local 17 3rd Vice President Megan-Brady Viccellio. “Local 17 already represents several of these employees, and we’re really heartened that they wanted to come back to the fold. I think that they had experience with the protection of the really robust master agreement at VA. It was a 14 to zero vote. That speaks volumes about the value that they see.”
Temple University Hospital Resident Physicians and Fellows Vote to Form Union: Resident physicians and fellows at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia have voted overwhelmingly to join the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Resident physicians often work up to 80-hour weeks for relatively low pay as they complete the final stage of their medical training. CIR members have cited these conditions and chronic understaffing that impacts patient care as motivators for organizing. This victory at Temple is the latest in a string of recent resident organizing efforts at medical facilities around the city. “It’s time to put patients back at the center of our health-care system,” said Sarah Bart, a Temple resident. “We won our union, now we are preparing our campaign for a fair contract that puts resources in patient care and supports physicians’ and patients’ well-being.”
Colorado Ski Patrol Staff Join CWA, Latest in Resort Industry Organizing Efforts: Ski patrollers of Colorado's Arapahoe Basin ski area announced on Sunday that they have voted to join the United Mountain Workers, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7781. Under the name Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol (ABSP) Union, these staff members fought to organize in order to secure more competitive pay that reflects their specialized, critical work. Patrollers are employed by Alterra Mountain Company, which acquired Arapahoe Basin in November 2024 after an antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice, and have experienced an intense union-busting campaign from management.
Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Union at Alabama Chemical Plant: Production and maintenance workers at the Gaylord Chemical manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, voted last week to join the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC), part of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Workers at the plant—who make chemical compounds used in medical and industrial solvents and food additives—reached out to the union a few months ago to begin their organizing efforts. Their landslide election win is even more exciting in the context of Alabama’s “right to work” laws and vocally anti-union lawmakers. “I just want to thank the [ICWUC] for getting behind us and supporting us. As soon as we reached out to them, they were quick to respond,” one Gaylord Chemical worker stated. Jordan Easley, ICWUC’s national organizing coordinator, said of the campaign victory: “[Workers] excelled when it came to open support, public support, and the numbers reflected that. They got what they deserve. Obviously most employers don’t want a union, but I think [Gaylord Chemical] were stopped in their tracks. They are reminded that you need workers more than workers need you.”