Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Atlanta Airport’s Plane Train Workers Vote to Form Union: Late last month, IAM Union’s Rail Division and TCU/IAM announced that workers who operate and maintain the Plane Train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have successfully voted to form a union. Employed by French transportation systems manufacturer Alstom, these workers ensure the operation of the Plane Train, which carries passengers between terminals at the world’s busiest airport. Newly minted TCU/IAM members are eager to negotiate a contract that addresses their concerns around job security, wages, working conditions and more. “This victory marks a historic moment as the first joint organizing effort between TCU and the IAM, and we could not be prouder of the outcome,” said TCU/IAM National President Artie Maratea. “The Alstom workers, who operate and maintain the Plane Train at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, perform vital work keeping hundreds of thousands of passengers moving safely every day through the world’s busiest airport. We proudly welcome these workers into our union family and look forward to negotiating a strong first agreement that secures the wages, benefits, and protections they deserve.”
BCTGM Local 1 Members Ratify New Contract: After 11 weeks on the picket line, members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 1 who work at Teasdale Latin Foods in Hoopeston, Illinois, have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement. Workers stood together and fought back hard against the food supplier’s attempt to outsource union jobs, change scheduling practices and establish a two-tier wage system. “These hard-working members put it all on the line in their fight for a fair contract,” said BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton. “This settlement is the result of their dedication, and the solidarity of the labor movement and the community. When you attempt to dismantle a BCTGM Union contract, we will fight back. When private equity owners with no ties to the local community try to undermine the negotiating process, we will fight back. Our members in Hoopeston sacrificed their jobs to stand up for working people everywhere. I could not be more proud.”
Diablo Game Developers Form Union with CWA: In the latest victory for video game worker organizing, more than 450 game developers behind the popular series Diablo voted last week to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The new bargaining unit—which is one of the largest wall-to-wall unions at a Microsoft-owned studio—includes game developers, artists, designers, engineers and support staff across the video game franchise. These workers join colleagues at other major game studios who have asserted their power by organizing as part of the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) network. “With every subsequent round of mass layoffs, I've witnessed the dread in my coworkers grow stronger because it feels like no amount of hard work is enough to protect us,” said Kelly Yeo, Team 3 game producer on Diablo and organizing committee member. “I am overjoyed that we have formed a union—this is just the first step for us joining a movement spreading across an industry that is tired of living in fear. We are ready to begin fighting for real change alongside our Diablo colleagues.”
BlueOval SK Workers Vote Union Yes!: Late Wednesday night, the UAW announced workers at the BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky won their election to join the union. The UAW released the following statement after the victory: “BlueOval SK workers won a majority of votes in an NLRB election to unionize their plant in Glendale, Kentucky, securing a hard-fought victory. This is a major step forward for workers who stood up against intense company opposition and chose to join the UAW. “There are 41 challenge ballots still outstanding. We believe they are illegitimate and represent nothing more than an employer tactic to flood the unit and undermine the outcome. We will fight these challenges to defend the democratic choices of these workers, as we always do when corporations try to interfere with workers’ democratic choice. The challenged ballots are not part of the group of workers who built their union from the bottom up. They deserve to have their own union, in an appropriate bargaining unit with a representative of their own choosing. “The UAW is calling on Ford to acknowledge the democratic decision of its workforce. They should immediately drop their anti-democratic effort to undermine the outcome of the election and recognize a majority of BlueOval SK’s production and maintenance employees have chosen to join the UAW and ensure battery jobs in Kentucky are good, safe, union jobs.”
Yosemite Workers Vote to Join NFFE-IAM: In response to the Trump administration’s attacks on federal workers across agencies, park rangers, educators, researchers, first responders, and other staff in Yosemite and Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks have voted overwhelmingly to join the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM). Across the parks, more than 97% of ballots cast were in favor of joining NFFE-IAM. The votes were certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority on Monday. This powerful display of unity comes in the wake of steep staffing cuts and broader efforts from the White House to undermine the collective bargaining agreements of federal workers. “We just want to be protected from this administration,” said an anonymous Yosemite worker who helped with the organizing effort. “It comes as no surprise workers in the National Park Service are overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, as federal employees across the country have been faced with reductions in force, threats to workplace protections, and slashed agency budgets under this administration,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “NFFE will be taking every step possible to increase both staffing and resources, and to defend employees from actions that threaten their rights and the incredible work they do stewarding our public lands. I look forward to working with the dedicated men and women who carry out the important mission of maintaining Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.”