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.
AFL-CIO Sets Goal: 2 Million More Union Members: “At this year’s convention, Liz Shuler and Fred Redmond ran unopposed for president and secretary-treasurer respectively, and so did the federation’s 55 vice presidents; all terms of office are four years. Shuler is an Oregon native and the daughter of a PGE electrical lineman. Her involvement with the union movement started with a failed campaign to organize PGE clerical workers. She was then hired as an organizer and lobbyist for IBEW Local 125 in Portland and later joined the staff of the IBEW international. In 2009 she won election to serve as AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer, the federation’s number two office, serving alongside then-president Richard Trumka. She became president after Trumka’s death in 2021, and ran unopposed for re-election in 2022, with Redmond as her running mate, also unopposed.”
Nurses at Chicago’s St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Vote to Form Union: “Nurses at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago voted in favor of forming a union weeks after six colleagues were fired just as the group prepared to unionize. About 96% of nurses eligible to cast a ballot Wednesday voted to be represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of the National Nurses United, according to the union. About 400 nurses at the hospital were eligible to be part of the union, according to the National Labor Relations Board’s website.”
Seattle Art Museum Workers Vote to Unionize in Landslide Election: “Staff members at the Seattle Art Museum have officially unionized following a landslide National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election this week. The new union, Seattle Art Museum Workers United (SAMWU), will represent over 130 full- and part-time employees across its three locations, including the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the Olympic Sculpture Park. A spokesperson for the union, Gillian Fulford, told Hyperallergic that the new bargaining unit will encompass 21 of the institution’s departments, including its curation, conservation, facilities, and education divisions.”
Employees of Ocean State Media, Rhode Island’s NPR and PBS Organization, Vote to Unionize: “A majority of employees at Ocean State Media, Rhode Island’s joint NPR and PBS organization, voted to form a union with SAG-AFTRA Wednesday. Jessica Maher, SAG-AFTRA’s executive director for New England’s local chapter, said ‘we won with more than 70% yes vote and we look forward to bargaining.’ In a petition to Ocean State Media leadership delivered on May 4, a group of the organization’s hosts, reporters and producers said ‘at a time of unprecedented challenges for public media and journalism in general, we seek a more active role in decision-making about the organization and the future of our work.’”
UMWA Leader Cecil Roberts Gets a Legacy Spotlight in Charleston: “A sixth-generation coal miner from Cabin Creek who went on to lead one of the nation’s most recognizable labor unions is now being celebrated with a museum in his honor in Charleston. Cecil Roberts, who served as the international president of the United Mine Workers of America for the past 30 years before announcing his retirement last year, was honored during the grand opening of the Cecil E. Roberts Legacy Museum at the UMWA District 17 headquarters along Kanawha Boulevard.”
More Than 16,000 Sign SAG-AFTRA Letter Demanding Congress Pass NO FAKES Act, Which Would Ban Unauthorized AI Images and Videos: “More than 16,000 people have signed SAG-AFTRA’s open letter demanding Congress pass the revived NO FAKES Act, an anti-deepfake bill that would give individuals control over how their name and likeness are used.”
Signalmen’s Union, Rail Carriers Reach Tentative Contract Agreement: “The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and National Carriers’ Conference Committee have reached a tentative five-year national contract agreement, the NCCC announced today (June 16). The deal follows the pattern of agreements ratified by 11 other unions, including a wage increase totaling 18.8% (compounded) over five years, improved health and welfare benefits with no increased employee contribution, and accelerated earning of vacation time. Ratification by the BRS would conclude the current round of national negotiations.”
Trade Apprenticeship Applications Double at Madison’s IBEW Local 159: “Student apprenticeship numbers have started to spike in Madison. IBEW Local 159 has seen their trade apprenticeship applications double in the last five years. The post-graduation trade route has seen a spike since 2023, and students at IBEW Local 159 are the most recent example. Deciding to forgo the common four-year college route has given students who go through an apprenticeship a direct path to family-supporting careers, along with getting hands-on work experience right out of high school. A recent study from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute found that union trade workers in Wisconsin make 24% more than those who graduate with a bachelor’s degree and 5% more than those with a master’s.”
America 250: Exploring How the UAW and Other Unions Helped Shape the Nation: “As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, the role of the labor movement is being celebrated by many of those in our workforce. Countless stories dating back to the beginning of unionization are taking center stage as we reflect back. From the Chrysler sit-down strike of 1937, this drum is just one of many labor artifacts preserved at Wayne State University, part of our nation’s story.”
UAW Members at American Axle Ratify Pending Contract: “Members of UAW Local 2093 voted on Sunday to ratify a tentative agreement with American Axle in Three Rivers, Michigan, the union said. The tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers local was announced on June 10. Members went on strike after their contracts ended on May 31, less than a month after voting to authorize a strike. Members voted by 80% to ratify the new contract, the union said.”
‘Historic’: Kansas City Public Schools Teachers Win 5% Raise: “Kansas City Public Schools teachers will receive a 5% base salary raise after the school board approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Kansas City Federation of Teachers, the district’s teachers union. Superintendent Jennifer Collier called the raise ‘historic.’”