Kenneth Quinnell

Thousands of Portland-area Fred Meyer employees went on strike in early September. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, the largest private sector union in Oregon, members voted "overwhelmingly" to ratify a new three-year contract. The contract covers 4,500 workers for Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Oregon and southwest Washington. The contract provides higher wages, stronger healthcare, stable retirement and allows the union to better address contract violations.

It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on X (formerly Twitter).

After 15 months of negotiations, musicians at the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra (BCO) ratified of a new two-year collective bargaining agreement. The musicians are represented by the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore, American Federation of Musicians Local 40-543. The new agreement has updated how the orchestra runs operations, including the creation of assstant pincipal positions within the orchestra’s string sections, more equitable practices to the orchestra’s audition policies, and standardizing the minimum number of players in each section of the orchestra.

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.