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.
Nearly 10,000 UC Doctors to Unionize, Advocate for Better Working Conditions: “Nearly 10,000 attending doctors in the University of California system have announced their effort to unionize at a Thursday news conference outside the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. The campaign, UC Doctors United, is a joint effort between doctors in the UC system and Service Employees International Union Doctors United, a union that currently comprises 45,000 doctors and 1.2 million healthcare workers nationwide.”
Labor Board Certifies Union Election at SSM Health St. Mary’s in Madison: “The National Labor Relations Board has certified the union election for hundreds of nurses at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. Nurses at the hospital voted 574-63 to unionize with the Service Employees International Union of Wisconsin back in June. After the vote, SSM Health filed objections to the conduct of the election with the National Labor Relations Board. In a decision released Wednesday, the NLRB found that the proof SSM offered in its objections was ‘insufficient to sustain’ them. The objections were overruled ‘in their entirety.’”
QVC Hosts Join SAG-AFTRA with 80% Approval Vote: “Hosts from QVC Group have voted to join SAG-AFTRA. TV hosts working across QVC, HSN and Omni Channel voted to become a part of SAG-AFTRA in a National Labor Relations Board vote tallied Thursday that saw 80% vote in favor of joining the labor union. The news comes just a month after the QVC Group hosts presented a petition to QVC Inc. management on June 15 to recognize the union based on demonstrated supermajority support.”
Berkeley: Staff at Hilton Hotel Seeking to Join International Hospitality Union: “Staff at Graduate by Hilton hotel properties in Berkeley are seeking to join a local Bay Area chapter of Unite Here, an international union representing hospitality workers, as soon as the end of the month. About 40 workers in positions such as housekeeping, restaurant servers, bartending, front desk agents and others, are seeking to join Unite Here Local 2, which represents over 15,000 hospitality workers in the Bay Area, according to a union spokesperson.”
Brooklyn Defender Services Strike Ends After Tentative Labor Deal Reached: “The threat of a mass citywide public defender strike wreaking havoc on the city’s courthouses appeared to be averted on Tuesday after striking attorneys reached a deal on a new labor contract with the city’s second-largest public defender group. Unionized members of Brooklyn Defender Services ended their strike after a tentative agreement for a new labor contract was reached late Tuesday night, both BDS and the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys—UAW Local 2325 confirmed.”
How Labor Unions Are Tackling AI and Midterm Elections: “‘Marketplace Morning Report’ host Kimberly Adams wanted to learn more about how the AFL-CIO is approaching AI ahead of the midterms. She spoke with the federation’s recently re-elected president, Liz Shuler. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation. Kimberly Adams: You told some world leaders at Davos that if we don't manage the transition to AI well, people could revolt. Say more. Liz Shuler: Wow, good research. We've been working on this issue of AI and how it relates to work for several years, and it's now starting to get more attention, thankfully. But if you see what's already happening to jobs and what AI is already displacing, and multiply that times infinity. That's going to create a lot of harm and a lot of disruption.”
Agricultural Worker Justice Act Gains UFCW Support: “The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), endorsed the Agricultural Worker Justice Act sponsored by Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety. Welch reintroduced the legislation along with the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act on July 20. ‘The US Department of Agriculture spends billions of dollars every year buying food, and that food should not come from companies that mistreat their workers,’ said UFCW International President Milton Jones. ‘The Agricultural Worker Justice Act ensures that food and agricultural companies that exploit workers cannot do so on the dime of American taxpayers.’”
Workers at Swaybox Studios, Home to Batman Animated Movie, Vote to Unionize: “Workers at a Louisiana-based studio working on an ambitious Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and DC Studios project in the Batman universe have voted to unionize with IATSE.Creatives at Swaybox Studios, which is presently working on Dynamic Duo about former Batman sidekicks (a.k.a. Robins) Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, voted to join the crew union IATSE in an election that concluded on Tuesday. Eighty-four eligible workers at the New Orleans-based studio voted to join the union, while 35 voted against the move.”
AFL-CIO Opposes College Sports Bill Moving in Congress: “A House bill called the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act (SCORE Act) had been introduced in July 2025 by Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida) and championed by Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (D-Oregon). AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler denounced it as ‘union-busting policy in action’ because it would have allowed schools to have ultimate control over athletes’ name, image and likeness, and empowered the NCAA—not state legislature—to set rules on athlete compensation. The bill was set for a House vote in early May. Bynum revoked her support. The bill was later pulled off the agenda.”
UFCW Backs Passage of Federal Bill to Legalize Cannabis: “The UFCW is backing the reintroduced federal cannabis legalization bill, saying the proposal would expand labor protections for cannabis workers while creating opportunities for people harmed by the War on Drugs to participate in the industry’s growth.”
The American Federation of Teachers Has Outlined Its Latest Priorities: “Delegates reelected President Randi Weingarten to a 10th two-year stint leading the organization. Unlike the NEA, the AFT does not place term limits on officers. Delegates also re-elected Fedrick Ingram as secretary-treasurer, and Evelyn DeJesus as executive vice president. First elected in July 2008, Weingarten’s tenure has been surpassed only by Al Shanker, who served as AFT president from 1974 through 1997.”