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.
William Spriggs, Advisor to the Minneapolis Fed Who Criticized How Economists Approach Race, Dies at 68: “William Spriggs, a prominent Black economist who criticized how his field treated racial disparities and was an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, died late Tuesday in Washington. He was a professor and former chair of the economics department at Howard University, served advisory posts for Congress and the Federal Reserve and was an assistant secretary in the Labor Department during the Obama administration. Most recently, he was chief economist of the AFL-CIO. Spriggs was 68 years old. The AFL-CIO did not give a cause of death. Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed, called Spriggs a ‘brilliant economist’ and ‘tireless advocate for working people.’ He noted Spriggs participated in numerous conferences the bank convened and influenced Kashkari's thinking on labor markets, economic opportunity, racial wealth gaps and other issues. He was also a mentor and friend to many at the Minneapolis Fed.”
St. Charles Health System and Nurses Union Avoid Strike with Last-Minute Deal: “Following a 48-hour marathon of negotiations, St. Charles Health System and the Oregon Nurses Association reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Thursday, avoiding a potential strike that was set to begin Monday in Bend. The nurses association, which represents nearly 1,000 nurses at Central Oregon’s largest hospital, released few details about the agreement, as members still need to officially ratify it. What’s clear is that nurses will likely receive substantial pay raises.”
Dancers at Oregon Club Aim to Form Second Strippers Union in U.S.: “Dancers from the Magic Tavern strip bar in Northwest Portland aim to become just the second unionized group of strippers in the U.S. The strippers, now formally employed by Magic Tavern, say after repeated and ignored demands for a safer workspace, they’ve filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board through the Actors’ Equity Association—an established union that typically represents stage actors and performers.”
Barnes & Noble Flagship Votes Overwhelmingly To Join Union: “The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said that workers at Barnes & Nobles’ flagship store in Union Square in Manhattan voted overwhelmingly to join the RWDSU. This follows two wins in the last two months by employees at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers at Rutgers University with the RWDSU, and at independent bookstores McNally Jackson, Goods for the Study, Greenlight Bookstore and Book Culture, as well as the petition from workers at the Brooklyn, New York, Barnes & Noble.”
More Strikes, More Solidarity Expected as L.A. Enters ‘Hot Labor Summer’: “Labor tensions are simmering across the Southland. In Hollywood, the Writers Guild of America has entered its second month of striking, and Screen Actors Guild workers are poised to join them on the picket lines if they don’t hammer out a deal soon. Meanwhile, workers in hotels, fast food restaurants, at the LA ports, Dodger Stadium, Medieval Times, UPS are all enmeshed in their own negotiations and strikes, and the list seems to grow longer every day. That’s prompting some experts to predict that it’s going to be a ‘hot labor summer” in Los Angeles and beyond. ‘We have workers who are organizing, we have workers who are fighting for a better contract, we have workers who are fighting for a first contract,’ says Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, executive officer of the California Labor Federation. ‘All of this means that they're taking to the streets, that they're getting out there. They're ensuring that their bosses know that they're gonna expect a little bit more and it's about time.’”
Bill Spriggs: An Economist Who Fought For Racial And Economic Equality: “The economics profession and the progressive policy world is dealing with the shocking news that Bill Spriggs, Chief Economist at the AFL-CIO and former chair of the Howard University Economics Department, has passed away at the age of 68. We’ve lost a great economist and a champion for Black equality, and for all working people. At his death, Bill was both teaching at Howard and serving as Chief Economist at the AFL-CIO, combining his work on racial justice with his advocacy for all working people. Right up until his untimely death, he was advocating for racial and economic justice—in written work, Congressional testimony, media appearances, and public advocacy.”
Two Dozen Gannett Newsrooms Staged a Walkout This Week: “Hundreds of journalists at Gannett, publisher of USA Today and more than 200 local newspapers across the country, walked off the job this week to protest their working conditions and the company’s leadership. Two dozen newsrooms across seven states participated. While it wasn’t a companywide strike, it was the largest work stoppage Gannett has experienced in its history, according to the NewsGuild-CWA, the union that represents about 1,000 Gannett journalists in about 50 bargaining units. The pay and staffing issues the guild raised were relevant to news organizations across the company, regardless of whether they belong to the union.”
SAG-AFTRA Members Authorize Nationwide Strike of Actors: “With a 98% ‘yes’ vote, SAG-AFTRA members authorized their board to call a strike if bargaining with their bosses, the nation’s television, movie, and streaming video moguls, doesn’t produce a new contract. The June 5 vote in a heavy turnout of nearly 65,000 members arms the board with a show of strength just before talks open on a new pact. The current contract expires at the end of June.”
General Motors Announcement, Groundbreaking Mark More Than $1 Billion Investment in Flint: “Mike Booth, the United Auto Workers vice president who heads the union’s GM department, lauded the investment in the Flint facilities. ‘When business is booming as it has been for the past decade—due to the hard work of UAW members—the company should continue to invest in its workforce,’ Booth said. ‘It is good to see that GM recognizes the hard work you, the UAW membership, contribute to the success of this company. We are proud that UAW-GM members will continue to build quality, union-made products here in the USA.’”
‘My Theory of Change is Rooted in Solidarity’: “When April Sims got a union job as a child support enforcement officer two decades ago, she was a high school dropout and single mom. She got involved in her union, and over time that became her life’s work. In January, she became her state’s top labor leader, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. She shared some of her story with the Labor Press.”
‘Largest Nurses Strike in Texas History’: Ascension Seton Nurses Vote to Authorize Strike: “A union that represents 900 registered nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center said Thursday that 98% of its members authorized a one-day strike at the health system. A strike at Ascension Seton would be the first nurses strike in an acute care setting, as well as the largest nurses strike in Texas history, according to the release from The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.”
United Airlines Pilots Union Votes to Authorize a Strike Vote: “The United Airlines Holdings Inc. pilots union has unanimously voted to authorize a strike vote, the union chair said in a letter to pilots on Friday. ‘You'll receive more communication regarding this impending strike vote in the coming days,’ the letter says. A spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said it has not yet set a date for the strike vote.”
Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO Holds 11th Annual Take Kids Fishing Day: “Kids got the chance to fish for free in Wisconsin this weekend and it was an extra special day for some at Chad Erickson Memorial Park. Saturday afternoon was the 11th annual Take Kids Fishing day. Hosted by the Western Wisconsin AFL-CIO and the Union Sportsmen's Alliance's Boots on the Ground conservation program, it gives families the chance to get outside and try fishing. ‘There's some people that want to try fishing that can't even afford the investment. The free rod and reel gives them the opportunity to fish more,’ treasurer Bill Brockmiller says.”