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.
Shuler Slams GOP Anti-Worker Trump/Vance Ticket and Their Platform: “Expanding on her prior attack on the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, and its extremist platform, formally Project 2025, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler directly contrasted the duo and the document with Democratic achievements for workers and labor’s strong support for the new Democratic front-runner, Vice President Kamala Harris. Shuler spoke against the background of increasing enthusiasm among union leaders and rank-and-file voters—union and non-union–for the substitution of Harris for incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden atop the party’s ticket this election year. The nation’s largest union, the independent 3-million-member National Education Association, endorsed Harris on July 31, the same day Shuler spoke. So did the United Auto Workers. Both endorsements free up union people power and voluntary campaign contributions for Harris.”
Unions Stage Massive, Enthusiastic Zoom Pep Rally for Harris: “In what was advertised as a working session on labor’s plans for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, union leaders turned a massive zoom call on election plans into an enthusiastic pep rally for the presumed Democratic presidential nominee instead. All reported not just their own endorsement of Harris but high enthusiasm and unity from the rank-and-file. ‘Our unity gives me a lot of optimism,’ said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond. Harris ‘shares our values,’ added AFSCME President Lee Saunders. Virtually every speaker advocated good old-fashioned precinct work. Shoe leather, door-knocking, phone-banking and one-on-one contacts—the tried and true campaign tactics labor does best—will win the election for Harris. Even if, as one speaker admitted, it means ‘difficult conversations’ with often-skeptical colleagues and other voters.”
Under New Law, Illinois Employers Can’t Force Workers to Sit Through Anti-Union Meetings: “AFL-CIO national President Liz Shuler, the keynote speaker for Wednesday’s state convention, praised the legislation before Pritzker signed it. She admonished ‘rich and powerful’ executives like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, the founder of companies including Tesla, for ‘stacking the deck against us.’ ‘They want to sit there and hold their captive audience meetings and make us listen to a bunch of their propaganda,’ she said.”
Entertainment Industry Backs Bill to Outlaw AI Deepfakes: “The entertainment industry has united in support of a bill to outlaw digital deepfakes and create the first-ever federal right to one’s voice and likeness. A bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, introduced a revised version Wednesday of the No Fakes Act, which would make it illegal to create an AI replica of someone without their consent. The bill has the support of SAG-AFTRA, Disney, the Motion Picture Association—which represents six major studios—as well as the Recording Industry Association of America, the Recording Academy, and the major music labels and talent agencies. ‘Game over A.I. fraudsters!’ said Fran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA, in a statement. ‘Enshrining protections against unauthorized digital replicas as a federal intellectual property right will keep us all protected in this brave new world. Especially for performers whose livelihoods depend on their likeness and brand, this step forward is a huge win!’”
Kamala Harris’s Entry Has ‘Electrified’ Presidential Race: American Federation Of Teachers President: “During The American Federation of Teachers’ convention last week, President Randi Weingarten spoke in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.”
How Unionized Voters Could Decide the Election: “Between the lines: A big question heading into November is whether the Biden administration's pro-union moves—like the president walking the UAW picket line, and putting union protections into key legislation—will make a difference on Election Day. So far, many big unions have thrown their support behind Harris' campaign.”
New Report Shows Greater Interest in Labor Unions, Especially Among Young Workers: “A new report from the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy reveals significant changes in support for labor unions among U.S. workers. The report, published by the Economics Policy Institute, delves into the evolving attitudes toward unions and identifies three major shifts are occurring in U.S. workers: a recent, marked decline in opposition to labor unions, a rise of workers who are interested in—but unsure about—unions and an emerging generation gap in attitudes toward unionization between younger and older workers.”
Austin Workers Unionize at Game Studio Blizzard: “A win for unions and gaming industry workers in Texas: Quality assurance workers at Blizzard Entertainment—the studio behind the Diablo and Hearthstone franchises—have successfully unionized. In a press release issued late Wednesday, it was announced that 60 QA workers at the Austin office of the Microsoft-owned studio have joined the Communications Workers of America, and the studio has officially recognized their membership. ‘We're celebrating our victory,’ said Jonathan Boakes, a test analyst on Diablo Immortal and one of the organizers behind this initiative.”
Airline Catering Company Reaches Tentative Agreement with Workers Who Had Threatened to Strike: “Airline catering company Gategourmet and unions representing its workers said they reached a tentative agreement that could prevent a threatened strike, although a union spokesperson said Monday that some details remained to be completed. A spokesperson for Unite Here, one of the unions representing the workers, said there is a tentative agreement but negotiators ‘are working out some critical issues before it can be finalized.’ The unions had threatened to go on strike as soon as Tuesday morning, but the spokesperson said there would not be a walkout overnight.”
House Dems Unveil Sweeping Bill to Protect Worker Rights and Safety: “A group of Democratic U.S. House members on Friday unveiled legislation ‘aimed at bolstering protections for America's workers and ensuring accountability for employers who flout labor and employment laws.’ The Labor Enforcement to Securely (LET'S) Protect Workers Act was introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.)—the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce—and House Labor Caucus Co-Chairs Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). Earlier this month, nearly 50 labor organizations led by the AFL-CIO and representing a wide range of U.S. workers urged congressional Democrats to resist Republican efforts to roll back rules enacted by the Biden administration to protect worker rights amid relentless attacks by abusive employers.”
U.S. Union and Apple Reach Tentative Labor Agreement: “The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE) reached a tentative agreement with tech giant Apple on Friday over improvement in work-life balance, pay raises and job security. Workers at the Towson, Maryland, Apple retail store will vote on the tentative agreement on Aug. 6. The tentative three-year agreement includes an average pay raise of 10%, limits on contracted employees and a severance clause, improvement in work-life balance and rules on transparency. The deal will maintain all current benefits and an agreement to bargain over any future additions.”