Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Vermont Hospice Workers Vote to Join AFT: Earlier this month, staff at the University of Vermont (UVM) Health Network Home Health & Hospice voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming a union with AFT Vermont, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Members of Hospice United perform a number of essential duties related to palliative and end-of-life care for patients with terminal illnesses. Despite a powerful 88% of workers voting to form Hospice United, administrators are still trying to challenge the inclusion of certain positions in the bargaining unit—such as chaplains and bereavement coordinators. Staff aren’t deterred however, and are looking forward to beginning negotiations on a first contract. “We’re doing this to build a better hospice,” said Lindsay Gagnon, a hospice nurse practitioner at UVM. “We deserve fair caseloads, so we can give each patient and family the best care possible at the end of life. We deserve fair pay that reflects the highly skilled and specialized care we provide. We deserve respect and a voice, to ensure every team member has what they need to thrive while doing the work we are so passionate about.” Nicole DiVita, the president for Healthcare at AFT Vermont, added: “This is a big win. When healthcare workers have a say in their workplace, care gets better for everyone. We’ve seen over 700 new members join AFT Vermont in just the last few months—it’s a powerful time for healthcare workers in our state.”
AFSCME Members at Field Museum Win Contract: Despite union-busting tactics from management, AFSCME members who work at the Field Museum in Chicago have successfully secured their first collective bargaining agreement. Staff formed their union, Field Museum Workers United, through AFSCME Council 31 in March 2023. Highlights of the contract include wage increases ranging from nearly 14% to more than 17%, increased compensation for bilingual skills and translation services, and an improved retirement plan. Workers credit the outpouring of community solidarity as key to this major win. This included massive attendance at a picket in front of the museum when management stalled negotiations—just a few weeks later, Field Museum Workers United members reached an agreement. “That was solidarity,” said Stanley Banks, a bargaining committee member, in a Council 31 website post. “Museum guests were walking up and getting into the picket, some of them were members of other unions. That rally helped us create movement at the table. We created a strong foundation and now we’re ready to build on it.”
CWA Members Unite to Secure Improved Severance Agreement from TCGplayer: On Monday, Communications Workers of America (CWA) members at eBay-owned TCGplayer ratified a closing agreement with the online trading card game marketplace that secured a much-improved severance package after layoff announcements. Workers at the tech platform for the collectibles industry voted to form TCGunion-CWA in 2023—becoming the first eBay employees to formally organize. After more than 600 days of fighting for a first contract, the company suddenly announced that the authentication center in Syracuse, New York, would close. The news that TCGplayer’s headquarters would relocate to Louisville, Kentucky, came as a shock to members, but workers continued to fight for a fair and hearty severance package. The agreement includes a number of essential provisions that will ensure workers land on their feet, including 20 weeks of pay with an additional $2.50 an hour above current wages, six months of employer-paid COBRA medical insurance coverage, seven months of continued mental health benefits and more. “We are so proud of what we have accomplished as a union. Thank you to everyone who has stood in solidarity with us over the years,” the union said in a public statement posted to social media. “TCGunion-CWA built collective power for hundreds of workers in Syracuse, joining together to fight for fair treatment for all. We fought back against a multi-billion dollar corporation, changing our understanding of the power we wield, and we will carry that with us forever. eBay could only beat our union by closing down the entire Authentication Center and leaving town. We live in a time of unchecked corporate power, and still we brought them to the table again and again. From Syracuse to Louisville, workers everywhere deserve rights, respect, and dignity on the job. As long as we don’t stop fighting for it, we will win.”
SAG-AFTRA and Video Game Companies Reach Tentative Agreement: On Monday, SAG-AFTRA announced that the union has reached a tentative agreement with major video game labels on the terms for a new interactive media contract after months of work stoppage. Members who work as voice actors and performance capture workers have been on strike since July 2024, fighting for fair provisions governing artificial intelligence. “Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike,” SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said. “Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains.” “Our video game performers stood strong against the biggest employers in one of the world’s most lucrative industries,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “Their incredible courage and persistence, combined with the tireless work of our negotiating committee, has at last secured a deal. The needle has been moved forward and we are much better off than before. As soon as this is ratified we roll up our sleeves and begin to plan the next negotiation. Every contract is a work in progress and progress is the name of the game.”
AGMA Announces Historic First Contract with Texas Ballet Theater: American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)-represented performers at the Texas Ballet Theater achieved a historic milestone late last month when they ratified their new union contract, the first time North Texas dance company workers have done so in more than 40 years. Members secured a four-year agreement that raises wages, improves safety and health protections, establishes greater paid time off, guarantees fair grievance and arbitration processes, and so many more victories. Another notable win includes language that codifies commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. This is especially critical given that both the White House and Texas lawmakers have implemented bans on policies that support marginalized workers. “This is an important step for dance and for union artists in the North Texas area,” said Griff Braun, national organizing director of AGMA. “What came out of that I think is really good for the dancers and for the company and for the future of Texas Ballet Theater. I think professional dance and opera and other performing arts at this level are in the crosshairs, both in terms of attacks on labor and working people's rights, but also attacks on arts funding.”
Simmons University Adjunct Faculty Form Union: Simmons University adjunct faculty won their union election last week to join Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509. This victory comes after nearly two months of organizing at the private, nonprofit institution in Boston. Adjunct professors—who make up three-quarters of the Simmons faculty—are now completing their bargaining priorities survey so they can negotiate a contract that ensures fair compensation and better working conditions. “We need to improve the experiences of Simmons adjuncts and by association, the experience of our students,” said faculty member Sarah Phenix. “An adjunct’s working condition is a student’s learning condition.”
CommonSpirit/Dignity Health Nurses Ratify New Contract: California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) members who work at CommonSpirit/Dignity Health facilities in California and Nevada voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new four-year contract. CNA/NNOC, an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), represents registered nurses at 27 locations in the health care network. Highlights of the new agreement include across-the-board wage increases, retention of pension and retiree benefits, the preservation of all existing patient care and workplace protections, and more. “With this critical milestone achieved, we can now turn our collective focus to the broader social issues that affect our communities — including the urgent need for humane immigration reform, protecting health care from further cuts, and opposing harmful federal reductions that threaten essential public services,” said Phil Penn, an RN in Long Beach, California.
APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement on New Contract: The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) finalized a tentative agreement last Monday with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The proposed three-year deal received unanimous approval from the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee, and it now moves to a membership ratification vote. Highlights of the agreement include annual wage increases, cost-of-living adjustments for career employees, no-layoff protections, increase in uniform allowances and more. The union emphasized that these gains were all won without givebacks or concessions. “This is great news for postal workers,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “Negotiations are never easy and have been hard fought. We have secured an agreement that continues to protect the rights and interests of our members in uncertain times. We have been negotiating when government workers and our unions are under severe assault and with the specter of postal privatization looming.”
AGMA Announces Tentative Agreement with Metropolitan Opera: The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and The Metropolitan Opera in New York City have reached a new one-year tentative agreement covering performers and other staff at the largest classical music organization in North America. Members serve in roles such as chorus, soloists, dancers, full-time actors, stage managers, stage directors and choreographers. The agreement includes a 2.5% wage hike in addition to a supplemental temporary increase of 2.5% that sunsets at the end of the contract. This short-term boost reflects the role that AGMA members played in successfully lobbying for a $5 million appropriation for the cultural institution in New York state's budget. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together,” said Negotiating Committee Co-Chairs Lee Steiner, a chorister, and John Coleman, a stage manager. “This one-year agreement honors the contributions of all AGMA artists at the Met, and reflects real progress in areas our members identified as priorities. Just as importantly, it sets the stage for a more expansive negotiation next year, where we’ll continue to build on this momentum and work toward lasting improvements.”
South Bay Transit Workers Approve New Contract:nAfter a historic work stoppage and nearly a year of negotiations, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265 members who work for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in San Jose, California, have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with the transit agency. The union represents more than 1,500 bus drivers, light rail operators, maintenance workers and dispatchers who keep the region moving. Workers walked off the job on March 10 after the transit agency refused to address their core concerns in bargaining. VTA sued and the Santa Clara County Superior Court eventually gave them a preliminary injunction, busting the strike and forcing members back to work. The new contract includes a 14.5% raise over the lifetime of the deal, improved dental benefits, updated workplace policies and other improvements. “Our members have stood strong over the past few months despite the court order halting our strike and negotiations being drawn out. This contract recognizes their commitment and dedication with decent living wages, safer working conditions, updated grievance policies, and other improvements,” said Local 265 President/Business Agent Raj Singh in a press release. “They have put their lives on the line every day to keep this service running, to get our passengers across San Jose where they need to go safely.”
Vox Media Union Members Reach Tentative Agreement: Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at Vox Media reached a tentative agreement this morning on a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The 250-member unit will vote to ratify the contract in the coming days. Vox Media Union members work at well-known outlets like Vox.com, The Verge, Eater, SB Nation, Pop Sugar, Thrillist, Vox Media Podcast Network and The Dodo, and had previously voted 90% in favor of authorizing a strike if management did not settle a new contract before their current agreement expired on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Workers Ratify First Contract: Box office and group sales workers at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) have unanimously ratified their first contract as members of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 154. This is the latest victory for the local, which now represents workers in 18 different departments at the 90-year-old nonprofit theater, including facilities, costuming, front-of-house, concessions and more. It didn’t come easy though—during the contract fight, OSF management brought in a union-busting consultant and engaged in regressive bargaining. But IATSE members refused to back down, taking their contract fight public to pressure OSF to do the right thing. And now, they’re enjoying a contract that guarantees minimum hours, rest days, just-cause termination, recall rights and a cell phone stipend, among other wins. “Our Box Office workers are resilient, hardworking people who deserve a fair contract. After nine months of negotiations, they secured working protections that were actively being threatened,” said Breena Cope, IATSE Local 154 business agent. “We are proud to represent the box office workers under the Local 154 banner. Every worker at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is valuable, and each of them deserves to have their work represented by a strong union contract.”