Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
NHLPA and NHL Ratify Four-Year Collective Bargaining Agreement: The National Hockey League Players’ Association’s (NHLPA’s) full membership and the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors ratified a new four-year contract, the NHLPA announced in a press release on Tuesday. Hockey continues to be a union sport. The NHLPA and the NHL have reached a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) more than a year before the current CBA was set to expire. The new contract will run through the 2029–30 season. “This CBA shows what can be accomplished when the NHL and the Union work together—an agreement that will allow for the continued worldwide growth of the game. That is a win for everyone,” said Marty Walsh, NHLPA executive director. “We could not have achieved this outcome without the involvement and support of our players. Special thanks to our executive board and negotiating committee.”
Utah Labor Coalition Gathers 300,000 Signatures to Put Bargaining Ban on Hold with Historic Referendum: Teachers, firefighters and other public sector workers in Utah are one step closer to defending their right to bargain collectively. They successfully gathered more than 300,000 petition signatures to protect Utah workers from House Bill 267, a ban on collective bargaining for public workers. Utah Republicans are running an infamous play right out of the anti-union playbook: They’re trying to stop public sector workers from exercising their right to join a union. H.B. 267, pushed by the shady Washington, D.C., right-wing group American Legislative Exchange Council, would stop public employers from establishing contracts with unions, prohibit certain union activities on public property and prevent public employees who join unions from getting pensions. Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill on Feb. 14. Public sector workers in Utah are fighting back by pushing for a ballot question in November 2026 that will stop the ban. In order to get that question on the ballot, they had to collect signatures from 8% of Utah’s voting population in a month—more than 4,600 signatures per day—in at least 15 of 29 state Senate districts. Thanks to the hard work of 5,000 volunteers who collected signatures at coffee shops, retirement homes and on street corners, they ended up getting more than double the required number of signatures. “Overwhelmingly, the state of Utah was against it,” said Haley Kelley, a social studies teacher and member of the Granite Education Association. “We went to the Capitol. We emailed and called the governor and the legislators....Thousands of people did this, and they still didn’t listen. And so, we’ve got to get this on the ballot.”
Maine AFL-CIO Celebrates Gov. Mills Signing Bill Supporting Federal Workers During Government Shutdowns into Law: The Maine AFL-CIO is applauding a new law, signed Tuesday by Gov. Janet Mills, that will provide financial support to state and federal workers who are forced to work without pay or furloughed during a government shutdown. This new law will provide federal and state workers an essential safety net for when Republicans in Washington threaten their livelihoods. It does that by creating a loan guarantee program offering interest-free loans to help cover lost income for essential state and federal employees during government shutdowns lasting more than seven days. Under the new program, federal and state workers can receive up to three individual loans per shutdown, with repayment delayed until the shutdown ends or 90 days later, and no interest charged for 180 days after that. The legislation was originally proposed during President Trump’s government shutdown in 2018. “Federal and State employees in Maine are the backbone of essential services, from providing health care, maintaining roads, providing public safety and protecting our most vulnerable to maintaining our Navy submarines and safeguarding aviation and infrastructure,” said Alana Schaeffer, president of the Maine Metal Trades Council. “When we are furloughed or forced to work without pay, we often struggle to pay for heat, to put food on the table and meet our financial obligations. We don’t cause the political gridlock that causes government shutdowns, but we do pay the cost of this dysfunction. We want to thank our state leaders...for supporting our dedicated public servants at a time when many of us are experiencing an unprecedented assault on our rights and protections by the federal government.”
WGAE Members Secure First Union Contract with Garden Slate Productions with Unanimous Vote: Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at award-winning entertainment development and production company Garden Slate Productions reached a deal on their first collective bargaining agreement. The three-year contract covers many titles under production, along with rarely unionized positions such as set PAs and food stylists. Garden Slate produces shows like The Food Network’s “The Kitchen.” It includes groundbreaking rehire protection language that addresses the issue of frequent short-term employment contracts, establishes fair minimum rates and provides immediate raises for all production assistants. The agreement also guarantees a 2% increase to the minimum rates in the second and third years, and a minimum 1.5% across-the-board raises during those same years. Additionally, the Entertainment Industry Benefit Flex Plan allows nonfiction workers to carry their health fund balance from gig to gig, even when unemployed or employed by a different employer. Workers will also receive 12 paid holidays, up to five paid sick days annually and three paid bereavement days after four weeks of employment. The bargaining committee said: “We’re so proud of our first contract, which among other wins for producers, art department and culinary workers, organized production assistants into the union and boosted their pay. The contract also establishes rehire protections for all members, which are sorely needed in a freelance industry. Our achievement is one part of a larger, industry-wide effort to win respect and sustainable conditions for the highly skilled and profitable work we all do.”
Nurses at San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital Ratify New 3-Year Contract: Registered nurses at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco voted on June 27 to ratify a three-year contract, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). “We understand our patients in a way that can’t be taught or replicated because we are connected to this community,” said Jeanie Gee, RN, in the medical-surgical department at Chinese Hospital. “Our new contract with Chinese Hospital is a move closer to retaining nurses with the language and cultural skills to care for our unique patient population.” The nurses were able to secure improvements to their working environment, including: ensuring training shifts for newly hired nurses and their trainers won’t be canceled due to low participation; improved conditions for the training of nursing students in the hospital; additional time for nurses to work on workplace violence prevention and staffing/safe patient care; and improved retention of per diem nurses. About 100 Chinese Hospital nurses joined CNA/NNU in 2019 and negotiated their first contract in 2021.
Abundance Food Co-Op Workers Win Union Vote: The workers at Abundance Food Co-op in Rochester, New York, recently voted to form a union with Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). More than 70% of the workers signed union authorization cards early in the process. The election was held two weeks after workers first announced their intention to organize. The campaign featured a surprisingly supportive response from management, including an announcement from the general manager and president of the board that they would be stepping down to make space for new leadership and direction. Abundance is the third grocery co-op in upstate New York to organize in recent years. “My goal is for us all to make the best cooperative decisions to have a safe space for us to thrive,” said Molly Walter, assistant grocery manager at Abundance and organizing committee member. “I am so excited to build more strong, lasting relationships with local businesses, farms, and other cooperatives.”
Colorado Safeway Workers Reach Tentative Deal with Wage Increases, Other Benefits: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, the union representing thousands of grocery store workers in Colorado and Wyoming, said it’s reached a tentative deal with Safeway to end a strike impacting workers at some 50 stores across Colorado. Following negotiations, UFCW representatives announced that they had secured several demands, including wage increases, seniority-based bonuses, fully funded and improved health care benefits, an expanded vacation cash-out policy, and the termination of temporary replacement workers. The new agreement will need to be ratified at a future union meeting, but the union celebrated the gains as a win. “We have reached a fully recommended tentative agreement! The strike is over,” the union said.
GE Aerospace Union Members Ratify National Agreement: Last week, GE Aerospace workers in four states—who are represented by IUE-CWA—voted to approve a historic contract. The new deal provides powerful provisions that reflect the value that IUE-CWA members bring to the corporation. Highlights include cost-of-living adjustment language so workers can keep up with inflation, wage increases, retirement security, improved paid time off, a successorship clause to safeguard against further restructuring and more. “Our skilled labor built this company into what it is today. Aerospace is a thriving business that continues to grow,” said Kevin Christian, a GE worker in Madisonville, Kentucky. “The membership passed a contract that is competitive and fair. I'm proud of our membership and their solidarity throughout these contract negotiations. The membership is the union, and our union is strong.”
UFCW Members Ratify New Contract at Minnesota Grocery Chains: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 members are celebrating the ratification of a new three-year contract with United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) Cub Foods and Haug’s Cub Foods. The victory comes after UFCW filed unfair labor practice charges stemming from the chains’ failure to bargain in good faith and threatened a work stoppage. Workers also garnered some high-profile support during their negotiations—Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a letter to the grocers calling on management to bargain fairly with UFCW. The new agreement includes major wins like wage increases for full-time workers ranging from 9.5% to 13%, significant investment into the pension plan and increased guaranteed minimum hours for part-time staff. “Members organized, fought for, and won a contract that raises standards for essential grocery workers. These workers had incredible support from customers and leaders like Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Senator Bernie Sanders,” said Local 663 President Rena Wong in a press release. “Together, we are ensuring good jobs for all Minnesotans.”
Broadcast Techs for Columbus Crew, Blue Jackets, Ohio State Athletics Vote to Join IATSE: The technicians who make possible broadcasts of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and Ohio State University games have voted overwhelmingly to form a union with the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). The bargaining unit includes 100 workers who perform essential roles like camera operation, audio engineering and graphics production. Workers started organizing and collecting union authorization cards last year and reached a majority support in early 2025. “This community of workers mobilized swiftly and sent a clear message: they would no longer accept falling behind industry standards already secured by broadcast technicians nationwide,” said IATSE Representative Rachel McLendon. “Their focus and commitment never wavered.”