Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Philadelphia Teachers Union and School District Reach Tentative Agreement: The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT), AFT Local 3, reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with the city’s school district on Sunday, averting a potential strike. Members are celebrating the historic deal, which was finalized just hours before the start of a new school year. The old contract covering education professionals was set to expire on Aug. 31, and workers had been preparing to walk out after Labor Day if they didn’t receive a fair offer. “The PFT is thrilled that we have been able to reach a tentative agreement with the School District of Philadelphia on a three-year pact ensuring that school will open on time, as well as three years of labor peace,” PFT President Arthur Steinberg said. “This contract recognizes the hard work and dedication our members bring to the district and allows them to have peace of mind that they will be able to provide for their families while continuing to educate the children of the School District of Philadelphia.”
Mission Local Staff Secure Voluntary Union Recognition: Staff at Mission Local—the largest nonprofit newsroom covering news in San Francisco—won voluntary recognition last week for their union with the Pacific Media Workers Guild, The NewsGuild-CWA Local 39521. Members of Mission Local Guild said their organizing efforts aim to establish frameworks for professional development, as the award-winning newsroom continues to grow. “The union is a step forward for us and for Mission Local. We look forward to starting conversations with the leadership to create a contract that is fair to both the organization and the workers,” said Oscar, a reporter. “Forming a union is a natural next step as we grow from a small, scrappy team into a highly professionalized outlet,” added Vicky, Mission Local’s donor engagement lead. “On the business side, we have big plans to expand our operations and having a union will ensure we are centering the well-being of our budding team in our goals for the future.”
Wyoming Cement Plant Workers Vote to Form Union: Workers at the Mountain Cement Company plant in Laramie, Wyoming, have voted to join the Boilermakers (IBB), and the local labor movement is celebrating this victory in a “right to work” state. While the facility has been considered a cornerstone of the town’s economy for almost a century, workers have remarked that over the past decade management’s attitude toward their essential contributions has gotten worse. The newly minted IBB members cite high rates of turnover, safety concerns, unscheduled overtime and alleged intimidation from management as core motivations for organizing their workplace. “Just to talk about [the successful vote to organize] makes me teary eyed,” said Alex Hicks, who works in maintenance as a mechanic and welder. “I was threatened with my job, so now that this is here, I feel like it’s a big weight off my shoulders. Now I don’t have to worry about looking over my shoulder everyday wondering, ‘Is this going to be my day or not?’” “This means so much to Wyoming workers who feel voiceless, like there’s nowhere to turn,” added Marcie Kindred, executive director of the Wyoming State AFL-CIO. “We’re the reddest right-to-work state in the nation, and they just proved that, even in Wyoming, you can fight and freaking win.”
GoJet Flight Attendants Ratify New Contract: GoJet Airlines flight attendants, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), successfully ratified a new contract last week, with 90% of voting members approving the agreement. The regional airline is operated under the United Express brand of United Airlines. AFA-CWA members won major victories, such as double-digit pay raises, increased per diem, minimum pay protections, greater schedule flexibility and more. “While GoJet Flight Attendants continue to work flights branded as United Airlines, we deserve to solidify significant pay increases, boarding pay, and benefits that our mainline counterparts across the industry are seeing,” said Melissa Higgins, AFA GoJet president. “This new tentative agreement ensures aviation’s first responders at GoJet are receiving the benefits we deserve and lifting up standards for regional Flight Attendants.”