WASHINGTON, DC– Despite facing a difficult political climate and Right to Work, workers across the South have stood up in the past year to fight for better wages and working conditions.
“Working people in the South have been knocked down and mistreated for too long, and they’re fighting back and organizing for justice,” said AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre. “The victories we’ve seen are a result of people speaking up together, and they’ll keep fighting until we get an economy that puts families ahead of CEOs and creates a real path to the American Dream.”
Sweet Home Raising Wages: In August, the Birmingham, Alabama City Council passed an ordinance to increase the city’s minimum wage to $10.10 over the next two years. Alabama does not have a state minimum wage, and instead uses the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
North Carolina City Approves Significant Raising Wages Victory: By an overwhelming margin, the Greensboro, NC City Council voted to raise wages for city employees, citing a high percentage of working people living below the poverty line. The council’s decision, made in August, will raise wages to $15 by 2020 for city employees, and will begin with an initial wage hike to $10 an hour for regular employees and $12 for employees who receive benefits.
Engine Manufacturing Workers Take Off With Union Win: More than 450 employees of Alcoa Howmet Castings & Services, which makes jet engine parts, will join the United Steelworkers after a vote in July to organize. The victory of workers capped off their ten-year effort to form a union at the Hampton, VA based manufacturing facility.
Workers Make a Living Making Peanuts: Earlier this summer, 80 workers at a peanut shelling plant owned by agri-business giant Archer Daniels Midland voted to join The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union in Alabama. The workers beat back a strong anti-union campaign.
Marine Base Contractors Win Organizing Battle: Approximately 130 workers for EMI Services, LLC at two Marine Corps bases in North Carolina voted to join the International Association of Machinists in July. The workers, who include maintenance and support staff, electricians, and truck drivers, joined IAM for better job security and a greater say in the workplace.
Big Easy Teachers Work Hard to Form Union: In May, teachers belonging to the United Teachers of New Orleans, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, secured its first collective-bargaining contract in the past decade at Benjamin Franklin High School. The teachers began to organize in 2014, citing issues with pay inequality.
Sheet Metal Workers Hammer Out Major Victories Across the Country: Earlier this spring, transportation workers in South Florida voted overwhelmingly to join the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART) union.
Bluegrass State Workers See Green With Minimum Wage Increase:Members of the Louisville Metro Council voted to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2017. The January vote makes Louisville the first city in the South to raise their minimum wage, and the 12th city to raise it in 2014.
Louisiana Hospital Employees Serve Up a Big Plate of Respect: Shortly before the Christmas holiday, approximately 250 Sodexo cafeteria staff members at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport have joined AFSCME Local 2649, citing a lack of respect on the job and an opportunity to improve working conditions.
Silver Airlines Flight Attendants Strike Gold Through Organizing: Flight attendants from Silver Airways, a Fort Lauderdale, FL based airline partnered with United, voted to join the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA in January. Flight attendants will now work on improving working conditions and safety standards through a new contract.
Big Easy Hospitality Workers Score Big Organizing Win: Late last year, approximately 900 employees at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino organized with UNITE HERE and entered contract negotiations. This win doubles the amount of organized hospitality industry workers in New Orleans.
Contact: Anthony DeAngelo (202) 637-5018