Georgia

In a milestone for the Southern labor movement, the Atlanta Professional Fire Fighters—Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 134—have signed their first-ever collective bargaining agreement.

IAM Union Local 2789 members at John Deere’s facility in Augusta, Georgia, voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new four-year collective bargaining agreement that the union said is the strongest contract the workers have seen in more than 20 years.

Labor leaders and union members in Atlanta gathered at the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 613’s Union Hall for a Workers Over Billionaires rally as part of the AFL-CIO’s nationwide bus tour. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler also showed support for the airport workers organizing in Atlanta to fight for a union on the job.

As part of a nationwide series of Department of People Who Work for a Living (DPWL) events taking place this month, the Georgia State AFL-CIO and North Carolina State AFL-CIO held public hearings last week to discuss how cuts to federal funding and jobs have impacted local residents.