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Contact: Cheyenne Schoen, cschoen@usw.org, 412-562-2446

Pittsburgh – Approximately 160 workers at Eos Energy Enterprises in Pittsburgh voted to join the United Steelworkers (USW), marking a significant step in their pursuit of stronger job security, fair wages, and improved working conditions.

Eos workers manufacture batteries used to store electricity generated from renewable sources like solar and wind energy.

The decision to unionize reflects the workers’ desire for a voice in shaping the future of their jobs in the rapidly expanding clean energy sector.

“Today’s victory at Eos is a pivotal moment for these workers who are eager to be part of this new and growing part of our economy,” said USW District 10 Director Bernie Hall, who represents about 50,000 Steelworkers in Pennsylvania. “These are the jobs of the future, and workers deserve the opportunity to shape their working conditions and secure their place in this vital industry.”

“We’re proud to be contributing to our nation’s energy future, but for that future to succeed, we need to earn fair wages and be treated with respect on the job,” said Dante Williams, an assembly operator at Eos.

“Unionizing puts our future into our own hands, and now we’re looking forward to sitting down and bargaining a fair contract.”

The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations.

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Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, (412) 562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org

(PITTSBURGH) – The United Steelworkers (USW) today joined with domestic steel producers in filing trade petitions seeking anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of corrosion-resistant, flat-rolled steel imports from nine countries.

Corrosion-resistant steel, known as CORE, is among the most important value-added flat-rolled steel products in the industry.

“CORE imports from these nine countries almost doubled from 690,000 tons in the first half of 2023 to 1.35 million tons in the first half of 2024,” said USW International President David McCall. “These imports are destroying good union jobs in the United States and causing harm to U.S. companies.

“In particular, imports from Vietnam almost quadrupled from 122,000 to 468,000 tons,” McCall said. “Vietnam is ramping up its steel industry and exports at the expense of U.S. workers, and we can’t repeat the mistakes with Vietnam that we’ve made with China in the past.”

In addition to Vietnam, the nations included in the petition are Australia, Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Corrosion-resistant steel is widely used in vehicles, appliances and construction, as well as in other industries. The U.S. market consumes an estimated 22 million tons of CORE products annually.

“In a strong economy with strong steel demand, the U.S. industry is only operating at 77 percent capacity utilization this year and has seen sharply reduced profits compared to 2022 and 2023,” McCall said. “Once again, the U.S. has become the dumping ground for excess steel capacity, and the USW will stand up against any unfair trade that hurts American workers.”

The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

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Shuler: Union Workers are Powerful. We Will Decide This Election.

The AFL-CIO represents nearly 13 million workers in our federation across 60 unions. This time every year, we come together to put the labor back in Labor Day.  

As much as we love the barbecues, the mattress sales—this is our week. This is about recognizing and appreciating the workers who make this country run. 

Last year, we started a conversation about how workers are doing in this country. Some of these numbers may surprise you: 70% of Americans support unions, among young people under the age of 30, it’s nine in 10.  

Union workers are continuing to find their power in two very distinct ways.  

First: We are the ones who are going to decide this presidential election. In swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada that are going to come down to 1% or 2%, union voters are 20% of the electorate. That’s one in every five voters. 

And second: Our workers are powerful because they have something that is so rare today—the trust of those around them. Union members are credible political messengers. They can connect with each other and with the people in their communities in a way no one else can. 

Having the hard conversations

Many of us have felt like it’s hard to just have a conversation about politics with someone we disagree with. Or we’ve talked to someone who has figured out what team we play for, and then just tuned us out. Or—let’s admit it—maybe we’ve done it to someone else. 

Yet in a room full of union members, that’s not how it plays out. When you ask a union member who their most trusted source in the world is on politics, it’s not their friends, family or loved ones. It’s their fellow union members.  

It’s not hard to see why union workers trust each other. 

We talk to each other in the break room every morning. We carpool home. We’re on the factory floor together, or in the teacher’s lounge, or outside on a construction site, braving the elements, while everyone else is asleep. We know each other, inside and out. 

And when you combine that trust with this organizing machine we’ve built, this ability to connect with our members, our families, our neighbors and mobilize on a dime, you have a movement that can actually deliver voters—and win an election. 

The power of unions

Workers are growing our power in this country in a way we haven’t been in a generation. Almost a quarter of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago were union delegates, more than we’ve had in a long, long time. We are seen as a force to be reckoned with.  

And it’s about damn time. 

When I travel the country and talk to working people—our members, but also people who aren’t yet in a union—they tell me they’re tired of the way things have been going. They're tired of going to the grocery store, and seeing it take more out of their paychecks than it ever has. They’re tired for people their peers in the sandwich generation, trying to care for their kids and their parents at the exact same time.  

What I hear from the young generation of workers coming up is that they can’t believe there used to be a time when you could work one full-time job, and afford to make a down payment on a home.  

That’s the daily reality for people all over this country. 

Workers in this country have never been more productive. We have never created the kind of wealth for companies that we are creating right now. But it’s not benefitting our workers. 

We need to fundamentally re-write the rules—by winning elections, by passing laws, by having the right to stand up for ourselves—if we’re going to balance the scales.  

All over the country, people are realizing there’s a movement where you actually can fight back, where you actually can get some power and some control over your future. 

It’s not about your race, your gender, age, orientation or, religion, it’s just about standing up for your freedom. 

Strategy, organizing pay off

If you feel tired or alone right now, think about autoworkers in Chattanooga, right after they made history at Volkswagen, voting for representation by the United Auto Workers.  

Or our Machinists in Seattle, who filled a baseball stadium to tell Boeing to give them a fair contract.  

Or our sisters in the National Women’s Soccer League players association, who rewrote the sports rulebook and got rid of their draft, setting a new standard that gives them a voice in where they work, like every other worker in this country.  

These wins are not accidents. 

We’ve invested in our grassroots network all over the country, building local power and organizing capacity. 

Nearly half a million workers went on strike in 2023, a year that saw more than 2,700 union election filings, the most we’ve ever seen. Some 900,000 workers in unions won double-digit pay increases last year alone.  

That is power. 

What’s the point of building all this power on the ground, if we don’t use it when it really matters? When absolutely everything is on the line? 

In those swing states we talked about earlier—Michigan. Pennsylvania. Michigan. Wisconsin. Nevada—union support is driving up the margin of support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. 

We are the difference.  

How we win

Our movement is full of joy and love, a way to have some fun and make your life better at the same time. We have the trust—with our union members, and the spouses, children and parents that we bring along. There’s a reason they call it “a union household,” which doubles and triples our impact.  

We have a well-oiled organizing machine in every state, especially in battleground states. We have workers who are actually trained in how to have those tough conversations, how to steer them toward kitchen-table issues, and how to challenge someone, respectfully, if we need to. 

A few months ago I walked up to a guy in a MAGA hat on a picket line. In any other situation, the two of us probably wouldn’t have much to talk about. But as we started to talk about politics, he looked at me and said, “I’ll hear you out, because I know we both love our unions.”  

Those conversations are the key to everything. 

Talking to each other again. Empathy and grace, instead of vitriol. Coming together to solve problems that actually matter to our families. 

When we fight, we win.  

This post originally appeared in te Detroit Free Press.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 09/03/2024 - 10:06

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Thousands More Nevada State Employees Win Union Election

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

A group of nearly 3,000 state employees—including those working for the welfare agency and Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)—won union representation as AFSCME Local 4041 this week in an election overseen by the state’s Government Employee-Management Relations Board.

Nevada state workers won collective bargaining rights back in 2019, and since securing their first contract, AFSCME members have seen more than 30% wage increases as well as other new benefits and improved grievance procedures. The new bargaining unit that will join negotiations in the fall includes engineering technicians from the Department of Transportation, DMV service technicians, family support specialists in the Division of Welfare and Support Services (DWSS), and library technicians throughout Nevada System of Higher Education institutions and more. This election victory almost doubles the size of Local 4041, increasing their power to deliver victories for these critical public sector workers.

“We see the benefits of having a union contract and voice on the job; that’s why we’ve organized as AFSCME and voted to have union representation. I’m excited tech workers now get to join our fellow AFSCME members at the bargaining table this fall,” said Austin Krehbiel, a family support specialist at the DWSS.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 09/03/2024 - 09:50

The Road to the White House Runs Through America’s Union Halls: The Working People Weekly List

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.

Project 2025 Provides a GOP Blueprint for Destroying the American Labor Movement: “Consequently, the nation’s labor movement saw Trump’s past record and agenda for the future for what they were. In a statement issued on July 18, 2024, Liz Shuler, president of the national AFL-CIO, declared, ‘In his first term as president, Donald Trump was a disaster for workers and our unions.’ Moreover, ‘the Trump Project 2025 agenda lays out his plan to turbocharge his antiworker policies, eliminate or control unions, and eviscerate labor laws and workers’ contracts.’ Consequently, ‘a second Trump term would put everything we’ve fought for―good jobs, fair wages, health care, retirement security, worker security―on the chopping block.’”

Thousands of Fred Meyer Employees Go on Strike Through Labor Day Weekend: “Nearly 5,000 employees at 28 Fred Meyer stores in and around Portland, Oregon, went on strike early Wednesday morning. The employees, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555, plan to continue the strike for almost a week. Unless a deal is reached with Fred Meyer management, the grocery store workers won’t return to work until 8 a.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 3. UFCW says employees are striking over Fred Meyer’s violation of labor laws amid contract negotiations between grocery store management and the union. The union has filed several unfair labor practice charges against Fred Meyer, claiming that the company is ‘refusing to provide essential information for current negotiations’ and advertised benefits to employees the company hasn’t actually proposed at the bargaining table.”

Americans’ Approval of Labor Unions Near Highest Level Since 1960s: “Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO labor federation, argued in a speech in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that union influence would be pivotal in the race for the White House. The federation, which includes 60 unions, says that 22% of voters in Pennsylvania are either union members or retirees who’d been in unions. ‘We can run up the margins where it counts, we have built an organizing machine that can mobilize on a dime and we have built a singular trust and connection with workers, families and neighbors,’ Shuler said. ‘There is no question that the road to the White House runs through America’s union halls.’”

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler Delivers State of the Unions Address: “AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler urged union members to vote and get others to the polls for the Harris-Walz ticket because the unions and workers’ rights are on the line in the 2024 elections. Shuler stressed the importance of the labor movement and the role of unions in communities across America during a speech at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C.”

Missouri AFL-CIO President Looks Ahead to Labor’s Impact on 2024 Elections: “Missouri holds a unique distinction among Republican-dominated states: having a robust and politically significant organized labor community. Individual unions often play a major role in campaigns for statewide and state legislative offices. And although organized labor is a core constituency of the Democratic Party, labor unions in Missouri have gotten involved in Republican primaries—especially when GOP contenders have pro-labor views. During an episode of the “Politically Speaking Hour” on St. Louis on the Air, Missouri AFL-CIO President Jake Hummel discussed how labor unions are approaching the upcoming election cycle. And that includes how his group endorsed Democrat State Rep. (Mo.) Crystal Quade and Republican Lt. Gov. (Mo.) Mike Kehoe during last month’s primary races for governor—something he said was somewhat unusual.”

The Real Reason NWSL Players Are Walking Out in ‘We Said Now’ Shirts: “On Aug. 25, Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, congratulated the players from the Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current (the first teams to play since the new collective bargaining agreement was announced) on such an historic accomplishment. ‘By ending the draft, they’ve won the right to shape their own futures—a victory for all workers,’ Shuler wrote on Twitter. ‘This is the power of unity! #wesaidnow.’”

‘Barely Surviving’: Some Flight Attendants Are Facing Homelessness and Hunger: “America’s largest flight attendants union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), said in a recent news release that many members working with Alaska Airlines have reported financial insecurity, including some who have ‘experienced homelessness, lived in their car, lived in a shelter or endured some combination of these circumstances.’ An employment verification letter from American Airlines showing a projected starting pay of $27,315 per year recently went viral, with some calling it a ‘poverty verification’ letter that could be used to apply for government assistance programs such as food stamps. American Airlines confirmed that the letter reflects the current base rate for first-year flight attendants on reserve, without premiums or incentives.”

The Workers’ Mic Reflects on the DNC: “Listen in while Phil shares his interviews with AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter Jr., Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Choose Chicago Richard Gamble and many others.”

Interview with AFL-CIO President Shuler: “My [Sari Beth Rosenberg’s] exclusive interview with Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO.”

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 08/30/2024 - 12:05

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Hampton Roads Transit Workers Score Major Raises with New Union Contract

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Hampton Roads Transit drivers and mechanics in Virginia secured huge pay raises in their new union contract. Starting pay for maintenance workers and operators will increase by 27%. The three-year contract also reduces the amount of time for bus and light-rail operators to reach the top of the pay scale and provides more sick leave and additional days off. The workers are represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1177.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 08/30/2024 - 10:15

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: SMART-TD Announces Tentative Deal for Conductors with Amtrak

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Last week, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) announced a tentative agreement for a seven-year contract with Amtrak that covers conductors and assistant conductors.

Details of the agreement will go out to membership for a ratification vote over the next few weeks. Key economic highlights of the contract include substantial wage increases that are retroactive to July 2022, greater new hire training per diem, more conductor certification pay and improved training pay. SMART-TD also secured major wins relating to worker health and work-life balance, such as more paid parental leave, designating Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday, improvements to bereavement pay and expansion of overtime.

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 08/28/2024 - 09:56

Contact: Cheyenne Schoen, cschoen@usw.org, (412) 562-2446

Pittsburgh – Workers at The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Gardens voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to join the United Steelworkers (USW) union, solidifying their commitment to securing better working conditions.

The newly formed unit consists of approximately 100 employees, including café staff, maintenance and housekeeping teams, groundskeepers, gift store and visitor center associates, gallery attendants, museum experience associates, docents, educators, curators, and others vital to the museum's operations.

The workers are eager to negotiate a contract that addresses key issues such as job security, fair wages, health insurance, understaffing, and respect in the workplace.

“We are the backbone of this institution, and we're excited to finally have a voice in shaping our work environment, our pay, and our benefits,” said John Payne, a groundskeeper at The Frick.

The unionization efforts began last winter, with the group announcing its intent to file for a union election on July 31.

The Frick Museums are set on the grounds of historic buildings once occupied by steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, who was infamous for his anti-union stance, notably during the Battle of Homestead, where many striking steelworkers lost their lives.

“This is a historic and symbolic victory for the labor movement, as we unionize in the very house of Henry Clay Frick, a notorious opponent of unions,” Payne continued. “In a way, this is retribution for the workers who died at Homestead.”

The USW also represents more than 500 museum employees across Pittsburgh’s four Carnegie Museums, which, as of last year, constituted the largest museum union in the United States.

“It’s an honor to welcome the dedicated staff of The Frick Museums to our union,” said Bernie Hall, USW District 10 director. “These workers are essential to providing a welcoming and enriching environment at this important cultural and historical institution. We are confident that the visitor experience will only improve as these workers gain a stronger voice at the negotiating table.”

The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

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Dozens of health care workers from districts across the union sharpened their skills and shared their stories last week at the 2024 Health, Safety and Environment Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dietary workers, paramedics, pharmaceutical workers, CNAs, LPNs, and others participated in a full day of customized health care programming on Wednesday. 

In a first-of-its-kind offering, health care workers discussed how new technologies impact workers and patients alike in a session titled Technology in Health Care: Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, and More. Members shared their experiences with robots that deliver food to patients, electronic welcome screens and kiosks, and automated call-backs for patients. 

While AI and new technologies will continue to impact USW workplaces, the union provides avenues to address issues and respond proactively at the bargaining table and beyond. 

“We’ve been down this road before as Steelworkers,” said Tamara Lefcowitz, course facilitator and coordinator for the Health Care Workers Council. “We’ve been dealing with new technologies and automation for 80 years. The biggest weapon that we have is a seat at the table.”

Health care members of all stripes also benefited from workshops like Ergonomics in Health Care: Safe Patient Handling and Office Equipment, which reviewed ergonomic hazards unique to patient care and office work. 

Lisa Baum, an Occupational Health and Safety Representative for the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and a member of USW Local 9544, and Micki Siegel de Hernandez, the Communication Workers of America’s (CWA) National Deputy Director for Occupational Safety and Health facilitated the course. 

The workshop also featured a hands-on presentation of safe patient handling equipment and a practice computer workstation. Equipment specialists were available to answer specific questions.

Wednesday’s programming concluded with Mental Health for Health Care Workers, a panel discussion examining the taxing nature of caregiving and how the union can help. The panel had several important takeaways for Elaine Stewart, a personal support worker from Local 8300 in Toronto.

“Mental health impacts all of us in some way,” said Elaine. “As a union steward and member of my local’s health and safety committee, I feel like I will be better able to serve my coworkers if someone calls me needing help or support.” 

The health care track at this year’s conference was made possible by the USW Health Care Workers Council, the USW Health, Safety, and Environment Department, the Tony Mazzocchi Center, the Education and Membership Development Department, and the union’s Legislative and Policy Department. 

Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, (412) 562-2444, jkamm@usw.org

(PITTSBURGH) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) today sent a letter to the Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission strongly supporting antidumping and countervailing duty petitions the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee filed earlier this year.

“Our energy security must be rooted in American jobs,” said USW International President David McCall. “That is the only way we are truly secure. If we’re serious about meeting our energy needs and addressing the threat of climate change, we cannot allow unfairly traded solar products to choke out our domestic industry.”

The petitions, primarily against Chinese-owned companies operating in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, identify a number of entities that were previously found to engage in unfair and illegal trade practices.  

“This case is a perfect example of the kind of tactics that Chinese firms repeatedly use,” said McCall. “They target our market, they are found guilty and then they use other countries to flood our market with their unfairly and illegally priced products. Fair trade requires constant vigilance.”

USW members currently produce many of the inputs that go into solar products. The USW also reached an agreement this summer with Convalt Energy, a firm seeking to produce solar products in the United States, where the company will respect the rights of workers to form a union.

McCall noted the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to grow the domestic renewable energy sector.

“The investments we’re seeing are truly historic and will transform our energy landscape,” McCall said. “But we can’t allow China’s cheating to undermine this progress. This case is a critical part of securing our future.”

Read the USW’s letter here.

The USW represents 850,000 workers in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.

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With your help, our veterans’ bill has been signed into law. For the last four years, the USW has been championing legislation across the country that requires a standardized workplace posting that includes basic information about benefits to which veterans are entitled and a way to learn more about programs designed to help them.

Here's what is included:

• Free advocacy and assistance through the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Crisis Line

• Federal disability compensation and other VA benefits

• Educational opportunities

• Assistance with substance abuse and other forms of addiction

• Available tax exemptions and credits

• Armed Forces Designation on IN driver license or ID card

• Employment and re-employment rights

• Pro bono legal services

• Information for constituency groups like African American and LGBTQ+ Veterans Groups

Our veterans often return to civilian life after serving our nation without guidance on how to receive the benefits their service entitles them. This legislation brings us one step closer to making sure their sacrifice is properly honored.

We are so happy to share our bill passed the Senate and Assembly unanimously (http://usw.to/511) and has been signed into law in Indiana! (http://usw.to/512) This was done through the hard work of our Veterans of Steel siblings and USW members who support them through our lobbying efforts. We will continue to push for the same legislation in every state across the country. These efforts help to ease the transition back into civilian life and ensure that families and communities are supported after giving selflessly for our country.

Stand Up for Aluminum Extrusion Jobs

USW members know firsthand that U.S. workers can compete with anyone when the playing field is level. However, in a global economy, we have to fight to ensure that workers are protected from unfair trade practices. 

That is why, October 25, 2023, alongside the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Coalition (http://usw.to/4YL), USW filed a trade case (http://usw.to/4Z4) regarding unfair aluminum extrusion imports from several countries that have harmed domestic workers and producers. These imports, sold at unfairly low prices, have led to reduced shifts, workforce downsizing, and idled extrusion presses across the country.    Our union is committed to advocating for fair trade practices and supporting the ongoing investigations to safeguard this vital industry. For more information about the ongoing trade case, please visit the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Coalition (http://usw.to/4YL) website or read this article (http://usw.to/4Z5) co-authored by, USW International President David McCall. The final determinations regarding our petition will be made by the end of fall 2024.   To prepare for the final sprint, USW District 1 is hosting Senator Sherrod Brown, who has been a supporter of this trade case since filing, to discuss the importance of the aluminum extrusion industry in Ohio and our nation’s trade enforcement laws. All USW Members are welcome to attend!
Details for Event with Senator Sherrod Brown
DATE: Thursday, August 29, 2024 TIME: 10:45am (EST) LOCATION: USW Local 1375 684 North Park Avenue Warren, OH 44483   Although an RSVP is not required, it is helpful for us. Please send an email to District 1 Rapid Response Coordinator, Sue Browne at sbrowne@usw.org, if you plan to join.

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Guitar Center Workers in Six Locations Ratify New Contract

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU-UFCW) members at six Guitar Center locations in Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada and New York ratified a new three-year contract.

The agreement includes multiple meaningful wins for staff, like an increased minimum wage rate for every position—which will continue to go up every year throughout the life of the contract—and an additional seniority wage adjustment for more tenured workers. Additionally, members are maintaining their union health care plan with the addition of a new short-term disability benefit. Other highlights are an updated attendance policy that increases the grace period for being late, provisions protecting the right to call additional labor-management meetings during the year, work schedule transparency, upward mobility opportunities, protections for the current commissions policy and more.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 08/27/2024 - 09:56

Saving Workers' Lives and Limbs: The Working People Weekly List

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.

Labor Leaders Stand Up, Show Out for Kamala at DNC: “The Democratic National Convention’s (DNC) nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the next vice president commenced with a wave of endorsements from the nation’s largest labor unions. On the very first night of the convention, an impressive gathering of union presidents took the stage. AFSCME’s Lee Saunders, SEIU (Service Employees International Union) President April Verrett, LIUNA (Laborer’s International Union of North America) President Brent Booker, Ken Cooper of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Claude Cummings Jr. of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), and Liz Shuler of the AFL-CIO stood on stage together, they displayed the power of unions.”

NWSL, Players Reach New CBA That Includes Elimination of Draft: “The National Women’s Soccer League and its players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that will grow salaries and further expand player rights regarding free agency and trades, the sides announced Thursday. The deal includes the elimination of the college draft, a first for a major North American professional sports league. The new CBA will extend the current contract, which was negotiated in 2022 and was set to expire in 2026, through 2030. Some of the new terms, such as the elimination of the draft and free agency for all players when their contracts expire, will go into effect immediately; others will begin in 2025.”

How Tim Walz Saved Workers’ Lives and Limbs: “In 2023, with a narrow Democratic majority and working closely with the Minnesota AFL-CIO, the state legislature passed several innovative laws that greatly strengthen the safety and health protections provided to Minnesota workers employed in high-hazard jobs. These include: Protecting Workers from Ergonomic Hazards: About 30% of all serious injuries reported by employers to the Bureau of Labor Statistics are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). These are injuries to the back, wrist, neck, or arm caused by exposure to lifting, twisting, repetitive motions, and other ergonomic hazards.”

Union Leaders at DNC Push Back Against Trump Overtures to Organized Labor: “Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is highlighting its pro-union stance at the Democratic National Convention this week, pushing back against Republican Party overtures to organized labor at their own convention last month. It’s an attempt to refute former President Donald Trump’s claims that he will work with organized labor amid recent meetings with the president of the Teamsters union, and an effort by Harris to hitch onto President Joe Biden’s labor record, which includes being the first president to walk a picket line. Addressing the Wisconsin delegation to the DNC Wednesday morning, U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su argued Harris had fought wage theft as attorney general of California, and would enact worker-friendly policies as president.”

Venetian Las Vegas Reaches Tentative Deal with Workers for First Union Contract: “The Venetian Resort has agreed to its first union contract with more than 4,000 hospitality workers. The Culinary Union announced that a tentative agreement was reached Tuesday morning for workers at The Venetian and Palazzo. A contract ratification vote will be scheduled soon, according to a union spokesperson. Culinary and Venetian leadership reached an agreement in June last year for ‘card check neutrality.’ That meant the resort would not take a position as employees explored possible unionization.”

University of Alaska and Graduate Student Union Reach Three-Year Contract: “A new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the University of Alaska and the Alaska Graduate Workers Association-UAW Union (AGWA-UAW) took effect on July 1. This is the first time the University of Alaska and AGWA have negotiated a CBA. The agreement comes less than a year after University of Alaska graduate student employees voted to form a union.”

Union Leaders Frame Harris as Champion of the Working Class in Night 1 of DNC: “Union leaders championed Vice President Kamala Harris as the choice for working class folks in a series of speeches on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention. ‘This election is about two economic visions,’ said Liz Shuler, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, or AFL-CIO. Her union represents nearly 13 million American workers, she said.”

Kamala Harris Names a Unionist as Her VP: “Just hours after Vice President Kamala Harris named Tim Walz as her running mate Aug. 6, AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler celebrated the pick in a press statement, calling Walz a ‘principled fighter and labor champion’ who’s not just an ally but a union brother. Walz is a former public high school teacher and football coach who has been Minnesota’s governor since 2019. As governor, he signed lots of pro-worker legislation, including: Paid family and medical leave and mandated paid sick days; A ban on noncompete clauses; A ban on employers from holding mandatory anti-union meetings; Letting teachers unions bargain over class size; and $2.6 billion in infrastructure investments.”

The Rev. Barber: Kamala Harris Isn’t Just Listening to Workers. She’s Sounding Like Them: “With its rallies that pack arenas, Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has harnessed an energy that many have compared to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Polls in battleground states indicate that the dynamics of the presidential race have fundamentally shifted, but skeptics question if the good vibes can last once the vice president starts to detail policy. Is this burst of excitement, they ask, just the momentary enthusiasm of voters surprised by an unexpected transition? When we pay attention to what Harris and Walz have already said, though, it’s clear they have tapped the energy of worker-driven movements that want to create an economy that works for all of us. The good vibes and the economic vision of this campaign are, in fact, deeply connected.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 08/26/2024 - 12:04

Service & Solidarity Alert: 17,000 AT&T Southeast Workers on Strike

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

We are CWA members on strike at AT&T Southeast because AT&T is refusing to engage in good faith negotiations for a new contract.

We are a big part of AT&T’s success, but we have been at the bargaining table since June, unable to make any progress because of the Company's bad faith bargaining.

The National Labor Relations Act requires companies to bargain in good faith. We have filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company and are on strike to protest the Company's unfair bargaining tactics.  

We want to be on the job, providing the quality service that our customers deserve and getting to work making sure every household and business in the Southeast has reliable high-speed internet service.

Tell AT&T to show us the respect we deserve and get serious about bargaining.

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 08/26/2024 - 10:22

Tags: Organizing

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Memphis City Employees Celebrate Across-the-Board Pay Raises and Bonuses

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Employees of the city of Memphis, Tennessee, are celebrating much-needed wage hikes and bonuses they secured through the union they formed—a testament to the power of a union.

They are celebrating $5,000 bonuses along with pay raises of at least 5%. Workers who keep Memphis’ hospitals, schools and roads running saw this increase last month.

Employees of the city’s Solid Waste Department, who keep Memphis clean, saw pay raises ranging from 6% to 34%.

Corrections officers and deputies saw raises of 6%.

These well-deserved pay raises and bonuses are thanks to AFSCME Local 1733 members, who had been negotiating with the Memphis City Council since April and came to an agreement.

Tomorrow Bonds, a member of Local 1733’s negotiations team and a crewperson in the Memphis Public Works Department, said that she and her co-workers were not going to back down from their proposals.

“We came to the table with our proposals for the wage increases that we wanted, but the city kept turning it down,” Bonds said. “But we decided we weren’t going to take their counterproposals for less, and we wanted a fair wage.”

On June 18, Local 1733 members ratified a memorandum of understanding that they reached with the city for these pay increases and bonuses to take effect on July 1.

For Bonds, these wage increases are only the beginning. The fight for a livable wage continues.

“It’s very important to me that everybody has a livable wage, and right now, we’re still not at a livable wage,” Bonds said. “But I can see that fighting for this pay increase has opened up a path for us to get there.”

This post originally appeared on the AFSCME blog.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 08/23/2024 - 10:02

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Women’s Soccer Players Association Scores Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) announced their historic new collective bargaining agreement, which ensures free agency for all players, revenue sharing on top of salaries, important health and safety protections, and other provisions that will help create a more equitable League. For the first time ever in American professional sports, this contract also eliminates the draft, empowering athlete workers to have a real say over their futures.

“The new Collective Bargaining Agreement is a reflection of the collective power of the Players,” said NWSLPA President Tori Huster. “Together, we secured freedoms that empower the Players to have autonomy over their careers and in doing so, reshaped American sports.”

“Just weeks after some members of the NWSLPA became Olympic champions with Team USA, these athletes have made history yet again,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “This game-changing collective bargaining agreement sets the gold standard for all professional sports and affirms what workers in unions can accomplish when we stand together. The revolutionary victories they secured—from eliminating the draft to requiring player consent for trades to safeguarding player health—advance the critical work of professional sports associations to let players decide what’s best for their families. Collective bargaining is a powerful tool in achieving women’s equality in any workplace, and these results are a testament to the visionary leadership of President Tori Huster, Executive Director Meghann Burke, Vice President Simone Charley, the bargaining committee and all members of the Players Association who are dedicated to creating a better, fairer League. The AFL-CIO is beyond proud to count the NWSLPA among its Sports Council and affiliate unions, and we look forward to continuing to support the NWSL players to ensure fair implementation of this contract. It’s a damn good day for union women in America!”

Kenneth Quinnell Thu, 08/22/2024 - 09:58

When Heather Roberts travels outside of her small hometown of Charleroi, Pa., and tells people where she is from, more often than not, they recognize that it also is home to Pyrex, the iconic heat- and shatter-resistant glassware that has been a staple in American kitchens for generations.

Roberts is president of Local 53G, which includes more than 260 workers who produce the glass storage and mixing bowls, measuring cups and baking dishes for which the Pyrex brand has been known for more than a century.

“We take a lot of pride in what we do,” Roberts said of herself and her co-workers, which over the years have included her husband, mother, father-in-law, sister and numerous other relatives and neighbors.

Members of Local 53G make the well-known glassware while, about 150 miles to the east, in Greencastle, Pa., members of Local 1024 process and manage online orders and distribution of the products.

Roberts has worked at the factory for 17 years, and in 2015, she joined her co-workers and the town (population 4,200) in celebrating the brand’s 100th birthday. In honor of the centennial, Charleroi renamed itself Pyrex, Pa., for 100 days and held a large-scale celebration with a giant measuring cup as the centerpiece.

When she and her fellow Women of Steel engage in their regular community outreach efforts, Roberts said, they often encounter residents who identify closely with the Pyrex brand, even if they never worked at the factory.

When the company holds occasional public sales in town, lines stretch out the door, Roberts said.

“People come from everywhere,” she said.

For More Information: Visit corelle.com/pages/pyrex.

#USWMade is a feature focusing on products made by USW members that consumers can purchase in stores or online. Follow the #USWMade hashtag on social media and check out the #USWMade playlist on YouTube to learn about other products made by USW members. If your local makes a product that you would like to feature in USW@Work, send an email to: editor@usw.org.

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: TA Reached Between OHSU and Postdoc Workers United

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

After almost a year of negotiations, postdoctoral researchers reached their first tentative agreement (TA) last week on a four-year contract with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

Members of OHSU Postdoc Workers United—an affiliate of the Oregon AFSCME Council 75—certified their union back in May 2023. After repeated lowball proposals from the public research university, workers earlier this month voted with 87.5% support to authorize a strike that would have started Thursday. But thanks to the dedication of the bargaining committee, the 250 members of Postdoc Workers United have avoided a strike and will now decide whether to accept an exciting new agreement. The deal includes a 6% pay increase upon ratification, with annual increases of 3.5% through the life of the contract, provisions that support international postdocs, increased paid time off, a commitment to forming a joint labor-management committee and more.

“It’s been a long haul,” said Paige Arneson-Wissink, a pancreatic cancer researcher who is on the bargaining team. “Our union was able to stand strong in our belief that this is what we deserved. There were a lot of smiles in the room last night.”

Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 08/21/2024 - 08:03

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Richmond Hotel Workers Secure 30% Wage Increase, End Strike

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Workers at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport, members of UNITE HERE Local 40, ratified a new contract after striking for 14 months. The new three-year contract gives all workers a 30.5% wage increase, a return-to-work bonuses, an increase in banquet workers’ gratuities, transparency and other tip protections, and new health benefits. More than 85% of the union members voted in favor of the new contract.

“This new agreement sets the union on a new path with Larco Hospitality, and we look forward to forging ahead in a productive and positive working relationship with them,” said Zailda Chan, president of UNITE HERE Local 40.

Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 08/20/2024 - 08:08