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Worker Rights and Jobs

Nearly 50,000 US Dockworkers Strike And Flex Collective Power

October 2, 2024 People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , , , , ,
At midnight on October 1, nearly 50,000 dockworkers across the US’s East Coast walked off the job, shutting down ports across the coastline across cities including Boston, New York, Miami, and Houston. This is the International Longshoremen’s Association’s (ILA) first strike since 1977. ILA dockworkers are a lynchpin of the US economy. Ports affected by the strike include the Port of New York and New Jersey, the nation’s third largest port in terms of the volume of cargo. “When my men hit the streets from Maine to Texas, every single port will lockdown,” said ILA President Harold Daggett. “Everything in the United States comes on a ship.”

In Louisville, 5,200 GE Appliance Workers Gear Up For A Fight

October 2, 2024 Elaine Hui, Labor Notes. , , , ,
Hundreds of workers who make dishwashers, refrigerators, washers and dryers, and other home appliances at GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky, rallied September 14 ahead of contract negotiations. Their contract, covering 5,200 workers, expires at the end of the year. This plant complex, known as Appliance Park, is the only one unionized of nine GE Appliances manufacturing sites across the country and is its global headquarters. The union is part of the industrial division of the Communications Workers; bargaining starts October 14. Though Kentucky is a “right-to-work” state, union membership at the plant is over 90 percent.

Aramark Concession Workers Strike At Philly Sports Complex

October 2, 2024 Dan Feidt, Unicorn Riot. , , , , , ,
Philadelphia, PA — The unionized workforce that handles concessions at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex started to strike on Monday, September 23. Hundreds of Aramark stadium workers that bargain with the UNITE HERE Philly Local 274 union are demanding new contracts. Unicorn Riot was told that Aramark, which is headquartered in Center City Philadelphia with a market capitalization value of $9.8 billion, has tried to prevent the unionized workers from qualifying for healthcare plans by dividing their hours between the three stadiums – Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and the Wells Fargo Center.

Dockworkers On Strike At Ports In New York, New Jersey And Elsewhere

October 1, 2024 Daniel Munoz, NorthJersey.com. , , , , , ,
Dockworkers at ports from Maine to New Jersey to Texas went on strike Tuesday, for the first time since 1977, in a move that some experts say could disrupt the supply chain and billions of dollars worth of products for weeks or more just before the holiday shopping season kicks off. The North Jersey-based International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job, seeking a big increase in pay, as its last contract expired at midnight Tuesday. The workers also oppose automation at the ports, which poses a threat to their jobs. Striking dockworkers stood at several locations outside the Port of Newark and Port of Elizabeth on Tuesday morning with signs that read "Automation hurts families: ILA stands for job protection." Occasionally someone would drive by honking and holding up a fist in support.

Postal Workers Hold Nationwide ‘Day Of Action’ October 1

October 1, 2024 American Postal Workers Union. , , ,
Washington, DC – On Tues., Oct. 1 postal workers who are members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) will be rallying with the public in front of postal facilities across the country to sound the alarm about the United States Postal Service’s substandard performance and service to communities. Rallies are planned in 90 cities including Atlanta, New York, Detroit, Denver, Seattle, and Honolulu. “The postal service is doing an excellent job ensuring that ballots and election related mail are delivered in a timely manner. But efficient and timely service also should apply all year to the delivery of prescription drugs, Social Security checks, financial documents, personal correspondence, and other mail and packages,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein.

Paid Sick Leave And Higher Minimum Wage On The Missouri Ballot

September 30, 2024 Kay Mills, Portside. , , , ,
“By challenging feelings of isolation and polarization, breaking down division, and creating long-term relationships, we can achieve our goal of building a democracy and economy that works for all of us.”

This Land Is Co-Op Land

September 28, 2024 Amie Stager, In These Times. , , , ,
I’m standing on the dock, watching sunlight reflect off the waves, when the sound of a bell calls my attention to the Finnish dance hall towering over the lakeshore. The mojakka—a Finnish beef soup — is ready. I head to the dining room with the dozens of other people who have gathered here at Mesaba Co-op Park for the annual midsummer festival, a weekend of live music, talent shows, maypole dancing and meals. The park consists of more than 240 acres of land, including a spring-fed lake. Such places are usually owned and administered by a government or kept as private retreats by companies or rich people. Mesaba, in contrast, is neither privately nor government-owned, but collectively owned by members of a cooperative who foster relationships with each other and the land outside of corporate or government structures.

Dispatch From The Boeing Picket Lines

September 27, 2024 Samuel Karlin, Left Voice. , , , , ,
When I booked a trip to the Pacific Northwest back in April, I didn’t think for a second that it would align perfectly with the largest strike in the United States so far this year. I just thought I’d be hiking and see the world’s largest rubber chicken in Seattle. But then 33,000 machinists at Boeing voted overwhelmingly to strike, despite the International Association of Machinists bureaucracy pushing workers to accept a sell-out contract. Less than a week later I was lucky enough to meet some of these workers on the picket lines. The flight from Newark to Seattle was six hours on a Boeing plane, so even before reaching the picket I was reminded of just how different mine and so many people’s lives would be if not for the machines these workers build.

Boeing Workers Are Uniquely Situated To Disrupt The Global Economy

September 26, 2024 Jason Koslowski and James Dennis Hoff, Left Voice. , , , , ,
It’s been almost two weeks since more than 33,000 Boeing workers in Washington and Oregon went on strike, crippling one of the largest aerospace companies in the world. Since then Boeing has lost more than $500 million and is losing millions more every day. Thanks in large part to a series of terrible decisions, they seem unprepared to weather a long strike, but the struggle at Boeing has significant international implications as well. Boeing, after all, is the largest exporter in the United States by dollar value, the biggest supplier of commercial aircraft in the United States, and one of the main manufacturers of the weapons that Israel is using in both its genocide in Gaza and its war against Lebanon.

The Corporate Campaign To Repeal The New York Stock Transfer Tax Rebate

September 26, 2024 Russell Mokhiber, Corporate Crime Reporter. , , , , , ,
Ray Rogers is a veteran of corporate campaigns – pressuring corporations to recognize unions and stop blocking progressive legislation. Unions have hired his organization Corporate Campaign in battles against Farah Slacks, J.P. Stevens & Co., Hormel, International Paper, American Airlines, Inc., Campbell Soup Co. and Coca-Cola. Now Rogers has launched a campaign to repeal the stock transfer tax rebate.

Strike Threat Wins Boarding And Retro Pay At American Airlines

September 26, 2024 Jenny Brown, Labor Notes. , , , , ,
Flight attendants at American Airlines were celebrating September 12 after approving a new five-year agreement by 87 percent, with 95 percent turnout. They won a big retroactive pay package and an immediate wage increase of 20 percent. They also became the first flight attendants to nail down boarding pay in a union contract. Flight attendants typically are not paid until the aircraft doors close. All that greeting, seating, sorting out problems, and assistance with bags is off the clock. “The coolest thing is I had people from so many different unions across the country texting me congratulations,” said Alyssa Kovacs, a flight attendant in Chicago.

Can The Machinists Save Boeing From Its Management?

September 24, 2024 Jenny Brown, Labor Notes. , , ,
Boeing has increased its offer to striking Machinists, hoping to end a work stoppage that entered its eleventh day today. According to the Seattle Times, the new proposal would raise wages 30 percent over four years, as opposed to 25 percent in the offer that workers rejected by 94.6 percent. Mediated talks with Boeing broke off September 18, the union said, with nothing more scheduled. Then on Monday morning, the company announced a new offer in the press. Twelve hours later, the union responded that Boeing “has missed the mark with this proposal.” In a scathing statement, the negotiating team noted that the company misled the press “by wrongfully stating that the union membership is required to vote on the their latest offer... They are trying to drive a wedge between members with this divisive strategy.”

Study: The Economic Case For A Public Rail System

September 24, 2024 Kira McDonald, Public Rail Now. , , , , , , , ,
Public Rail Now is excited to announce their second research report in their campaign for public rail ownership. “From Margins to Growth: The Economic Case for a Public Rail System,” lays bare the economic facts for the current state of the US rail system is in a downward spiral, facts working railroaders have been espousing for decades. Public rail ownership has the potential to save up to $140 billion annually for US consumers, provide an estimated 180,000 new rail road jobs, avert $190 Billion in public health, environmental and fiscal cost, while helping to meet climate goals by avoiding 180 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.

AT&T Southeast Workers End Month-Long Strike

September 23, 2024 Dan DiMaggio, Labor Notes. , , ,
Seventeen thousand AT&T workers in the Southeast returned to work September 16 following a month-long strike. Members of the Communications Workers (CWA) in nine states from Kentucky to Florida walked out on an unfair labor practice strike August 16 over accusations the telecom giant was bargaining in bad faith. The strike included technicians, call center workers, and others who build and maintain the AT&T network. AT&T pulled in $24 billion in profits in 2023. CWA represents over 150,000 AT&T workers in the U.S., scattered across more than a dozen collective bargaining agreements.

Marathon Oil Teamsters Strike

September 22, 2024 Keith Brower Brown and Jane Slaughter, Labor Notes. , , , , , ,
For the first time in 30 years, Teamsters at the Marathon oil refinery in Detroit are on strike. Close to 300 workers walked out September 4. Welders, firefighters, and heavy equipment operators in the union are demanding a raise that keeps up with cost of living, along with better hours. Above all, refinery Teamsters are trying to win a guarantee against outsourcing and to strengthen their union for the future. Although Michigan repealed its "right-to-work" law in 2022, Marathon managers are refusing a clause that requires every worker covered by the contract to pay their share, and they have aggressively expanded subcontracting with non-union labor.
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