From Labor 411
-
A Great Week for American Workers
The following piece by Harold Meyerson originally appeared in The American Prospect. Over the past 50 years, you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of weeks that have actually been great for American workers. It was just under half a century ago that California gave collective-bargaining rights to farmworkers (which at… Source
-
Daimler And UAW Reach Deal, Averting 7,000 Member Strike
A major strike is on hold as the UAW and Daimler Truck reach a deal. CBS News reports: “The United Auto Workers union announced it reached a last-minute tentative agreement with truck and bus manufacturer Daimler Truck, averting a potential strike of more than 7,000 workers. The union struck a four-year agreement with the German company… Source
-
Alabama Amazon Warehouse Workers Could Get Third Union Vote
The union organizing campaign at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, AL is still alive and could be headed to another election. NPR reports: “It could have been the first unionized Amazon warehouse in America. Now, three years later, workers are waiting to learn whether they’ll get a third shot at a union election. A sweeping, monthslong… Source
-
Starbucks Has Begun Negotiations With Its Workers’ Union
Negotiations are underway between Starbucks and union workers. Reuters reports: “Starbucks held contract negotiations with the Workers United union over a two-day session in Atlanta, both the parties said on Friday, with plans to meet again in late May. The coffee chain and Workers United, that represents Starbucks workers in the United States, began negotiations… Source
-
Biden Receives Endorsement Of Building Trades Unions
A huge labor endorsement went to President Joe Biden today. The Associated Press reports: “President Joe Biden picked up the endorsement of North America’s Building Trades Unions at a Wednesday event where the president and his allies set out to dismantle Republican Donald Trump’s reputation as a successful real estate developer. “Donald Trump is incapable… Source
-
The Starbucks Case Before The Supreme Court Could Have Major Ramifications For Unions
NPR reports: “When Starbucks barista Florentino Escobar first heard that the Supreme Court had taken up a case involving him and six of his co-workers from Memphis, Tenn., he was shocked. ‘I was like, “Wait, the Supreme Court? Like we’re talking the U.S. Supreme Court?”‘ he says. Escobar is one of the Memphis 7, a… Source
-
Support Good Jobs on 4/20 With These Ethical Brands
Beginning in the fall of 1971, a group of California high school students would meet regularly at 4:20 after school to partake in some cannabis. And that eventually led to 4/20 becoming a day dedicated to enjoying the leafy plant. Or the story goes. If you are looking to participate on this popular day, choose… Source
-
1 in 7 In Tesla’s Buffalo Workforce To Receive Pink Slips
Tesla’s mass layoffs will Buffalo especially hard. Reuters reports: “Tesla will lay off 285 employees in Buffalo, New York, as part of its plans to trim 10% of its global workforce, the electric-vehicle maker said in a legally mandated notice on Wednesday. Under pressure from falling sales and an intensifying price war for EVs, Tesla… Source
-
Six GOP Governors Of Southern States Warn Workers Not To Join UAW
The Washington Post reports: “In a high-profile attempt to head off unionization of their states’ auto factories, the governors of six Southern states warned their residents that joining the United Auto Workers would threaten jobs and ‘the values we live by.’ The joint statement from the Republican governors comes just a day before a Volkswagen… Source
-
The Union Vote Has Begun At The Only VW Plant In The World Without Worker Representation
A historic vote is underway in Chattanooga. NPR reports: “Over the next three days, Volkswagen workers in Tennessee could change the trajectory of unions in the South. On Wednesday morning, hourly employees at the company’s Chattanooga plant started casting ballots over whether they want to join the United Auto Workers union. The vote, which closes… Source
-
Republicans Say It Aloud: They Want to Raise the Retirement Age
The following piece by Harold Meyerson appeared in The American Prospect. Can Republicans keep building their support among working-class voters? Not if the Republicans have anything to say about it. Earlier today, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) released its recommendations for the fiscal 2025 budget. Among its particulars was a real working-class winner: raising the retirement age… Source
-
American Workers Get Some Help From an Enlightened German Law
The following piece by Harold Meyerson appeared in The American Prospect. In Seattle, in 1999, Lefts Old and New converged to mount what is arguably the most far-reaching protest against the corporate domination of the planet. The protests extended well beyond the young enragés’ sit-down strike in the city’s streets, which made it impossible for the… Source