Last Week in Southern Labor: 9/6 – 9/13

Jacob Morrison

Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from August 30 to September 6

New Campaigns

  • 1,447 workers across 13 bargaining units are in new union elections
  • 3 workers at CAE USA Inc in Meridian, MS filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) 
  • 12 workers at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in Dallas, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the IAMAW
  • 14 workers at Starbucks in Alpharetta, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United, as did 23 workers at Starbucks in Nashville, TN
  • 9 workers at Kuraray in La Porte, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Chemical Workers Union Council (affiliated with the UFCW)
  • 24 workers at TexAir Company in McAllen, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 211
  • 7 workers at Wells Fargo in Anniston, AL filed a petition to hold a union election with Wells Fargo Workers United – CWA (very exciting!)
  • The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 197 workers at ADUSA Transportation in Dunn, NC demonstrated support for unionization with the Teamsters Local 391
  • 9 security guards at Hana Technologies and Systems in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Federal Contract Guards of America (FCGOA)
  • (As listeners of the program will know, there are different labor regimes in different sectors of the economy and parts of the country – one of those sectors with different labor regimes is the public sector, and it is extremely difficult to find all the data for public sector organizing in the South. Fortunately for us though, at least in Florida, friend of the show McKenna Schueler has begun a newsletter similar to this one but just for Florida and she includes public sector organizing updates that she gets from the Florida public sector equivalent of the NLRB. She releases these monthly, so we’ll also be incorporating those new elections and campaigns into our newsletter when they come out (with her permission!), but there is still a lot of stuff in her newsletter that is worth reading including more detail and reporting on these individual campaigns, so subscribe at caringclassrevolt.com)
  • 680 workers at the City of Clearwater in Clearwater, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the Communication Workers of America (after having recently been decertified)
  • 289 workers at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind filed a petition to hold a union election with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees (IAPPE)
  • 106 workers at the City if Pensacola in Pensacola, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with with IAPPE
  • 74 workers at the University of West Florida in Ferry Pass, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the IAPPE
  • Three petitions to hold union elections with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (2) and the Florida Police Benevolent Association (FPBA) (1) among cops in St Johns County and at the University of Central Florida, respectively, were dismissed because both unions had out of date registration documents
  • A petition by the FOP to raid a unit of workers at the City of West Palm Peach in West Palm Beach Florida, currently represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was rejected because of the out of date registration and also because the SEIU’s contract with the city is not about to expire
  • 3 workers at the Bayshore Fire Protection and Rescue Service District filed a petition to hold a union election with the Southwest Florida Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics Local 1826 (affiliated with the IAFF)

Election Results

  • 81 workers across 6 bargaining units are newly unionized, 248 workers in 3 units voted against unionizing, and 53 workers in 1 public sector unit in Florida voted to maintain their union
  • 2 workers at Keolis Transit Services in Leesburg, VA voted 1 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689
  • 34 workers at Wood County Electric Cooperative in Quitman, TX voted 34 to 0 in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 738
  • 196 workers at Walsh & ALbert Co in Houston, TX voted 49 to 109 against unionization with the United Steel Workers (USW) Local 54
  • 53 workers at Lafayette County Public Schools in Lafayette, FL voted 20 to 0 in favor of maintaining their union
  • 2 workers at the New Port Richey Fire Department voted 2 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Clearwater Fire Fighters Association Local 1158 (IAFF)
  • South Daytona city employees (not just cops) voted 15 to 14 against unionization with the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA)
  • Cops at the City of Daytona Shores voted 0 to 23 against unionization with the IUPA
  • Fire fighters at the Indian River County Fire Department voted 6 to 2 in favor of unionization with the Indian River County Firefighter / Paramedic Association (IAFF)
  • Cops for Pensacola State College voted 3 to 0 in favor of unionization with the FPBA
  • 32 workers at the Town of Bay Harbor Islands in Bay Harbor Islands, FL voted 81% in favor of unionization with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 966

Settlements, Grievances, & Unfair Labor Practices

  • As the fight between the UAW and Stellantis over investment – specifically reopening the Belvidere, IL plant – heats up, Stellantis dealers have weighed in, sort of on the side of the UAW, with the dealers claiming CEO Carlos Tavares is responsible for a “rapid degradation” of the brands because of “short term decision making”

The SPLC Union conducted a vote of no confidence in the CEO of the organization, with 92% of the union voting NO CONFIDENCE in the leadership of CEO Margaret Huang

Strikes & Bargaining

  • With 95% turnout, and 87% support, American Airlines Flight Attendants – unionized with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) – voted to ratify a new 5 year contract with the company that includes a 20% raise, among other benefits that the union claims adds $4.2B in value to the contract
  • The American Postal Workers Union put out a bargaining update on Twitter, laying out some of the union’s 80 proposals to management which include bridging the tiered employment structure, improving safety, and management’s 11 proposals. You go back and listen to National President Dimondstein’s recent appearance on The Valley Labor Report for other topics of discussion around this
  • The Teamsters responded to a recent statement by Costco as they continue national negotiations, claiming the company is misleading it’s employees about the state of negotiations and the position of the Teamsters
  • The Bird Union – CWA Local 1180 – representing workers at environmental conservation group the National Audubon Society, ratified a new contract ahead of a strike deadline. The contract 
  • As the CWA continues it’s strike against AT&T in the South, they are now threatening a strike against the company in the West too, after members voted down a tentative agreement

Verizon has gone public with its interest in purchasing Frontier. CWA, which represents workers at both companies, issued a statement saying they are “watching closely,” but notably not opposing the deal outright. CWA has had a history of supporting mergers when they believe they can secure concessions from the company for their support

Political & Legislative

USPS has begun rolling out new mail trucks to rave reviews from carriers – the new trucks include AC for the first time