Last Week in Southern Labor: 10/11 – 10/25

Jacob Morrison

Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from October 11 to October 25

New Campaigns

  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 564 as the union representing 5 workers at Kinder Morgan in Texas City, TX
  • 9 workers at St Regis Hotel in Washington DC filed a petition to hold a union election with IUOE Local 99
  • 75 workers at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
  • 22 workers at CBG Express in Fort Myers, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 79
  • 650 graduate student workers at St Louis University in Saint Louis, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the Graduate Workers of St Louis University – UAW
  • 31 security guards at Maxsent Security in Memphis, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with the Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA)
  • The employer filed a petition for a union election after a majority of the 25 workers at United Rentals in Kansas City, MO demonstrated support for unionization with the Teamsters Local 541
  • 18 workers at GAP in Richmond Heights, MO filed a petition to hold  a union election with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655
  • 13 workers at Durham City Transit Company in Durham, NC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1493
  • 4 workers at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in Dallas, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the IAMAW
  • 25 workers at United Cleanup Oakridge in Oak Ridge, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Chemical Workers Union (ICWU) Local 715C (a UFCW affiliate)
  • 110 workers at Professional Contract Services in Fort Knox, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 369
  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify their union (unnamed on the NLRB’s site) as the union representing 22 workers at San Rafael Cooperativa in Quebradillas, PR
  • The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – the federal agency that administers union elections and other enforcement actions of the NLRA – announced that union election petitions in FY24, which just ended,  are double what they were in FY21, and up 23% from FY23. Similarly, ULP cases are up 7%. Despite this increase in work, the NLRB has significantly less staff. In 2011, the last time the agency had this much work, they had 62% more staff than they do now, 1,222 employees then versus 754 now

Election Results

  • 14 workers at Starbucks in Atlanta, GA voted 2 to 9 against unionization with Starbucks Workers United, as did 22 more workers at a Norfolk, VA location. 20 workers at a location in Fredericksburg, VA broke the losing streak this week, voting for unionization 9 to 8, and 14 workers at a Starbucks in Bossier City, LA also voted to unionize
  • 4 workers at American Electric Power in Zapata, TX voted 2 to 1 in favor of unionization with IBEW Local 738
  • 3 workers at CAE USA in Meridian, MS voted unanimously in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
  • 60 workers at Mersen USA GSTN in Columbia, TN voted 39 to 13 in favor of unionization with the CWA’s Industrial Division (IUE-CWA)
  • 12 workers at SAIC in Dallas, TX voted unanimously in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
  • 10 workers at Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation in Paintsville, KR voted 2 to 6 against unionization with the IBEW Local 317
  • 24 workers at Business Enabled Acquisition and Technology in San Antonio, TX voted 15 to 1 in favor of unionization with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 4873
  • 79 workers at Pepsico in Houston, TX voted 44 to 30 against decertifying their union – the Teamsters Local 988
  • 222 workers at UNFI in Atlanta, GA voted 125 to 56 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 728
  • 11 workers at PULAU Corporation in Ft hood, TX voted 1 to 3 against unionization with the IAMAW
  • 97 workers at Sapporo Stone Brewing in Richmond, VA voted 32 to 58 against unionization with the Warehouse Employees Local 322 (a Teamsters affiliate)
  • 64 workers at Parsec in Jacksonville, FL voted 32 to 26 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 512
  • 65 workers at Imperial in Tulsa, OK voted 40 to 17 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 886
  • 3 workers at John Fabick Tractor Company in Rolla, MO voted 2 to 1 in favor of unionization with IUOE Local 513
  • 8 workers at Reliable Automotive in Springfield, MO voted 6 to 1 in favor of unionization with the IAMAW District Lodge 9
  • 10 workers at Environmental Air Systems in High Point, NC withdrew their petition for a union election with the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 421
  • 34 workers at Hotel Equities Group in Austin, TX voted 24 to 8 in favor of unionization with UNITE HERE Local 23

Settlements, Grievances, & Unfair Labor Practices

  • Michael Sainato at the Guardian has a detailed report about sexism and racism that employees are dealing with at the post office in Florida
  • Josh Eidelson at Bloomberg has a detailed report about how Rivian – an electric vehicle manufacturer – got more OSHA violations that any other auto maker last year

Strikes & Bargaining

  • UE Local 150 – the union representing public sector workers in North Carolina – announced that they had won a $13,000 raise for registered nurses at Central Regional Hospital. They said they will continue fighting for other members in the state’s Department of Health and Human Services
  • International Paper is closing a cardboard manufacturing facility in Cleveland, TN, killing 115 jobs. A quick search makes it appear as if this is a union plant, but I can’t find any public comment from the union. They’re also cutting 400 jobs in Memphis, TN. In a comment to The Valley Labor Report, the United Steel Workers (USW) District 9, which represents many International Paper Workers, said the Memphis jobs were non-union headquarters jobs, but that they were closing 2 plants within USW District 9, in Calhoun, TN and Statesville, NC. They continued: “At each of the represented facilities, we have negotiated severance agreements that ensure pay and healthcare bridges, vacation pay, and holiday pay, along with transfer rights to other IP facilities. Although we hate to see any manufacturing facility close, we are glad these workers were represented by the United Steelworkers and had a voice in their severance allowance, which is not the case in non-union closures.”
  • CWA Southeast members at AT&T ratified their tentative agreement with the company, ending the possibility that the strike begins again. They won a 20% wage increase, among other things. CWA West members also ratified their TA
  • The US Department of Labor is following other federal agencies in further restricting telework, with a directive coming down that employees must work at least 5 days per two week pay period in the office, and saying that they had met their obligations to bargain over the change, but the union representing the affected workers – the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) disagrees, and has expressed disappoint in the agency’s actions
  • The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) announced a tentative agreement with the postal service to a wave of criticism, with claims that it doesn’t meet the needs of letter carriers. Highlights from the contract include 1.3% annual raises, increased healthcare costs, and remaining tiers – though the progression is compressed somewhat, from 13 to 11 years.
  • Workers at the Urban Institute, a progressive think tank unionized with IFPTE’s NonProfit Employees Union (NPEU), announced they had reached a tentative agreement with their employer
  • The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) (a Teamsters rail affiliate), voted down TAs with both CSX and Norfolk Southern by almost 70% and 60% respectively
  • Nurses – union with National Nurses United (NNU) – voted to ratify new contracts with HCA at 17 hospitals in 6 states, including Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas. All but 2 of the hospitals are in the south. The contracts include a 15% wage increase over three years, plus provisions designed to improve problems related to staffing 
  • Rail Machinists voted down a tentative agreement with CSX by 61%. This is the union where reformer Reece Murtaugh recently defeated the incumbent
  • Kansas City Tenants Union who are on rent strike at two properties announced that they secured $1.3M for necessary improvements to their homes, but that they will continue the strike if more structural solutions are not met by November 1
  • Staff of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) – represented by the UAW – went on strike for the first time in the unit’s history, and reached a tentative agreement 3 days later
  • Registered nurses at University Medical Center in New Orleans went on a one day strike and are subsequently being locked out for 2 more days. Nurses say they are striking to improve patient care. Reports have been sent to us that scab nurses are having trouble finding hotels because Taylor Swift is in town

Political & Legislative

  • Amtrak passenger service is coming back to Mobile, AL thanks to investments from the Biden administration – Transportation Secretary Buttigieg came to the state to mark the event
  • Republicans on the US House appropriations committee – including Alabama Representative Robert Aderholt – advanced an appropriations bill that blocks any funding to implement the newly finalized rule to limit coal miners exposure to silica dust – the major cause of black lung today. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) attacked the move, saying “The action from House Republicans is a direct attack on the health and safety of coal miners”
  • Despite another successful launch by ULA – and their union crew – SpaceX won a recent contract with the Space Force, worth about $733M
  • The UMWA and SPARKZ – a battery manufacturer – announced that they had secured an almost $10M grant from the DOE for the production of a battery manufacturing facility in West Virginia. The union has already secured a labor management agreement that they say prioritizes the needs of local workers who have faced challenges in the wake of coal industry declines
  • AFGE is condemning false claims about FEMA employees in the wake of the disaster that are putting members at risk
  • The NLRB is contemplating closing the Memphis subregional office and recruiting a resident agent instead. The agency says that this move would be done without job losses or breaks in coverage. They are soliciting public comments on the proposal
  • 79 Congress members sent a letter to Stellantis CEO calling the company out for failing to uphold contractual obligations to UAW members
  • The UAW released data last week showing that Harris has a 22% lead over Trump with their members in swing states – including North Carolina and Georgia. For members who have been contacted by the union, the lead grows to 29%. Harris even leads by 5% among white, noncollege educated members. The UAW says this is a result of their comprehensive political education program
  • JD Vance crossed a picket line to write an op-ed for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where workers have been on strike for over 2 years. The CWA, which represents the striking workers, said “By crossing their picket line, J.D. Vance insulted the striking workers, insulted the people of Pittsburgh, and insulted working people across the country”