Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from November 8 to November 22
New Campaigns
7 workers at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in Ft Worth, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
10 workers at ASJ IT Services in Augusta, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE-CWA)
Workers likely pushed by their employer – and with support from the National Right to Work Foundation – filed a petition to decertify the United Steel Workers (USW) as the union representing 120 workers at CONCO – an ammunition manufacturing company – in Louisville, KY
18 workers at Starbucks in Benton, AR filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United
50 workers at IntellectTechs in Augusta, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with IUE-CWA
3 workers at Wesco Distribution in Maryland Heights, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1
26 workers at Volunteer Ministry Center in Knoxville, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 205
37 workers at HCL Mechanical Services in Houston, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Union (SMART) Local 54
123 workers at Capital Area Food Bank in Washington DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Washington Baltimore News Guild (CWA) Local 32035
25 workers at Entergy in Baton Rouge, LA filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 605
80 workers at Unity Healthcare in Washington DC filed a petition to hold a union election with 1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East
22 workers at PetSmart in Midland, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 540
2 workers at the Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma in Cherry Point, NC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Marine Aircrew Group Association
68 workers at Calcasieu Refining Company in Lake Charles, LA filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 407
3 workers at Rental Supply District 1 in Ashland, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with an unnamed union
18 workers at Starbucks in Roswell, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United
72 workers at Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Cooperation in Carthage, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with IBEW Local 429
8 workers at OQ Chemical in Bay City, TX filed a petition for a union election with IUOE Local 564
175 workers at Highline Warren in Glen Dale, WV filed a petition for a union election with the Teamsters Local 697
10 workers at Texas Public Radio in San Antonio, TX filed a petition for a union election with SAG-AFTRA
A supermajority of the 1,000 workers at the BlueOval SK battery manufacturing plant in Glendale, KY signed union authorization cards and launched a public campaign to join the United Auto Workers (UAW)
Campaign Updates
In August, a supermajority of lead attendants and onboard attendants on Brightline’s Orlando-to-Miami line filed a petition with the National Mediation Board (the administrator of the Railway Labor Act) to unionize with the Transport Workers Union (TWU). In response, the rail line hired an anti-union law firm that said the election should take place with the National Labor Relations Board under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Act. TWU disagreed, and the NMB sided with the TWU, and has directed an election to take place
Election Results
9 workers at the St Regis Hotel in Washington DC withdrew their petition for a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99
3 workers at SAIC in Dallas, TX voted 3 to 0 in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
297 workers at Siemens in Ft Worth TX voted 197 to 29 in favor of unionization with the IBEW Local 220
39 workers at Kloeckner Metals Corporation in Charlotte, NC voted 18 to 19 against unionization with the USW
35 workers at United Plumbing Company in Goshen, KY voted 19 to 14 in favor of unionization with the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 502
51 workers at Windstream Services in Sugar Land, TX voted 28 to 11 in favor of unionization with the Communication Workers of America (CWA)
6 workers at Beyel Brothers in Jonesboro, GA voted 3 to 3 in a union election, and ties go to the employer, so they are not unionizing with IUOE Local 926
29 workers at Starbucks in Dunwoody, GA voted 6 to 12 against unionization with Starbucks Workers United
5 workers at Kinder Morgan in Texas City, TX voted 0 to 3 in favor of decertifying IUOE Local 564 as their union
128 workers at Professional Contract Services in Ft Knox, KY voted 94 to 9 in favor of unionization with IBEW Local 369
973 workers at George Washington University voted 347 to 2 in favor of unionization with SEIU Local 500
18 workers at United Natural Foods in Sarasota, FL voted 13 to 3 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 79, as did 265 more in a different unit in the same city with a vote of 187 to 38
9 workers at Carrollton Railroad in Carrollton, KY voted unanimously in favor of unionization with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), a Teamsters affiliate
Settlements, Grievances, & Unfair Labor Practices
Disney union UNITE HERE Local 737 filed an unfair labor practice charge against a Disney contractor for allegedly firing a young union activist in retaliation for her union activity, per McKenna Shueler at the Orlando Weekly
Strikes & Bargaining
Georgetown County, SC will lose 700 jobs, many union, as International Paper’s round of plant closings comes to that area.
Workers at ACLU with ACLU Staff United just secured their first collective bargaining agreement, which secures wage increases, enhanced paid leave policies, work-life balance protections, stronger layoff and severance protections, and expanded health benefits
17 Darling Ingredients drivers in Grapeland, TX, unionized with the Teamsters Local 745, voted unanimously to authorize a strike if the company doesn’t negotiate a fair contract
Teamster pilots at Allegiant Airlines voted 97.4% to authorize a strike nationwide if the company doesn’t agree to a fair contract
Nurses at the Atlanta VA, unionized with National Nurses United (NNU) rallied outside their facility to draw attention to the budget crisis at the VA, and the effects it is having on workers and patients, like short staffing, nurse retention, and low morale
The Monongalia County Commission announced that it “does not and will not” recognize the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) as the representative of its employees, despite the employees voting to unionize with the UMWA
SMART-TD Local 584 ratified a new five-year agreement with the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, a subsidiary of the Genesee & Wyoming, which spans 292 miles from Pensacola, Florida, to Columbus, Mississippi. The agreement provides a 16.4% raise in pay in the first year, with further increases each year, which compounds to 33.57% over the five-year agreement.
LaborNotes has a report on the letter carriers campaign to vote down the recent tentative agreement between their union and the Post Office
Wells Fargo Workers United began bargaining for a contract to cover all 22 union represented branches in 14 states last week.
Workers at ZeniMax Studios – a video game company in Maryland and Texas – walked off the job in a one day strike to protest lack of movement at the bargaining table
The Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Union (SMART) is calling attention to the potentially deadly impact of Amtrak’s cost cutting measures, highlighting how one member was alone when his train was struck by a vehicle, leaving him to try to save multiple lives by himself
Workers who make the AFL-CIO run are protesting management’s decision to unfreeze their own pensions will maintaining a freeze on the staff’s
Jacksonville State University has announced a new compensation plan that includes a 10% pay increase after pressure from the newly formed United Campus Workers chapter among campus workers – but the union says it’s not good enough, with the lowest wages on campus still being only a little above $8/hr, and a cleaner who has worked there for 10 years only making $13/hr after the raise
Political & Legislative
Despite the presidential election not going the way most unions and union members wanted, there was some better news down ballot, including in the South where Missouri voters adopted mandatory paid leave and a higher minimum wage and passed abortion protections.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that captive audience meetings are illegal last week in a case against Amazon – in a decision that, if it is not overturned by the courts, will likely be overturned by a Trump NLRB. This reversal can potentially be po though, if Senate Democrats will reconfirm Lauren McFerran when her term is up in December, which would maintain a 2-1 Democratic majority on the NLRB until 2026. Unions and the AFL-CIO applauded the decision
The NLRB made another impactful decision last week, further expanding what can be considered a threat from employers during a a union campaign, clarifying that when an employer is making “predictions” about what will happen in the event that their employees unionize, these predictions “must be carefully phrased on the basis of objective fact to convey an employer’s belief as to demonstrably probable consequences beyond [its] control.” The NLRB further explained that if such a prediction is not grounded in objective fact, or predicts negative consequences that would result from the employer’s own actions, it is “no longer a reasonable prediction based on available facts but a threat of retaliation based on misrepresentation and coercion.”
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – the country’s largest federal employee union – is sounding the alarm about the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” stating that “millions of Americans should brace for massive cuts to benefits and services they rely on for their survival under plans to target government spending and operations.” The union further said “to really attack government waste, the administration should target private contractors who are price gouging American taxpayers to deliver poorer service at higher cost while their corporate profits and executive pay skyrocket.”
Unions representing approximately half of American union members have reiterated their calls for an arms embargo against Israel, and Bernie Sanders has announced his intentions to file resolutions to block $20B in offensive aid to the country
The US House passed the Social Security Fairness Act, which repeals provisions of the law that cut or eliminate social security benefits for many government workers. Now it needs to pass the Senate. Unions, particularly ones representing government workers, applauded the move
The USDOL announced the release of new research it commissioned from the Urban Institute that found a national paid family and medical leave program would reduce poverty across all communities and diminish the poverty gap among workers, especially Black and Hispanic workers who experience some of the highest poverty rates.
Relatedly, another study also funded by the USDOL recently found that child care costs more than rent for many families (specifically – the median cost of center based infant care is higher than the median cost of rent)
The USDOL also recognized the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week – something that many building trades union leaders are concerned about coming under attack during the Trump administration
Speaking of the Department of Labor, Trump has yet to announce his pick for that agency yet. The Teamsters President Sean O’Brien is publicly lobbying for Republican Congressperson Lori Chavez-DeRemer, one of only 3 Republicans to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act for the position.
Donald Trump announced that Linda McMahon is his pick for leading the US Department of Education. Education unions are expressing skepticism. While American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten said “We will try to work with anyone who puts the aspirations of our students, families and communities first” and “We look forward to learning more about Linda McMahon, and if she is confirmed we will reach out to her as we did with Betsy DeVos at the beginning of her tenure,” she also said that “we question the future of these popular ideas [like project-based instruction, career and technical education and apprenticeships] and more if the Trump administration follows through with plans to close the Department of Education, leaving in doubt a federal-funding lifeline that disproportionately goes to children in need, children with disabilities and young adults who are the first in their families to go to college.” Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, was less optimistic in her statement, saying: “By selecting Linda McMahon, Donald Trump is showing that he could not care less about our students’ futures. Rather than working to strengthen public schools, expand learning opportunities for students, and support educators, McMahon’s only mission is to eliminate the Department of Education and take away taxpayer dollars from public schools, where 90% of students – and 95% of students with disabilities – learn, and give them to unaccountable and discriminatory private schools.”
Speaking of teachers, a new RAND report found that higher teacher pay improved teacher retention (shock!) and that states with collective bargaining rights for teachers had higher pay (another shock!). The AFT lauded the report
Federal employee unions areurging the Senate to pass the Social Security Fairness Act, which has passed the House and fixes the problem of social security payments being reduced for government workers who have pensions
SEIU is attacking Trump’s pick for HHS – RFK Jr, saying he will “put lives at risk”
One of the biggest things that the Senate can do to help workers before the Trump administration comes in is to reconfirm Lauren McFerran to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to ensure a democratic appointee majority on the board until 2026. Unions are pressuring the Senate to act
The US House passed a bill that would allow the Treasury Secretary to revoke nonprofit status from organizations it alleges support terrorism. Importantly, it would allow the Treasury Secretary to do this without guidelines from Congress, without due process for the nonprofit, and without even explaining its reasoning. The NewsGuild, which represents many workers in nonprofits, opposes the bill
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), an explicitly anti-union construction trade group, is applauding the decision of a Trump appointed judge to overturn a Biden Administration Department of Labor Rule that would have qualified millions more workers for overtime protections. Fascinatingly, they referred to businesses as “the regulated community”
Internal Union Affairs
National Nurses United, through its project with the California Nurses Foundation – the Registered Nurse Response Network – highlighted the nurses it deployed to Asheville, NC in a recent post on their website
The Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Union (SMART) Local 5 built 30 beds for children who need a safe place to sleep in Bradley County, TN
Did we miss something? Let us know about your union updates!
