Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from January 10 to January 17
New Campaigns
11 workers at McAlister Oil in Memphis, TN filed for a union election with International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 667
19 workers at Mulzer Crushed Stone, Inc. in Owensboro, KY filed for a union election with Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters
8 workers at Dominion Energy SC in North Charleston, SC filed for a union election with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 398
23 workers at NewsNation in Washington, D.C. have filed for a union election with IBEW Local 1200
6 workers at Lakeshore Recycling Systems LLC in Mayflower, AR filed for a union election with Teamsters Local 373
In San Juan, Puerto Rico there is what appears to be a battle between two unions to represent 265 security guards at MaxSent on the government contract for the Department of Federal Protective Service (FPS)
Workers likely pushed by their employer petitioned to decertify the Building Materials, Excavating, Heavy Haulers, Driver, Warehousemen and Helpers Local 541 (a Teamsters affiliate) as the union representing 10 workers (truck drivers) at Martin Marietta Materials in Greenwood, MO. At the same employer, there’s a petition to decertify Heavy Construction Laborer’s Local 663 (a LiUNA affiliate) as the union representing 9 other workers (general laborers, mechanics, plant operators, drillers, lead persons)
14 workers at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in Washington DC have requested voluntary recognition from their employer of their unionization with the NewsGuild CWA Local 39521
Campaign Updates
Some Berea College Alumni are supporting the union effort among students there, saying that the college’s decision to challenge the attempt to hold an election is wrong
Election Results
215 workers at the U.S. Government Publishing Office (USGPO) in Washington, D.C. voted in favor of unionization with the Teamsters
Workers voted 16-3 to unionize with the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) Local 191T (a UFCW affiliate) at Gaylord Chemical in Tuscaloosa, AL. The victory was covered by Chance Phillips at the Alabama Political Reporter (Chance has done some great work, including one of the better pieces about the UAW campaign at Mercedes, recommend following him if you aren’t already)
12 workers at Texas Public Radio in San Antonio, TX voted 7 to 5 to unionize with SAG-AFTRA
19 workers at IntellectTechs in Augusta, GA voted 15 to 4 to unionize with the CWA’s Industrial Division (IUE-CWA)
The IUE-CWA picked up another win in Augusta, GA with 6 workers at ASJ Solutions, another IT company, voting 4 to 0 to unionize
Workers tied 2-2 at Chase, Carson & White LLC in Research Park Triangle, NC, meaning Industrial Technical and Professional Employees Union, Local 4873 (an OPEIU affiliate) will not be certified as the union there
Looks like Metropolitan District 1199DC, National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees AFSCME have withdrawn their petition to represent 30 workers at Unity Healthcare, Inc. in Washington, DC.
39 workers at Republic Services in Calhoun, GA, voted unanimously with nearly 100% turnout (37-0) against decertifying the Teamsters Local 728 as their union. A pretty amazing result considering you have to get petitions to hold a decertification election in the first place. The decertification appears driven by National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the employer was represented by notorious law firm Littler Mendelson
Teamsters Local 618 have withdrawn their petition to represent 6 workers at United Pacific in Mehlville, MO
100 workers for Brightline railroad in Florida voted by a 2 to 1 margin to unionize with the Transport Workers Union (TWU), with the union saying this is the largest unit to organize under the Railway Labor Act in over 20 years
Strikes & Bargaining
430+ Sysco Teamsters out of Local 988 in Houston, TX ratified a contract that they were able to secure after a credible strike threat. The new 5 year agreement includes $7/hr raises, double time on work over 60 hours in a week, more time off, and more
Allegiant Air pilots, unionized with Teamsters Local 2118, withstood below-freezing temperatures for a practice picket outside Asheville Regional Airport as negotiations stall with the carrier. The Teamsters represent 1300 of these pilots who voted 97.4% to authorize a strike if the carrier fails to give them a good offer. The Teamsters say Allegiant pilots make 40% less than the industry standard
Workers trying to organize a union at Amazon’s KCVG air hub in Kentucky are pushing for the company to excuse all missed time from the recent snow storm, where employees apparently had to use personal time, even when it was unsafe to drive to work
Workers at Alamo Drafthouse, unionized in Austin, TX with Drafthouse United, an IWW affiliate, say that the company has, without warning, fired 25% of all workers nationwide. This comes after the company was sold to private equity, and then to Sony.
National Nurses United held a nationwide day of action, including at several locations across the south, in support of safe staffing levels and patient protections against AI. The union is doing this as more than 100,000 NNU members are entering contract negotiations with their employers.
4,200 CSX railroad workers represented by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) of the Teamsters Rail Conference ratified a new contract. The new five-year agreement secures raises of 18.77 percent compounded over the life of the contract, a reduction in the time needed to accumulate vacation, improved health and welfare benefits, and improvements to local work rules, according to the union
40 home care therapists and assistants employed by Alternate Health Solutions Network (AHSN), members of CWA Local 2252, held a one-day unfair labor practice strike last week. The workers have been negotiating for four months and the company’s last offer was 57 cents (.5 to 1% wage for the workers ) while prices have gone up 20%.
Approximately 200 stage workers at The Altria Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, and John Paul Jones Arena in Virginia are preparing for a potential strike as negotiations with management company ASM Global have failed to result in a new contract. Represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 87, crewmembers have been engaged in over six months of contract negotiations, seeking fair wages and benefits. Currently, the base rate for a stagehand at ASM’s Richmond venues remains below $20 per hour, placing the Richmond area among the lowest-paying markets in the region for stagehands. This has led to difficulty attracting and retaining skilled workers in the industry. Worse, over the past six years workers received minimal 1% annual raises.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is supporting a trio of bills that would provide a 4.3% raise to federal workers, fix problems with COLA, and prevent Schedule F
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1546 is in contract negotiations with Baton Rouge, LA’s Capital Area Transit System, with the union accusing management of bad faith bargaining
The postal service is proposing changes to its service standards that would delay delivery of the mail. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is opposing this change. In better news, the APWU is applauding postal management’s decision to go back on previous intentions to take mail processing out of local facilities
Political & Legislative
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) issued a hopeful statement as news of a ceasefire in Gaza was announced, saying “SEIU’s two million members stand united in the hope that today’s long-overdue ceasefire agreement finally returns hostages to their loved ones and begins to put us on a path towards finding a long-term solution that will bring safety, peace, democracy, and justice to all in the region. The details of this ceasefire agreement will be critical, given the horrific violence in Gaza”
When Trump’s ostensibly pro-Labor Department of Labor pick was announced, there was reporting that Trump’s team was going around assuaging business fears by saying that the business community will like the Deputy Secretary. Well, the pick has been announced – Keith Sonderling. Lauren Gurley with the Washington Post reports that business groups are “thrilled” with the pick, and that he has been a proponent of a “deregulatory” DOL agenda
Even the ostensibly pro-labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whose appointment was pushed by Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, met last week with McDonald’s and Wendy’s representatives, among others, where she heard their “concerns” over the joint employer portions of the bill, which, it’s important to remember, are the same provisions of the bill that she herself voiced “concern” over and what kept her from co-sponsoring the PRO Act for a long time, and yet is the provision of the bill that is probably the most important to the Teamsters as they escalate their campaign to organize Amazon. Chavez-DeRemer also voted to nullify joint employer protections specifically.
Bernie Sanders gave an excellent speech on the floor of the Senate last week excoriating employers like Elon Musk who exploit immigrant guest workers and US-born workers, recommend listening if you have the time
The City of Birmingham, AL became the first in the state to pass a local hire ordinance, ensuring federal infrastructure investments benefit local workers directly. Jobs to Move America, a major backer of the ordinance, says this means that 30% of labor hours on city-funded construction projects will go to Birmingham-area workers, 15% of hours will be completed by apprentices in certified training programs, and it prioritizes equity by removing barriers for underserved communities
The Federal Trade Commission, chaired by Lina Khan, is going out with a flurry of activity in her final week
They issued a report detailing how dead CEO Brian Thompson’s company United Healthcare overcharged some cancer patients for drugs by more than 1000%. The company’s pharmacy benefit manager, along with its peers, pocketed an extra $73B thanks to price gouging, according to the report
They filed a lawsuit against John Deer, saying the company is generating $6B by prohibiting farmers from repairing their own equipment
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Elon Musk wants to delete, sued Capital One for cheating consumers out of more than $2B – presumably Elon Musk wants to ensure Capital One can continue to scam you
The anti-trust division of the DOJ filed a lawsuit against seven giant corporate landlords for pricefixing
US Senator Ed Markey secured a commitment from Trump’s Federal Rail Commission nominee to support the two person crew requirements, a key demand of railroad labor
The AFLCIO will not be making an endorsement in the DNC race, while still saying they are “laser-focused on working closely with DNC leaders to lift up working people across geography and ideology so that together we can fight off anti-union attacks from billionaire bosses and advance an agenda that will grow the labor movement, mobilize at worksites and the ballot box, and empower workers and our families”
The RWDSU and UFCW are endorsing Ken Martin from Minnesota, however, as while AFSCME, AFT, NEA, and SEIU all endorse Ben Wikler of Wisconsin
The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) issued a statement about their support for reform to the H1B visa program
The city council of Richmond, VA unanimously passed a prevailing wage ordinance, giving workers a boost on publicly funded projects
The NNU is celebrating Gallup finding that nurses rank as the most honest and ethical profession among the American public
The US House Oversight Committee opened the congressional session with an attack on federal workers devoid of any data demonstrating that federal workers are performing poorly
The Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), and the TWU are backing Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Department of Labor head and Sean Duffy for Transportation Secretary
US Steel is suing the United Steel Workers and Cleveland Cliffs (a rival steel manufacturer) for allegedly conspiring to blow up the Nippon deal (legal observers told Bloomberg they think this lawsuit won’t go anywhere)
Internal Union Affairs
The United Auto Workers (UAW) held their National Ford and Sub-Council meetings in Chattanooga last week to strategize for the upcoming year