Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from February 7 to February 14
New Campaigns
Workers at HBCU Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) informed the university that they had unionized with the United Campus Workers (UCW-CWA) Local 3821
Workers at Mosaic Family Services, a nonprofit serving domestic violence and human rights abuse survivors, requested voluntary recognition of their unionization with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 277
The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 147 workers at BWXT Nuclear Operations Group in Lynchburg, VA demonstrated support for unionization with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB)
7 workers at Empanola in New Orleans, LA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 270, as did 6 more workers at another location in the same city
28 workers at Entergy in Jackson, MS filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 605
The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 18 workers at United Insurance Company of America in Beaumont, TX demonstrated support for unionization with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
12 workers at Breakthru Beverage in Virginia Beach, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 822
17 workers at Pardue Masonry of Central Florida in Tampa, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (IUBAC) Local 8
Election Results
93 workers at A National Transit in Atlanta, GA withdrew a petition for a union election with the Teamsters Local 728
49 workers at Rhino Staging in Nashville, TN withdrew their petition for a union election with the Independent Appalachian Concert Riggers Union (ACRU)
19 workers at Mulzer Crushed Stone in Owensboro, KY voted 13 to 5 in favor of unionization with the Central Midwest Regional Council of the International Brotherhood of Carpenters (IBC)
5 workers at Lakeshore Recycling Systems in Mayflower, AR voted 3 to 1 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 373
72 workers at Nouryon Functional Chemicals in La Porte, TX voted 47 to 24 against decertifying their union, meaning the United Steel Workers (USW) remains there
19 workers at Cargill in Kansas City, MO voted 5 to 14 in favor of decertifying their union, meaning USW Local 617 is no longer their collective bargaining representative
7 workers at Joe Hudson’s Collision Center in Saint Robert, MO voted 6 to 1 in favor of unionization with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District Lodge 9
26 workers at EN Bisso & Son Towing in New Orleans, LA voted 10 to 13 against unionization with the American Maritime Officers (AMO)
Settlements, Grievances, & Unfair Labor Practices
Not the south but to fascinating not to share – the Trump appointed NLRB General Counsel is seeking a Cemex bargaining order to require Wells Fargo to bargain with a union in California even though the union lost the election because Wells Fargo so egregiously violated the law during the election. Before you get too excited though, the same General Counsel rescinded a slew of Abruzzo directives, including the Cemex one, so not sure exactly what this means
Strikes & Bargaining
Bargaining at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, TN is heating up, with the UAW increasing pressure on the company to deliver a strong contract
Nurses at New Orleans, LA’s University Medical Center (UMC) went back to work after a 2 day strike and 3 day lock out
Donald Trump continued his attack on America’s civil servants by laying of thousands of probationary workers. In the layoff notices they typically mention performance, but there is no evidence that these thousands of civil servants were performing poorly. Contrary to popular understanding, even probationary employees within the federal government must be fired for cause. Federal unions like the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) are challenging the firings. Here are some of the terminated positions:
Between 1200 and 2000 workers at the Department of Energy (including a professional colleague of mine), including employees at a power grid office, the nuclear security administration national labs, hydroelectric plants, and Cold War legacy nuclear sites. After issuing these layoffs, they rescinded some of the ones at the National Nuclear Security Administration
The Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed more than 1,000 employees
Union lawsuits against the government over the “Fork in the Road” program were not successful in securing a temporary restraining order. AFGE noted however, that “this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program. We continue to maintain it is illegal to force American citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk.”
The Teamsters are announcing the details of their tentative agreement with Costco as those members prepare to vote on whether or not to ratify. The agreement includes a $3/hr wage increase, 6 weeks of paid leave for 30 year employees, stronger discharge protections, and more
Teamsters at Herts who had been on strike at Dallas Fort Worth airport in TX and Palm Beach International Airport in FL voted to end their strikes and ratify new collective bargaining agreements
550 Teamsters at Danone in Verona, VA voted to ratify a new contract that includes major wage increases, pension contributions, and reduced health care costs according to the union
Orange County, FL schools become one of the only in the state to offer maternity leave this year thanks to the efforts of the union there
Political & Legislative
Mark Dimindstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) spoke to Mother Jones about the dangers of a privatized postal service
Hundreds of Huntsville residents received a notice that due to Trump’s suspension of a Biden-era grant to deal with high energy prices for low income folks, their utility bill would be increased by $100/month immediately
A bill to bring a casino to Fairfax County, VA – along with 5,000 good paying union jobs – has been killed. The effort was strongly supported by unions and has many in Virginia labor discussing how they will be interacting with politicians that got elected on the back of union support but voted against this union backed initiative
The Missouri Attorney General is suing Starbucks because it does not have enough white male baristas
In a just disgusting display, the Teamsters union is “applauding” the selection of David Keeling to lead the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Keeling was head of safety at Amazon as the company saw an above average rate of injuries and as the company allegedly hid safety data. The Teamsters noted that Keeling used to work as a part time package handler at UPS, but as one Teamster noted on Twitter: I remember when we used to talk shit about union members going into management
Despite a lack of clarity from her as to what she would do in her new role as Secretary of the Department of Labor, many unions still publicly support her nomination, including the Ironworkers, the Teamsters, and the Amalgamated Transit Union
The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) rallied to protest the closure of the Department of Education. This is notably a different stance than Weingarten at the AFT was taking previously – she previously said she didn’t mind whether the Department existed or not
Julia Love spoke with 10 undocumented immigrants who work for Tesla and SpaceX in Texas. Including one 50 year old woman working for a cleaning subcontractor for $16/hr, again, for the richest person in the world. You can read the piece in Bloomberg
The official government website for DOGE – a commission run by ostensible experts – is insecure and can be edited by anyone, at least as of last week
New DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth issued new guidance barring the use of Project Labor Agreements on DOD construction projects, including seeking to remove ones already agreed to
Trump’s move to freeze foreign aid has stranded hundreds of millions of dollars of life saving medical supplies, leaving them at risk of expiration, theft, and damage
Trump looks poised to make it easier for banks to charge consumers high overdraft fees and to make medical debt be listed on credit reports again, as he sets his sights on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and reversing consumer protection rules that the bureau made
Trump’s attacks on federal workers continued: he illegally fired Susan Grundmann from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), which is the federal sector equivalent of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). While unlike the NLRB, the FLRA still has a quorum, it is deadlocked by partisan affiliation and is unlikely to be able to make many decisions
The AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living submitted testimony to the first “DOGE” subcommittee hearing highlighting Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest and the negative effects that the American people will suffer if he gets his way
The UAW, which represents 5,000 fellows at the National Institutes of Health, put out a statement attacking the cuts to the agency, saying “Cutting research on cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s isn’t “efficient”—it’s economically reckless and inhumane.”
Internal Union Affairs
The IBEW has a report on how they’re encouraging locals to expand apprenticeship programs
