Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from March 14 to March 21
New Campaigns
- 88 workers at United Natural Foods Inc in Lancaster, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 745
- Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the United Steel Workers (USW) Local 643 as the union representing 8 workers at Phillips 66 in Savannah, GA
- 51 workers at Collins Aerospace in Jacksonville, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the IAMAW
- 11 workers at Starbucks in Fairfax, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United
- 6 workers at Leidos in Ft Bliss, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local 2515
- 7 workers at Mary Queen and Mother Center in St Louis, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with SEIU Healthcare Missouri / Kansas
- Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 53 as the union representing 29 workers at Herzog Transit Services in Kansas City, MO
- 4 workers at Wood County Electric Cooperative in Quitman, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with IBEW Local 738
Election Results
- The Teamsters Local 823 in Springfield, MO disclaimed interest in representing a unit of 5 workers at Mondelez Global in a decertification petition, meaning the union no longer represents those workers
- 18 workers at Starbucks in Cumming, GA voted 13 to 3 in favor of unionization with Starbucks Workers United
- 119 workers at Capital Area Food Bank in Washington DC voted 38 to 40 against unionization with the Washington Baltimore NewsGuild CWA Local 32035
- 15 workers at Diversicare of Pell City in Pell City, AL filed and then withdrew their petition to hold a union election with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) in the same week
- 3 workers at HHS Government Services in Ft Eustis, VA withdrew their petition for a union election with IBEW District 4
- An NLRB regional director order closed a petition from 24 workers at the New Orleans Transit Authority to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 270
Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases
- The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that outdoor retailer REI has illegally discriminated against union stores by withholding raises and other benefits from stores that have unionized with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) – including two in the South. The NLRB is seeking an order to get REI to retroactively give raises and back pay to the affected workers
- A federal appeals court refused to block a lower court order to reinstate wrongfully terminated federal workers, meaning the order is still in effect, and workers are being rehired as we speak. The Professional Air Safety Specialists (PASS, a union of workers at the FAA), are celebrating the reinstatement of 132 probationary workers at the agency
Strikes & Bargaining
- UAW Local 848 in Red Oak, TX is beginning contract negotiations with Qarbon Aerospace
- Asheville City Schools in North Carolina became the first in the state to formalize a “meet and confer” agreement with their teachers’ union – educators hope this will give administrators more insight into what teachers need, and result in better conditions in the schools
- A rally put on by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in Fayetteville, AR turned out 500 people to save the VA
- Workers at Kellanova in Kansas City, KS, unionized with RWDSU Local 184-L, just ratified a new three year agreement with improved wages, vacation time, and health insurance, according to the union
- Newsroom workers at Deep South Today, unionized with the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET-CWA), just ratified a first contract with the company establishing a minimum wage of $60,000 and $69,000 for senior reporters
Political & Legislative
- Nurses in Asheville, NC, unionized with National Nurses United (NNU), delivered a prop $19.4B check made out to the Billionaire Class paid for by Working People to Sen Tillis’ office to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid – $19.4B is how much is at risk in North Carolina. Nurses in Austin, TX did the same thing at Senator Cornyn’s office with a $57.3B check
- Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) has an op-ed out opposing the ending of civil service protections for new hires in West Virginia state agencies
- Union Building Trades workers are celebrating the construction of a new Jacksonville Jaguars stadium that includes a community benefits agreement with local hire and apprentice provisions, meaning many of the 10,000 jobs that will be created will go to union workers
- Drivers and riders are continuing to fight a potential cut of almost half of the routes by the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
- One of Biden’s executive orders mandated a minimum wage of $15/hr (and tied raises to inflation – which put the current minimum wage at $17.75) and incentivized the use of apprentices to broaden pathways to good jobs. Trump rescinded this executive order last week, which will likely mean significant wage cuts for thousands of workers for federal contractors. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents many workers for federal contractors, highlighted that this move goes directly against the administration’s stated goals of “jobs with higher wages, lower[ing] the cost of eggs and improv[ing] our economy for working families”
- After about a year of refusing to answer reporters inquiries, Inside Climate News has uncovered a letter from Alabama’s Surface Mining Commission to federal regulators that said methane gas from the Oak Grove mines “likely” caused the explosion and death of a community member. Lee Hedgepeth broke the story, and also reports that “the mine ended 2024 with a record 870 safety citations and orders, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, totaling more than $1 million dollars in penalties. So far, nearly $790,000 of those penalties have gone unpaid”
- Alabama’s school choice law – which is not universal yet and prioritizes low income students – is already mostly going to people who were already sending their kids to private school and homeschool.
- Alabama’s legislature passed overwhelmingly and Gov Ivey said she will sign paid parental leave for state employees and teachers. The policy will be one of the most generous for state workers and teachers in the South. One state rep said he voted against it because he is worried about recruiting “employees away from the private sector to fill these jobs.”
- The Trump administration’s USDA is going to allow poultry plants to increase their maximum line speed yet again. RWDSU, which represents many poultry workers, pointed out that this will result in more worker injuries and less safe food
- The Trump administration is ending a partnership between the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) that got social security cards for immigrants authorized to work in the US, meaning instead of the USCIS processing those applications in bulk, now those immigrants will have to visit SSA field offices in person, potentially seeing as many as 75k more people visiting SSA offices every week.
- Thousands of cases are untouched at the US Department of Education due to the significant job cuts – including cases involving disabled children trying to access support services.
- Education unions came out strong against Trump’s order to dismantle the Department, highlighting the important services it provides for low income schools and protections for minorities
- The VA announced that it would end gender affirming care for transgender and intersex veterans – National Nurses United (NNU) came out in opposition to the move