Last Week in Southern Labor: 4/4 – 4/11

Jacob Morrison

Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from April 4 to April 11

Sorry again for the delay – it’s been a really busy week for me. Another piece of good news for yall in this newsletter though, our UNIONIZE finally came in! I’ll be getting them shipped out tomorrow and Monday. With that out of the way, here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from April 4th to April 11th

New Campaigns

  • 12 workers at the Davey Tree Expert Company in Huntingdon, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 429
  • 24 workers at the Occidental Chemical Corporation in New Johnsonville, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters (UA) Local 572
  • 18 workers at Starbucks in Huntsville, AL filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United roll tide
  • 310 tech workers at the Washington Post in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the NewsGuild CWA
  • 31 workers at Georgetown University in Washington DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500
  • 8 workers at American University in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with SEIU Local 500
  • The Governed United Security Professionals are attempting to raid a unit of 26 security guards at Paragon Systems in Washington, DC currently represented by the National Union of Special Police Officers (an affiliate of the Police Benevolent Association – PBA)
  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the Congress of Industrial Unions Puerto Rico (Congreso de Uniones Industriales de Puerto Rico) as the union representing 17 workers at Puerto Rico Energy in San Juan, PR
  • 5 workers at the Kentucky Power Company in Ashland, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with IBEW Local 978
  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the union representing 16 workers at Waste Management in Albany, GA. The NLRB doesn’t list the union, but it’s probably the Teamsters
  • 11 workers at Dairy Farms of America (DFA) Dairy Brands Distributor South in Goldsboro, NC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 391

Campaign Updates

  • Fairfax County workers in VA were recently given the right to unionize – and now there is a fight over which union will represent them. SEIU Local 512 has already filed a petition and was moving towards an election, but the Fairfax Workers Coalition (FWC) wanted the county workers to be broken into multiple bargaining units so they could represent some of them, so the FWC filed a lawsuit attempting to stop the election from proceeding

Election Results

  • Workers withdrew the decertification petition at Norwood Hills Country Club in Jennings, MO, meaning UNITE HERE Local 74 still represents the 16 workers
  • 119 workers at Breakthru Beverage in St Louis, MO withdrew their petition for a union election – Teamsters have been on a good run at this company though, maybe they were voluntarily recognized
  • 4 workers at Wood County Electric Cooperative in Quitman, TX voted 4 to 0 in favor of unionization with IBEW Local 738
  • 16 workers at Starbucks in San Antonio, TX voted 10 to 4 in favor of unionization with Starbucks Workers United, as did 19 workers at another location in Dallas, TX (10 to 7)
  • 22 workers at Volunteer Ministry Center in Knoxville, TN voted 11 to 9 in favor of unionization with SEIU Local 205
  • 18 workers at UFCW Local 1996 withdrew their petition for a union election with the Federation of Agents and International Representatives (FAIR)
  • Flight Dispatchers at Avelo Airlines in Houston, TX voted in favor of unionization with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) 
  • 3 workers at El Paso Electric Company in El Paso, TX voted in favor of unionization with IBEW Local 960
  • 96 security guards at Sea World of Florida in Orlando, FL voted 55 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA)
  • 8 security guards at ADC LTD NM in Memphis, TN voted 2 to 0 in favor of unionization with SPFPA

Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases

  • Both court cases (one in Maryland and one in California) that had ordered the government to rehire probationary employees have now been overturned, but neither on the merits, both only on standing. A hearing was held on Wednesday to determine with AFGE might have standing in the California case, but a decision hasn’t been made yet
  • The Supreme Court issued a stay on lower court orders putting Cathy Harris and Gwynne Wilcox back on the Merit Systems Protection Board and the National Labor Relations Board respectively. This is not a ruling on the merits, but it doesn’t look good. If the Supreme Court sides with the president, they will be overturning nearly 100 year old precedent that allows Congress to create job protections for board members of federal agencies
  • The Supreme Court ruled that it had been correctly decided that the government must facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a union apprentice with the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Union (SMART). This follows strong messaging from the normally more conservative building trade unions, with them calling to “bring him home now”
  • A Louisiana immigration judge determined that the United States can deport Mahmoud Khalil – a lawful permanent resident and former UAW member – because of his “beliefs and associations,” without even so much as an allegation of a crime. Khalil has until April 23rd to file for relief, otherwise he will be deported to Syria or Algeria

Strikes & Bargaining

  • The Communication Workers of America (CWA) and AT&T Southwest came to a tentative agreement for a new 4 year contract, with a 14.5% increase in pay, along with other improvements. Ratification votes will be held between April 21st and May 5th. 
  • 3,400 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local Lodge 2003 ratified a new 5 year contract with M1 Support Services and its subcontractors at Ft Novosel, AL. The contract includes 14% pay raises, more time off, higher 401k contributions, and more according to the union
  • 3 IAMAW Locals representing 600 workers for ULA in California, Alabama, and Florida met with the company to begin bargaining for a new agreement. The current contract expires on May 1st. The union says they are bargaining for better progression, higher pay, and more leave
  • 100 bus drivers and mechanics – and members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 248 ratified a new three year agreement with the Winston-Salem Transit Authority in North Carolina that includes a 25% wage increase, improved sick pay, and an expansion of bereavement leave
  • The UAW is in bargaining for a new contract with Lockheed Martin in Denver, CO (UAW Local 66) and Orlando, FL (UAW Local 788). The union is fighting for higher pay and lower progressions. Lockheed supposedly issued their last, best, and final offer last week which maintains long progressions to top pay (between 16 and 23 years). Each union local held a town hall last week, and the bargaining committee will be coming out with more information about how they proceed in the coming weeks
  • Union members in Kentucky are protesting a contractor at Western Kentucky University for not using union standards in pay and compensation for new construction
  • Members of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPIEU) Local 277 in Austin, TX at BookPeople recently secured a new contract with strong protections against AI replacement of workers
  • 400 Transdev bus drivers in Houston, TX – unionized with the Teamsters Local 988 ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with a significant pay increase and a pension

Political & Legislative

  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would be “expeditiously” reviewing “new science” on fluoride in drinking water
  • Trump’s Department of Labor is officially pausing enforcement of the new silica rule – which will kill more coal miners. Other cuts include grants to fight child labor worldwide. Jordan Barab has more about how the administration is effectively undertaking a war on coal miners. Even though the Department of Labor is busy slashing staff and office space, they did make time to hold the new Secretary a big birthday party, complete with cocktails and wine. Biden’s Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su has an article in the Century Foundation about what these cuts will mean for working folks. 
  • Florida lawmakers are trying to roll back a law that offers some protections to day laborers – like being told how much money they will be making – at the behest of a staffing agency that has violated the law in the past
  • North Carolina is proposing increased premiums for state workers’ health insurance plan – the state’s public sector workers union is speaking out in opposition to the proposal
  • Democratic lawmakers re-introduced the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act – a bill that would give collective bargaining rights to all public sector workers in the country – with support from unions like the CWA
  • Kansas City Council members approved nearly $50M to tide the bus system over for the next 6 months, but a long term solution is still need or else there will be drastic cuts

Internal Union Affairs

  • The West Virginia Education Association (WVEA) and the American Federation of Teachers West Virginia (AFTWV) are merging into one union – Education West Virginia – in an effort to consolidate power and fight back against anti-education policies coming from the legislature (Adam very excited about this and would love to interview someone involved!)