Last Week in Southern Labor: 4/25 – 5/9

Jacob Morrison

Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from April 25 to May 9

This edition of the newsletter is also a two week compilation. Thanks for your patience! One more reminder that if you haven’t received your merch please let us know! We shipped everything out about two weeks ago, so you should have it now. If you don’t there’s probably been some sort of administrative error on our end.

New Campaigns

  • 18 workers at Starbucks in Richmond, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United, as did 19 more workers at a location in Richmond, Virginia, and 12 workers at a location in Kansas City, MO
  • 88 workers at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Auto Workers (UAW)
  • 33 blue-collar supervisory workers at Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL filed a petition to unionize with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 79
  • 13 workers at Republic National Distributing Company in El Paso, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 745
  • 20 workers at Jupiter Aluminum Corporation in Wellsburg, WV filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Steel Workers (USW) 
  • 338 employees of Miami Beach City in FL filed a petition seeking voluntary recognition of their union, affiliated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA)
  • 150 security guards for Paragon Systems in Houston, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA) Local 333
  •  746 workers at Brillient Corporation in Lees Summit, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) 
  • 3 workers at IMI Edmonton in Edmonton, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 89
  • 14 workers at Quest Diagnostics in Marietta, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 728
  • 46 workers at Compass Behavioral Services in Richmond, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 322
  • 6 workers at Feldkamp Mechanical in Lexington, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters (UA) Local 452
  • 12 workers at Starbucks in Richmond, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United
  • 4 workers at Sunglass Hut in Sterling, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Sunglass Hut Dulles Airport Employees Union
  • 215 cops in the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office in Port St. Lucie, FL filed a petition to unionize with the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA)
  • 48 employees of Volusia County in Daytona Beach, FL filed a petition to unionize with AFSCME Council 79
  • 48 supervisory workers at Gainesville Regional Utilities in Gainesville, FL filed a petition seeking voluntary recognition of their unionization with CWA
  • 491 nonsupervisory employees at Gainesville Regional Utilities in Gainesville, FL filed a petition seeking voluntary recognition of their unionization with CWA

Campaign Updates

  • The United Auto Workers (UAW) continue their push to unionize the Kentucky Blue Oval SK plant – the Courier-Journal has a profile of safety problems in the plant, finding chemicals, mold, broken bones, and retaliation for reporting concerns. The UAW responded to the story in a statement saying Ford “should know better.”

Election Results

  • 19 workers at Technica in Ft Bliss, TX voted 16 to 0 in favor of unionization with International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 351
  • 12 workers at Starbucks in Fairfax, VA voted 11 to 0 in favor of unionization with Starbucks Workers United
  • 6 workers at Titan Truck & Equipment Company in Overland, MO voted 5 to 1 in favor of unionization with IUOE Local 513
  • 49 workers at Reworld Hillsborough in Tampa, FL voted 13 to 19 against unionization with the IBEW Local 108
  • 233 workers at Genesis Logistics in Stafford, VA voted 135 to 18 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 322
  • 980 workers at Nassau County Public Schools in Fernandina Beach, FL voted 357 to 15 in favor of recertifying the Nassau Teachers’ Association as their union
  • 58 workers at Herzog Transit Services in Kansas City, MO voted 33 to 2 in favor of decertifying IBEW Local 53 as their union
  • 27 911 dispatchers for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Bunnell, FL voted 16 to 3 in favor of unionizing with the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA)
  • 84 workers at Sherwin Williams in Birmingham, AL voted in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) 
  • Squirrelly LLC, a new car haul company in Stone Mountain, GA voluntarily recognized their workers unionization with the Teamsters Local 89
  • 18 workers at Starbucks in Lawrenceville, GA voted 4 to 12 against unionization with Starbucks Workers United – that’s the first such lopsided loss for the union I’ve seen in this campaign I think
  • 92 workers at the Blue Grass Energy Cooperative Corporation in Nicholasville, KY voted 32 to 10 in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2100
  • 13 workers at Hydro Evac in McDonough, GA voted 10 to 2 in favor of unionization with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 926
  • 6 workers at Pye Barker Fire & Safety in Richmond, VA voted 3 to 2 in favor of unionization with the UA’s Road Sprinkler Fitter Local 669
  • 18 workers at Diversicare of Pell City in Pell City, AL voted 13 to 5 in favor of unionization with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU)
  • 6 security guards at Securemedy in Washington, DC voted 1 to 0 in favor of unionization with the National Capital Union for Security Officers (NCUFSO)
  • 51 workers at Goodrich Corporation in Jacksonville, FL voted against unionization with the IAMAW
  • 14 workers at Newbold Services in London, AR voted 8 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) 
  • 88 workers at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY withdrew their petition for a union election 
  • 31 workers at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC withdrew their petition for a union election
  • The IAMAW withdrew their petition to raid a unit of 26 employees at Neal R Gross Company in Washington, DC who are currently represented by Court Reporters United
  • 20 workers at Consolidated Waste Services in Humacao, PR voted 10 to 9 in favor of unionization with Central General de Trabajadores
  • 36 workers at Compass Behavioral Group in Midlothian, VA withdrew their petition for a union election with the ABA Workers Union
  • NLRB Regional Directors closed a a couple of union election petitions, it’s unclear why, but their may not have been a sufficient showing of interest. Those elections were among 8 workers at Leidos in Merritt Island, FL with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2088 and 8 workers at Neal R Gross in Washington, DC with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
  • 2 workers at Katmai in West Palm Beach, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 30, but withdrew their petition in the same week
  • 986 workers at Charlotte County Public Schools in Port Charlotte, FL voted 241 to 19 in favor of recertifying the Charlotte County Support Personnel Association as their union
  • 1005 workers at St. Lucie County Public Schools in Port St. Lucie, FL voted 120 to 6 in favor of recertifying the Education Association of St. Lucie as their union
  • 966 workers at Leon County Public Schools in Tallahassee, FL voted 234 to 10 in favor of recertifying the Leon Educational Staff Professional Association as their union
  • 88 workers at the city of St. Petersburg, FL voted 130 to 15 in favor of recertifying the Service Employees International Union-Florida Public Sector Union (SEIU-FPSU) as their union
  • 1,138 workers employed by Charlotte County Public Schools in Port Charlotte, FL voted 380 to 22 in favor of recertifying Charlotte FEA as their union
  • 97 workers employed by the city of Tamarac, FL voted 41 to 1 in favor of recertifying the Federation of Public Employees as their union
  • 100 blue-collar workers employed by the city of Tamarac, FL voted 61 to 0 in favor of recertifying the Federation of Public Employees as their union
  • 1,927 employees of Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, FL voted 460 to 12 in favor of recertifying the Federation of Public Employees as their union
  • 1,933 water & sewer department employees of Miami-Dade County in Miami, FL voted 1083 to 11 in favor of recertifying the Miami Dade Water and Sewer Department Employee’s AFSCME Local 121
  • 188 workers at Taylor County Public Schools in Perry, FL voted 45 to 7 in favor of recertifying the Taylor Education Association as their union
  • 344 workers employed by Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL voted 234 to 2 in favor of recertifying the Faculty United Service Association (FUSA) as their union
  • 89 workers employed by Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL voted 15 to 3 in favor of recertifying the Service Employees International Union-Florida Public Sector Union (SEIU-FPSU) as their union
  • 193 workers employed by Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL voted 53 to 3 in favor of recertifying SEIU-FPSU as their union
  • 664 workers employed by Leon County Public Schools in Tallahassee, FL voted 174 to 3 in favor of recertifying the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) Local 1010
  • 448 employees of the city of Pompano Beach, FL voted 89 to 6 in favor of recertifying the Federation of Public Employees as their union
  • 1,244 workers employed by Broward County Public Schools in Fort Lauderdale, FL voted 185 to 3 in favor of recertifying the Federation of Public Employees as their union
  • 51 workers employed by the city of Cocoa Beach, FL voted 19 to 0 in favor of recertifying the Laborers International Union of North America Local 630
  • 521 employees of Polk County Public Schools in Bartow, FL voted 181 to 2 in favor of recertifying the Polk Education Association as their union
  • 395 workers employed by Suwannee County Public Schools in Live Oak, FL voted 86 to 14 in favor of recertifying United Teachers of Suwannee County as their union
  • 134 workers employed by Madison County Public Schools in Madison, FL voted 19 to 4 in favor of recertifying the Madison County Education Association as their union
  • 848 workers for Santa Rosa County Public Schools in Milton, FL voted 320 to 23 in favor of recertifying the Santa Rosa Education Association as their union
  • 1,092 workers for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, FL voted 188 to 13 in favor of recertifying the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association as their union, out of 1,092 eligible voters

Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases

  • A federal district judge in Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction against the closure of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and the Minority Business and Development Agency. The FMCS is particularly important for unions because it has provided free mediation services curing contract negotiations and grievance procedures for decades – it was founded in 1947
  • A large coalition of groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed a lawsuit aimed at the heart of the Trump administration’s reorganization of the government, seeking to halt implementation of Trump’s executive order establishing by DOGE, arguing it is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers making sweeping changes without legislative authority
  • The Federal Education Association (FEA) which represents educators at DOD schools, filed their own lawsuit against Trump’s executive order banning collective bargaining for most federal workers

Strikes & Bargaining

  • Workers at Borden Dairy in Chattanooga and Knoxville, TN – unionized with RWDSU – combined contracts and just ratified a new agreement which the union says contains the highest raises ever at the company
  • Google announced a partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to train 100,000 electrical workers and 30,000 apprentices, increasing the electrical workforce pipeline by 70% in the next 5 years
  • Hundreds of folks in the community came out to support the UAW Local 42 on May Day as they bargain for a first contract with Volkswagen in Chattanooga, TN 
  • UAW members at Lockheed Martin in Denver, CO and Orlando, FL went on strike. The company announced $1.7B in first quarter profits, they’ve made $24B in profits and the CEO has made $66M over the last 3 years, even as they refuse to set the starting pay above $15/hr, refuse to lower the pay progression that can be as long as 23 years, and refuse to offer Veterans Day as a paid holiday  
  • National Nurses United (NNU) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 518 held a protest in front of the Atlanta VA to protest proposed cuts to the agency
  • NNU held another protest outside the Frist Gala in Nashville, TN. The Frist family cofounded and owns a significant portion of the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) where NNU represents 10,000 nurses at 19 facilities, and  which is forcing its employees to deal with low pay and understaffing
  • UPS said in an earnings call that they anticipate cutting 20,000 jobs as a result of decreased demand from Amazon as a result of the tariffs. The Teamsters released a statement reminding the company that they are contractually obligated to create 30,000 jobs and they will fight attempts to cut Teamster jobs, though if they want to downsize corporate management “the Teamsters won’t stand in its way”
  • The US Department of Labor is ending mental health care and child care services for its staff. The union plans to file a grievance, alleging this violates the contract and executive orders 
  • UPS said in an earnings call that they will be laying off 20,000 workers in response to anticipated lower volume from Amazon because of tariffs, the Teamsters hit back strongly saying that there will be a fight if the company comes after union jobs
  • National Nurses United (NNU) members in Asheville, NC held a rally to demand improvements to their health care
  • Communication Workers of America (CWA) members at AT&T Southwest ratified their new 4 year collective bargaining agreement which includes an immediate 5% raise and a 15% raise over the life of the contract. CWA says this contract also includes the first reduction in healthcare costs in 15 years

Political & Legislative

  • Several unions had statements or events around Trump’s first 100 days. Liz Shuler, president of the AFLCIO, spoke at an event and highlighted the work that the Department of People Who Work for a Living has done to bring attention to the damage Trump is inflicting on workers. Jimmy Williams of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) had a 1 hour town hall addressing members of his union. More Perfect Union talked to Trump supporters in West Virginia who were unhappy with some of the DOGE cuts, among other things.
  • Gavin Kilger, one of the young DOGE bros, personally helped oversee the attempted elimination of 90% of the staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau despite having $365k in stocks (at 25 years old!) in companies that the CFPB regulates, some of which are specifically on the CFPB’s list of prohibited holdings
  • Republicans are beginning to unveil their plans to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Among the things on the chopping block: benefits for federal workers. Specifically, they plan to freeze pay, increase employee contributions to the retirement system while cutting benefits, and impose a fee on workers who file grievances against discrimination in the workplace. Federal unions like AFGE are standing up against this proposal. House Republicans are also proposing hundreds of billions in cuts to Pell grants and other college affordability programs  
  • Bernie Sanders re-introduced Medicare-for-All in the Senate, with the support of the UAW
  • Trump’s NLRB picks are saying they can’t downsize the agency more and still fulfill the congressional mandate, but Trump is pushing them for cuts anyways
  • Steve Early and Suzanne Gordon have a piece in the American Prospect detailing Trump’s assaults on unions in the VA
  • DOGE cut $400M from Americorps, meaning 32,000 Americorps members serving as tutors, coordinating food distribution at pantries, and doing disaster recovery will be left without a stipend. $2.5M of that was cut from Alabama, and municipalities, technical colleges, and school systems will be directly affected
  • ICE agents stormed into the homes of US citizens in Oklahoma in the middle of the night, forcing a mom and her daughters outside in the rain before they even had a chance to get dressed, taking their phones, laptops, and money as “evidence.”
  • The Trump administration cut $1B in mental health grants for schools, which will put the jobs of thousands of psychologists, mental health workers, and counselors at risk
  • A new postmaster general has been selected – David Steiner, a board member of Fedex. Postal unions like the NALC and APWU issued statements condemning the move as a step towards privatization
  • Trump announced more tariffs – this time on foreign films. The Teamsters issued a statement of support, and IATSE issued a statement that was more nuanced, highlighting the problems with the American film industry and pointing to alternative solutions
  • The UAW released a report explaining how US auto manufacturers could ramp up domestic production in response to tariffs
  • Coal miners for decades have been able to get free black lung screenings from the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) – Trump just cut that program
  • The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy built a tool where folks can track the impacts on Kentucky jobs and services from the White House and DOGE, identifying 39 separate and discrete impacts to the state representing lost jobs, fewer protections, and less revenue
  • The US House held a hearing on workers compensation for federal workers, where Republicans said the benefits were “overly generous.” National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian Renfroe spoke in support of the program
  • Florida’s legislative session ended last week, with some good news: a bill meant to roll back child labor protections failed to pass. McKenna Schueler reported on the news for the Orlando Weekly
  • The US Department of Labor is halting enforcement of a new rule from 2024 on independent contractor misclassification

Internal Union Affairs

  • In These Times magazine has issued its first annual Labor Organizer of the Year awards, profiling 3 labor organizers doing incredibly important work.