Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from June 13 to June 20
New Campaigns
- 78 workers at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Norfolk, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
- 20 workers at SPX Cooling Technologies in Springfield, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 208-SM
- 18 workers at Starbucks in Kansas City, Mo filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United
- 13 workers at Twin City Toyota in Herculaneum, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with IAMAW District 9
- 70 workers at Waste Management of the Carolinas in Gastonia, NC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 71
- 1 worker at the Memphis Symphony Orchestra filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (last week, 6 workers at the same workplace filed for an election)
- 3 workers at the Delaware Resource Group in Corpus Christi, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the IAMAW
- 5 workers at ABM in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99
- 78 security guards for Preeminent Protective Services in Washington DC filed a petition to hold a union election with Preeminent Protective Services Workers United
Election Results
- 14 workers at Quest Diagnostics in Marietta, GA voted against unionization with the Teamsters Local 728
- 4 workers at Luxottica of America in Sterling, VA voted in favor of unionization with the Sunglass Hut Dulles Airport Employees Union
- 15 workers at CBRE in Washington, DC withdrew their petition for a union election with IUOE Local 99
- 8 workers at Phillips 66 in Savannah, GA voted in favor of decertifying their union – the United Steel Workers (USW) Local 643
- 32 workers at Vestis Services in Dallas, TX voted in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 745
Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases
- A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of some NIH grants. The UAW – which represents 5,000 fellows at the NIH – applauded the move
- The courts also granted a partial injunction to a coalition of municipalities that sued the Department of Health and Human Services over funding cuts. HHS now has to issue the grants while the case proceeds. AFSCME, a party to the suit, applauded the move
- The nation’s largest nurses union condemned the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Tennessee’s transgender healthcare ban for minors
- A California federal judge heard arguments from unions seeking a preliminary injunction to halt federal agencies implementation of Trump’s anti-union executive order last week. While he didn’t issue a ruling, he said he would do so “soon,” and seemed skeptical of the government’s position
Strikes & Bargaining
- Workers at Lufthansa Technik in Puerto Rico – unionized with the IAM – held a rally last week demanding a fair contract after 3 years of the company stalling at the bargaining table. The 200 workers organized at the aviation company back in 2022.
- The United Steel Workers continues to sound the alarm about the dangers of the Nippon takeover of US Steel – the promised investment from Nippon has already decreased by $3B. The union says that even though the media will move on, the union will stay focused on the fight, particularly as contract negotiations kick off next year
- The United Campus Workers in Alabama released an open letter last week condemning the University of North Alabama’s decision to privatize their groundskeeping staff
- Nurses at the University Medical Center in New Orleans – unionized with National Nurses United – announced that they are preparing to strike on Monday. They say that the hospital is unfairly retaliating against union activists and fired one of the most prominent leaders back in May – the union is demanding he be reinstated
- The Teamsters union is announcing that 3,000 Teamsters, members of Local 577 in Amarillo, TX at Tyson Foods will be voting to authorize a strike next week due to the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith. The union says workers are demanding higher wages, more paid time off, improved benefits, and protection against excessive overtime. They say that instead of giving workers a fair contract, Tyson — a company that reported over $50 billion in revenue last year — has been dragging its feet at the bargaining table.
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee announced that they are laying off 650 employees
Political & Legislative
- The VA under Trump has changed some of its bylaws, removing language prohibiting personnel from discriminating against patients because of their marital status or political beliefs. It also removed language forbidding management from discriminating against candidates for positions based on national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, membership in a labor organization or “lawful political party affiliation.” The VA did say though, that federal laws and a 2013 policy directive would still ban discrimination based on those categories, even if the VA bylaws no longer do
- Under the Senate version of the budget bill, Republicans seek to make federal employment even worse for new employees, increasing retirement contributions for all new hires to at least 9.4% of their salary, and 14.4% of their salary if they want to keep their civil service protections. Unions continue to urge rejection for this reason and also for the ban on state’s regulating AI. The AFL-CIO also has a new report detailing how Medicaid cuts will increase healthcare prices for everyone
- The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) is condemning the companies’ attempts to deregulate rail further
- NABTU applauded what they called Trump’s “reinforcing” of Biden’s executive order on PLAs. While it doesn’t go as far as Biden’s did, Trump’s OPM did forbid agencies from blanket bans on the use of PLAs.