Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from July 18 to August 1
New Campaigns
- 36 workers at Breakthru Beverage in Saint Louis, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 600
- 20 workers at Starbucks in Columbia, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United, as did 21 workers at another location in Bonaire, GA, and 18 more at a location in Cary, NC
- The Communication Workers of America (CWA) is attempting to raid a unit of 19 staffers who work at Education West Virginia (the teachers union there) who are currently represented by the National Staff Organization (NSO)
- 300 workers at Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)’s Florida Walton-Destin Hospital filed a petition to hold a union election with National Nurses United (NNU)
- 84 workers at Alstom Transport in Atlanta, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
- 64 workers at Sibelco’s Crystal Plant in Spruce Pine, NC filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), as did 94 workers at the company’s Red Hill Plant in Barkersville, NC
- 18 workers at CBG Express in Ft Myers, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 79
- Protective Services Officers United is trying to raid a unit of 15 security guards at Allied Universal in Washington, DC who are currently represented by Union Rights for Security Officers
- National Capital Union For Security Officers is trying to raid a unit of 30 security guards at Paragon System in Washington, DC who are currently represented by National Union of Special Police Officers
- 40 workers at Nan Mckay and Associates filed a petition to hold a union election with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees
- 15 workers at New Bern Transport Corporation in Rock Hill, SC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 71
- 23 workers at Salamander Employer in Washington DC filed a petition to hold a union election with UNITE HERE Local 25
- 8 workers at Sysco in Louisville, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 89
Election Results
- 2 workers at the Appalachian Power Company in Beckley, WV voted unanimously in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 978
- 27 workers at AEP Texas in Corpus Christi, TX voted 15 to 8 in favor of unionization with IBEW Local 738
- 68 workers at Waste Management of the Carolinas in Gastonia, NC voted 36 to 31 against unionization with the Teamsters Local 71
- 303 workers at Nichiha USA in Macon, GA voted 141 to 115 in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB)
- 16 workers at Starbucks in Columbia, Mo voted 12 to 4 in favor of unionization with Starbucks Workers United, as did 12 workers at a location in Austin, TX (voting 10 to 0)
- 6 workers at UNFI Wholesale in Pompano Beach, FL voted 5 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 769
- 21 workers at the American Red Cross in Cape Girardeau, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655, but withdrew the petition in the same week
- The United Security Officers of America attempted to raid a unit of 140 security guards at Paragon Systems in Houston, TX who are currently represented by the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America but withdrew their petition in the same week
- 3 workers at Amentum in Corpus Christi, TX withdrew their petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
- 6 security guards at Measured Threat Applications and Consulting (MTAC) in Lorton, VA withdrew their petition for a union election with Union Rights for Security Officers
- 12 workers at Vestis Services in Jackson, TN voted 12 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 480
- 4 workers at DRG in Corpus Christi, TX voted 4 to 0 in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
- 13 workers at Twin City Toyota in Herculaneum, MO voted 12 to 1 in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases
- The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided against unions and in favor of the Trump administration in the battle over collective bargaining rights for federal workers. However, a Trump-appointed judge threw out a Trump administration lawsuit against unions on the same issue. And, unions have filed another lawsuit just this week, this one in DC. The issue is far from settled
- Workers at a Disney subcontractor in Florida who are trying to unionize with UNITE HERE Local 737 are calling on Disney to investigate the company because they allege it has violated the Disney Code of Conduct which requires respect of workers right to unionize by retaliating against them during their campaign (most of Disney’s employees are union)
- The Florida Staff Organization (FSO), the union that represents staff for the Florida Education Association (FEA), is alleging the FEA has violated its contract by failing to meet the standard of just cause in the discipline of one of their employees
Strikes & Bargaining
- Apparently Fedex is putting its employees through similar problems as UPS, and some workers are interested in organizing. David Allen at the Roswell Hub has a video up about it
- The Austin, TX Firefighters union is pushing back against city attempts to cut staffing
- In a surprising vote, United Airlines flight attendants voted by 70% to reject a tentative agreement that would’ve increased compensation by 40% in the first year. It may be worth noting, that the AFA came out against misinformation about the contract recently.
Political & Legislative
- UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith is out with a statement condemning Texas’ plans to gerrymander, saying “enough is enough. Stop feeding the corporate greed machine and start looking out for Texas workers and their families.” Other unions are also speaking out, and the Texas AFL-CIO shared a video of an IUPAT member testifying against the plan at a hearing
- Trump has made his appointments to the National Labor Relations Board – two picks who have a long track record of anti-worker sentiments
- Nonprofit Quarterly has a profile out on the new Labor Institute for Advancing Black Strategists, headquartered in Atlanta
- RWDSU members at workplaces where immigration have severely decreased the number of workers testified at a roundtable in Washington DC about the negative impacts on the workers left behind
- Bernie Sanders introduced the Pay Teachers Act, which would set a $60k minimum salary for teachers, mandate $30/hr minimum wage for school staff, Triple Title 1 funding, and give teachers $1,000 for classroom supplies. The cost would be less than half of Trump’s tax cuts for wealthy folks
- Russ Vought is charging taxpayers $4.7M for his security detail, and taking that out of the budget of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- The UAW is condemning Trump’s trade deal with Japan, saying that it advantages cars made in Japan over mostly American-made cars like GM, Ford, and Stellantis
- The Trump administration has expressed interest in privatizing the TVA – unions are mobilizing to oppose the move.