Last Week in Southern Labor: 9/12 – 9/26

Jacob Morrison

Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to from Friday, September 12, to Friday, September 26

New Campaigns

  • 52 workers at North Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Birmingham, AL filed a petition to hold a union election with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU)
  • The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 65 workers at Tom Thumb Grocery Store in Dallas, TX demonstrated support for unionization with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1000 & 540, at another location in Duncanville, TX with 111 workers, another location in Dallas, TX with 34 workers, and another location in DeSoto, TX with 102 workers
  • The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 116 workers at Albertsons in Ft Worth, TX demonstrated support for unionization with UFCW Local 1000 & 540
  • 380 workers at Genesis Logistics in Stafford, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 322
  • 380 workers at 3M Company in Springfield, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Steel Workers (USW)
  • 80 workers at Bacardi Bottling Corporation & Distribution Center in Jacksonville, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 947
  • 19 workers at Johnson Brothers in Irving, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 745
  • The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 14 workers at Spec’s Family Partners in Temple, TX demonstrated support for unionization with the Teamsters Local 657
  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to hold an election to decertify the Teamsters Local 89 as the union representing 10 workers at Builders Resource in Louisville, KY 
  • 2 workers at Action Facilities Management in Arlington, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99
  • 11 workers at Rabroker Air Conditioning and Plumbing in Hewitt, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 529
  • 130 workers at Technica in Jacksonville, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) 
  • 19 workers at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) Local 1937
  • 2 workers at CBRE in Washington, DC (a commercial real estate and investment firm) filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99
  • 8 workers at Ready Mix Concrete in Sainte Genevieve, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 600
  • 100 workers at Amentum in Jacksonville, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the IAMAW
  • 50 workers at Talent Burst in Christiansburg, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Steel Workers (USW)
  • 88 workers at First Student in Grandview, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 838
  • 14 workers at Starbucks in Brentwood, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United
  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to hold an election to decertify the Teamsters Local 89 as the union representing 10 workers at BFS Group in Louisville, KY 
  • 20 workers at Martinez and Company in Gibsonton, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) (thanks to Joey, an organizer for the SPFPA, for calling in and telling us about this!)
  • 5 workers at Sunbelt Rentals in Jefferson City, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the IUOE Local 513
  • The employer filed a petition to hold a union election after a majority of the 2 workers at John Fabick Tractor Company in Cape Girardeau, MO demonstrated support for unionization with the IUOE Local 513
  • The Teamsters in Puerto Rico are trying to raid a unit of 70 workers at Super Asphalt Pavement Corporation in San Juan, PR who are currently represented by the Union of Mixed Cement Workers (Union Obreros Cementos Mezclados)

Campaign Updates

  • 15 US Senators wrote a letter to Wells Fargo demanding they cease their “significantly more aggressive” anti-union campaign, as the Communication Workers of America (CWA) continues to win elections and build pressure

Election Results

  • 53 workers at Transdev Services in Rosenberg, TX voted 31 to 2 in favor of unionization with the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)
  • 13 workers at Starbucks in Dallas, TX voted 7 to 6 in favor of unionization with Starbucks Workers United – 21 workers at another location in Columbia, MO also voted in favor of unionization 11 to 1
  • 52 workers at UNFI in Richburg, SC voted 27 to 15 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 509. In a press release, the union says the workers unionized for “better wages, stronger benefits, and improved working conditions.” The Teamsters say this victory “is the latest in a wave of Teamsters organizing wins at the nation’s largest distributor for Amazon-owned Whole Foods.” Since 2022, more than 3,000 UNFI workers nationwide have joined the Teamsters. Across the country, over 5,000 workers are now Teamsters.
  • 330 workers at HCA Florida Ft Walton Destin Hospital in Ft Walton Beach, FL voted 215 to 115 in favor of unionization with National Nurses United (NNU). In a press release, the union said the nurses unionized due to “chronic short-staffing, unsafe floating practices, continual issues with broken equipment, and workplace violence.” NNU also mentions that a “national study found that HCA staffing levels were about 30 percent below the national average.” and that “registered nurses say these issues make it extremely difficult for them to provide safe, therapeutic care in a timely manner.”
  • 64 workers at Sibelco in Spruce Pine, NC voted against unionization (the tally isn’t on the NLRB site) with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), as did 174 workers at another location in Bakersville, NC, voting against unionization 55 to 100
  • 175 workers at Highline Warren in Glen Dale, WV withdrew their petition for a union election with the Teamsters Local 697
  • The NLRB dismissed a decertification petition to remove the Teamsters Local 89 as the union representing 6 workers at IMI Irving Materials in Scottsville, KY 
  • 174 workers at M1 Support Services in Norfolk, VA voted 118 to 22 in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
  • 8 workers at th eTexas New Mexico Power Company in Alvin, TX voted 7 to 0 in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 66
  • 15 workers at CGB Express in Ft Myers, FL voted 12 to 3 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 79
  • 41 workers at Breakthru Beverage Missouri in St Louis, MO voted 28 to 6 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 600
  • 16 workers at Education West Virginia (the merged NEA-AFT affiliate) in Charleston, WV voted to switch unions from the West Virginia Professional Staff Union – NSO to the Communication Workers of America (CWA) with 14 voted for the CWA, 1 for the NSO, and 0 votes for no union
  • 17 workers at Nan McKay & Associates in Jacksonville, FL voted 13 to 4 in favor of unionization with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees
  • 7 security guards at Allied Universal Security Services in Washington DC seemingly did not vote – at all, there were no ballots cast – in an election where Union Rights for Security Officers was attempting to raid a unit currently represented by the SPFPA, and since no one cast a ballot, now they have no union
  • 2 workers at NMAI in Jacksonville, FL voted 2 to 0 in favor of unionization with the Independent Association of Public and Private Employees
  • Workers who filed a petition to decertify the Teamsters Local 89 as the union representing 10 workers at Builders Firstsource in Louisville, KY withdrew their petition 
  • Workers who filed a petition to decertify the United Service Workers Union (USWU) Local 74 as the union representing 47 workers at Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental in Orlando, FL withdrew their petition

Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases

  • LaborNotes has a great piece by friend of the show Bill Barry on how to defend members from politicized firings in a union workplace. He concludes by saying “ultimately, the “just cause” section of the union contract offers protection for all workers. It’s important for a steward to stress this point to other union members who may be inclined—due to the nature of the off-duty episode—to let the boss get rid of a co-worker without making a convincing case. Enforcing the contract for one is enforcing the contract for all!”
  • The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision, now deciding in favor of Trader Joe’s that the branded merchandise of their workers union (Trader Joe’s United) infringes on the company’s intellectual property
  • National Nurses United, which represents thousands of nurses at Ascension, the nation’s largest and wealthiest Catholic hospital chain, has come out with a new report claiming that hundreds of millions of the chains investments in industries like tobacco and arms production violates Vatican guidance.

Strikes & Bargaining

  • Volkswagen in Chattanooga has put an offer on the table that they call a last best and final for the workers, members of the United Auto Workers Local 42. Such offers, as lead negotiator for the union Chuck Browning points out, are rarely ever the last, the best, or the final. The offer doesn’t meet the core demand of the workers – parity with the Big 3 auto makers, but its unclear yet if the workers will strike to get a better deal. A resolution that had been previously introduced in the city council to support the workers in their fight for a fair contract has been withdrawn by the sponsor at the request of the Chattanooga Area Labor Council because it appeared the votes weren’t there. 
  • As Boeing workers in St. Louis, unionized with the International Association of Machinists (IAM), continue their strike, other area unions are coming out to support them on the picket line. Workers ratified a union drafted proposed contract, which would cost the company $40M compared to the company’s offer which would cost them $30M. For context, Boeing’s defense unit, which the St. Louis workers are an essential part of, made $23 billion last year. The union and the company will meet to begin negotiations again next week with a mediator. Reuters is reporting that Boeing isn’t feeling much financial pressure from the strike, due in part to the fact that these workers primarily produce defense products, and the government has already paid for said products. The company is renewing its threat to hire permanent replacements
  • Workers at Starbucks are approaching 4 years without a contract, and their union is now threatening an all out strike in the fall if they don’t get one soon
  • Workers at American Consolidated Natural Resources, Inc. (ACNR) and Iron Senergy, which has locations in West Virginia, and whose members are unionized with the UMWA, ratified a new 5 year collective bargaining agreement that the union claims includes “significant improvements in wages and other contract provisions with no changes to health care or other benefits.”
  • Members of UNITE HERE Local 23 who are on strike at Hilton hotels in Houston announced that they will remain on strike until September 20th
  • Teamsters at Southern Glazer’s in Florida ratified a new 4 year collective bargaining agreement that the union says contains wage increases, a Teamsters health plan, and more
  • After two weeks on the picket line, UAW members at GE in Kentucky and Ohio ratified a new contract. The union says they won on their three major issues, securing strong job protection language, protecting workers from rising healthcare costs, and getting more paid time off, along with raises
  • United Campus Workers (UCW-CWA) at Berea College in Berea, KY won sick leave for their members at the college
  • Laura Li has an interesting analysis of media from the 2023 Stand Up Strike on its anniversary – it’s worth a read
  • Microsoft has announced that they will no longer provide cloud services to the Israeli military after continued worker pushback against the policy
  • Members of UFCW Local 74A who work at McCormick’s Distilling Company in Weston, MO ratified a new contract that the union says includes wage increases, more paid time off, and more
  • United Campus Workers at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL are calling for a raise – delivering a petition with 1,000 signatures to the university president
  • Bus drivers for the City of Mobile, AL, unionized with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 770, were able to beat back an attempt to take away their pension and replace it with a 401k
  • 8 workers resigned from Baton Rouge, LA’s transit system in one week – the union (ATU Local 1546) says it’s because of their employer’s poor wages and bad management

Political & Legislative

  • Late night host Jimmy Kimmel has been canceled by the FCC for speech they didn’t like. First amendment concerns aside, several entertainment unions also pointed out the job killing nature of the move. 
  • RWDSU came out against expanding H2B programs to meatpacking, highlighting a recent Economic Policy Institute report that that such a move would lower wages
  • Congressmembers in the US House introduced the Faster Labor Contracts Act last week – a pared down version of the PRO Act. While the PRO Act would’ve been an overhaul of the entire collective bargaining system, the Faster Labor Contracts Act would focus on bringing employers to the table after workers win a union election, imposing mandatory bargaining within ten days of a win, mediation after 90 days, and mandatory binding arbitration after 30 days of failed mediation. The Teamsters’ Sean O’Brien is the primary driver behind the push – legislation was introduced in the Senate earlier this year 
  • A shutdown is once again looming, with Trump saying he might fire federal workers instead of furloughing them if the government shuts down. The American Federation of Government Employees condemned this threat, saying federal workers shouldn’t be political pawns
  • The Federal Bureau of Prisons cancelled its union contracts – AFGE condemned the move
  • The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) in Alabama (the non-union construction contractors) are in the news saying that they are concerned about Trump’s immigration policies. But, as if to illustrate directly what people on the Left have always said about immigration and capital – that capitalists want undocumented immigration so that they can use ICE as a cudgel against their workforce – they say explicitly in the piece “we [do not] want everybody to get citizenship.”
  • Jordan Barab has a new piece on Confined Space he shockingly reveals that many wildland firefighters in the US are barred from wearing masks, and details some of the affects the LA fires are having on the firefighters who fought them
  • Florida’s minimum wage will soon rise to $14/hr, but since they don’t have a Department of Labor, it’s on the Attorney General’s office to do so, and the Orlando Weekly reports that there is no evidence that they have ever done so. Seems bad!
  • The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) say that Avelo Airlines is violating FAA safety standards in its ICE flights

Internal Union Affairs

  • Babe, wake up, another union reform caucus just dropped. This one is called the Caucus of Rank-and-file Electrical Workers (CREW) within the IBEW. Keith Brower Brown writes about it in LaborNotes
  • RWDSU members at TreeHouse Foods in Farmers Branch, TX flexed a rarely used contract provision requiring company paid for training for stewards and supervisors, covering multiple topics including grievance administration and resolving workplace conflict
  • 31 year old union stagehand – a member of IATSE Local 322 – Braxton Winston was elected president of the North Carolina AFL-CIO, succeeding MaryBe McMillan