Last TWO Weeks in Southern Labor: 1/9 – 1/23

Jacob Morrison

Here’s what workers in the US South and the colonies were up to during the weeks Friday, January 9, and Friday, January 23

New Campaigns

  • 750 workers in 14 bargaining units have gone public with their union campaigns, and 25 workers in 1 bargaining unit are trying to decertify their union
  • 7 workers at Crumbs and Whiskers in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with The Workers United Mid Atlantic Regional Joint Board
  • 182 workers at Ace Hardware Corporation in Plant City, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1625
  • 23 workers at APAC-Brickey’s Stone in Bloomsdale, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 513 
  • 20 workers at BW Industrial in Louisville, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (IUBAC)
  • 30 workers at Specs Family Partners, Ltd. in Galveston, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 988 
  • 65 workers at Technica, LLC in Jacksonville, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) 
  • 162 security guards at Garda World Security Services in Moncks Corner, SC filed a petition to hold a union election with the Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA)
  • 15 workers at Innovative Demolition Services in Lexington, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 181 
  • 7 workers at Concrete Coring Company in Lexington, KY also filed a petition to hold a union election with IUOE Local 181
  • Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify IUOE Local 627 as the union representing 25 workers at Coreslab Structures in Tulsa, OK
  • 140 workers at Weyerhaeuser in Heaters, WV filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
  • 79 workers at TEMCO Logistics in Lithonia, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 528
  • 6 workers at Mid-Western Car Carriers in Saint Louis, MO filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 604
  • 2 workers at Avis Rent a Car in Louisville, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 89
  • 12 workers at Total Distribution in Kenova, WV filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 175

Election Results

540 workers across 9 bargaining units unionized, 237 workers across 8 bargaining units withdrew their petition for a union election, and 40 workers across 2 bargaining units voted against unionization 

  • 2 workers at Avis Rent a Car in Louisville, KY withdrew their petition with the Teamsters 89 
  • 4 workers at Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC withdrew their petition with The District of Columbia Nurses Association
  • 9 workers at CenterPoint Energy Texas Gas Operations in Huntsville, TX voted 7 to 2 in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2286
  • The employer withdrew a petition for a union election among 41 workers who had previously demonstrated majority support for unionization at Breakthru Beverage in Saint Louis, MO with the Teamsters Local 600
  • 100 workers at Amentum Services, Inc. in Jacksonville, FL voted by a two to one margin in favor of unionization with the IAMAW
  • 8 security guards at Martinez and Company, Inc. in Gibsonton, FL voted 2 to 3 against unionization with the SPFPA 
  • 312 workers at Zum Services in Saint Louis, MO voted 136 to 70 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 610
  • 20 workers at Starbucks in Little Rock, AR voted 15 to 5 in favor of unionization with Starbucks Workers United
  • 4 workers at Amentum Services in Fort Eustis, VA voted 2 to 0 in favor of unionization with Teamsters Local 822
  • 23 workers at the Comanche Electric Cooperative Association in Comanche, TX voted 13 to 5 in favor of unionization with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 220
  • 10 workers at Science Applications International Corporation in Fort Worth, TX voted 9 to 1 in favor of unionization with IAMAW 
  • 117 workers at Albertsons in Sherman, TX withdrew their petition to hold a union election with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 1000 and 540
  • The Employer withdrew a petition for a union election with the Teamsters Local 89 among 30 workers at Zenith Logistics in Louisville, KY
  • 4 workers at Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC withdrew their petition to hold a union election with the District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA)
  • 23 workers at Guitar Center Stores, Inc. in Bartlett, TN withdrew their petition to hold a union election with the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU)
  • 19 workers at Transit Management of Alexandria in Alexandria, VA voted 17 to 2 in favor of unionization with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689
  • 16 workers at Community Hospice Gentiva in Washington, NC withdrew their petition to hold a union election with Teamsters Local 391
  • The Security, Police, and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) successfully raided a unit of 32 security guards at Golden SVCS in Washington DC who were previously unionized with Protective Service Officers United (PSOU). 3 guards voted for the SPFPA, and none for PSOU
  • 32 workers at Duke Energy in Garner, NC voted 4 to 24 against unionization with the IBEW
  • 43 workers at V2X in Ft Worth, TX voted 22 to 12 in favor of unionization with the IAMAW

Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases

  • Last week three judges in three separate cases – including a Trump appointee – said that the Trump administration had not met its burden of proof to demonstrate that somehow offshore wind projects represent a national security risk (that’s why he said he abruptly cancelled the projects, killing thousands of jobs). So the federal courts lifted the administration’s stop work orders on the projects – one of which is in Virginia. North America’s Building Trades Unions applauded the court decision. In their statement, they said: “With energy demand surging and prices spiking, the last thing our government should do is take any form of power generation offline… These rulings mean our members can get back to work and keep affordable, clean, reliable power moving to our communities”
  • St Louis firefighters – unionized with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 73 – won a legal battle securing backpay and an end to a promotion freeze that had gone on for years, after the court said the city had “engaged in intentional and reckless misconduct by unlawfully halting promotions.”

Strikes & Bargaining

  • Workers at the DCCC – unionized with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) – voted unanimously to ratify a new 3 year union contract that includes higher wages, 100% employer provided health insurance, increasing commuter benefits, and more
  • 1,000 nurses at three hospitals in South Florida that are all owned by Health Systems of America – unionized with National Nurses United (NNU) – voted in favor of ratifying a new 3 year union contract that contains 12.25% raises over the contract term, improved protections for nurses who speak out about safety issues, enhanced protection that will reduce unsafe staffing levels, and more
  • Nurses at another Florida hospital – also unionized with NNU – will be holding a rally next week calling on the hospital to negotiate a fair contract. In a press release, the nurses said “staffing and addressing workplace violence will be their top priorities as they start negotiations”
  • Negotiations between the National Association of Letter Carriers are officially scheduled to begin on February 25th. As the union moves into its final phase of preparation, it convened 30 letter carriers from across the country – many of them rank and file members of the union – to review potential proposals and provide their input. The union has also called on all branches to hold rallies on Sunday, February 22nd to “make our demands known to the Postal Service while reminding our customers that the service we provide every day deserves a fair contract”
  • Workers at the Courier Journal – Kentucky’s paper of record – voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionization with the NewsGuild nearly 4 years ago, and have been organizing in the face of employer opposition since then. Last week they capped off that organizing by ratifying a contract with the company, the first in the paper’s history. The contract includes stronger workplace protections, expanded parental leave, and wage increases. Reacting to the contract ratification, Josh Wood, a reporter at The Courier Journal, said “Every day, our newsroom produces reporting that is critical to our neighborhoods, our city and Kentucky as a whole. This contract ensures they are doing that important work with more workplace protections and better pay.”
  • Flight service specialists who provide critical weather and safety information to pilots in Reston, VA and Ft Worth, TX are getting ready for bargaining with their employer – Leidos. Unionized with the International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local 2010, the workers primary objectives include higher wages, maintaining their strong healthcare, and more
  • City workers in Austin won a historic victory – getting the city council to pass a policy requiring management to consult with the city workers’ union –  American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1624 – before making any changes that would impact city staff. Austin is the first city in the state of Texas to enact such a policy, going against the grain in a state that tries to depress worker power

Political & Legislative

  • In what some folks might call an omen, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in Alabama the same week that rail regulators rejected the Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific’s 7,000 page merger application. The Surface Transportation Board is going to give the companies another bite at the apple though – they have 30 days to resubmit the application. Specifically, the Board said that there was no forward looking analysis at market share projections. They may not have wanted to include that because if they did – and were honest – what they are proposing would look like an anticompetitive monopoly, raise prices, and cut jobs, like every other rail merger has. Most rail worker unions oppose the merger
  • Huntsville Hospital announced that they are buying their only competitor in the Huntsville metro area – Crestwood – in a $450M deal. This despite the CEO of Huntsville Hospital telling AL(dot)com only 5 months ago that there is “no immediate plan to expand further.” Huntsville Hospital only last year received an F on a patient safety scorecard based on information from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In particular, I found this troubling: “compared to other hospitals, Huntsville Hospital has a higher death rate among patients with serious post-surgical complications, like pneumonia, heart attack, or loss of kidney and liver function. In the best-performing hospitals, 85 out of 1,000 patients who suffer such complications die. The number rose to 222 for Huntsville Hospital, close to the worst-performing hospital’s 236.” Huntsville Hospital pays worse than Crestwood, according to reports from workers on Reddit and Facebook
  •  The Association of General Contractors (AGC) – the more union friendly construction contractor association – has a report out on the “business case for inclusion and belonging.” They say that companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion practices outperform their competitors in productivity, safety, profitability, and more
  • Elon Musk’s Grok AI – which sometimes calls itself Mecha Hitler – has been, I kid you not, removing the clothing from children and posting their pictures, along with similarly lude pictures of adults who similarly did not ask the AI Hitler to create a naked picture of them. The AFL-CIO – the nation’s largest labor federation – pointed out how legitimately concerning it is that Trump’s Defense Department is integrating this AI into military systems. Liz Shuler, the AFLCIO President, said, “The Trump administration should not be funneling working people’s tax dollars into the pockets of tech billionaires, especially in exchange for dangerous, untested AI. The AFL-CIO is fighting to ensure the federal government uses AI responsibly to minimize the threat these systems pose while protecting human oversight that can prevent catastrophe.”
  • Workers beat RFK Jr. last week. Nine months ago, the Health Secretary attempted to fire 1,000 federal workers from the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health. Those workers are scientists, engineers, and technical experts critical to the nation’s workplace safety and public health infrastructure. Thanks to the union, the workers were placed on administrative leave instead of immediately fired. More than 300 workers were pretty quickly brought back to work, and last week, the entire staff was fully reinstated without a lapse in pay. National Nurses United – the nation’s largest nurses union, celebrated the win and noted how reliant they are on the research that NIOSH does. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) – which represents the NIOSH workers – said they will keep fighting to ensure the the agency has the resources it needs to do its job well
  • This guy is determined to make you believe that every stereotype you have about Alabamians is true. The Alabama Public Library Service, chaired by John Wahl (who is also chair of the Republican Party in the state of Alabama) said that the organization will continue to withhold funds from a south Alabama library until it removes 10 more books from its teenager section, including Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
  • Trump thinks it’s fine for bosses to steal from workers and allow them to be killed on the job. That’s the only conclusion you can draw from a new report by Good Jobs First about worker protection enforcement actions under Trump’s second term. They found that prior to this term, such actions didn’t fluctuate that much (usually only about 4%). However, during Trump’s first nine months, enforcement dropped significantly compared to inflation adjusted monthly averages from 2009 to 2024. A couple highlights: wage and hour penalties have dropped 83%, wage and hour enforcement cases have declined by 97%, workplace health and safety penalties have dropped 47%, and health and safety enforcement cases have declined by 35%. This comes after significant losses in staffing to the agencies tasked with enforcing these laws during the DOGE debacle. It’s worth reminding people that even as laws protecting workers go unenforced, immigration enforcement funding has increased 10 fold, resulting in masked men on the street harassing our communities

Internal Union Affairs

  • The Union Plus Scholarship program has been helping union members and their families afford college for 35 years. Applications are open for 2026 Scholarships and they close on January 31st – if you’d like to apply you can visit unionplus.org and search scholarships