Every week in the south, workers organize new unions, they bargain for new contracts, they fight for good legislation and against bad legislation, and they put the boss in their place. These are all the stories we could find from April 3rd to April 17th.
New Campaigns
1,969 workers in 32 bargaining units have gone public with their union campaigns, and 682 workers in 2 bargaining units are now in the middle of decertification campaigns
- 700 workers at the Mid-Continent Library system in Missouri announced their intention to unionize with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 6360
- 200 workers at Hard Rock Casino in Bristol, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 519
- 145 workers in 7 different Starbucks bargaining units filed a petition to hold a union election with Starbucks Workers United:
- 12 workers at Kentucky Power Company in Ashland, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 978
- 40 workers at Didlake, Inc. in Portsmouth, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Public Service Employee Local Union 572
- 16 workers at Lee County Electric Cooperative Inc. in North Fort Myers, FL filed a petition to hold a union election with IBEW 1933
- 26 workers at Huntsman Corporation in Freeport, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 564
- 4 workers at PCSI in Fort Sill, OK filed a petition to hold a union election with the IUOE Local 351
- 5 workers at Hope Gas, Inc. in Morgantown, WV filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Gas Workers Union (UGWU-UWUA) Local 69
- 7 workers at Generator Super Center in Corpus Christi, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the IBEW LOCAL 278
- 490 workers at Southern Foodservice Management Inc. in Fort Lee, VA filed a petition to hold a union election with The International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC-UFCW)
- 201 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)
- Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the District of Columbia Nurses Association as the union representing 680 workers at The George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC
- 50 workers at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with the District of Columbia Nurses Association
- 82 workers at Tri-County Electric Cooperative in Azle, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the IBEW Local 738
- 26 workers at Huntsman Corporation in Freeport, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the IUOE Local 564
- 7 workers at Scholastic Book Fairs in La Vergne, TN filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 327
- 25 workers at Blank Street Coffee in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with Workers United
- 6 workers at EMCOR Government Services in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with IUOE Local 99
- Workers likely pushed by their employer filed a petition to decertify the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) Lodge D-NCL as the union representing 2 workers at Conco Companies/CRH in Springfield, MO
- 18 workers at Volvo Group in Justin, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 767
- 17 workers at Massage Envy in Stockbridge, GA filed a petition to hold a union election with the Printing, Packaging, Production Workers Union of North America (PPPWU) Local 527-M
- 12 workers at All Fired Up – a pottery store – in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election with Workers United
- 30 workers at Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center in Washington, DC filed a petition to hold a union election, but the union isn’t listed by the NLRB
- 3 workers at Nouryon Functional Chemicals, LLC in La Porte, TX filed a petition to hold a union election with the United Steel Workers (USW)
- 12 workers at Kentucky Power Company in Ashland, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the IBEW Local 978
- 11 workers at Clean Harbors in Smithfield, KY filed a petition to hold a union election with the Teamsters Local 89
- 4 workers at Professional Contract Services, Inc. in Fort Sill, OK filed a petition to hold a union election with the IUOE Local 351
Election Results
142 workers across 3 bargaining units unionized (all of those happened in one week – last week unfortunately there were no successful union elections in the US South and the American colonies), 179 workers across 3 bargaining units withdrew their petition for a union election, and 339 workers across 6 bargaining units voted against unionization
- 93 workers at Trojan Battery in Sandersville, GA withdrew their petition with the IBB
- 26 workers at Huntsman Corporation in Freeport, TX withdrew their petition with the IUOE Local 564
- 31 workers at MEMC LLC in Saint Peters, MO voted 13 to 18 against unionization with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District 9
- 224 workers at ADUSA Transportation, LLC in Dunn, NC voted 83 to 107 against unionization with the Teamsters Local 391
- 8 workers at UD Contracting in Fort Knox, KY voted 0 to 6 in favor of decertifying the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) Local 502
- 24 workers at Statesville Painting and Maintenance in Danville, VA voted 7 to 9 against unionization with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 53
- 12 workers at Workman and Sons Plumbing in Ashland, KY voted 0 to 12 against unionization with the UA Local 248
- 120 workers at Dairy Farmers of America in Winston-Salem, NC voted in a card check election to unionize with the Teamsters Local 391
- 60 workers at US Foods, Inc. in Salem, VA withdrew their petition with the Teamsters Local 171
- 8 workers at US Foods Inc. in Salem, VA voted 4 to 4 against unionization with the Teamsters Local 171
- 13 workers at Cardinal Health 414, LLC in Springfield, MO voted 7 to 6 in favor of unionization with the Teamsters Local 245
- 40 workers at Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative, Inc. in Van Alstyne, TX voted 11 to 27 against unionization with the IBEW Local 220
- 9 workers at Kuraray America, Inc. in La Porte, TX voted 5 to 2 in favor of unionization with the ICWUC-UFCW
Grievances, Unfair Labor Practices, & Court Cases
- After initially defying a court order to reinstate the contracts it has with its unions, the VA has now acquiesced, ordering management to abide by the contracts it previously said to ignore. This will reinstate employee benefits like extended parental leave and grievance procedures for more than 300,000 union represented VA employees. The order is a preliminary injunction that, while not deciding the case on its merits, does mean that this judge thinks the union is likely to ultimately prevail. The judge says that the nature of the contract terminations are retaliation for constitutionally protected speech and actions by unions that the Trump administration disfavors, as evidenced by the fact that unions who did not sue the administration saw their contracts kept intact
- A jury found that Ticketmaster and Live Nation – which merged in 2010 – are a monopoly and act in an anti-competitive way. The US Department of Justice, which was one of the plaintiffs under the Biden administration, withdrew from the case under Trump, but 33 states and DC decided to keep going. The verdict by the jury doesn’t immediately decide remedies – that comes next. But possibilities include refunds for people who purchased what have been found to be overpriced tickets, the corporation being forced to sell off parts of itself to reintroduce competition, and more. On the other hand – it could also look like the weak settlement that the company made with the Trump administration, in which it paid $280M, and mandates some behaviors to increase competition, but doesn’t break the company up nor provide immediate relief to concert goers
Strikes & Bargaining
- 300 call center workers for DirecTV in West Virginia, Kentucky, and other states voted to authorize a strike if the company doesn’t offer them a fair contract. Their union – the Communication Workers of America – said in a statement that “top priorities for workers at the bargaining table include higher wages, lower health care costs, and fair working conditions—including the ability to take their hard-earned days off and take reasonable breaks between calls.”
- After UPS admitted that its buyout program was a violation of their contract with the Teamsters, the union secured what they are calling a stronger settlement that limits the number of people the company can offer it to, to 7,500 and prioritizes applicants by seniority. In the agreement they also got the company to agree not to pursue any further buyout or severance programs throughout the life of the contract, which expires in July of 2028.
- 200 Florida warehouse workers for United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI) – organized with the Teamsters Local 769 – voted by 100% to authorize a strike if the company doesn’t offer a fair first contract. They first unionized last year and still don’t have a contract yet
- UFCW Local 400 members at Boars Head in Jarret and Petersburg, VA voted unanimously to ratify a new union contract. The union says that “the four-year agreement adds the day after Thanksgiving as an additional holiday, maintains affordable health care, and provides generous across-the-board raises retroactively to November 2025”
- Would you accept a guaranteed 20% raise over four years? That’s the question that thousands of DHL workers across the country are debating as they decide whether or not to ratify a new four year collective bargaining agreement with the company. The Teamsters National Bargaining Committee for DHL recently reached the agreement with the company – narrowly averting a strike that had been authorized by 96% of DHL Teamsters in the event the company wouldn’t agree to a fair offer. In addition to the 20% pay increase, the union says the new contract – if ratified – would include “higher health and welfare contributions, and critical job protections.” The union also said the contract “establishes robust safeguards against AI-driven routing systems that undermine seniority and explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles that threaten Teamsters jobs.”
- 500 drivers and warehouse workers at CVS’s distribution center in Fredericksburg, VA voted to authorize a strike as their current contract gets closer to its expiration date of April 30th and they still have no tentative agreement. The workers, unionized with Teamsters Local 592, are demanding a fair agreement and rejecting CVS’s concessionary demands. In a press statement, the union pointed out that “CVS is the largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States and posted $402.1 billion in revenue in 2025, with nearly $1.8 billion in profits,” and despite that, “the company is demanding cuts to affordable health care and other core benefits.”
- The Nashville Central Labor Council and union nurses for the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) protested at the 2026 Frist Gala at the Frist Art Museum. The gala and museum are named for the family behind HCA Healthcare, the country’s largest hospital system. Protestors are demanding that HCA safely staff its hospitals and separate itself from Palantir – HCA has recently begun making staffing decisions with the company’s technology
Political & Legislative
- Alabama’s legislative session ended last week. While the legislature decided not to make any progress on reining in corporate abuses or the use of child labor by corporations that get taxpayer money, nor on low wages or long hours, nor on skyrocketing healthcare costs – they did decide to take candy away from poor folks (literally) and insulate Alabama Power from voter discontent through changes to the Public Service Commission. They also decided to further undermine public education by siphoning still more taxpayer dollars to private schools
- Melania Trump made a strange speech about Epstein last week – but that’s not all she’s done. She also recently announced an initiative that she supports to replace human teachers with AI robots. The American Federation of Teachers condemned the initiative in a statement, saying that “anyone who cares about teaching and learning knows there is no substitute for the daily magic that happens between educators and students in the classroom. As shiny as this technology may be, and as helpful as it may be as a tool, it can never replace the human skills and knowledge needed to solve very human problems. And it can never replace the relationship building and critical thinking that kids need to thrive.” They also pointed out that, rather than curbing the issues of screentime with young people and students, this would only exacerbate the issue
- Federal firefighters might finally be getting hazard pay – a 25% raise while doing specific hazardous activities – thanks to their union. These workers have so far gotten no hazard pay for activities on the fireline related to the preparation, implementation, and control on prescribed wildland fires, despite the fact that other federal workers get hazard pay. The union – the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) – has been fighting for this since 2022, trying to get the change implemented however possible, whether through legislation or the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) changing the rules. OPM has finally relented, and has proposed the rule change on the federal register. OPM is accepting comments until June 15th. If implemented as is, firefighters would start getting hazardous duty pay for those activities the following week. NFFE is still pursuing legislation to codify the coming change.
- The Trump administration doesn’t want to investigate companies for breaking labor law. Crystal Carey is the current, Trump-appointed General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board. Previously, she worked for the anti-union employer side law firm Morgan Lewis. She was so bad that even the Teamster’s Sean O’Brien opposed her nomination even though he hates to oppose the Trump administration on anything. Of course, Sean O’Brien’s acquiescence to Trump hasn’t gotten him or the Teamsters much of anything because Carey’s nomination held and she was confirmed. Carey recently maintained a new rule from the interim General Counsel (who took the job after Trump fired Jennifer Abruzzo) that requires employees and unions to do most of the investigation for the board, instead of workers and unions being able to make a complaint before the board for the professional Board investigators to go and, well, investigate. Now, a complaint will be dismissed if it doesn’t have a chronological timeline of events, names and titles of all involved along with contact information, documentations including texts, emails, and phone records, a list of witnesses and summaries of their testimonies. Additionally, the NLRB will no longer pursue charges against an employer who implements unlawful work rules – such as saying that it is prohibited to talk about unions – as long as the employer agrees to stop breaking the law. Under Carey, no further remedy is necessary – no statement acknowledging the law, or that they had previously broken the law.
- The Texas AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education (COPE) announced its official endorsement of Rep. James Talarico for U.S. Senate
Internal Union Affairs
- The United Auto Workers released its annual union vehicle guide – you can find it on the union’s website
- The labor movement continues to grapple with the recent allegations rape and sexual abuse by farmworker union leader Cesar Chavez. Ana Avendaño, author of Solidarity Betrayed: How Unions Enable Sexual Harassment – And How They Can Do Better wrote about some recommendations for unions for In These Times, among them that unions should release staff from NDAs and cease their use in the future, as well as holding truth and reconciliation commissions. LaborNotes has an interview with the author of a Chavez biographer who points to the lack of democracy in the UFW as a big reason for Chavez’s ability to get away with what he did, as well as a response letter from a California union organizer who pointed out that democracy isn’t a cure all, and that the UFW situation is complex.
- The International Association of Fire Fighters boasted that 100% of the 18 new recruits joined their Memphis local last week
- The Alabama State Council of Machinists (IAM) elected its first woman president at its convention – Michelle Hunt of IAM Local 2003