Milwaukee, WI – On the evening of September 27, one year after the publication of his book Fighting Times, author Jon Melrod joined a discussion led by a panel of workers in an event organized by the Young Workers’ Committee (YWC) of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council (MALC). A noted labor activist and lawyer, Melrod spoke with the young unionists, community activists and students regarding the importance of the unions and their place in building a revolutionary movement.

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday September 27, workers at Seward Co-op in South Minneapolis reached a tentative agreement on their next union contract. The agreement comes only one day after a strong majority of the co-op workers voted to authorize a strike by a near unanimous majority of ballots cast. The co-op workers are represented by Local 663 of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW 663) union.

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, September 26, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 663 members at Seward Community Co-op voted by an overwhelming majority to authorize an Unfair Labor Practice strike as they head towards their September 27 bargaining session with management. This vote comes as a result of management’s harassment and intimidation of workers over the past three weeks after the expiration of the previous contract on August 22, which took with it the right to arbitration following grievance procedures.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions.

The World Federation of Trade Unions, on behalf of its 105 million workers in the 5 continents, expresses its full and unconditional solidarity with the workers of the automotive industry in the companies of GM, Ford, and Stellantis in the United States of America.

Morrow, GA – Members of United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 868 in Morrow, just south of Atlanta, began picketing on Friday, September 22, as the auto workers strike expanded to more facilities across the country.

The strike began on September 15 at three manufacturing plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio and has now expanded to 38 parts distribution centers owned by GM and Stellantis. Members of UAW Local 868 work in a Mopar center, which is the parts distribution division of Stellantis. While only about 120 people work at this location, their impact is massive, as they provide parts to service centers and dealerships across the South.

Milwaukee, WI – At exactly 11 a.m. on Friday, September 22, about 100 workers at a Milwaukee auto parts distribution center owned by Stellantis exited the rundown brick building and joined the national United Auto Workers (UAW) strike. These brave workers lined up along the sidewalk and listened attentively to a short speech by Joseph Neu, president of the UAW Local 75 in Milwaukee.

New Brunswick, NJ – On September 19, United Steelworkers Local 4-200 announced they voted to reject a proposed three-year contract with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick.

Seattle, WA – On Thursday, September 14, over 100 Homegrown workers from six retail locations walked off the job to demand a new contract. The strike took place across the greater Seattle area for three consecutive days. Each day the strike grew, so that by Saturday, workers from all eight of nine Homegrown locations had joined. Homegrown workers are represented by UNITE HERE Local 8 and have been bargaining with the company for over eight months.

New Orleans, LA – On September 20, workers at French Truck Coffee in the French Quarter voted 8-0 to unionize. The French Quarter is the city’s tourism hub and generates billions each year. But hospitality workers often work for low wages and no benefits at non-union small or mid-sized businesses. This is the first workplace of this kind to unionize. It is also the first union at French Truck, an expanding regional coffee chain.

Minneapolis, MN – On Monday, September 25, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 members at Seward Community Co-op are set to take an authorization vote for an Unfair Labor Practice strike. This follows several weeks of bargaining and struggle on the shop floor on several issues between workers and management.