Seattle, WA – Usually at Angle Lake Park, the noise of jets taking off from nearby SeaTac International Airport drowns out the sound of everyday activity. But on the morning of August 15, it was chants of “Pay us or chaos” that could be heard over everything else, as hundreds gathered for the Day of Solidarity informational picket in support of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA’s fight for a new contract.
Milwaukee, WI – On the morning of August 14, 15 workers at Ascension Saint Francis Hospital (SFH) represented by the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP) Local 5000 marched to the top hospital administrator's office with a stack of 144 individual grievances. Administration denied the union workers at SFH a bonus while providing it to the non-bargaining unit workers at the hospital and to workers at all of the other non-union Ascension hospitals in the state.
Minneapolis, MN – On August 8, a proposed ordinance that would guarantee Uber and Lyft drivers a minimum wage and give them some protections against “deactivation” (firing) came one step closer to becoming law in Minneapolis.
Tallahassee, FL – On August 9, Florida State University (FSU) and Graduate Assistants United (FSU-GAU), the labor union of graduate assistants (GAs) at FSU, reached an agreement on several articles in the collective bargaining agreement after several months of bargaining. The articles will now have to be ratified by the bargaining unit through an election that will be conducted in the coming weeks.
Chicago, IL – The Chicago Transit Justice Coalition (CTJC) is a rank-and-file opposition caucus of Chicago Transit Authority workers in Amalgamated Transit Union Locals 241/308. They publish a newsletter called Finally Got the News. The CTJC was launched in December of 2019. They encourage 241/308 members to be proactive in fighting against what Local 308 member Eric Basir describes as “tyrannical managers.”
Chicago, IL – 200 workers at Loretto Hospital are on the ninth day of their #StrikeForStaffing. This is their slogan because they are the lowest-paid CNAs, housekeepers and tech workers in any safety net hospital in Chicago. Because of their low wages, workers have to work 50 or 60 hours a week to make ends meet. Being forced to work excessive overtime isn’t best for patient care.
De Pere, WI – Members of Teamsters Local 662 at New Dairy Select Milk, a subsidiary of Borden Dairy, formerly known as Morning Glory, have been on strike for four weeks over the company’s refusal to negotiate a fair deal on workers’ healthcare coverage.
On Sunday, August 13 at 3 p.m. Pacific time (4 p.m. Mountain / 5 p.m. Central / 6 p.m. Eastern), Freedom Road Socialist Organization will be hosting an online event entitled “Class Struggle Unionism and the Tentative Agreement at UPS” featuring rank-and-file Teamsters, some of whom are FRSO members.
Edison, NJ – Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 4-200 began an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike, August 4, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick.
Seattle, WA – On July 29 and 30, Pacific Northwest People Over Profit (PNW POP), along with other organizations, rallied hundreds of people to protest the ministerial meetings taking place in Seattle for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Madison, WI – On July 29, members of the OPEIU Local 39 took to the streets once again to demand a better contract from their employer TruStage, formerly known as Cuna Mutual Group.
We want to give our support and solidarity to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in their victory in the contract battle with UPS. Militants in the Teamsters have demanded an uncompromising approach to contract negotiations. Since August of last year, the new leadership of the Teamsters listened to the members and launched a massive contract campaign, a breath of fresh air in the labor movement. As a result, they have achieved huge gains at UPS, reversing decades of Hoffa concessions. Members are looking over the tentative agreement now in preparation of voting it up or down.
Atlanta, GA – On July 26 Amazon workers and community members picketed ATL 6, the Atlanta Amazon Sortation Center. The Amazon drivers in Palmdale, CA extended picket lines to Atlanta as part of their unfair labor practice (ULP) strike against Amazon. The Palmdale Amazon Drivers voted to join Teamsters Local 396 earlier this year and ratified a contract shortly thereafter. Amazon responded to the workers forming a union by retaliating and terminating the newly organized drivers. As a result, the Drivers began their ULP strike.
Seattle, WA – On July 25, about 45 people participated in a practice picket outside a UPS warehouse in South Seattle shortly before 8 a.m. A UPS driver with Local 174, Giselle Neumann, led the crowd in chants of “Hell naw, you did us raw!” and “Hell no, pay me mo’!”
Brooklyn, NY – More than 100 legal aid attorneys, paralegals, social workers and support staff came out to the picket lines, July 26, as workers at Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) demanded their bosses come to the table and negotiate a decent contract.
On Tuesday, July 25, the Teamsters reached a tentative agreement for the UPS 2023-2028 contract which covers 340,000 workers across the country. The agreement follows a rank-and-file campaign for a strong contract that resulted in a 97% strike authorization vote in June, and practice pickets all around the country in July in the lead up to a potential national strike on August 1.
Tucson, AZ – Asserting their power as workers, the educators at BASIS Tucson North won three major victories even before finishing bargaining a first contract. First, paid time off days will increase from five to ten. Second, some educators will receive pay at the rate of $40 per hour for being assigned extra subbing duties. Third, the punitive “attendance bonus” system, which compensated teachers for not using their days of paid time off and which unfairly punished educators with disabilities and illnesses, will come to an end. These changes will take effect starting in August of the 2023-2024 school year.
Dallas, TX – On July 19, Teamsters and their supporters gathered at the UPS hub in Dallas to practice picketing for a possible strike this upcoming August 1. The strike would come at the end of a contract that contained inadequate pay and safety provisions for drivers and other workers. Teamsters practiced picketing and chants, such as “No pay, no work,” “What do we want? A contract! When do we want it? Now!” and “UPS, show me the money!” After practicing to picket, participants gathered to take a group photo together.
Minneapolis, MN – Over the weekend of July 21and 22, members of Minnesota Workers United took to the streets in Minneapolis and Eagan, a Minneapolis suburb, with hundreds of UPS workers who are members of Teamsters Local 638 and their supporters. The workers and solidarity supporters conducted practice-pickets to show their readiness to strike if UPS doesn’t meet their demands for a new contract by August 1.
