Minneapolis, MN – On April 7 in Minneapolis, around 500 SEIU Healthcare Minnesota members who work at Allina’s Abbott Northwestern Hospital picketed for around three hours. They have been bargaining for their next contract and have now authorized a strike across all eight Allina Hospitals by an overwhelming majority. The union members are demanding pay increases and financial recognition for working as essential workers through a global pandemic.
Chicago, IL – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acknowledged that cases on COVID-19 are on the rise again in Chicago, yet she is sticking to her plan to reopen Chicago high schools in two weeks, without addressing ongoing safety concerns from teachers and from the community.
Birmingham, AL – On April 7, more than a week after union voting ended for workers at Amazon’s Bessemer Distribution Center, the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union says that 3215 votes were cast, which is 55% of the 5800 workers at the location. Up until now the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – which oversees this type of union election – as well as the union and the employer, were engaged in a process of going through every name on the eligibility list and checking if they voted, and seeing if either the employer or the union wished to file an objection to the validity of each ballot based on eligibility of the voter.
Tuscaloosa, AL – On April 2 around 10 p.m., more than 1100 workers at the Warrior Met Coal mine in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, who are members of the United Mine Workers of America, walked off the job and began an ongoing strike. The strike includes workers from all of the plant’s areas of operation, which include the #4 mine, the #5 preparation plant, the #7 mine as well as its central shop.
Chicago, IL – On April 2, Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker signed a bill, in opposition of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that restores bargaining rights for Chicago teachers over a wide variety of issues that affect teachers and students in Illinois. This bill repeals a previous law from 1995 that limited the teachers’ rights to bargain over things like class size, layoffs, the timing of the school year, and other things. The previous bill had given power over the school district over to the mayor and ultimately was part of setting up disputes between the Chicago teachers Union (CTU) and previous Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, as well as current Mayor Lori Lightfoot, that led to multiple teachers strikes in Chicago.
Minneapolis, MN – At all six Allina Hospitals in Minnesota, members of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota are voting to authorize a strike after recent contract negotiations broke down around the issue of pay augments for essential workers. Union members are demanding $4 per hour pay augments, while Allina is not offering any pay augments or incentives for essential workers.
Minneapolis, MN – On March 10, AFSCME Local 2822 and its Co-chief Steward Regina Kittrell won an astonishing victory. Kittrell will be fully reinstated in her position and provided with back pay retroactive to her dismissal, effective January 8. This comes on the heels of an aggressive union campaign that combined community outreach and union solidarity with the union grievance process.
Chicago, IL – On March 19, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) issued a statement, noting, “A coalition of stakeholders – parents, students, educators, community organizations and elected officials – told Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her handpicked Chicago Board of Education for months that parents were choosing to stick with remote learning for their children, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Black and Brown communities that make up the majority of our school district. Today, after a nearly month-long delay, Chicago Public Schools released attendance figures showing that less than 25 percent of students eligible to return have attended school for at least one day, and the district’s push for in-person learning has drawn even less students than the small number initially expected. The pandemic has brought us to this moment, and the numbers speak for themselves. Our families need assurances of safety, and it is clear that the overwhelming majority of the families we serve simply do not trust claims of equity from the mayor and CPS.”
Bessemer, AL – A March 20 solidarity caravan made up of delegations from three Tennessee city Labor Councils – Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville – traveled to meet Amazon workers who have joined the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) in Bessemer, Alabama, where they held a rally at the union hall before going to the gates of the Amazon center to hold up pro-union signs and interact with workers entering and exiting the plant.
Madison, WI – Nurses at Meriter Hospital in Madison represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are coming to what could be their final bargaining session with management from UnityPoint Health.
Grand Rapids, MI – Since January, delegate elections have been taking place at UPS as part of the Teamsters union international election cycle. This convention and election cycle are critical because Teamsters members who work at UPS are fired up after the imposition of the previous contract. UPS Teamsters had voted to reject the contract, but were overridden by Teamsters leadership under Hoffa, who used a little-known antiquated rule to override the will of the members.
Lansing, MI – A group of 40 stagehands from across Michigan gathered at the State Capitol building in Lansing, March 17. The IATSE union stagehands are marking one year without work and demanding the extension of unemployment benefits until it is safe to return to their jobs.
West St. Paul, MN – On March 11, in West Saint Paul, dozens of union members with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) along with supporters from unions and the community braved heavy rain and winds to rally in front of an AT&T store that is set to close along with around 100 other stores in the retail chain. These closures come after nine of these stores were closed last year in Minnesota.
Chicago, IL – In late January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual report on union density for 2020. The report’s finding includes some interesting facts – namely, that the union membership rate (the percentage of workers who belong to unions) went up for the first time since 2008, rising half a percent to 10.8% of the working class.
Chicago, IL – It was a chilly morning. The temperature was in the low 30s as the educators from Chicago’s Passages Charter School gathered for their press conference, March 5. They were all wearing masks. They all were socially distanced. “We care about our students, we care about their families,” said paraprofessional educator Ann Stella Taylor.
Chicago, IL – The time for action is now. At least that is the opinion of workers at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Some of these workers formed the Justice Coalition, which held their second “Hour of Power” on February 23 at the Southside “L” Train 95th Street terminal. The demonstration called for hazard pay for CTA workers, no concession in the upcoming union contracts and safe working conditions.
St. Paul Park, MN – On March 1, the lockout of Teamsters at Marathon’s Saint Paul Park refinery entered its sixth week, after a 24-hour strike by the Teamsters on January 21. Marathon is pushing an agenda of job cuts and attacks on safety, so little progress has been made at the table.
Chattanooga, TN – Teamsters across North America are organizing around the union’s upcoming international 2021 elections to demand union leadership that fights the boss and fights for the members.
Bessemer, AL – As workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse have begun voting by mail on whether or not to join the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), Amazon is pulling out all of the stops to try to coerce them out of voting for the union. They are trying many tactics straight out of the age-old union busting playbook and have forced workers to attend anti-union meetings, even in violation of Amazon’s own social distancing policies.
