Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Labor

By Simon Rowe

Tampa, FL – On Friday morning, August 30, a group of AT&T workers and community supporters picketed their workplace in Tampa. The Communication Workers of America union called an unfair labor practice strike against AT&T in the Southeast. The strike started August 16 with over 17,000 workers across nine states.

The contract between AT&T Southeast and the CWA ended August 3. During negotiations, the CWA pointed out that AT&T has not bargained in good faith. The CWA then filed an unfair labor practice charge. On August 21, federal mediation began between the CWA and AT&T Southeast.

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By staff

CWA Local 3109 workers holding down the picket line outside of AT&T’s facility on Davis Highway, Pensacola, Florida.

Pensacola, FL – On a humid August morning, the sound of car horns fills the air up and down Davis Highway, each honk a note of solidarity for more than 25 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 3109. These workers, standing firm outside the AT&T worksite, are part of the largest strike currently unfolding in the United States, a powerful labor struggle involving over 17,000 CWA members across nine southeastern states. Their picket line is just one of four in the far-west of Florida’s panhandle.

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By staff

Washington, DC – On August 28, flight attendants at United Airlines who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) voted on whether or not to authorize a strike if needed in contract negotiations with the carrier. The flight attendants filed for federal mediation eight months ago, after working under what they call an amendable contract for the last three years. After not seeing the movement at the table that they needed, the flight attendants decided to take the next step let their members vote over whether to authorize a strike.

The results were loud and clear. A near unanimous majority of 99.99% of ballots cast voted to authorize a strike; over 90% of United flight attendants participated in the vote.

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By Richard Berg

University of Illinois Health transplant and ICU nurse Maria Baba is an INA leader and member of the bargaining committee.  | Richard Berg/Fight Back! News

Chicago, IL – Working as a nurse in a large university hospital is a hard job. Large numbers of patients roll through. Vulnerable people look for hope, remedy and help. Despite this persistent pressure, hospital administrators ask for quick patient turnover. Supervisors ask overstressed nurses to do the work of housekeepers, food service, technical staff and others, who are often in short supply. Some doctors are nice, while others boss nurses around.

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By Jack Saucier

CWA picketers gather at street corner.   | Staff/Fight Back! News

New Orleans, LA – On Friday, August 16, the 3rd District of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) stopped work and walked off the job at AT&T after contract negotiations broke down. The previous contract expired on August 3. Picketers across the Southeast were demanding that AT&T negotiate in good faith.

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By Gia Davila

Thermometer reads 114 degrees.

Tampa, FL – On Thursday, August 15, Tampa Teamsters spoke to the media and handed out flyers exposing UPS’s ongoing failure to provide heat safety. The workers handed out thermometers to other workers and asked them to fill out heat safety surveys as a way of raising awareness of the intense heat that workers are facing every day during the Florida summer. 

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By staff

Workers stand with raised fists in front of banner that reads "WTF DHL. We gave you years. You gave us 24 hours. Stop unfair firings. Teamsters yes!”

Cincinnati, OH – Workers at DHL’s largest air hub in the United States made history on Monday, August 12. DHL, bowing to months of escalating pressure after a two-year organizing campaign, officially recognized the union formed by over 1300 sort workers at the company’s Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) hub. Now unionized, the sort workers at CVG have joined Teamsters Local 89.

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By staff

On August 9, Flight Attendants at American Airlines wholly-owned PSA Airlines announced that they will take a strike authorization vote in contract negotiations for their next union contract with the airline. The flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants and the Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA).

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By staff

On Wednesday, August 15, flight attendants with Alaska Airlines voted by an overwhelming 68% majority to reject a tentative agreement on their next union contract. The flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants and Communication Workers of America (AFA-CWA).

The Association of Flight Attendants represents around 6900 Alaska employees, and they have been in contract negotiations over their next union contract with the carrier. After 18 months of negotiations, the employer and the union reached a tentative agreement in June, which the union then took to the flight attendants to vote over whether to accept the offer or not. After reaching the tentative agreement, flight attendants and union leaders went on the road to talk with flight attendants about the details of that tentative agreement and what it included and what it did not. From there they scheduled the vote for the flight attendants to decide what to do next.

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By staff

Boston, MA – On August 5, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) began its 73rd biennial national convention. Tensions among the rank and file heading into the convention were high, as the national body has been unable to finalize a tentative agreement with the United States Postal Service despite the contract expiring May 20, 2023. Letter carriers are working for near-poverty wages due to rapid inflation.

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