Hitting the Picket Lines: The Working People Weekly List

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.

Stark Comparison: Union Leaders Praise Tim Walz as J.D. Vance Tries To Rebrand GOP As Pro-Labor: “As a former high school teacher, Walz was once a union member himself. Long before Walz joined the national ticket, he helped make Minnesota one of the most worker-friendly states in the country. ‘He’s done great work here with labor, and we appreciate his willingness to always be at the table with us,’ said Bernie Burnham, the president of Minnesota AFL-CIO, the president of Minnesota American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). ‘When you see Tim Walz, you can see he’s as comfortable getting down the floor and talking to a toddler as he is listening to senior citizens and hearing about what their needs are,’ Burnham said.”

Striking SAG-AFTRA Video Game Actors To Hit Picket Lines for Second Day: “Striking SAG-AFTRA video game performers plan to picket outside Disney Character Voices Thursday—the union’s second picketing event since it walked off the job on July 23 to highlight a dispute it says focuses on an unwillingness by top gaming companies to protect voice actors from the emergence of artificial intelligence.”

UAW Suit Against Trump and Musk Breaks New Ground: “Trump’s praise of Musk’s illegal firings didn’t surprise the AFL-CIO. ‘Scab recognizes scab,’ it tweeted. ‘Greedy bosses aren’t just laughing at workers in smoke-filled backrooms anymore,’ federation President Liz Shuler elaborated in a statement. ‘They’re broadcasting it for the world to hear. It’s no surprise coming from Trump and Elon Musk—two notorious union-busters who boast a combined record of crossing picket lines, underpaying workers, flouting health and safety laws, and retaliating against workers for demanding the rights and fair pay we deserve.’”

Trump Gutted Federal Employee Unions. They Believe He’d Do It Again: “Labor unions are among Kamala Harris’ most fervent backers in her run for president, and federal employee unions especially so. Not only do they love her unabashed support for labor, they also fear what her opponent Donald Trump might do if he’s elected president again. It’s not hyperbole to say that since becoming vice president, Harris has played a key role in bringing federal employee unions back from the brink.”

Walz Gives Remarks at Labor Union Convention in Los Angeles: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union at their convention in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon. The visit by the Democratic vice presidential candidate comes as the Harris-Walz ticket looks to solidify its base, including with organized labor. AFSCME is one of several major labor organizations, including other constituent unions within the AFL-CIO, that have given strong support to the Democratic Party ticket.”

The Animation Guild Starts Negotiating with Studios: “Following a weekend of solidarity events, The Animation Guild (IATSE 839) officially began its contract negotiations yesterday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. TAG members and supporters turned out in droves at a rally in Burbank on Saturday (August 10), with support also pouring in online through the #StandWithAnimation hashtag. Industry veterans like Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack), James Baxter (The Lion King), Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe) were among an estimated 2000-plus attendees—more than double the crowd that showed up for a previous rally in March 2022. ‘To look out at this sea of people the weekend before we actually go in for negotiations was really inspiring,’ says storyboard artist Kaitrin Snodgrass (My Little Pony: A New Generation).”

Recent Contracts Give Amtrak Workers Big Raises: “Two recently ratified contracts, one with the Transport Workers and the other with the Electrical Workers, have given on-board Amtrak workers and the passenger train system’s electricians historically large raises, the unions stated. Both contracts feature 34.1% compounded raises over seven years, retroactive to July 2022 and run through the end of 2028. The contract with Transport Workers Local 1460 covers 360 Amtrak on-board service workers, including train attendants and cafe car workers. Amtrak’s pact with IBEW’s of Railroad System Council 7 covers 1,200 electrical workers. ‘Amtrak on-board workers are a critical part of our nation’s transportation system and this contract includes essential quality-of-life wins,’ TWU President John Samuelsen said in a statement.”

Woodland Park Zoo Workers Reach Tentative Agreement On New Contract: “The Joint Crafts Council (JCC) Coalition of Unions, representing approximately 200 Woodland Park Zoo employees, has reached a tentative agreement with zoo management on a new contract, according to a statement released by the union on Monday. The agreement, which is fully recommended by the union’s negotiations committee, is now subject to ratification by the union members. The proposed contract follows months of negotiations centered on key issues, including affordable healthcare, equitable wages, and the long-term well-being of the animals. The JCC Coalition of Unions represents 34 different classifications of zoo workers, including animal keepers, veterinary technicians, carpenters, and laborers.”

S&P 500 CEOs Made 268 Times What the Typical Worker Made Last Year, Report Says: CEO Payflation Strikes Again: “‘Today, the very CEOs who benefited most from Trump’s tax gift to the wealthy are making 268 times what their workers are making. And while corporate profits and stock prices surge, working people’s wages aren’t keeping up,’ Fred Redmond, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement.”

I Helped Organize An Architect’s Union: “Unionization in design industries is approaching a tipping point. In July, three different sectors achieved major victories for the labor movement. At Blizzard, a video game developer where other members have already unionized, more than 500 employees formed a ‘wall-to-wall’ union. Workers at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland—the first such store to unionize at the world’s most famous design company—ratified their first contract. And finally, my colleagues and I at Bernheimer Architecture (BA) ratified the first collectively bargained contract at a private-sector architecture office.”