‘A Useful Standard for Workers’: 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.

Alamo Drafthouse Workers Vote Yes for Union, Passing 47 to 28: “After seven months of building support, workers at the Alamo Drafthouse elected to create a union with United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 4 on Oct. 1. Logan Allgood, an Alamo worker who spearheaded union support among other workers, said the election should be certified within the next week, so long as the Alamo doesn’t object to the union. ‘I’m both relieved and antsy for the election to be certified, since the company has seven days to object,’ Allgood said. “If they do, the UAW general council is ready to respond if necessary.’”

Strike for Hunger Supports Those in Need: “United Steelworkers Local 21 and the Women of Steel come together each year to support neighbors in need through a community-wide effort to fight hunger across Delta County. USW Local 21 Women of Steel Coordinator Donna Dams is helping to organize the event. ‘Today we’re here trying to refill and restock the food pantries, Salvation Army and Saint Vincent DePaul in Escanaba and Gladstone. So, we’re looking for monetary donations, paper products, canned goods, personal hygiene products,’ she said. Dams shared that union members and volunteers are collecting monetary contributions and nonperishable food at Elmer’s Country Market in Escanaba and Pats Groceries in Gladstone. The 3-day event helps support the Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul locations.”

Roxanne Brown: They Asked Themselves: What’s Missing? The Answer: A Union: “Davion Johnson long realized that they and their colleagues deserved higher pay, fairer treatment and greater respect at the Corning plant in Hemlock, Mich. But nothing drove home the need for change more than a supervisor’s callous response when a co-worker fell from a ladder. Instead of calling an ambulance, Davion recalled, the supervisor threatened to dock the injured man a sick day if he left to seek care on his own. An angry Davion subsequently helped to lead 1,400 co-workers in a successful union drive with the United Steelworkers (USW). Now, they wield a collective voice on safety, pay and other issues as they do the important work of manufacturing components for the nation’s solar industry.”

Unions and Democrats Stump for Federal Film Incentive: ‘We Are So Close to Getting This Done’: “A delegation of California Democrats campaigned with union leaders on Tuesday for a federal film incentive as they seek to build momentum to pass the measure by the end of the year. Sen. Adam Schiff and eight Democratic representatives from Southern California argued that the U.S. must counter incentives from 65 other countries that have lured American production jobs overseas. ‘When this passes in this lame-duck session, it will immediately impact production in 2027,’ said Mike Miller, vice president of IATSE. “And there are hundreds of thousands of entertainment industry workers that are counting on it.’”

These Candidates Don’t Talk to Working People—They Are Working People: “‘Working people are tired of politicians who talk about their struggles without having lived them,’ an AFL-CIO spokesperson said in a statement, echoing the sentiment. ‘For too long, the people writing the rules on wages, health care and retirement have no real experience with what those rules mean for the rest of us.’”

George Eastman Museum Workers Vote to Unionize: “Workers at the George Eastman Museum voted 41-16 to unionize with Workers United, according to the organizing group, George Eastman Museum Workers United. The National Labor Relations Board election was held Friday, Oct. 2, and the group announced the result Sunday. Seventy-five workers were eligible to vote, the group said. By its count, 57 votes were cast, a turnout of 76%. NLRB records list the museum as having about 100 employees. Supervisors, managers and other classifications were excluded from the voting groups.”

Philadelphia Inquirer Employees Secure New Union Contract with Raises and AI Protections: “Unionized journalists and product engineers at The Inquirer secured a new contract on Friday that includes AI protections, raises, and changes to healthcare coverage. The company reached a tentative deal with the News Guild of Greater Philadelphia Local 38010 on Sept. 15. Union members ratified the new contract by email vote this week. Of 238 eligible union members, 160 workers voted, with 156 in favor of the new contract.”

Community Transit Finalizes Contract with Union Through 2027: “Community Transit’s board of directors signed off on a contract between the transit agency and its drivers union on Thursday, bringing an end to over a year of negotiations between the two parties. Workers at the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1576, which represents bus drivers, dispatchers and maintenance employees at the Snohomish County transit agency, will receive a 5% retroactive pay increase for 2025, a 4% increase for 2026 and a 4% increase in 2027. The contract will expire at the end of 2027.”

Current Affairs Has Ratified a Union Contract: “We’re happy to share some good news: after a series of bargaining meetings concluding in September, the Current Affairs staff union has ratified and signed a new contract with the magazine, covering the next two years. We’re represented by the Chicago News Guild, Local 34071, an affiliate of the The NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA), and this contract gives Current Affairs workers a number of important protections and benefits. We’re proud of what we were able to secure through collective bargaining, and hope this contract will become a useful standard for workers at other media organizations who are considering unionization.”