Gaining A Seat at the Table: The Working People Weekly List
Gaining A Seat at the Table: 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.
Portland City Workers Vote Overwhelmingly to Strike: “More than a thousand unionized city of Portland workers voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to strike following months of negotiations. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (Oregon AFSCME Local 189) said 87% of people voted in favor of a strike, with 89% of members who participated in the vote.”GE Appliances Union Workers Ratify New Contract. Here’s What We Know: “After months of contract negotiations and union workers striking down a tentative agreement, workers at GE Appliances have ratified a new labor contract. The roughly 5,000 union workers in Louisville at GE Appliances—a major manufacturer of dishwashers, refrigerators, and washers and dryers—voted in the new contract on Wednesday with 72.5% of voting workers in favor of the new deal. IUE-CWA Local 83761 President Dino Driskell said the contract is a roughly $142 million investment over its four years. ‘The IUE-CWA Local 83761 has informed us that the proposed four-year agreement has passed,’ GE Appliances spokesperson Julie Wood told the Courier Journal via email Wednesday evening. ‘We appreciate our employees’ ongoing commitment to our business and the work they do every day to support our customers.’”“No Cuts, No Compromise!”: Kansas Citians Mobilize to Defend Public Transit as Funding Crisis Looms: “Last week, over 100 low-wage workers, bus riders and drivers came together to protest major cuts to bus routes and union jobs that are being considered by the city government. Bus riders and community members with Stand Up KC joined Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1287 members and Sunrise Movement KC outside of the Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA) headquarters to protest a lack of funding from KCMO City Council.”GM Profit Sharing: Here’s the Record Amount UAW Members Will Get for 2024: “For every $1 billion GM makes in North America, the automaker’s hourly U.S. employees receive $1,000, according to the Detroit automaker’s agreement with the United Auto Workers. GM made about $14.258 billion in North America in 2024, up 18% year-over-year. ‘Our membership performed beyond all expectations,’ [UAW International Vice President Mike] Booth wrote. ‘It is our members’ skillfulness that made this profit possible, as they produce the finest products in the world, right here in the U.S.A.’”For Inspiration in 2025, Look to Labor’s 2024 Wins (Liz Shuler): “As we kick off 2025, there is no better source of inspiration than looking back at the extraordinary things workers accomplished this past year. I am struck by how stories of workers standing together and holding corporations accountable dominated headlines. Organizing stayed on the rise as the National Labor Relations Board reported that union election petitions were up 27% from fiscal year 2023. In a critical election year, 26,000 union volunteers across the country reached more than 10 million voters, and made the difference for pro-worker candidates. And all over the country, brave workers took to the streets and went on strikes that secured life-changing new contracts.”Whole Foods Workers Form First Union in Amazon’s Grocery Chain: “Workers at a Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia voted on Monday to become the first unionized store in Amazon’s grocery chain, opening a new front in the e-commerce giant’s efforts to fend off labor organizing in multiple segments of its business. Employees at the sprawling Whole Foods store, in the city’s Spring Garden neighborhood, voted 130 to 100 in favor of organizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers union, the National Labor Relations Board said.”Beth Israel Medical Center Residents and Fellows Vote to Unionize: “Residents and fellows at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center voted to unionize with 83 percent in favor on Wednesday, joining the Service Employees International Union’s Committee of Interns and Residents. Sixty-one percent of the 811-member bargaining unit—which includes interns, residents, chief residents, and physician fellows at BIDMC—participated in the mail-in election, which was run by the National Labor Relations board from Dec. 19 to Jan. 17. The vote passed by a margin of 407–85. CIR-SEIU organizers wrote in a press release that the BIDMC house staff unionized ‘to gain a seat at the table to advocate for themselves and their patients, especially immigrant and refugee patients, and other folks coming from working-class communities of color who often face the highest barriers to care.’”Union Leaders Critique Hotels’ Skipped Room Cleanings: “Is skipping hotel room cleanings saving the environment or a scam for hotels to save on labor costs? Union leaders are calling out hotels for their supposed concern for the environment, arguing that this is nothing more than a ruse to allow customers to expect less while paying the same price. Lizzy Tapia, president of Unite Here Local 2, a San Francisco-based hotel workers union, explained on a recent broadcast of America’s Workforce Union Podcast that ‘previous to the pandemic, [Marriott Hotels] used to have what they called ‘The Green Choice Program’ [that allowed guests to choose not to have their rooms cleaned every day but]…after 3 days or 5 days of not having your room cleaned, your room is sticky and dusty and dirty—[and] it requires double the amount of work, not to mention the chemicals and water, and all of that stuff. So, The Green Choice Program was a hoax.’”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/03/2025 – 14:37
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: GE Appliances Workers Ratify New Contract
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: GE Appliances Workers Ratify New Contract
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After months of negotiations, members of IUE-CWA Local 83761 in Louisville, Kentucky, have secured a new contract with GE Appliances.IUE-CWA represents approximately 5,000 production workers at the dishwasher, refrigerator, and washer and dryer manufacturer. Their new contract includes wins such as a 60% decrease in insurance deductibles, an additional holiday off, provisions establishing a career progression system that helps workers get regular raises with additional built-in wage increases at major milestones and more.“Trying to equally distribute what we can negotiate is hard…but everybody is getting contractual wage increases every year and that’s something we can continue to build on,” said Local 83761 President Dino Driskell. “We went through the four years so workers could see what their personal gains would be….We knew we’re going to take it, or we were going to be on strike.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 02/03/2025 – 10:22
UAW Members at Detroit Axle Ratify Contract
UAW members at Detroit Axle voted by 84% on Saturday to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with Daimler Truck of North America.
The post UAW Members at Detroit Axle Ratify Contract appeared first on UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.
IAM Union: U.S. Tariffs on Canada Hurt Workers in Both Countries, Weaken Alliance in Trade Fight Against China, Others
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2025 — Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump imposing a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the United States: “The IAM is a strong advocate of trade policy that helps protect and
The post IAM Union: U.S. Tariffs on Canada Hurt Workers in Both Countries, Weaken Alliance in Trade Fight Against China, Others appeared first on IAMAW.
APWU Releases Q&As about 2025 Voluntary Early Retirement
February 1, 2025The Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) recently announced for eligible postal workers by the Postal Service has generated many questions from the members of the APWU. The Postal Service published a list of questions and answers for our members.
Retirees
The Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) recently announced for eligible postal workers by the Postal Service has generated many questions from the members of the APWU. To help you understand your options better, APWU has published a list of questions and answers for our members below.
VER Questions and Answers
2025 VER Question and Answers (Q&A)
The Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) recently announced for eligible postal workers by the Postal Service has generated many questions from the members of the APWU. The Postal Service published a list of questions and answers for our members.0
Read More....2025 VER Question and Answers (Q&A)
https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/2025-01-2025_ver_q_and_a.pdf2025 VER Question and Answers (Q&A)
Read More....
IAFF leads research on exposure effects following wildfires
IAFF’s Chief Science Advisor Dr. Derek Urwin hopes to make exposure monitoring a routine practice to protect fire fighters’ long-term health, especially in light of the growing frequency of wildfires.
Read More....APWU POWER 22nd Biennial National Convention
Room rate: $237/night (plus 14.75% Room Tax, plus $3.50/night occupancy tax). Hotel cut-off: July 11. Call 1-888-627-7067 Use Group Code “TBC” and identify yourself as attending the POWER Convention. Delegates should plan to arrive August 6 and depart on August 10. There is no convention on Sunday. | Registration opens March 15. Registration fee: $150. Deadline: July 25. To register a guest, contact Joyce B. Robinson at (202) 842-4225 prior to the deadline.
August 5, 2025 – 7:15AM to August 10, 2025 – 6:15PMSheraton New York Times Square Hotel811 7th Ave. 53rd St.,
New York, NY
NationalNoNo2025-01-31 00:00:00APWU POWER 22nd Biennial National ConventionHotel
Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel,
811 7th Ave. 53rd St.,
New York, NY
Delegates should plan to arrive August 6 and depart on August 10. There is no convention on Sunday.
Hotel Reservations: Contact the hotel at 1-888-627-7067 before the cut-off date of Friday, July 11, 2025. To secure the negotiated rate of $237 per night (single/double occupancy), plus 14.75% Room Tax, plus $3.50 per room night occupancy tax, use the Group Code “TBC” and identify yourself as attending the POWER Convention. Check-in time is 4:00 p.m. and check-out time is 12:00 noon. The hotel requires a major credit card for payment of room and taxes in advance. To receive a refund, hotel reservations must be cancelled 72 hours in advance of the scheduled arrival date.
Additional Hotel Fees: A major credit card must be presented at the Front Desk upon arrival. A $150.00 deposit will be charged for incidental expenses. If no incidental charges are made, incidental fees will be refunded. An early departure fee of one nights’ lodging plus taxes will be charged to guest checking out prior to their confirmed check-out date.
Registration
Registration opens Saturday, March 1, 2025: The registration fee is $150.00 for delegates and guests and includes an Installation Dinner and a t-shirt. To register a guest, contact Joyce B. Robinson at (202) 842-4225 prior to the deadline. The guest must attend with an APWU member. Extra t-shirts are $30.00 each. Deadline to Register is Friday, July 25, 2025.
Problems Registering: If you have problems registering, contact Hannah Decker at hdecker@apwu.org for assistance.
Interpreters: Delegates requiring interpreters must register before the Friday, July 25, 2025 deadline.
Special Note: Once registration online begins, information on convention workshops will be posted, along with additional convention information.
10
Tri-State (DE-NJ-PA) Convention
Room rate: $79/night(plus taxes+surcharges). For reservations, call 800-711-5882 or 302-674-4600. The group reservation is under Delaware State Postal Workers. The group code is GDPS01. Registration fee before March 15: $75.00 per participant; After 3/15: $100. Click here for tri-state registration form.
April 8, 2025 – 9:00AM to April 9, 2025 – 6:00PMBally’s Dover Casino Resort1131 N. Dupont Highway,
Dover, DE. 19901
LocalNoYes2025-01-31 00:00:00DE-NJ-PA Tri-State ConventionHotel
Bally’s Dover Casino Resort,
1131 N. Dupont Highway,
Dover, DE. 19901.
Hotel reservations can be made by calling 800-711-5882 or 302-674-4600. The group reservation is under Delaware State Postal Workers. The group code is GDPS01 and the group rate is $79.00 per night (plus taxes and surcharges. The group rate will go from April 7-10.
Registration
Registration fee before March 15: $75.00 per participant; After: $100. Includes full buffet breakfast and buffet lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday, and educational materials for each course. Click here for tri-state registration form.
Make checks payable to: Delaware State Postal Workers Union.
Reply and return the registration forms and fee to:
AJ Jones, Coordinator, Eastern Region APWU,
1401 Liberty Place,
Sicklerville, NJ. 08081.
Also, we have negotiated for the steakhouse to open for us on Tuesday from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. They are offering a special deal to our attendees on that day. Reservations can be made in advance at jana@royalprimesteakhouse.com. The link for the full menu is available at Our Menu – Royal Prime Steakhouse
Questions can be directed to the office of AJ Jones, Eastern Region Coordinator, American Postal Workers Union
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Service & Solidarity Spotlight: WGAE Members Ratify Contract with ABC News
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: WGAE Members Ratify Contract with ABC News
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Members of the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) who work at ABC News overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract that contains powerful language protecting workers from the encroaching presence of artificial intelligence (AI).The unit secured meaningful provisions that prevent the news outlet from laying off any current staff as a result of generative AI usage and require management to alert members if the company plans to make the use of this technology a requirement in their jobs. Additionally, ABC News is obligated to bargain with the union over the impacts of any new AI practices. Other wins in the agreement include 5% annual wage increases, more paid time off and more.“Now more than ever, we need journalists who can report and present the news while they are protected in their workplace,” said WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen in a press release. “A union contract is the only thing that ensures that protection. Our members and staff fought hard for this contract, and they deserve everything they won.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 01/31/2025 – 10:01