Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Castlevania Studio Animation Workers Ratify First Union Contract
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Castlevania Studio Animation Workers Ratify First Union 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.
Animation workers at Powerhouse Animation Studios in Texas overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first union contract, with 96% of members voting to approve the agreement. Details of the contract were not immediately available. The more than 100 workers produce games like Castlevania and include both production workers and artists at the studio, folding in roles such as animator, background designer and production assistant.“This is one of the strongest agreements we have been able to negotiate, and the crew’s resolve to their priority issues is the reason,” said Steve Kaplan, business representative of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 839. “I also want to acknowledge the work Powerhouse and its leadership team put in. We all had to be flexible to get to the finish line, and they showed their commitment to being a productive partner with the Union in the negotiations.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Mon, 09/23/2024 – 09:50
IAM Union, TWU-IAM Association Win Pay, Pension Increases for 34,000+ American Airlines Members
More than 34,000 members of the TWU-IAM Association, a union alliance of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) at American Airlines, will soon vote on well-deserved pay, pension, license and other premium increases. The Association’s negotiating committees reached tentative agreements with the carrier after roughly a
The post IAM Union, TWU-IAM Association Win Pay, Pension Increases for 34,000+ American Airlines Members appeared first on IAMAW.
IAM Local 774 Members at Textron Aviation Vote to Reject Contract, Strike for Fairness
Nearly 5,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 774 (District 70) at Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kan., have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s offer. The current agreement expires just after midnight, Monday morning, Sept. 23. As a united front, IAM Local 774 members are pursuing improved pay rates, healthcare, and
The post IAM Local 774 Members at Textron Aviation Vote to Reject Contract, Strike for Fairness appeared first on IAMAW.
Teamsters Flight Simulator Technicians Ratify New Contract with Southwest Airlines
(DALLAS) – Teamsters Local 19, representing 54 flight simulator technicians, have voted by 66 percent to ratify a four-year contract with Southwest Airlines. The new contract, negotiated with rank-and-file Teamsters, includes a 23 percent wage increase, a reduction in years needed to reach the top pay scale from 12 years to nine, improved retirement and […]
Read More....
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE: APWU and USPS ‘Stop The Clock’ to Continue Bargaining
September 21, 2024As the current contract was due to expire at midnight, September 20, 2024, APWU and USPS agreed to ‘Stop The Clock’ to continue bargaining for a new contract workers deserve.
Contract NegotiationsIndustrial Relations
The Collective Bargaining Agreement (union contract) between the American Postal Workers Union and the United States Postal Service covers the wages, hours, and working conditions of 200,000 postal workers. Our current contract was due to expire at midnight, September 20, 2024.
We opened bargaining with the Postal Service on June 25. Since then, we have met frequently to exchange proposals and make progress toward the good, new contract postal workers deserve. In the last week, the APWU and postal management were “locked down,” engaging in around-the-clock negotiating sessions at the “main table,” the “craft tables,” and in other committees.
During the “lock-down” there has been some modest progress on a number of issues affecting all our crafts, including job security, protecting bargaining unit work, and a narrowing of differences on other important items, including the economic package.
However, the APWU and management were unable to secure a negotiated agreement by midnight, September 20.
As expiration approached, your National Negotiating Committee (NNC) faced two options: either begin the process of mediation with the expectation that we would head to interest arbitration or seek mutual agreement with postal management to “stop the clock,” (meaning the contract does not expire on September 20) and continue negotiations for a period of time.
It was the decision of the NNC to “stop the clock” and continue bargaining. We have secured an agreement from management that the negotiators will meet at least once a week going forward. It is also the position of the NNC that we will reevaluate progress on a regular basis and invoke mediation if further negotiations are not productive.
This decision is similar to the one taken by the NNC in our previous round of bargaining in 2021, when we “stopped the clock” and continued negotiations. In 2021, we reached a tentative agreement in early December, which the membership later ratified with a strong 94 percent “yes” vote.
“The entire APWU negotiating team is united in our efforts to secure the good new contract that our members deserve,” said APWU Industrial Relations Director and Chief Spokesperson Charlie Cash. “We all believe that continuing negotiations is in the best interest of our members as we continue to make progress towards our bargaining goals.”
“The APWU will not be deterred in our quest to win a contract that hard-working postal workers can be proud of,” declared President Mark Dimondstein. “It is crucial that as we continue to negotiate that our entire membership stay engaged, union proud, and union strong in our struggle for justice.”
The APWU will continue to keep the members updated, including regular messages on the negotiation “hotline” at (202) 642-9049, our website (apwu.org), and on our social media channels.
7-NzhMk7jBkNEGOTIATIONS UPDATE: APWU and USPS ‘Stop The Clock’ to Continue Bargaining for a New Contract Workers Deserve0
Read More....APWU Bargaining Update: Lockdown Week Begins
As contract deadline approaches, APWU President and Lead Negotiator Mark Dimondstein updates members as “lockdown week” begins for negotiations. Learn more in the video.
BPwr7EQsFSAAPWU Bargaining Update: Lockdown Week BeginsContract Negotiations00
President Mark Dimondstein Updates Members on Contract Negotiations (Sept. 10, 2024)
President Mark Dimondstein Updates Members on the current status of Contract Negotiations as of September 10, 2024.
-y7hyPppVMYPresident Mark Dimondstein Updates Members on Contract Negotiations (Sept. 10, 2024)Contract Negotiations00
President Dimondstein Recaps Opening Day of Contract Negotiations
President Dimondstein provides a summary of Opening Day’s Contract Negotiations, which took place on June 25, 2024.
qqzk8_sbn3Y?si=ZUX-2Q4K5A8XGTmUPresident Dimondstein Recaps Opening Day of Contract NegotiationsContract Negotiations00
SAAB Organizing Win in Indiana
On Sept. 15, 2024 the IAM Organizing Department helped the workers of SAAB Aerospace claim victory in their union election. Organizing Department Grand Lodge Representative Billy Anderson spearheaded the campaign. The SAAB Aerospace campaign in West Lafayette, Ind., concluded with 102 Hoosiers voting in overwhelming support of the IAM. “I couldn’t be prouder and more
The post SAAB Organizing Win in Indiana appeared first on IAMAW.
Teamsters at Illinois Central Bus Company Ratify New Supplemental Contract
(COAL CITY, Ill.) – Members of Teamsters Local 179 at Illinois Central Bus Company, a subsidiary of North American Central School Bus, in Coal City have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a supplemental collective bargaining agreement. The new three-year supplement includes a 40 percent economic increase over the life of the agreement, reduced years of service […]
Read More....