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Commuter Rail Workers Unions in Boston Celebrate New Contracts with Keolis

Four major commuter rail workers’ unions have ratified new contracts with Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the commuter rail system in the Boston metro area on behalf of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Amtrak. IAM Local 318, representing 175 workers; Transportation Communications Union/IAM (TCU/IAM), representing 130 workers; Brotherhood Railway Carmen, representing 60 workers; The post Commuter Rail Workers Unions in Boston Celebrate New Contracts with Keolis appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

Worker Wins: Ensuring A Just and Respectful Workplace

Worker Wins: Ensuring A Just and Respectful Workplace Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life. IAM Members at IKEA Perryville Ratify New Contract: After more than two months on the picket line, workers represented by Machinists (IAM) Local I460, District 4 at the IKEA Distribution Center in Perryville, Maryland, have ratified a new contract. Members initially began their work stoppage last year on Nov. 15 after rejecting management’s proposal that would have stripped workers of their seniority rights and failed to keep up with the rising costs of living. “The members took to the picket lines demanding fair wages and protections for seniority to ensure a just and respectful workplace,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan in a press release. “After weeks of negotiations, the new agreement delivers increased wages and preserves critical seniority language for employees with 18 or more years of service. Our members stood up strong for respect and dignity, which will make our union stronger. This contract ensures fairness and respect for long-serving employees while delivering well-earned wage increases for everyone. We are grateful for the community support during the strike.”Brightline Onboard Workers Make History by Joining TWU: Onboard and lead attendants at Florida’s privately owned passenger railroad, Brightline, voted to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU) on Tuesday, making them the largest group of railroad workers who have successfully organized in more than two decades. These staff members—who sell concessions and provide other passenger services on trains running between Miami and Orlando—approached TWU last year in hopes of building a stronger voice on the job. Workers cited concerns around a restrictive sick time policy, unfair disciplinary processes and unpredictable work schedules. In response to their organizing efforts, Brightline hired notorious union-busting law firm Littler Mendelson and started rolling out aggressive tactics like having the company president call workers at home to intimidate them. But members refused to back down and ended up securing a 2-to-1 margin of victory in their election. “Brightline ran an ugly anti-union, anti-worker campaign against their own workforce, but let’s put that behind us,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a press release. “We’re committed to working to ensure the railroad is successful while helping our newest members secure better wages, better working conditions, respect in the workplace, and other goals that they set.”Noguchi Museum Workers Vote Unanimously to Form Union: Staff at the Noguchi Museum in New York City voted unanimously this week to join UAW Local 2110. The Noguchi Union is a wall-to-wall unit that covers 55 workers across different departments at the cultural institution. Local 2110 also represents their peers at the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Members first went public with their organizing efforts a few months after the museum—which is dedicated to the works of vocal anti-war activist Isamu Noguchi—implemented a ban on Palestinian headscarves known as keffiyehs. This spurred workers to fight for representation so they can secure fair grievance procedures and protections against discrimination, among other issues like fair pay. “With a UNANIMOUS UNION YES VOTE WE WON OUR UNION ELECTION,” said the Noguchi Union in a social media post. “The Noguchi Museum staff is excited to announce the formation of its union! Our members seek to negotiate for a more equitable, inclusive, and transparent workplace.”VA Memorial Products Service Employees Vote to Join AFGE: The Federal Labor Relations Authority last week officially certified the election where Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA’s) Memorial Products Service (MPS) workers successfully voted to join AFGE Local 17. These newly minted members work at three remote processing locations in Illinois, Kansas and Tennessee—before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had worked out of offices located at the cemeteries. Local 17 previously represented the workers in Tennessee and Kansas, but once they became remote, the NCA designated them as unrepresented. Now that MPS staff won their election, they’re looking forward to addressing things like overtime concerns and issues with performance evaluations. “I was really excited,” said Local 17 3rd Vice President Megan-Brady Viccellio. “Local 17 already represents several of these employees, and we’re really heartened that they wanted to come back to the fold. I think that they had experience with the protection of the really robust master agreement at VA. It was a 14 to zero vote. That speaks volumes about the value that they see.”Temple University Hospital Resident Physicians and Fellows Vote to Form Union: Resident physicians and fellows at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia have voted overwhelmingly to join the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Resident physicians often work up to 80-hour weeks for relatively low pay as they complete the final stage of their medical training. CIR members have cited these conditions and chronic understaffing that impacts patient care as motivators for organizing. This victory at Temple is the latest in a string of recent resident organizing efforts at medical facilities around the city. “It’s time to put patients back at the center of our health-care system,” said Sarah Bart, a Temple resident. “We won our union, now we are preparing our campaign for a fair contract that puts resources in patient care and supports physicians’ and patients’ well-being.”Colorado Ski Patrol Staff Join CWA, Latest in Resort Industry Organizing Efforts: Ski patrollers of Colorado's Arapahoe Basin ski area announced on Sunday that they have voted to join the United Mountain Workers, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7781. Under the name Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol (ABSP) Union, these staff members fought to organize in order to secure more competitive pay that reflects their specialized, critical work. Patrollers are employed by Alterra Mountain Company, which acquired Arapahoe Basin in November 2024 after an antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice, and have experienced an intense union-busting campaign from management.Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Form Union at Alabama Chemical Plant: Production and maintenance workers at the Gaylord Chemical manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, voted last week to join the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC), part of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). Workers at the plant—who make chemical compounds used in medical and industrial solvents and food additives—reached out to the union a few months ago to begin their organizing efforts. Their landslide election win is even more exciting in the context of Alabama’s “right to work” laws and vocally anti-union lawmakers. “I just want to thank the [ICWUC] for getting behind us and supporting us. As soon as we reached out to them, they were quick to respond,” one Gaylord Chemical worker stated. Jordan Easley, ICWUC’s national organizing coordinator, said of the campaign victory: “[Workers] excelled when it came to open support, public support, and the numbers reflected that. They got what they deserve. Obviously most employers don’t want a union, but I think [Gaylord Chemical] were stopped in their tracks. They are reminded that you need workers more than workers need you.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 01/22/2025 - 15:23 Tags: OrganizingContinue reading→

Stellantis Reverses Course After Months of Pressure, Recommits Billions of Investment in UAW Jobs

After months of pushing the company to Keep The Promise made in 2023 contract negotiations, the UAW has successfully secured a commitment from Stellantis to invest billions in American autoworkers. The post Stellantis Reverses Course After Months of Pressure, Recommits Billions of Investment in UAW Jobs appeared first on UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.Continue reading→

We Will Not Be Silent, We Will Not Back Down: In the States Roundup

We Will Not Be Silent, We Will Not Back Down: In the States Roundup It's time once again to take a look at the ways working people are making progress in the states. Click on any of the links to follow the state federations on X (formerly Twitter). Alaska AFL-CIO:#akleg, it’s time to provide the funding needed to give a quality education to every child in Alaska! https://t.co/powTakKyvT— Alaska AFL-CIO (@AKAFLCIO) January 22, 2025Arizona AFL-CIO:"The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment ordering two commonly owned Arizona drywall and painting companies to pay $7,450,000 in back wages and damages..."https://t.co/XHXMNbCmjt— Arizona AFL-CIO (@ArizonaAFLCIO) January 17, 2025California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO:We will not be silent, we will not back down. pic.twitter.com/N2tefjhgv8— California Federation of Labor Unions (@CaliforniaLabor) January 21, 2025Colorado AFL-CIO:With a packed committee room full of support, and testimonies from many workers from a variety of sectors, the Worker Protection Act passed the Senate Business, Labor, & Technology Committee today! One step forward in the fight for the Worker Protection Act in Colorado! pic.twitter.com/holTzs97lu— Colorado AFL-CIO (@AFLCIOCO) January 22, 2025Illinois AFL-CIO:🚨 📱 🚨 ACTION ALERT 🚨 📱 🚨 Hotel Cass recently cut off union health insurance for UNITE HERE Local 1 and IUOE Local 399 members. They need your help demanding it back. Call Garnet Hotels and let them know our union siblings deserve their union healthcare! pic.twitter.com/AmZ4xTe8CS— Illinois AFL-CIO (@ILAFLCIO) January 23, 2025Maine AFL-CIO:Our latest in our series about the history of nurse organizing: The First Union Contract at a Hospital in Maine! https://t.co/FliqGtYd5l— Maine AFL-CIO (@MEAFLCIO) January 21, 2025Massachusetts AFL-CIO:Statement from MA AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch on the Healey-Driscoll Admin’s proposed budget plan to permanently close the Pappas Rehab Hospital & Pocasset Mental Health Center, layoff 170 case managers in DMH, and hike insurance rates for 1000s of union members. #mapoli pic.twitter.com/n7f2QtZMSh— Massachusetts AFL-CIO (@massaflcio) January 22, 2025Minnesota AFL-CIO:He is setting the table to clear out the hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans who make our government actually work and replace them with political loyalists who will do his bidding. #BetterInAUnion https://t.co/TbGyR72ozA— Minnesota AFL-CIO (@MNAFLCIO) January 22, 2025Missouri AFL-CIO:Tell the young people in your life to consider a #Union apprenticeship to get a head start of earning for the future! #1u #UnionJobs #Apprenticeship pic.twitter.com/qhVvk9dW9z— Missouri AFL-CIO (@MOAFLCIO) January 22, 2025Nevada State AFL-CIO:When we fight, we win! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 https://t.co/CLMusjsUtE— Nevada State AFL-CIO // Pass the #PROAct (@NVAFLCIO) January 22, 2025New Hampshire AFL-CIO:In -10°, 200 brothers and sisters came together to oppose “Right-to-Work. Your #Solidarity is our strength. We need your help!Use this link to send a letter to your legislator saying that “Right-to-Work” is STILL WRONG for NH:https://t.co/QP4RyjZZTs#NHPolitics #1u https://t.co/p2FKAbdcUs pic.twitter.com/DTiOpSBK5k— New Hampshire AFL-CIO (@NHAFLCIO) January 23, 2025New York State AFL-CIO:Today and every day we are grateful for the strides Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made for desegregation, equal voting rights, civil rights and the labor movement. #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/B8hf8tsQ3D— NYS AFL-CIO // #UnionStrong (@NYSAFLCIO) January 20, 2025Ohio AFL-CIO:It was never about fighting for us. It was always about protecting billionaires. https://t.co/DX7NoQuZWU— Ohio AFL-CIO (@ohioaflcio) January 20, 2025 Oregon AFL-CIO:Come hold the line with striking Providence workers at Prov. St. Vincent on Friday, 1/24 at noon! Wear your union colors and help win a fair contract for @OregonNurses members on strike. #OregonLabor pic.twitter.com/iaPWAr28qu— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) January 23, 2025Pennsylvania AFL-CIO:Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a champion for workers’ rights, economic justice, and equality. His legacy inspires the us to continue the fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, and dignity for all workers. ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/QbdBbIKik2— PA AFL-CIO (@PaAFL_CIO) January 20, 2025Texas AFL-CIO:Texas Republicans’ budget:❌ ZERO pension increases for retired state employees❌ $1B for a private school voucher scam❌ $6.5B for Abbott’s “border security” pet projectOur lawmakers should be listening to working Texans, not their billionaire buddies. #txlege— Texas AFL-CIO (@TexasAFLCIO) January 22, 2025Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:Register for the virtual panel here:https://t.co/WzzzRk0RAj https://t.co/2UyPcBVjFH— Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO (@WAAFLCIO) January 22, 2025Wisconsin State AFL-CIO:Wisconsin AFL-CIO President Stephanie Bloomingdale responds to Governor Evers' 2025 State of the State address https://t.co/hpGfNzSC9X— WI AFL-CIO (@wisaflcio) January 23, 2025 Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 01/22/2025 - 10:49Continue reading→

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Some of D.C.’s Best-Known Restaurants Move to Join UNITE HERE

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Workers at Some of D.C.’s Best-Known Restaurants Move to Join UNITE HERE 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. Staff at five different prominent restaurants owned by some of Washington, D.C.’s biggest restaurateurs went public with their efforts to join UNITE HERE Local 25 last week.Workers at Le Diplomate, St. Anselm and Pastis—owned by Stephen Starr’sStarr Restaurants—and Rasika Penn Quarter and Modena—owned by Ashok Bajaj’s Knightsbridge Restaurant Group—are fighting for better scheduling practices, higher pay and respect on the job.“The status quo in restaurants is that anything goes as long as the guests are happy, and I’ve personally witnessed some unfair treatment, a little bit of cultural insensitivity,” said Pablo Zuniga, a server at Le Diplomate. “Having a union would place us in a better position to have mutual respect from management, no matter your background, no matter your race, your gender identity, or your language.” Kenneth Quinnell Wed, 01/22/2025 - 09:14 Tags: OrganizingContinue reading→

This is a ‘Code Red Alert’ to APWU Veterans

January 21, 2025In the last Home Front article, we warned veterans about “Project 2025” and how a second Trump term would destroy the VA, and VA healthcare benefits. Unfortunately for our APWU veteran family, his Project 2025 plan to destroy VA healthcare could begin the minute he enters the White House. magazineHomefrontVeteransHomefront - Veterans Resources The APWU launched our “Hands Off Our Veterans’ Healthcare and Disability Benefits” initiative in January 2024. Now, with the re-election of Donald Trump as President, 2025 could spell the end of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) healthcare. In the last Home Front article, we warned veterans about “Project 2025” and how a second Trump term would destroy the VA, and VA healthcare benefits. Unfortunately for our APWU veteran family, Trump won, and his Project 2025 plan to destroy VA healthcare could begin the minute he enters the White House. So, what can we do to stop this attack that would totally privatize VA healthcare and leave millions of veterans without access to medical and mental healthcare services? Well, we could start by fighting back against this attack to cut or destroy the VA healthcare benefits for 22 million living veterans. Fighting back means thanking President Biden for signing the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act into law, and asking VA Secretary Denis McDonough to accelerate the implementation process that began over two years ago. In a Letter to All Veterans, Dated Oct. 29, 2024, President Biden Stated the Following: “As a nation we have many obligations, but only one truly sacred obligation: to train and equip those we send into harm’s way, and care for them and their families when they return home, and when they don’t. Our veterans and military families represent the best of America. We owe them. We owe you. May God bless the United States of America, and may God protect our troops. Signed Joe Biden.” Fighting back means protecting PACT Act laws and protesting any attempt to restrict, reduce, or eliminate them. If President-elect Trump implements even a portion of the Project 2025 recommendations, the VA healthcare system could collapse entirely. By privatizing more government programs, the VA will foolishly and expensively outsource the healthcare and benefits to for-profit companies with little experience dealing with veterans, with a clear incentive to enhance their bottom line. By cutting back on disability compensation, countless veterans will lose their jobs and homes, plunging many into poverty and causing them to experience more mental health problems. VA disability claims, which determine the severity and rating of a veteran’s disability, will be turned over to private, for-profit healthcare providers, thus overhauling and reducing compensation percentage rates and payment amounts for the veteran’s disability. Fighting back means protesting Project 2025’s plan to reduce or eliminate the VA Mental and Medical benefits that veterans with service-connected conditions receive. Currently, once veterans prove they have a service-related condition, they can receive healthcare through the VA for that condition along with their non-service-connected conditions. Project 2025’s plan would potentially exclude a long list of supplementary VA healthcare services not directly related to the veteran’s time in active duty, that developed after leaving the military. A prime example of this would be living Vietnam War-era veterans, who until the PACT Act, had been denied military service-connected claims for cancer or diabetes for over 50 years. The VA was established in 1930 with 54 Hospitals. In 1946, after another major war, it expanded to include healthcare benefits, establishing the current system, fully staffed with VA Federal Government workers. Today it has 1,600 healthcare facilities, including 144 medical centers and 1,232 outpatient clinics. The resources, need, and intent for VA healthcare facilities was to provide veterans with high quality healthcare and benefits, and all that was required to receive same-day basic healthcare was an honorable DD-214. So, this is a Code Red Alert to our entire APWU veterans’ family. It’s time to wake up and fight for the VA healthcare benefits that all veterans deserve before Project 2025 takes them all away. The Struggle Continues! ■ This is a 'Code Red Alert' to APWU Veterans0Continue reading→

Deadline Approaching! 2025 IAM Scholarship Competition Application Deadline is February 3, 2025

The 2025 IAM Scholarship Competition will be accepting applications until Monday, Feb. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Entries are accepted online. The competition is open to members of the IAM with two years continuous service and their children that are current high school seniors throughout the United States and Canada. Interested parties can find a link to the online applications, rules, and The post Deadline Approaching! 2025 IAM Scholarship Competition Application Deadline is February 3, 2025 appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses March to Demand Patient Protections Against AI

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nurses March to Demand Patient Protections Against AI 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. Thousands of nurses represented by National Nurses United (NNU) took part in rallies last week calling for the hospitals to prioritize safe staffing and patient protections against growing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.These nationwide demonstrations were aimed at uplifting the broad shared concern among nurses over the current implementation of AI by hospital employers and policy regulators. In a survey released last year, NNU found that 50% of responders have seen their employer implement algorithmic systems to assess things like how ill the patient is and predict the number of hours of nursing care they will need. Of those nurses, 69% said the computer-generated measurements did not match their informed assessments and lacked consideration of important, complex social factors that were at play.“[N]urses across the country are taking to the streets to let our communities know that in 2025, as in all years past, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care for every patient,” said Nancy Hagans, RN and a president of NNU, in a press release. “We will fight fearlessly against the profit-driven hospital industry, which seeks to undermine nursing care through unconscionable understaffing and reckless automation.” Kenneth Quinnell Tue, 01/21/2025 - 10:28Continue reading→

Join IAM CREST for the Upcoming Chemical Emergency Response Course

The deadline for the 2025 IAM CREST Chemical Emergency Response Course, which will be held March 23, 2025, at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, Md., is Monday, Jan. 27.  The class will cover an understanding of health and safety controls required by Appendix E of 29 CFR 1910.120 and the The post Join IAM CREST for the Upcoming Chemical Emergency Response Course appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

Heather Hildebrand Appointed as IAM Automotive Special Representative

International President Brian Bryant announced the appointment of Heather Hildebrand, formerly a District 60 Business Representative, to the position of Special Representative in the IAM Automotive Department. The appointment was effective Jan. 13, 2025. “Heather’s journey from the shop floor to leadership exemplifies the power of dedication and relentless advocacy,” said IAM International President Brian The post Heather Hildebrand Appointed as IAM Automotive Special Representative appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

IAM, Labor Coalition Welcome USTR’S Comprehensive Indictment of China’s Unfair Shipbuilding Trade Practices

The IAM Union and its labor partners welcomed the comprehensive report from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on its investigation on commercial shipbuilding and its findings that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) engaged in a broad range of tactics designed to dominate and control the maritime, shipbuilding and logistics sectors. The USTR’s report illustrates The post IAM, Labor Coalition Welcome USTR’S Comprehensive Indictment of China’s Unfair Shipbuilding Trade Practices appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

IAM Union Members at IKEA Perryville Ratify New Contract, End Strike

PERRYVILLE, MD, Jan. 18, 2025— Approximately 320 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local I460, District 4, employed at the IKEA Distribution Center in Perryville, Maryland, have ratified a new contract to end a strike that began on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Statement from IAM Union Eastern Territory General Vice President David The post IAM Union Members at IKEA Perryville Ratify New Contract, End Strike appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

Reflection and Action: How the IAM Honors the Legacy of Dr. King

Dear IAM Family, This weekend, we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights icon and a champion of organized labor. Reflecting on his work, we remember his fight and call for racial equality, social justice, and economic parity. Following in his footsteps, the IAM Union has worked to The post Reflection and Action: How the IAM Honors the Legacy of Dr. King appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

UAW Statement on President Biden’s Affirmation of the Equal Rights Amendment

The United Auto Workers applauds President Joe Biden's strong affirmation of the Equal Rights Amendment and his commitment to ensuring that women in this country have full equality under the law. The post UAW Statement on President Biden’s Affirmation of the Equal Rights Amendment appeared first on UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.Continue reading→

USPS Announces Termination of FSAFEDS Accounts for 2025 Plan Year, Provides New Enrollment Option for Affected Employees

January 17, 2025On Dec. 30, 2024, the Postal Service notified the APWU that it is informing employees who enrolled in the FSAFEDS Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for plan year 2025 that their accounts will be terminated. FSAFEDS is no longer the FSA administrator for the Postal Service. Instead, Inspira Financial will be the Postal Service’s FSA administrator for the 2025 plan year. On Dec. 30, 2024, the Postal Service notified the APWU that it is informing employees who enrolled in the FSAFEDS Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for plan year 2025 that their accounts will be terminated. FSAFEDS is no longer the FSA administrator for the Postal Service. Instead, Inspira Financial will be the Postal Service’s FSA administrator for the 2025 plan year. Employees who enrolled in FSAFEDS for 2025 will have the option to enroll in the Inspira Financial FSA. For those who choose to enroll, it will be processed as a late action with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2025. However, an employees’ plan year amount will be deducted by fewer pay periods, which will cause their deduction amount to be slightly higher than their initial enrollment election per pay period. The Postal Service will include a new enrollment form and contact number for Inspira Financial in a mailing to employees whose accounts have been terminated. This enrollment termination only affects those who enrolled in the FSAFEDS plan. Modifications will be permitted through Jan. 31, 2025. For any questions, please ask for a union steward or contact your local union representative. USPS Announces Termination of FSAFEDS Accounts for 2025 Plan Year, Provides New Enrollment Option for Affected Employees0Continue reading→