Making Things Better for All of Us: 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.
Wausau Approves Metro Ride Contract with Phased Wage Increases: “Wausau City Council members unanimously approved a two-year labor agreement Tuesday that provides phased wage increases for Metro Ride employees and revises several leave policies. The agreement with Local 1168 of the Amalgamated Transit Union is retroactive to July 1 and runs through June 30, 2028. The council approved it 11-0 after the Human Resources and Finance committees each recommended the contract unanimously.”
North Alabama Area Labor Council Holds Organized Labor Lunch and Unveils ‘Workers’ Agenda’: “On July 7, the North Alabama Area Labor Council, or NAALC, AFL-CIO, and the North Alabama Building and Construction Trades Council hosted an Organized Labor Lunch and Learn in Huntsville. More than a dozen local political candidates, lawmakers and community leaders attended, including two Huntsville City Council members and two state representatives. Labor leaders discussed challenges facing working-class Alabamians, explained the role of unions and introduced the North Alabama Workers’ Agenda, a high-road policy blueprint.”
The Case for Tripling Union Membership: “Union membership in the U.S. ticked up in 2025, breaking a decades-long trend of declining unionization. But today’s unionization rate doesn’t reflect the tens of millions of workers who want a union but can’t get one. This report examines what we stand to gain if we triple current union membership to 30%—restoring it to 1950s levels, when union strength delivered rising wages, narrowing racial wage gaps, and a thriving middle class.”
Opera Colorado Signs First-Ever Union Contract with AGMA Chorus and Artists: “Opera Colorado and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) announced today their first-ever collective bargaining agreement. The parties reached an agreement on June 18, and it was ratified by AGMA’s Board of Governors on July 13.”
Three Denver Music Venues Are Unionizing: “Late last month, audio engineers who work at the Federal Theatre, the Oriental Theater, and HQ Denver voted to unionize despite the venue owners’ request to turn down the organizing effort. Keegan McKenzie, an engineer who supported the union-shop proposal in conjunction with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees‘ area affiliate, IATSE Local 7, sees the results as a win-win situation. ‘I think everybody getting together and taking stock in the workplace will make things better for all of us,’ he says.”
Northeast Wisconsin Youth Explore Skilled Trades at Green Bay Summer Trades Academy: “More than 20 Northeast Wisconsin youth kicked off WRTP | BIG STEP’s Summer Trades Academy this week with a full day of hands-on learning at SMART Local 18 and IUPAT District Council 7 training centers in Green Bay. The Green Bay Summer Trades Academy is hosted at the Mavid Construction and HJ Martin Training Center and is funded in part by the Green Bay Packers Foundation. Through partnerships with local unions, contractors, and industry leaders, students are gaining firsthand exposure to high-demand careers in Wisconsin’s skilled trades.”
AFL-CIO’s Sweeney Honored on Field 7: “John J. Sweeney, a son of immigrants from County Leitrim, started in the Bronx and rose to the heights of the AFL-CIO presidency, was honored Monday at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Field 7. ‘Moving beyond traditional memorials, in partnership with City of New York—NYC Parks, Goal 2 Goal is coordinating a community wide clean-up of soccer fields to provide youth with a safe, professional space to grow and compete,’ said Victor Mooney of Goal 2 Goal. ‘Goal 2 Goal has dedicated this day to Brother Sweeney,’ he added.”
Roxanne Brown: We Work. They Play Games: “Terry Stickles supported the successful union drive at JSW Steel in Mingo Junction, Ohio, last year, then went to the bargaining table eager to hammer out his first contract with the company and set a course for the future. His co-workers, also new members of the United Steelworkers (USW), felt the same urgency. But JSW chose to play around instead, offering few meeting dates to union negotiators, taking hours to review even basic contract proposals, and cutting bargaining sessions short for no good reason.”
Pueblo Firefighters’ Union Helping First Responders Who Lost Their Homes: “Firefighters in Pueblo are rallying to help their own after learning that multiple firefighters lost their homes in the Aspen Acres Fire while they were deployed on the front lines helping others. The wildfire has burned 97,000 acres, and hundreds of homes have been lost, impacting residents across the area—including some of the first responders tasked with battling the blaze. ‘You get a little bit of survivor’s guilt,’ said Tim Trujillo with the International Association of Firefighters Local 3 in Pueblo. Trujillo described one firefighter who lived in Beulah and was on a 48-hour shift when the fire started. The firefighter was able to go work the fire but couldn’t get back to his own home.”