Strong and United: 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.

JTRAN Strike Comes to an End After Drivers Picket for More Than a Month: “A JTRAN bus strike has ended after drivers and workers stood the picket line for more than a month. Union representatives once again met with MV Transportation Thursday. Both sides agreed to better working conditions and higher wages, which would entail a 5% salary increase. ‘Our members stood strong and united throughout this process. MV tried to divide us. They brought in scab bus operators and refused to address our concerns,’ said Local 1208 President/Business Agent Charles Tornes, Jr. in a statement. ‘This strike shows that our members are willing to lay it all on the line for justice. I want to thank our riders, and all our allies for coming out and standing with us.’”

Maryland State Employee Union Leader Elected International President: “Patrick Moran, president of the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, was elected Thursday to serve as the union’s international president. ‘We will fight and build power like our future depends on it because it does. We will protect our neighbors and strengthen our communities,’ Moran said in a statement Thursday. ‘This is our fight, and together, we’ve got the power to make change.’ Moran has been a consistent figure in Annapolis, advocating for benefits, better pay and legislation to support the nearly 30,000 state employees represented by AFSCME. Last month, for example, the union announced that it planned to pursue a lawsuit against the University System of Maryland for allegedly not adhering to salary increases allocated in Maryland’s fiscal year 2027 budget.”

Teens Have Always Been on the Front Lines of the Labor Movement: “The first factory strike in U.S. history began on May 26th, 1824. The New England factory system itself was still finding its footing, and its legions of poorly paid young workers were at constant risk of illness, injury, or worse during the long hours they spent wrangling its roaring machinery. When the mill owners of Pawtucket, RI, collectively announced that they’d be reducing weavers’ wages and tacking on an extra hour to everyone’s 14-hour workday, the workers revolted. That day, 102 workers walked out of the mills and into the streets. The tactic was so new, so novel, and so revolutionary that those leading the charge hadn’t even settled on a name for it yet.”

Upper Peninsula Construction Council Wraps up Fifth Building Trades Summer Camp: “The Upper Peninsula Construction Council (UPCC) celebrated the graduation of its fifth Building Trades Summer Camp class on August 5, honoring students who spent five weeks gaining hands-on experience, developing career skills and exploring opportunities in the union construction trades. Held this year in Marquette, students earned $14 an hour while working alongside skilled union tradespeople and learning concrete work, scaffold erection, electrical wiring, painting and staining, heavy equipment operation, structural steel assembly, HVAC ductwork, plumbing and welding, wood framing, and industrial machinery installation and repair.”

AFSCME’s Lee Saunders Delivers Final Keynote Address as President: “Below are excerpts from Saunders’ address as delivered: ‘Serving as AFSCME president has been the privilege of a lifetime. The struggle to win dignity and respect for working people isn’t something I read about in a book or studied in a classroom. It’s in my DNA. Our mom and dad taught us that there is nothing more honorable than a career in public service. They taught us that belonging to a union was the path to a better life. They taught us that working people coming together to raise their collective voice is one unstoppable force. These are the values I have tried to bring to my responsibilities as AFSCME president.’”

Houston Airport Workers Receive $5 Minimum Wage Increase: “Houston airport workers will receive a minimum wage increase of $5 for a new wage of $20 an hour starting in August, which will gradually rise to $23 an hour by 2028. Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order Aug. 12 alongside members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the labor union that represents airport workers, that will immediately begin the new wages. Workers employed by air carriers, concessions and airport contractors will qualify for the raise. ‘This helps, but this is just the beginning,’ Whitmire said. ‘It’s not going to be just wages. It’s going to be working conditions.’”

New Minimum Wages for Minnesota Nursing Home Workers to Take Effect in September: “New minimum wages for Minnesota nursing home workers received final federal approval and will take effect on Sept. 10, more than three years after the state Legislature created a nation-leading labor standards board to set pay and working standards for some of the state’s lowest-paid workers. Thousands of workers will receive raises with the new hourly wage floors across four job categories: $22.50 for certified nursing assistants, $23.50 for trained medication aides, $27 for licensed practical nurses, and $19 for all other nursing home workers. The hourly wages will increase another $1.50 per hour across all job categories on Jan. 1.”

AFL-CIO Report Shows Top CEOs Made 312 Times Workers’ Pay in 2025: “‘As shown in our latest Paywatch report, executive compensation has reached a new, shameful high,’ said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond. ‘Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire. Donald Trump raked in over $2 billion since the 2024 election. Meanwhile, working Americans are struggling to feed their kids and pay their electric bills. But there’s a better economy we can build for working people. That’s why the labor movement will continue to fight for every worker to have a union contract that begins to level the playing field and ensures they take home the share of the profit they create. And it’s why we are spending every day until November organizing and mobilizing 16 million union voters to elect pro-worker politicians who will work for us, not wealthy CEOs.’”