Worker Wins: A Long Time Coming

Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.

Fast Food Workers at Connecticut Service Plazas Ratify First Union Contract; Secure Strong Wages, Other Benefits: Food service workers across Connecticut’s 23 service plazas on Route 15, I-95 and I-39 voted overwhelmingly in favor of their first-ever union contract, which will include strong wages, improved time off and scheduling, and other enhanced benefits. “This is a watershed moment for everyone involved—from the workers, to our staff, to Connecticut workers and the labor movement as a whole,” said Rochelle Palache, vice president and state director. “Over half a decade after starting this campaign, it feels so rewarding to finally see this through and achieve these guaranteed rights and benefits for the people who keep our highways serviced and fed. We couldn’t have accomplished this without the tenacity and hard work that our workers gave in keeping this campaign going for so long—this win, most of all, is from them and for them.” The contract with Applegreen USA Travel Plazas Central Services, the main service plaza employer in Connecticut, spans from April 1, 2026, to March 1, 2031. The contract includes: predictable schedules and consistent hours, just cause and grievance and arbitration process, strong vacation accruals, improved training opportunities, and strong wages under the Connecticut Standard Wage Law. Starting in 2019, service plaza workers brought forward complaints against several employers, including allegations of wages below the legal standard, unsafe working conditions and failure to provide adequate benefits. “It’s been a long time coming for food service workers to get the respect and the treatment we deserve,” said Nika Hyde, a bargaining committee member and employee at Auntie Anne’s at the Madison Southbound service plaza. “It is an honor to help my fellow Connecticut food service employees, who work so hard, have a dignified standard of living without constant struggle.”

Patagonia Workers in SoHo Unanimously Vote to Join the RWDSU-UFCW: Workers at the Patagonia store in SoHo in New York voted unanimously to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-UFCW (RWDSU-UFCW), becoming the first unionized Patagonia location in the eastern United States. Workers at the store seek to address a growing disconnect between the company’s public values and the daily realities faced by its retail staff. They cited a desire to regain lost benefits, including the restoration of previous paid time off policies and health care coverage that have been previously rolled back. Workers are also seeking to secure guaranteed professional development opportunities and tuition reimbursement, benefits that have recently been eliminated. “We voted union yes because we believe in Patagonia’s mission, but a mission is only as strong as the people who carry it out every day on the floor,” said Morgan Skelton, customer experience guide at the SoHo Patagonia store. “For too long, the ‘Patagonia family’ felt like it stopped at the manager’s office. Today, we’ve secured our seat at the table to ensure our expertise is respected and our livelihoods are protected. We aren’t just selling gear; we’re providing a better experience for customers while building a sustainable future for retail workers in our industry.” RWDSU-UFCW will now represent workers in the bargaining unit, including full-time and regular part-time employees, including customer experience guides and team leaders. “The workers at Patagonia SoHo have proven that even at a company with a ‘progressive’ reputation, a union contract is the only way to guarantee a voice on the job,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of RWDSU-UFCW. “These workers are part of a powerful movement of retail workers across New York City and the outdoor industry who are refusing to let their benefits and workplace culture be stripped away. We are proud to welcome them into the RWDSU.”

New Jersey Health Care Workers Vote to Join HPAE: New Jersey health care workers at Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice and Inspira Health have both voted to join the Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), an affiliate of the AFT.  In two separate National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections, registered nurse case managers at Inspira Health medical centers and registered nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and other staff at Samaritan both won their votes to form unions. “These elections show tremendous solidarity and commitment,” HPAE President Debbie White said. “We congratulate them on the wins! Unions give workers a voice, and when healthcare workers have a greater voice in their workplace, patients always benefit.”

Harris County Workers and Local Unions Win Campaign for Consultations Policy: After Harris County workers, commissioners and labor allies gathered for a press conference on Wednesday to call for the passage of a consultations policy that will give county workers a seat at the table to address workplace concerns, the policy was approved in a 3–1 vote. At the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation meeting hall, representatives from HOPE AFSCME Local 123, AFSCME Local 907, the Houston Federation of Teachers, the Culinary Union, and the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council stood together to urge commissioners to approve the policy. Texas law currently prohibits public workers from collective bargaining, but this local program will make it easier for county workers to file grievances related to pay, working conditions and terminations so they can continue to deliver essential services to residents. Similar policies are already in place in the Houston and Austin independent school districts and the City of Austin, but now that commissioners have adopted this program, Harris County is the first county in Texas to have such a policy in place.

IAM Union Ratifies New Agreement with Leidos: IAM Union (IAM) members who work as flight service workers in Virginia and Texas have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with their employer, Leidos. The new contract covering the Locals 2010 and 2011 bargaining units contains a number of major wins that reflect the essential work members perform. Highlights include structured annual pay increases through the lifetime of the deal, higher wage premiums for Sunday shifts, improved retirement fund contributions and more. “This agreement reflects the voices and priorities of our members,” said Chief Steward Clay Dawson. “By listening to our members and negotiating collectively, we were able to secure stronger wages, improved benefits, and protections that help guarantee job security for the next three years.” “This adjustment prevents management from using overly aggressive performance metrics as a justification to reduce staffing,” said IAM Local 2011 President David Villa. “It ensures our members can provide quality service while maintaining stable employment. This contract was built on solidarity. Our locals worked side by side to make sure the final agreement protects benefits, secures future raises, and strengthens the foundation for our members’ careers.”

Kaiser Health Care Professionals Ratify New Contracts, Winning Vital Patient Safety Protections: Health care professionals, members of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP, AFSCME), voted to ratify new contracts with Kaiser Permanente, winning critical protections that will directly improve patient care. Approved by an overwhelming majority, the contracts are effective upon ratification and will expire on Sept. 30, 2029. “This agreement reflects everything our members stood up and stood together for: safe staffing, improved access, and respect for the professionals who provide critical care every day,” said UNAC/UHCP President Charmaine Morales, RN. “This fight was always about our patients and the public good, and we’ve made meaningful progress to ensure caregivers have the time and resources necessary to deliver safe, high-quality care.” When caregivers have a voice, patients are better off. Because of UNAC/UHCP, Kaiser patients will benefit from more time, better access, stronger communication and higher quality care. The union also won the largest wage increases UNAC/UHCP has ever achieved. Many of the gains—such as enforcement of safe RN staffing ratios already in the contract—come after years of work on prior contracts and between contracts, including job actions, staffing objection forms, petitions and informational pickets. “This is an important step forward, but the work doesn’t stop here,” said Peter Sidhu, RN, executive vice president of UNAC/UHCP. “We’ll be vigilant—documenting ratio violations, escalating unsafe staffing gaps, and using every tool our new contracts provide to protect our patients.”

WNBA Players Unanimously Vote Yes on New CBA: WNBPA members voted unanimously to ratify their new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), securing transformative landmark provisions for women’s sports. The seven-year contract establishes a historic revenue-sharing model, immediately quadrupling the salary cap for the 2026 season. It will be reviewed annually based on league and team revenue growth. Other bargaining wins include increases to maximum and minimum salaries, an expanded regular season starting in 2027 and more. “Over these past months, this group showed exactly who they are, prepared, relentless, and united when it mattered most, with a clear understanding that their value drives this business and when players win, the league wins,” said WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson. “This agreement delivers what players set out to do from the beginning, transforming the economics of this league. It marks a new era led by players who know their power and chose to use it.” “The players made huge gains with this historic contract, a testament to the excitement they deliver on the court and their courage and determination in fighting for women’s equality off it,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “Everything we’ve ever won—every contract, organizing fight and strike—was won because we stuck together. America’s unions celebrate with our WNBPA sisters on this critical victory.”