Worker Wins: A More Resilient and Effective Workforce

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

Legislative Workers Win Voluntary Union Recognition from Denver: Legislative Workers of Denver, represented by The NewsGuild-CWA, received voluntary recognition from the Denver City Council and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. The union is a collective group of part-time and full-time staff who provide specialized, professional-level work to support Denver’s 13 elected City Council members. “We are seeking this bargaining unit as an extension of that commitment to Denverites and the elected officials we support,” workers wrote in a letter. “We believe that a workforce imbued with bargaining rights and negotiated outcomes is a more resilient and effective workforce. We believe this unit and the outcomes of a formal negotiation will raise the retention rates among staffers, improve living conditions for our members, protect institutional knowledge of the legislative branch, and enhance the impacts we can make together for Denverites.” The Denver City Council unanimously referred Ballot Measure 2U, establishing collective bargaining rights for city employees, to Denver voters in November 2024. Voters overwhelmingly approved it, supporting public workplace democracy.

Baltimore City Community College Faculty Members Ratify First-Ever Contract: Members of the United Academics of Maryland (UAM) Local 6628—an affiliate of American Federation of Teachers (AFT)-Maryland and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)—who work at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) have ratified their first union contract. BCCC faculty are the seventh higher education bargaining unit represented by UAM to approve a deal after collective bargaining rights were granted to community college faculty in 2021. “We’re very excited, especially since this has been an uphill battle for a little over 19 months,” AFT-Maryland President Kenya Campbell said. “There were some little challenges that we ran into, but the bargaining teams stood tall. They stuck with the process while working. I am very proud of the work that the team has put in to try to get their first-ever union contract.”

Second Unit at unWired Broadband Wins Union Recognition: unWired Broadband fiber technicians in the Central Valley of California voted overwhelmingly to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This victory comes one year after installation and service technicians at the internet provider voted to form a union with CWA in June 2025. “We are proud to have stood together and won our union,” said Chris Cooke, an unWired Broadband fiber technician and CWA Local 9408 member. “As fiber technicians, we know that we are critical to unWired’s success. We look forward to having a seat at the table to continue to improve the connectivity of the Central Valley while ensuring democracy and dignity on the job.” “We are proud to welcome unWired Broadband’s second bargaining unit to the CWA family,” said Jason Orozco, president of CWA Local 9408. “These workers endured an aggressive campaign by unWired to thwart their right to organize, but today they prevailed. CWA stands ready to bargain with unWired on behalf of both bargaining units so that unWired’s technicians can continue to connect residents of California’s Central Valley to high-quality internet.”

True Concord Voices and Orchestra Musicians Vote to Unionize: True Concord Voices and Orchestra musicians in Arizona have decisively voted to form a union with the Tucson Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 33. Members cited concerns around safety issues due to loud noises at rehearsals, inconsistent scheduling, a lack of guaranteed working hours and no rights to recorded performances, despite the fact that some have been nominated for Grammy Awards. Even though management filed a request to overturn the directive for an election and has yet to set a date to start negotiations, members are undeterred and ready to win a fair contract. “We are ready, prepared and looking forward to reaching a fair agreement that benefits everyone involved—the musicians, the organization and the community that supports us,” said True Concord viola player and Local 33 Vice President Sarah Bromberg. “We simply need management to take the next step and join us at the bargaining table.”

UNITE HERE Members at Ocean Downs Casino Win New Contract: UNITE HERE Local 7 members who work at Ocean Downs Casino in Maryland have ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement after nearly a year of negotiations. In May, members voted decisively to reject management’s so-called final offer. Wages were a core sticking point throughout the months of bargaining sessions. The union members’ unity and courage paid off: The new contract will lift the lowest-paid staff above $18 per hour by October and guarantee all nontipped union employees at least $20 per hour by the contract’s expiration. “It was a long fight, but I think it was a fight that was worth it,” Local 7 President Tracy Lingo said. “I’m proud those are jobs people can count on year-round for a living wage and benefits….I really feel profoundly proud of our members for voting down that offer and continuing to stand up for what they felt like they deserved.”

Centre Daily Times Journalists of Central Pennsylvania Secure First Contract: Journalists at the Centre Daily Times—who are represented by The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 38010—have ratified their first contract with parent company McClatchy. This victory is especially notable because members voted to approve their first agreement less than four full months after forming the union. Highlights of the contract include stronger artificial intelligence (AI) protections, a higher salary floor for full-time employees, improved hourly pay for interns, greater workplace transparency and more. “We were highly motivated to start a union,” said Josh Moyer, one of the union organizers and a nine-year veteran of the news outlet. “Our two priorities involved fairer pay and AI protections and, thanks to the unions that came before us and fought for those same principles, we were able to reach an agreement in record time. This is an important day for the Centre Daily Times. And I can’t thank The NewsGuild enough for guiding us through the process and McClatchy for bargaining with us in good faith.”

Workers at The Literary Bookstore and Cafe Vote Overwhelmingly to Join RWDSU-UFCW: Staff at The Literary, a beloved independent bookstore and cafe in downtown Champaign, Illinois, have overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-United Food and Commercial Workers (RWDSU-UFCW). Organized under the name The Lit United, these workers achieved the latest powerful win in a growing national wave of independent and large bookstore organizing. “The future of The Literary is bright. A union means security; it means investment in such a cornerstone of the Champaign-Urbana community. I believe with collective power, The Literary will stay true to what it means to be a third space, and the workers will be treated with the same respect and care we bring to our community every day,” said bookseller Cale Hartman. “The workers at The Literary have shown remarkable determination throughout this campaign to make their workplace a better place for everyone who walks through its doors. What happened in Champaign-Urbana is part of a much broader movement. Retail, food service, and bookstore workers nationwide are declaring one shop at a time, and in one voice, that they deserve dignity, fair pay, and a real say in their daily working conditions. We are thrilled to welcome the staff of The Literary into the RWDSU, and we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them as they fight for the strong contract they need,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum.

Chicago History Museum Workers Ratify First Contract: After facing intense anti-union retaliation from management, AFSCME Council 31 members at the Chicago History Museum have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. Workers voted to form a union in 2025, and in the days following the election, the museum’s head of human resources threatened all museum employees with termination, disciplined four and fired four others. The severity of the retaliation led to the National Labor Relations Board issuing a rare formal complaint against the institution’s previous president for violating labor law. But workers stood strong and have now secured a contract with across-the-board raises and improved paid leave. “Chicago History Museum employees are an inspiration,” AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch said in a statement. “Facing some of the worst anti-union retaliation we’ve seen, they stood strong together and prevailed. Together in AFSCME, Chicago cultural workers are winning real gains and raising standards across a sector that long took them for granted.”

New Jersey Juice and Sauce Producers Win Powerful New Contract: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 152 members at Lassonde Pappas in Seabrook, New Jersey, have ratified a new 18-month collective bargaining agreement that ensures historic wage increases. The new contract covering electricians, boiler operators, millwrights and quality assurance technicians contains the largest immediate raises in the company’s history, double their previous training pay and protections against health care benefits cost increases. “I’m incredibly proud of the work our entire negotiating committee put into this round of negotiations,” said UFCW Local 152 President Daniel Ross Jr. “Together, they reached an agreement that not only recognizes the hard work of our rank and file members today but positions the workforce and facility for continued growth well into the future. That is the truest intent of collective bargaining!”

Village Theatre Box Office and Front-of-House Workers Unanimously Join IATSE: Box office and front-of-house workers at the Village Theatre’s Issaquah and Everett locations in Washington state have voted unanimously to form a union with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 15. Staff at the nationally recognized musical theater company began organizing in April and, after two months, were signing union authorization cards and filing for recognition. Despite being denied voluntary recognition and being subjected to one-on-one meetings with management, workers continued to build momentum and community support that culminated in this exciting victory. “As a new addition to our growing B-Local, the Village staff set a shining example for other box office workers who want to improve their workplace by exercising their right to organize,” said Samuel Zachos, an organizer for Local 15.