Worker Wins: Bold Action and Courage

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

UTLA and SEIU Reach Agreements, Averting Strike: In the early hours of Tuesday morning, members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 reached a tentative agreement (TA) with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). With a TA also in place for their union brothers, sisters and siblings in the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA)—an affiliate of the AFT—the planned work stoppage at the county’s second-largest school district has been called off. The deal covering 30,000 custodians, food workers, special education assistants and bus drivers was reached just hours before the strike deadline. LAUSD settled contracts with the approximately 38,000 member-strong UTLA and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles over the weekend. SEIU and UTLA both won wage increases, protections against subcontracting and more. “The truth has always been clear—the district CAN afford these changes. With this agreement, resources will begin to be redirected away from unnecessary spending and toward the students and classrooms that need them most,” said Julie Van Winkle, vice president of UTLA. “This contract fight has never been about prolonging conflict. It has always been about securing the respect and investments that educators and students deserve. This TA is a powerful step forward and a momentous win for the Los Angeles school community.” “This agreement was won through the bold action and courage of thousands of workers who were willing to sacrifice to improve conditions in their schools and their lives,” Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said. “A strike was always the last resort, and we are proud that we could work with the school district and Mayor Karen Bass to reach an agreement that recognizes the contributions of front line workers in our schools.”

AFSCME and American Library Association Prevail in Fight to Protect Libraries and Museums Nationwide: AFSCME and the American Library Association (ALA) have reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice that protects the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and ensures the agency will continue to support libraries and museums across the country. IMLS has a congressional mandate to provide essential coordination, research and funding for the nation’s libraries, museums, public gardens, aquariums, zoos and other cultural institutions that enrich our lives and educate our communities. The lawsuit was filed last year amid the Trump administration’s attacks on the federal agency, including major staff reductions. “Today is a victory for every community that depends on libraries and museums as gateways to opportunity, learning and connection,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “As the nation’s largest union of cultural workers, AFSCME members fought tirelessly to protect this essential institution, which supports the vital services we provide to communities across the country. Thanks to these efforts, this vital funding is protected in every state in the country, so our communities can continue to have access to these essential places of learning.”

NJ Transit Light Rail Workers Join TWU: Mechanics who maintain NJ Transit’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail have voted overwhelmingly to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU). This milestone means all workers in the privately operated system are now represented by TWU. The mechanics for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail are employed by North Central Transit Services, which holds a maintenance contract for the 24-station route between West Bergen and Bayonne, New Jersey. “The TWU knows that worker power comes from a unified front, all crafts and classes in one big union,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “With Mechanics at Hudson-Bergen Light Rail joining the TWU, we now have a unified workforce ready to fight more effectively. Today’s successful vote now sets up bargaining for a first contract that will lead to better pay, quality-of-life, and working conditions for NJ Transit Mechanics.” “Today’s successful election shows the power of the TWU in New Jersey,” said TWU Transit, Universities, Utilities, and Services Division Director Willie Brown. “We now begin the work of getting a first contract for Mechanics that will address securing a living wage, better working conditions, and management that bullies workers.”

ALPA Members Reach Tentative Contract Agreement with FedEx: Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) members who work for FedEx have reached a new tentative five-year agreement with the company. The new deal comes after five years of negotiations with the multinational conglomerate. Economic provisions had been a sticking point in bargaining; this contract includes hourly pay increases of nearly 40% in 2026 and 3% annual pay bumps starting in 2028. “This tentative agreement was reached after lengthy and intensive mediation under the supervision of the National Mediation Board,” said Capt. Jose Nieves, chair of the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC), in a press statement. “The next step is completing the MEC review and providing pilots with the information needed to evaluate the agreement.”

NYU Staff Ratify New Union Contract: Members of Contract Faculty United-UAW (CFU-UAW) at New York University (NYU) have overwhelmingly ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. The victory comes after a brief and powerful strike in late March. Highlights of the deal include raises of $14,000 effective fall 2026, fixed annual 3.5% wage increases through fall 2029, protections for academic freedom, artificial intelligence guardrails and more. “After nine years of organizing and 17 months of bargaining, this result is a clear announcement that we have won the strong first contract we need and deserve,” the union said in a website post. “But our contract, no matter how strong, is not our union. Our union is all of us, fighting together for a fairer and stronger university. In the months and years to come, we will need to stand together to enforce our contract, defend academic freedom and protect and strengthen the new rights we’ve won.”

UFCW Members Ratify Tentative Agreement with JBS: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 members have overwhelmingly ratified a new two-year contract with JBS USA following a powerful three-week work stoppage. Workers at the company’s flagship beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, walked off the job after a nearly unanimous vote to authorize an unfair labor practice strike. The new collective bargaining agreement contains a number of major victories—including wage increases that are 33% higher than management’s pre-strike proposal—and not a single concession. “This tentative agreement is a testament to the incredible resolve of our members at the JBS Greeley plant,” said Kim Cordova, president of Local 7. “These workers stood together on the picket line for three weeks, through extreme weather, because they knew their worth and refused to be disrespected. Today, that sacrifice has been rewarded. This is what union power looks like.”

Makeup and Hair Workers at ESPN Vendor Join IATSE: Hair and makeup artists employed by an ESPN contractor have voted overwhelmingly to form a union with Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 798. The workers are employed by Distinct Artistry to manage the on-screen appearances of ESPN’s studio hosts, commentators and guests at the network headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, as well as at major sporting events. Staff cited the need for health insurance, retirement benefits and workplace protections as core motivations for organizing. “Local 798 has stood in solidarity with the Distinct Artistry Hair and Make-Up Artists and is thrilled they have voted for union representation,” said Local 798 President Angela Johnson. “We are optimistic that Distinct Artistry will meet us at the bargaining table and negotiate a contract in good faith.”