Worker Wins: Freedom from Intimidation at Work

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

Workers at County Assessor’s Office in West Virginia Join UMWA: On Friday, staff at the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office in West Virginia successfully voted to join the Mine Workers (UMWA). This victory comes after months of organizing efforts led by workers and union representatives to support their right to a free and fair union election. These staff members are the latest in a growing number of public sector workers across West Virginia who have chosen to form a union with UMWA to secure the wages, collective voice and respect they deserve. “We are proud to welcome the employees of the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office to the UMWA family,” said International President Cecil E. Roberts. “Their decision puts them on a path toward greater job security, fair treatment, and representation on the job. We will ensure that their voices are heard, and their rights are protected.”

California Becomes Latest State to Ban Captive Audience Meetings: Employers in California can no longer require workers to attend captive audience meetings thanks to a measure signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday. The new law prevents workers from being forced to attend meetings where the company compels them to listen to opinions on political and religious matters unrelated to their jobs. Staff attending these meetings can understandably fear that their jobs are at risk if they don’t adopt the employer’s viewpoint. SB 399 was backed by unions across the state and makes California the largest of more than a half-dozen states to ban this tactic commonly used by management in response to union organizing drives. “Everyone deserves freedom from intimidation at work,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation. “No one should be forced against their will to attend captive audience meetings where their bosses threaten and coerce them out of reporting labor violations, or exercising their right to join a union. Today, Governor Newsom sided with working people over corporate lobbyists by signing SB 399. Once again, the power of working people won.”

National Symphony Orchestra Musicians Reach Agreement After Kennedy Center Strike: National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) performers and the Kennedy Center reached a tentative agreement (TA) on Friday after Washington D.C. Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 161-710, members went on strike earlier in the day. Musicians walked off the job on Friday morning—after voting unanimously to authorize a strike a week prior—wearing matching red union shirts and carrying signs that read, “Support NSO musicians” and “Keep NSO world-class.” If members approve the new contract, it will increase wages 4% in the first year of the deal and another 4% in the second year. The TA also includes expanded health care options, paid parental leave, updates to audition and tenure processes, and more. “I’m so proud of the work the committee has done throughout the summer and throughout the year and especially right now, and the support that we have throughout the building among our other trade unions,” said Edgardo Malaga Jr., president of the Washington D.C. Federation of Musicians.

Omni Providence Hotel Workers Ratify New Contract: UNITE HERE Local 26 members who work at the Omni Providence in Rhode Island ratified a new four-year contract last week that secures higher wages and better benefits. This victory came seven weeks after workers at the downtown Providence hotel voted to authorize a strike over management’s refusal to bargain a fair contract. Their previous agreement expired last January, and members were laser-focused on winning a deal that would address rising costs of living. To show the Omni Providence they meant business, members began wearing lanyards to work to signal that they’d signed up for strike benefits and were ready and willing to walk out. “My co-workers and I put a lot of work into this fight,” said George Cook, a banquet attendant at the Omni. “We were ready to do whatever it took to win. I’m happy that we’re able to get the best contract we ever had, with wage increases that will help us pay our rent and take care of our families.”

UAW Tool & Die Unit Reaches Tentative Agreement at Ford’s River Rouge: On Wednesday, the UAW Local 600’s Tool & Die Unit at Ford’s River Rouge Complex reached a tentative agreement (TA) with Ford Motor Co., one day ahead of its strike deadline. Roughly 500 workers in the Tool & Die Unit work at the Dearborn, Michigan, facility. Members were prepared to go on strike starting Sept. 26 if the multinational automotive manufacturer refused to address issues such as job security, wage parity and work rules. The negotiated TA includes protections against the impacts of advancements in 3D printing and establishes a process to secure additional die work as required. Additionally, UAW won a provision to eliminate the wage disparity for skilled trades, ensuring fair and equal pay across the board. “The members at the Rouge Complex understand the power of strength in numbers,” said UAW Vice President Chuck Browning. “They stuck together and showed Ford that they were willing to stand up if necessary to win what they deserve.”

Michigan Receives Federal Investment from Biden–Harris Administration to Create New Clean Energy Jobs: Funding from the Biden–Harris administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law is helping Michigan companies expand their operations and create hundreds of new manufacturing jobs in the state. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and officials at the Department of Energy announced this month that four companies will receive $355 million in federal grant funding to help grow manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. As a result, this funding will enable these Michigan-based employers to create nearly 2,000 new jobs—including construction jobs needed to build new manufacturing facilities—and retain more than 400 existing positions. “Because our elected leaders stand in strong partnership with organized labor, Michiganders have the guarantee that these investments will go towards creating good-paying jobs where every worker has the freedom to form and join a union without intimidation or retaliation,” Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber said. “We applaud the Biden-Harris and Whitmer administrations for continuing to put workers first by ensuring the cars, tech, and energy of the future are built right here in Michigan by union hands.”

Culinary Union Celebrates Las Vegas Strip Becoming 100% Union with Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su: After UNITE HERE’s Culinary Union and Bartenders Union reached a new contract with the owners of the Venetian late last month, workers and labor leaders are celebrating that every resort on the Las Vegas Strip now officially recognizes the union. The Culinary Union and the Department of Labor (DOL) acting Labor Secretary Julie Su held an event recognizing this historic victory on Thursday. This first-time union contract covering more than 4,000 of The Venetian Resort team members has been a fight 25 years in the making. “We are proud to celebrate a new day here at the Venetian,” said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the Culinary Union. “The fight to unionize the Venetian has been one of the longest and most significant in Culinary Union’s 89-year history. From standing up to anti-union billionaire Sheldon Adelson in 1999, to winning the right at the U.S. Supreme Court to picket and protest on sidewalks in front of Las Vegas casinos, and now securing a historic first contract, workers never gave up….This victory today is also a testament to the leadership of the Biden–Harris administration, whose unwavering commitment to ensure workers can organize and win a union has been a source of great strength.” “This contract now brings the Las Vegas Strip to a 100% unionized workforce,” said Secretary Su. “When President Biden says the middle-class built America and unions built the middle class, he’s talking about all of you….We want to make sure that a [good] job like that is available to every worker, to every family, in every community all across the country, and you are showing that that is possible here. So thank you for what you have done.”

Workers at Powerhouse Animation Studios Ratify First Union Contract: The Animation Guild (TAG), Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 839, announced on Tuesday that artists and production workers at Powerhouse Animation Studios in Austin, Texas, have ratified their first contract, marking a massive victory for TAG’s first organizing campaign in a “right to work” state. TAG members at Powerhouse secured powerful agreement language governing wage equality, job security, retirement benefits and more. Staff first went public with their organizing drive in April 2023, and studio management voluntarily recognized TAG as the workers’ bargaining agent three months later. “This is one of the strongest agreements we have been able to negotiate, and the crew’s resolve to their priority issues is the reason,” said TAG Business Representative Steve Kaplan. “I also want to acknowledge the work Powerhouse and its leadership team put in. We all had to be flexible to get to the finish line, and they showed their commitment to being a productive partner with the Union in the negotiations. I look forward to welcoming our newest Texas-based members to Guild membership, and working with the studio to build on this strong agreement in the future.”