Worker Wins: Taking Their Destiny Into Their Hands
Our latest roundup of worker wins includes numerous examples of working people organizing, bargaining and mobilizing for a better life.
Massachusetts Rideshare Drivers Certify First Union: Massachusetts rideshare drivers in the App Drivers Union (ADU) have made history by becoming the first statewide union of its kind to win official recognition. This major milestone was made possible with support from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ and IAM Union (IAM). The union was certified by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations last week, marking the largest private sector bargaining victory since the 1940s. “For too long, the gig economy was built on a fools’ bargain: the companies got rich and workers scraped by. The rules were rigged,” said April Verrett, international president of SEIU. “But Massachusetts rideshare drivers flipped the script….They are steering the future of the labor movement and taking their destiny into their hands.” “Massachusetts rideshare drivers just made labor history,” said Brian Bryant, IAM international president. “What started with the IAM Union organizing black car drivers in the 1990s has grown into a groundbreaking partnership with SEIU 32BJ that is now reshaping the future of work in America. This victory proves that no matter how powerful Big Tech becomes, workers still have the power to organize, demand fairness and win a real voice on the job.” “The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is proud to congratulate our siblings in the App Drivers Union on their historic victory as they become the exclusive bargaining representative of rideshare drivers across the Commonwealth,” said Chrissy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “We will proudly stand with our siblings in ADU as they fight for a first contract, and we are thankful to all of the workers, 32BJ SEIU, IAM, allies, elected leaders, and advocates who have joined with us in fighting Big Tech and proving that when we fight, we win.”
ACLU of DC Staff Win Landmark First Union Contract: After almost three years of negotiations, staff at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of DC have ratified a first contract as members of Washington-Baltimore News Guild (WBNG), Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 32035. This landmark agreement establishes a number of major wins, including an average raise of 11.5%, additional annual wage increases, student debt support, fully employer-paid health insurance premiums, layoff protections and much more. “We spent nearly three years at the bargaining table fighting for a contract that reflects the value of the work we do every day to protect civil liberties in the District,” said Yvonne Slosarski, bargaining committee chair. “This agreement delivers for every member of our unit, and it sets a new standard for what nonprofit workers can and should win.”
Starbucks Workers United Celebrates 700th Election Victory: Last week, Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) announced that baristas at more than 700 locations across the country have now voted to join the union. The workers responsible for this major milestone are based out of stores in Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Chicago and Bolingbrook, Illinois; and Houston, Texas. While Starbucks executives continue to drag their feet on reaching a deal, more and more workers at the massive coffee chain are joining the fight for a fair contract. “Baristas are leading the fastest-growing union movement in modern history because Starbucks SHOULD do better,” SBWU said in a social media post that featured a video of workers at the 700th union location. “We work at a company with the highest CEO-to-worker pay gap, and despite this, baristas nationwide are seeing working conditions at our stores get worse while we deal with low pay, inadequate hours, inaccessible benefits, and more. It’s time to do something, and that’s why we’re organizing!”
Meatball Production Workers in New Jersey Ratify New Contract: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 152 members at Casa Di Bertacchi in Vineland, New Jersey, ratified a new five-year contract late last month. Highlights of the agreement include guaranteed across-the-board wage increases, reimbursement for work boots, increased contributions to the employer-sponsored 401(K), and additional language to comply with the state’s Earned Sick Leave law, which allows workers to carry over sick days from one year to the next. “The Casa Di Bertacchi negotiations showed that fair wages aren’t an abstract idea—they’re grounded in real household costs and economic reality. This contract moves employees closer to stability and reflects what happens when workers speak with a united voice and insist that their wages keep pace with the real cost of living,” said UFCW Local 152 Director of Collective Bargaining Louis Faiola.
WildEarth Workers Ratify First Collective Bargaining Agreement: Staff members at WildEarth Guardians—who are represented by Denver Newspaper Guild, Local 37074 of the Communications Workers of America (CWA)—have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA). WildEarth Workers formed in 2023 and was quickly voluntarily recognized by WildEarth Guardians management. The bargaining unit covers members who perform a variety of work related to the preservation and restoration of the wildlife and ecological health of the American West. The contract includes wins such as annual cost of living and salary raise adjustments, increased paid time off, just cause protections, and more. “We are immensely proud of our bargaining team and all the great provisions our first CBA includes. We are now entering a new era at WildEarth Guardians with enthusiasm and renewed drive to accomplish our critical work,” said Adam Rissien, spokesperson for WildEarth Workers. “The CBA lays a foundation for a resilient workplace prepared to fight for the wild places, wildlife, and health of the American West while ensuring the safety, security, and longevity of our workforce.” “The workers of WildEarth Guardians are the voice for the voiceless and I am thrilled their jobs are protected and supported with a collective agreement,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss. “This contract is a strong foundation that will support the workers who protect our wildlife and our climate for generations to come.”
Hotel and Gaming Trades Council Wins New Industry-Wide Tentative Agreement: Ahead of the FIFA World Cup, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC) has reached a new tentative agreement with the Hotel Association of New York City that secures the biggest wage increases in the union’s history. The new contract would be active for eight years, and by the end of its lifetime, room attendants and other nontipped workers would be earning six figures. Other highlights of the deal include fully paid parental leave, artificial intelligence guardrails, additional protections for immigrant members and more. “Our union’s team carried out sophisticated and effective legal and political strategies, engaged in thousands of conversations with employers, and executed numerous bargaining strategies to create the leverage we needed,” said HTC President Rich Maroko in an open letter to the union’s members. “But in the end, we would not have won this agreement without the dedication of our members and the very real threat that we would strike. The threat of a strike or a picket line is our union’s most powerful weapon. In every contract fight, we need management to understand that if they won’t agree to a fair contract at the bargaining table, we will take our fight to the streets.”
University of California IT Workers Join UPTE-CWA, Form Largest Tech Union in U.S.: More than 2,100 tech workers at the University of California have voted to join University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE)-Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9119. With the addition of these system analysts, database administrators and other information technology (IT) workers, UPTE-CWA has become the largest tech union in the United States. “Millions of Californians rely on the University of California for their healthcare and education,” said Max Belasco, business systems analyst at UCLA. “Until now, we haven’t had the opportunity, as the people who understand AI, to say: we want a seat at the table. If the workers who provide these critical services to the people of California don’t have the power to demand transparency and advocate for the safe deployment of AI tools, there will be no safeguards in place to ensure AI will be used as anything more than a poor cost saving measure. Unionized healthcare workers have set new quality standards across UC hospitals that save lives—tech workers can play the same role when it comes to AI.”
School Food Service Workers in New York Ratify New Collective Bargaining Agreement: Members of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union-United Food and Commercial Workers (RWDSU-UFCW) Local 1102 who feed students in the Hampton Bays School District have ratified a new union contract. Highlights of the agreement include raises, longevity benefits and more paid time off, including improvements to holiday, sick and personal days. These major wins will help provide greater financial stability for members and reflect the important role they play in the local community. “Our Hampton Bays members should be proud of what they accomplished together through solidarity and unity,” said Local 1102 President Jack Caffey. “This agreement recognizes the essential work they do every day and delivers meaningful improvements that support them and their families.”
Workers at Planned Parenthood’s Largest Health Care Affiliate Vote to Join SEIU: More than 400 front-line health care workers at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte have voted to join Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 521. Members of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte Workers United (PPMMWU) perform essential roles at 30 clinics throughout mid-California and Nevada. This supermajority vote by staff of Planned Parenthood’s largest affiliated network comes in the midst of uncertainty around Medicaid funding and rollbacks on reproductive rights. “Securing our union secures decisions about our work like staffing, resources, and ensuring a sustainable level of care our patients depend on,” said Ryah Issa, a health services specialist at the Planned Parenthood San Jose clinic, in a press release. “While courts and politicians continue to police our work, our union gives us the power to defend clinical integrity and guarantees our patients receive the comprehensive care we all deserve. Many workers are patients in our clinics, too.”