Worker Wins: ‘We Fought and Won’

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

Faculty at Portland Community College Reach Tentative Contract Agreement, Secure Wage Increases: Faculty at Portland Community College (PCC) reached a tentative agreement Monday night, effectively ending a strike that began March 11 and lasted nearly three weeks. “[T]onight we reached tentative agreement on a very strong contract with our members,” the PCC Federation of Faculty and Academic Professionals (PCCFFAP) said in an email. “We’re thrilled to get back to our students, and a PCC community with a revitalized sense of community.” The tentative agreement includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment this year and 3% for 2026–27; lump sum payments of $5,475 for full-time faculty, $5,000 for academic professionals and $1,400 for part-time faculty; doctoral pay for faculty and academic professionals; an increase in the pay scale for part-time faculty: 40 vacation hours that academic professionals can cash out; full health care coverage at the most common tier; a new option for college contributions to a health savings account; and additional insurance contributions for part-time faculty. PCC has roughly 1,600 faculty and academic professionals. The agreement is subject to ratification by union members. PCCFFAP is Local 2277 of the AFT.

Bangladesh’s Garment Workers Form First Union Under New Law: Garment workers at the Fashion Pulse factory in Bangladesh have formed the country’s first labor union under amended laws that make it easier for workers to organize. The 160 garment workers received legal recognition for the Fashion Pulse Limited Sramik Union in February after organizing with the Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF), with legal and technical support from the Solidarity Center. “Despite recent amendments to the law, officials still appear reluctant to grant registration without unnecessary hurdles,” says Rashadul Alam Raju, BIGUF general secretary. “In this context, the Solidarity Center’s timely and precise legal support, together with the proper preparation of documentation under the new format, proved crucial and ultimately decisive.” The workers joined together to negotiate for better wages and safer conditions. “Our next priority is to organize more workers to join the union and strengthen it so that we can effectively engage with the employer and negotiate on behalf of the workers,” said Tanzila, general secretary of Fashion Pulse Limited Sramik Union. Improvements to the Bangladesh Labour Law were passed in November as a result of years of engagement by the Solidarity Center with the government’s Labour Reform Commission, its assistance for workers serving on reform councils and its long-standing involvement with its partner unions and federations.

UFCW Pharmacy and Other Workers Ratify 4-Year Contract with Kaiser; Secure 21.5% Wage Increases Over Life of the Contract: Workers at Kaiser Permanente locations across Southern and Central California ratified a new four-year contract Saturday. The contract lasts through March 2030 and includes 21.5% wage increases over the next four years, including 6.5% raises in March and October of this year. Additional wage grid and market adjustments bring the total increase to 25% to 30% for many members. The agreement also includes provisions to safeguard against the impact of artificial intelligence. “We came together with Kaiser Permanente workers across the country to achieve these strong successor contracts,” said the union in a statement. “It reflects the months of hard work that went into negotiations and the solidarity shown by all of us at the bargaining table and the Alliance of Healthcare Unions.” The union represents workers across Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Kern counties, including pharmacy assistants, pharmacy technicians, clinical lab scientists, medical lab technicians and clinical and administrative staff. In February, workers staged a three-day strike at Kaiser Permanente facilities across Southern California and Bakersfield.

AFA-CWA Reaches Tentative Agreement with United Airlines: Members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) have reached a new tentative agreement with United Airlines. The deal will now move to the AFA United Master Executive Council who will decide if it can progress to a general membership ratification vote. United crew have been in federal mediation since 2023. Highlights include improvements to base pay, guardrails around red-eye flying, higher retroactive payments, compensation for long wait times between flights and more.

New Jersey State AFL-CIO Celebrates New Laws Protecting Immigrant Workers: The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is applauding Gov. Mikie Sherrill for signing into law three pieces of legislation that will protect the rights and safety of immigrant workers in the state. In response to unidentified federal agents swarming neighborhoods around the country to conduct immigration raids, the Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act will ban all law enforcement officers from wearing masks when conducting official duties and require them to provide identification prior to arresting or detaining a civilian. The Privacy Protection Act limits data sharing by government and health care facilities to ensure residents are not discouraged from seeking necessary services out of fear that their documentation status would be disclosed. Similarly, the third bill—the Immigrant Trust Directive—codifies the attorney general’s 2018 directive that limits the voluntary assistance New Jersey law enforcement may provide to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to prevent immigrant residents from feeling unable to seek out help from local law enforcement. “New Jersey has one of the highest populations of immigrants in the nation and we were proud to support these important pieces of legislation,” the New Jersey State AFL-CIO said. “[We] will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with immigrant workers to ensure they are treated with respect and dignity and are not fearful to reside in our communities.”

NYU Faculty Reach a Tentative Agreement to End Work Stoppage: Contract Faculty United-UAW (CFU-UAW) members reached a tentative agreement with New York University (NYU) administrators on Wednesday after two days on strike. The union represents approximately 950 full-time, nontenure track faculty at the institution. While the agreement is still pending ratification, it includes wins like substantial salary increases, 3.5% annual raises starting next year, a new family care benefit fund, professional development resources, comprehensive health and welfare benefits, and more. “We fought, and won,” said Brendan Hogan, an NYU philosophy professor. “Everyone in our union will get a minimum raise of $14,000 by the start of the next academic year.”

Mystic Seaport Museum Workers File to Join AFSCME: Staff at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut went public last week with their effort to form a union with AFSCME Council 4. As part of the AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United (CWU) organizing campaign, the union filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on behalf of workers at the country’s most prominent maritime museum. Staff cite concerns around transparency, job security, health care and wages as core motivators for organizing for a voice on the job. “Mystic Seaport Museum is a great place to work, but it could be an incredible place to work,” said Ashley Giordano, a docent at the museum, in a press release. “We need more protections for our staff and a voice to ensure the museum continues to be a place that visitors want to go to! The thing that makes the museum so special is the people who work here. Time and time again, that is what visitors say they value the most.” “We hope that the Mystic Seaport Museum will [stay neutral] to recognize the right of these workers to organize rather than pursue a divisive campaign,” Council 4 said. “But make no mistake: we are ready to fight to ensure these workers are heard, respected, and empowered to protect the programs and staff that make the museum what it is.” 

New York Transit Museum Workers Vote Unanimously to Join AFSCME: Workers at the New York Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn voted unanimously to form a union last week as the Transit Museum Collective, part of AFSCME District Council 37. The members of the new unit include 30 full- and part-time museum employees who work in its education, collections, and visitor experience departments. They are seeking to bargain for higher wages and better job security. “While we celebrate this victory, we also have our eyes firmly set on bargaining our first contract, which will codify the rights and protections we have fought so hard for and know we deserve,” the Collective said on Instagram. “We want to thank everyone who has been supportive of us throughout this process. Without the wider community our union wouldn’t be as strong as it is.”