The Union Movement In The USA Died Today

[PR1Berske]

I listened to a podcast about this the other day. Supreme Court finds against a union in a case about damage to property while withholding labour

Supreme Court sides with concrete employer over Teamsters strike

The high court said last week a Washington state Teamsters chapter did not take “reasonable precautions” to prevent the destruction of Glacier Northwest’s already-mixed concrete.

www.constructiondive.com

 

[hitmouse]

97% strike vote at yank Royal Mail:

Teamsters Authorize Strike at UPS

(WASHINGTON) – UPS Teamsters have voted by an overwhelming 97 percent to authorize a strike, giving the union maximum leverage to win demands at the bargainin

teamster.org

Interview with a rank-and-file worker here:

Interview: UPS Teamster on the Possibility of Huge 2023 Strike

The contract for some 340,000 UPS workers, organized by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), is set to expire at midnight on July 31st. In preparation for a possible walkout, Teamsters across the country began casting strike ballots earlier this week. A strike by UPS Teamsters would...

blackrosefed.org

 

[petee]

97% strike vote at yank Royal Mail:

i think that's USPS; UPS does packages, not letters

 

[hitmouse]

i think that's USPS; UPS does packages, not letters

I think Royal Mail does both tbf, although I think there's definitely more privatisation in the package delivery field. Yank Hermes, then?

 

[petee]

I think Royal Mail does both tbf, although I think there's definitely more privatisation in the package delivery field. Yank Hermes, then?

United Parcel Service has always been a provate conpany, similar to FedEx.

USPS is The Post Office.

 

[hitmouse]

Some positive news on the insane railworker sick day situation:

‘We Never Stopped Applying Pressure’: Hard-Fought Success on Rail Sick Days

After months of negotiations, the IBEW’s Railroad members at four of the largest U.S. freight carriers finally have what they’ve long sought but that many working people take for granted: paid sick days.

www.ibew.org

 

[petee]

Park Slope Barnes & Noble workers vote for unionization

If there are no objections from Barnes & Noble, the union will be certified and the employer must head to the bargaining table.

gothamist.com

Workers at Barnes & Noble in Park Slope Brooklyn voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionization on Thursday, making it the third to do so in the New York area.

This comes shortly after workers at the Barnes & Noble flagship store in Union Square voted to join a union earlier this month and the Barnes & Noble Education store on Rutgers University’s campus in New Jersey voted unanimously in May.

 

[petee]

human cat Ron Perelman brings the hammer

 

[petee]

starbucks vs. its workers.

https://archive.ph/a6Z90

The company dedicated to caffeinating the world turns out to be very good at moving slowly, and the inaction is devastating for the workers, many of whom are economically vulnerable. Starbucks, on the other hand, faces little risk. Even if the company eventually ends up losing cases on the final appeal — a stage that could take years — the N.L.R.B. is barred from imposing monetary penalties.

 

[hitmouse]

Hotel workers kick off third wave of strikes in Hollywood, Pasadena

After tense bargaining talks Tuesday, hotel workers in Hollywood and Pasadena walked off the job Thursday in a third wave of strikes to hit Southern California's hospitality sector this summer.

www.latimes.com

 

[petee]

I subscribe to this guy's channel. He's a propmaster and a goofball and it's fun. But I didn't expect this. He's not calling for a moneyless economy for use not profit okay, but it's a brave enough position in the US as things are these days.

 

[petee]

teamsters and UPS reach agreement.

but notice how this guy frames it.

 

[hitmouse]

Ah, was just coming here to post that - will be interested to hear any more critical perspectives, but it sounds like a good deal from first glance?

 

[petee]

Ah, was just coming here to post that - will be interested to hear any more critical perspectives, but it sounds like a good deal from first glance?

the teamsters are crowing and UPS is spinning it, so i guess it's good. but i haven't yet read any critical take.

 

[hitmouse]

the teamsters are crowing and UPS is spinning it, so i guess it's good. but i haven't yet read any critical take.

Just had a quick look, and TDU seem to be keen on it:

Strike Threat Makes UPS Deliver

UPS walked away from the bargaining table on July 5 after telling our union, “We have nothing more to give you.” Today, the company returned to the table and agreed to a tentative agreement that forces the company to deliver record wage increases on top of all the improvements we had already won...

www.tdu.org

UPS walked away from the bargaining table on July 5 after telling our union, “We have nothing more to offer.” Today, the company returned to the table and agreed to a tentative agreement that forces the company to deliver record wage increases on top of all the improvements we had already won in our year-long contract campaign.

In between, tens of thousands of UPS Teamsters nationwide organized Practice Picketing, showing UPS we were ready to strike. Management read the writing on the wall and went from “nothing more to offer” to the most lucrative contract in Teamster history.

I'm happy enough to trust their judgement on this one.

 

[bcuster]

 

[petee]

starbucks vs. its workers.

https://archive.ph/a6Z90

The company dedicated to caffeinating the world turns out to be very good at moving slowly, and the inaction is devastating for the workers, many of whom are economically vulnerable. Starbucks, on the other hand, faces little risk. Even if the company eventually ends up losing cases on the final appeal — a stage that could take years — the N.L.R.B. is barred from imposing monetary penalties.

update

Feds Reject Labor Foe’s Attempt to Shut Down Manhattan Starbucks Union

The Chelsea Roastery workers who sought to oust their union are represented by a prominent anti-union advocacy group.

www.thecity.nyc

In a seven-page decision based on precedent, NLRB regional director John D. Doyle Jr. concluded that a litany of unfair labor practices filed by Roastery cafe workers against Starbucks, including the company’s refusal to bargain with the union, were enough to toss the decertification petition, which the National Right to Work filed on behalf of worker Kevin Caesar on May 10.

In other words, Starbucks Workers United will continue to represent all workers at the Roastery.

The NLRB has substantiated a litany of complaints that the company illegally refused to bargain in good faith and retaliated against union organizers across the country in the past 18 months.

 

[hitmouse]

the teamsters are crowing and UPS is spinning it, so i guess it's good. but i haven't yet read any critical take.

Here's a critical take from what looks like some Teamster trots:

WSB Writes | Vote “No” and Escalate the Fight to Win a Strong Contract! — Workers Strike Back

www.workersstrikeback.org

 

[petee]

Here's a critical take from what looks like some Teamster trots:

WSB Writes | Vote “No” and Escalate the Fight to Win a Strong Contract! — Workers Strike Back

www.workersstrikeback.org

more specifics here, they seem to like it.

UPS Teamsters to Vote on Contract that Ends Driver Tiers, Lifts Part-Timer Pay

With just a week to go before the strike deadline, UPS and the Teamsters announced a tentative agreement July 25. There will be no strike on August 1. It’s clear their strike threat paid off in a big way—to the tune of $30 billion, the union’s calculation of how much more UPS is spending on this...

labornotes.org

 

[hitmouse]

more specifics here, they seem to like it.

UPS Teamsters to Vote on Contract that Ends Driver Tiers, Lifts Part-Timer Pay

With just a week to go before the strike deadline, UPS and the Teamsters announced a tentative agreement July 25. There will be no strike on August 1. It’s clear their strike threat paid off in a big way—to the tune of $30 billion, the union’s calculation of how much more UPS is spending on this...

labornotes.org

Cheers - from what I understand the new Teamsters leadership seems pretty close to the TDU and so presumably Labor Notes. Not being in the industry or indeed the country, I can't really comment that much on the ins and outs on the contract, but there do seem to be some fairly credible left voices in favour of accepting.

 

[petee]

union pizza!

In a New York City first, a union slice - The Chief

Workers at Barboncino in Crown Heights have been serving up wood-fired pizzas and Italian-American classics for more than a decade in a brick-lined dining room off Franklin Avenue. Since May, …

thechiefleader.com

On Wednesday, the workers got their wish, winning an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board in a unanimous vote, becoming New York City’s first unionized standalone pizzeria. “A unanimous victory sends [management] a message,” Dinndorf said after the 26-to-zero tabulation concluded.

 

[hitmouse]

Very interesting nuanced discussion of the UPS Teamster contract from a member who's voting no:

Ep 222 - Teamster Runoff w/ Alexander Edward – The Antifada – Podcast

Minion Death Cult cohost and union militant Alexander Edward delivers the news on the tentative agreement between UPS and the Teamsters... and why he's voting NO.Shook ex-Spart Jim Cramer:For the full... – Listen to Ep 222 - Teamster Runoff w/ Alexander Edward by The Antifada instantly on your...

podtail.com

 

[petee]

the blogger is selling this pretty hard but it would be a good thing

American Workers Are About To Get Way More Power. Here's How.

A vital piece of labor law, the Joy Silk doctrine, is expected to be reinstated by the NLRB.

moreperfectus.substack.com

An impending NLRB ruling is expected to reinstate the so-called Joy Silk doctrine, which allows workers to form a union simply by collecting signed authorization cards from a majority of their bargaining unit rather than needing to participate in a formal election.

The new process, if implemented, will make organizing unions with coworkers far faster and simpler. It will also make union-busting much more difficult.

We partnered with award-winning former longtime New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse to explain what’s happening.

 

[hitmouse]

Joy Silk Doctrine is a great name, best name for a US legal thing I've heard of since Grumbles Motion.

 

[petee]

update

Teamsters at UPS Ratify Historic $30 Billion Contract

The agreement passed by the highest margin ever for a Teamster UPS contract. Workers had to make no concessions.

substack.perfectunion.us

 

[petee]

BREAKING: Autoworkers Vote to Authorize Massive Nationwide Strike

UAW members’ wages and benefits have eroded while automaker profits have soared. They’re fed up.

substack.perfectunion.us

"Fain has taken a far more aggressive tack than his recent predecessors. In July, he broke tradition when he started negotiations by shaking hands with his members instead of with company executives. Two weeks ago, he threw a concessionary proposal from Stellantis into a garbage can during a livestream"

 

[petee]

I see that Investor's Business Daily is offering a Labor Day discount on subscriptions.

 

[petee]

it's spreading, a bit

Young people, buoyed by the pandemic and long-standing economic inequality, say they are turning to unionizing to advocate for better pay and working conditions. In an AFL-CIO poll, 88% of voters under age 30 said they approve of labor unions,

It’s having a ripple effect. For example: Undergraduate students at the New School and Parsons School of Design recently announced their intent to unionize, partly inspired by their professors’ strike last winter. Students work as resident advisors, orientation leaders, social media assistants and in clerical roles — often for minimum wage or no compensation at all beyond meal and housing assistance.

College-Educated and Young Workers Lead Union Surge While Public Sector Plummets

Higher ed and hospital strikes highlighted in CUNY’s annual Labor Day report, which also finds a 16-point drop in NYC government worker union membership.

www.thecity.nyc

 

[petee]

it's working!

Ten-Week Strike Wins “Substantial Improvements” for Locals 506 and 618

On June 22, after nearly two months of negotiations, the 1,400 members of UE Locals 506 and 618 voted down Wabtec’s last, best and final offer. Ten weeks later, they ratified a new contract that “represents a substantial improvement over what Wabtec had on the table in June,” according to Local...

www.ueunion.org

On June 22, after nearly two months of negotiations, the 1,400 members of UE Locals 506 and 618 voted down Wabtec’s last, best and final offer. Following the vote, second-shift workers marched out of the plant and UE members set up picket lines around the massive facility.

 

[petee]

the usual method has been to pick one of the big automakers and strike them.

For the first time in its history, the United Auto Workers are striking at all of the Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, the parent company for Jeep, Chrysler, and Dodge.

This UAW Strike Is Unlike Anything We’ve Seen Before

United Auto Workers launch a historic strike against all Big Three companies.

substack.perfectunion.us