BlueCollarWriter Labor News Update

Labor News

31,000 Kaiser workers set to strike for five days starting Oct. 14Over 31,000 members of the UNAC/UHCP will go on a five-day strike against Kaiser Permanente starting Tuesday, making it the largest strike in the union’s history. Here’s the picket line…

Kaiser workers gear up for five-day strike; Sharp nurses to picketHigher salaries are at heart of dispute between union and health care systems

Nearly 32,000 Michigan home care workers unionize with SEIU Healthcare in historic win %Historic win for home care workers in Michigan %

Story of the Week: Is Broadway Going on Strike? - TheaterMania.comTwo unions are currently negotiating for new contracts with the Broadway League.

From pulpit to picket line: Religion and labor rights long connected in coal country

In October 2025, Cecil Roberts will officially retire from his role as president of the United Mine Workers of America. A sixth-generation coal miner, he has led the union for 30 years. Only one man held the role longer: John L. Lewis, whom many consider one of the most important labor leaders of the 20th century.

After 40 days on picket line, union workers at Hilton Americas-Houston end strike | Houston Public MediaHousekeepers, laundry attendants, and stewards will see their minimum wage rise from $16.50 to $20 an hour, and then to $22 by the end of their new contract.

The UC Berkeley Labor Center Mourns the Loss of Friend and Colleague Kent WongThe Labor Center is deeply saddened by the passing of our long-time colleague and friend, Kent Wong, project director for labor and community partnerships and former director of our sister labor center at UCLA for more than 30 years.

Summit Schools support staff continue fight for union, point to culture where voicing safety concerns feels like a “risk” to jobsNon-licensed Summit School District staff members are continuing their efforts to unionize and again encouraged the district to take action and approve them as a bargaining unit. At a Thursday, Oct. 9, Board of Education...

SC Waffle House workers begin strike over pay and working conditions, union saysStaff at a South Carolina Waffle House location have started a strike, demanding better pay and working conditions.

Shelbyville casino workers to strike over union election hampered by government shutdown

Shelbyville casino workers plan to strike for union recognition as an election planned for Friday is “delayed indefinitely” due to the government shutdown.

Union workers ratify agreement with Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority The union workers announced they have ratified an agreement with Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority.ATU Local 1548 said Monday that the three-

Little Rock to extend union agreement with firefighters through 2027 | Arkansas Democrat Gazette The city of Little Rock has reached an agreement with firefighters to extend the current two-year union contract for an additional year, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced Monday.

Teamsters, OOIDA backing legislation to fight ‘predatory’ lease arrangementsWashington is considering a measure that would crack down on unsavory leasing practices in the trucking industry that backers say trap truck drivers into long-term debt and prevent them from becoming profitable owner-operators.

Government & Politics

Over 4,000 federal workers laid off during government shutdown. 750,000 federal workers without pay

The White House is using layoffs of federal workers as leverage to end the shutdownFederal workers, many already furloughed, may now face unemployment as the White House uses them as leverage in negotiations to end the federal government shutdown.

More than half of CDC staffers recently fired by Trump administration have been reinstated - WTOP NewsHundreds of staff fired from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Friday have been reinstated, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.

Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcementThe Trump administration started laying off 466 Education Department staffers on Friday amid mass firings across the government meant to pressure Democratic lawmakers over the federal shutdown.

Coal Miners With Black Lung Say They Are ‘Cast Aside to Die’ Under TrumpPresident Trump has been a cheerleader for coal miners. But these miners say his administration is failing to enforce limits on a lethal workplace hazard.

The Supreme Court Could Grant Trump His Dream Of One-Party RuleIf the court’s conservative supermajority guts the Voting Rights Act, they will crush minority political power.

Trump’s policies are driving the U.S. economy toward structural collapseMassive profits are being concentrated in the hands of hedge funds and energy and defense giants, while farmers, workers, and middle-class families bear the costs.

ICE Fears Put Pregnant Immigrants and Their Babies at Risk - People's TribuneFear of deportation is deterring people without permanent legal status from critical care. Doctors are worried for the health of pregnant immigrants, and the health of their pregnancies. This story was originally reported by 19thnews.org.

Government Shutdown and the Blame Game - People's TribuneUsing a bold-faced lie President Trump and Vice President Vance blamed immigrants, particularly the undocumented, for the government shutdown now in effect throughout the country. The Republican plan would increase Obamacare payments and make Medicaid cuts.

'Cast aside to die': Voters struggle in deep-red Trump countryCoal miners supported President Donald Trump and thanked him at the White House in April for "trying to reinvigorate their struggling industry," writes The New York Times, but now those coal miners say that Trump is failing to protect them from an incurable illness that's killing them.On Tuesday, do...

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union saysThe Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

JD Vance Turns On One Of His Own After Getting MAGA BacklashHegseth’s announcement ignited a whirlwind of backlash among many factions, including Trump’s MAGA base supporters.

Trump Makes Claim So Stupid That It Could Easily Be Debunked By Looking At A Map“You go ‘boom, boom,’ and now you're in Qatar,” the president said while making a huge geographical flub.

Shawn Fain: “We Need More Than a Party — We Need a Movement”UAW president Shawn Fain, speaking at a Center for Working-Class Politics and Jacobin event, emphasized the need for a political program that addresses workers’ most basic issues — and how a broad strike in 2028 could put them front and center.

It’s Still Possible to Rebuild a Working-Class MajorityLabor organizing can’t succeed at scale without a supportive legal and political environment, created by majoritarian coalitions that can win reforms, confront corporate power, and prove to skeptical workers that progressive governance delivers.

A Beacon Of Hope and Woke Bullshit | Common DreamsCiting the value of “keep(ing) the flame of democracy burning," the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for (her) people." Machado called the award an “immense recognition of the struggle of all Venezue...

Bailing Out Pfizer Won’t Lower Drug PricesPresident Trump is promising lower drugs prices, but last month’s “deal” between the government and Pfizer is more about funneling patients to Big Pharma’s direct-to-consumer online platforms.

State & Local

Furloughed federal workers in Pa. may be eligible for unemployment during shutdownFederal employees not working and not receiving pay during the shutdown can apply for unemployment under state law, but officials said eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis.

TGI Fridays offering free food for some federal workers amid shutdownThe promotion will be available all day, every day during the two-week period, unless the shutdown ends before Oct. 23.

Ohio unions form pension coalition to fight board changes, benefit cutsTeachers, police, and firefighters unite against legislative proposals they say threaten promised benefits and collective bargaining rights.

Two movies document Starbucks union fight in BuffaloThe Starbucks union organizing campaign that started in Buffalo has inspired two films by documentary filmmakers. One is "Baristas vs. Billionaires," premiering at North Park Theatre Friday night, the other is "Partners," from Blanket Films.

In Minnesota, BlackRock Is Acquiring Vital InfrastructureA multibillion-dollar deal is set to hand private equity giant BlackRock one of the Midwest’s largest utilities, Minnesota Power. Opponents of the sale fear that this will only worsen the already skyrocketing cost of electricity.

NLRB News & Decisions

The NLRB Faces a Constitutional CrisisWhile lecturing others on democracy and human rights, the United States has let its own system for enforcing basic labor protections collapse. Its failure to protect the rights of workers should be an international scandal.

Jobs, Business & Economy

Economists expect faster growth, but weaker job gains, through 2025The U.S. economy picked up speed in the second half of the year, although job growth and inflation remain a concern, economists say.

Economists see stronger US growth, but weak job gains and stickier inflationSurging business investment is expected to offset weaker growth in consumption and global trade and keep the U.S. economy growing near trend, according to a National Association for Business Economics survey, though slow job growth, higher unemployment and stickier inflation will mar the outlook.

Fed Governor Warns 'Job Growth Has Probably Been Negative' as US Labor Market Stalls | Common DreamsFederal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller warns of poor US labor market conditions, with job growth likely negative. Economic uncertainty looms.

High inflation and lack of jobs leave Americans frustrated with the economyAmericans have soured on the prospect of finding new jobs, a new survey shows. And they’re still frustrated by persistent inflation, giving them little confidence that the economy will improve soon.

History shows war against immigrants will backfire on all AmericansDeportations are likely to cause employers to let go of US workers, and reduce the labor force

BlueCollarWriter Commentary & Analysis

Opinion Isn’t the Enemy — Division Is

"Another Kentucky Democrat just entered the race for Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat, and predictably, the online chatter kicked into overdrive. That’s good. That’s democracy in motion — people caring enough to speak up, to debate, to want better for this state. But somewhere between enthusiasm and outrage, something keeps getting lost in translation: the difference between having an opinion and attacking someone for theirs.

We’ve reached a point where too many folks — even on our own side — treat disagreement like betrayal. Where every difference of strategy becomes a moral failing, and every question of tactics turns into a purity test. "

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Trump and His Cronies Are Holding Working People Hostage

"Let’s be clear: democracy cannot function on hostage politics. A government that can be shut down at will is a government that doesn’t serve the people, but serves the few who see chaos as leverage. Trump and his allies have no problem torching livelihoods because they’re insulated by wealth and privilege. Ordinary Americans, meanwhile, are told to wait it out, suffer quietly, and trust the same politicians who created the mess."

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America Cannot Afford This Dangerous Step

"Let’s be blunt: “Antifa” has no headquarters, no membership cards, no treasury, and no single leader. It is not Al Qaeda or ISIS. It is a label slapped on anyone who stands up against fascism, white supremacy, or authoritarian overreach. Declaring it a terrorist organization gives law enforcement sweeping license to surveil, infiltrate, and prosecute ordinary citizens engaged in constitutionally protected protest. That’s not counterterrorism—it’s McCarthyism with a new badge."

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From Union-Busting to Kimmel: Disney's Long History of Obedience

"Walt Disney himself set the tone. During the bitter 1941 animators’ strike, Disney didn’t just fight his own workers—he smeared them. He tried to break the union by dragging their names through the mud, painting organizers and strikers as communists. Later, when he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Disney eagerly played his part in America’s Red Scare theater, waving the flag of “loyalty” while blacklisting and undermining artists who dared demand dignity."

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Labor History in 2:00

Labor History in 2:00 | The Rick Smith ShowA daily, pocket-sized history of America's working people, brought to you by The Rick Smith Show team.

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