Labor News Update - 05/09/2023

Writers Guild of America Strike Updates

WGA Strike Hub website: https://www.wgacontract2023.org/

‘It’s Going to Be a While’: No End in Sight for Hollywood Strike https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/08/business/media/writers-strike-hollywood.html

‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘The Hedge Knight’ Writers Room Pauses as George R.R. Martin Offers ‘Unequivocal Support’ of WGA https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/game-of-thrones-hedge-knight-writers-strike-1235606178/

Daredevil Shoot Shut Down by Teamsters Refusing to Cross Picket Lines —  Disney+'s upcoming Daredevil: Born Again shuts down production in New York City after Teamsters refuse to cross picket lines as WGA East protests https://www.cbr.com/daredevil-wga-strike-teamsters-picket-line/

Stand with the WGA: What Working People Are Doing This Week https://aflcio.org/2023/5/4/stand-wga-what-working-people-are-doing-week

The Onion (satire): Inflatable Scabby The Rat Keeps Trying To Give Striking Hollywood Writers Copy Of His Screenplay  https://www.theonion.com/inflatable-scabby-the-rat-keeps-trying-to-give-striking-1850395787

Labor News

Airline Pilots in the U.S. Are Barreling Closer to a Possible Strike https://inthesetimes.com/article/american-airlines-southwest-pilots-vote-strike-union

Teamsters Local 399 Hires Former Netflix Senior Counsel Kay Kimmel — “It’s almost unheard of to see lawyers move from management side to the side of working people,” the union's leader Lindsay Dougherty said in a statement. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/teamsters-local-399-hires-netflix-kay-kimmel-1235482584/

ICYMI - Hollywood Teamsters Chief Lindsay Dougherty Rallies WGA Strikers - A blazing speech by the first female and youngest-ever leader of the union is a hit with WGA rank and file https://www.lamag.com/article/hollywood-teamsters-chief-lindsay-dougherty-rallies-wga-strikers/

School bus drivers' strike in Marlborough to enter second day; talks continue in Westborough https://www.wcvb.com/article/school-bus-drivers-striking-in-marlborough-massachusetts-talks-continue-in-westborough/43823009

BREAKING: 500 members of UAW Local 12 who make vehicle batteries for Clarios in Holland, Ohio, have walked out on strike after voting down the company's latest offer by 98%. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=264238459306299&set=a.198783379185141&type=3&mibextid=Nif5oz

Over 300 Workers at Auto Parts Supplier Yanfeng Vote to Join UAW https://aflcio.org/2023/5/8/service-solidarity-spotlight-over-300-workers-auto-parts-supplier-yanfeng-vote-join-uaw

Unionized Apple store employees propose tipping, increased pay, and more paid time off https://www.techspot.com/news/98593-unionized-apple-store-employees-propose-tipping-other-benefits.html

Teamsters Local 145 members are demanding Mayor Mark Lauretti follow the law and honor their contract, after a state board awarded the Shelton municipal workers an agreement on March 29. The ruling grants workers better pay and working conditions. https://www.streetinsider.com/dr/news.php?id=21629544&gfv=1

As a union that represents virtually every profession in the health care industry, the Teamsters are proud to celebrate National Nurses Week, which runs from May 6-12, and all health care workers during National Hospital Week, which runs from May 7-13 https://teamster.org/2023/05/teamsters-salute-health-care-workers-during-national-nurses-week-national-hospital-week/

Unions vital to protecting our Democracy https://labortribune.com/opinion-unions-vital-to-protecting-our-democracy/

L.A. teachers union members overwhelmingly approve contract that will raise salaries 21% https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-05-08/l-a-teachers-overwhelmingly-approves-contract-that-raises-salaries-21

As anticipated, the Juneau School District Board of Education voted to accept a three-year contract agreement with Juneau Education Association on Friday after a collective bargaining process that lasted for more than a year. https://www.juneauempire.com/news/school-board-accepts-teaches-union-contract/

DC teachers’ retroactive pay delayed due to ‘administrative complications,’ union says https://wtop.com/dc/2023/05/dc-teachers-retroactive-pay-delayed-due-to-administrative-complications-union-says/

The New York Times is on the cusp of finally inking a historic contract with its guild employees that would end messy and protracted negotiations, Confider has learned. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-new-york-times-union-fight-is-finally-about-to-end

‘We have to continue to teach this university a lesson’: 3 Rutgers faculty unions vote to ratify contract, but say ‘unfinished business’ remains https://whyy.org/articles/rutgers-university-union-agreement-ratified-workers/

Teamster Local 830 and Liberty Coca-Cola have ended a four-week long strike in Philadelphia's Juniata Park neighborhood on Monday. https://6abc.com/teamster-local-830-liberty-coca-cola-philadelphia-juniata-park-strike-ends/13224426/

‘Earned the pay increases they seek’: Mediator sides with teachers union in dispute over pay in St. Johns County https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/05/08/special-magistrate-sides-with-teachers-union-in-dispute-over-pay-in-st-johns-county/

Politics, Government & Legislation

Migrant Child Labor Debate in Congress Becomes Mired in Immigration Fight https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/us/politics/child-labor-immigration-democrats-republicans-biden.html

Oregon bill would let workers refuse unsafe Work https://nwlaborpress.org/2023/05/oregon-bill-would-let-workers-refuse-unsafe-work/

Wisconsin AFL-CIO: Statement on LRB 2025 - the latest attempt by Wisconsin politicians to roll-back child labor laws https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/wisconsin-afl-cio-statement-on-lrb-2025-the-latest-attempt-by-wisconsin-politicians-to-roll-back-child-labor-laws

The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) filed a lawsuit to block enforcement of a law that sets the nation’s debt limit, arguing it is unconstitutional as a political divide over raising the borrowing cap comes to a head. https://thehill-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3993782-government-employees-union-sues-yellen-biden-over-unconstitutional-debt-limit-law/amp/?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16835894296670&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fregulation%2Fcourt-battles%2F3993782-government-employees-union-sues-yellen-biden-over-unconstitutional-debt-limit-law%2F

Overturning Labor Laws: A New Republican Assault on Children https://www.laprogressive.com/labor-social-justice/overturning-labor-laws

State legislators and members of the Minnesota Nurses Association on Monday said they were blindsided when they learned of demands from the Mayo Clinic to the legislature: reject or make big changes to two bills – or it will pull billions in planned investments and move them somewhere else. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/nurses-union-pushes-back-against-mayo-clinics-plan-to-pull-minnesota-investments-if-proposals-at-capitol-pass/

Kentucky 2023 Primary Election Guide https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/elections/kentucky-primary-2023-voting-guide-key-information-races-where-to-vote/417-b524da3d-2d01-49c4-8863-42309d3924c8

NLRB News & Decisions 

Summary of NLRB Decisions for Week of April 24 - 28, 2023 https://www.nlrb.gov/cases-decisions/weekly-summaries-decisions/summary-of-nlrb-decisions-for-week-of-april-24-28-2023

Union Starbucks workers say organizer was illegally fired over protected labor activity https://www.tpr.org/business/2023-05-07/union-starbucks-workers-say-organizer-was-illegally-fired-over-protected-labor-activity

Jobs, Business & Economy 

Teacher Appreciation Week, National Nurses Week 2023: Deals, discounts and freebies https://www.whas11.com/article/news/nation-world/deals-teacher-appreciation-nurse-appreciation-week/507-45b96f9b-3d6b-4f14-b293-6b16f6c88c32

Jobs report: Which industries are hiring workers? "There are good signs and there's broad growth," William Spriggs, chief economist for the labor federation AFL-CIO, told ABC News. "But many of the sectors didn't do very much." https://abc7.com/jobs-report-which-industries-are-hiring-workers/13215428/

Unemployment rate sinks in April for Black and Hispanic workers, but holds steady for Asians — “The Black unemployment rate fell for quirky reasons in a way,” said AFL-CIO chief economist William Spriggs. That’s because the labor force participation rate for Black workers declined in April, he said, dropping to 63% from 64.1% in March. For Black men, the rate slipped to 67.8% from 70.5%. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/05/unemployment-rate-sinks-in-april-for-black-and-hispanic-workers-but-holds-steady-for-asians.html

West Virginia’s jails staffing crisis continues at a very high rate, with 1,040 vacancies across the system and officials describing particularly high rates at eight locations. https://wvmetronews.com/2023/05/08/vacancy-rate-in-west-virginia-corrections-continues-to-rise/

West Virginia Hospital Association President and CEO Jim Kaufman said the state has seen an increase in more EMS providers due to statewide efforts to fill staffing shortages. https://wvmetronews.com/2023/05/08/gaps-being-filled-in-staffing-as-west-virginia-marks-national-hospital-week/

The city of Cincinnati’s pension fund lost nearly 9% on its investments last year, a setback that added to the system’s woes and has led to the board asking City Council to drastically increase its contributions in the coming decades. https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/05/08/cincinnati-pension-fund-bad-returns.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search

Boycotts can "definitely" have an impact on a company's public image, but experts say there is less evidence they have a long-term impact on Bud Light's revenue. http://rssfeeds.cincinnati.com/~/739278746/0/cincinnati-news~Bud-light-sales-Dylan-Mulvaneys-beer-ad-and-whether-boycotts-actually-work/

This Day in Labor History 

Labor History in 2:00 Podcast:

May 9 - Remembering Walter Reuther

On this day in Labor History the year was 1970.   On that day workers and the US labor movement lost a leading voice in a tragic plane crash.