Labor News Update - 05/12/2023

Writers Guild of America Strike Updates

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

The WGA Strike Is More Than an Issue of Pay—it’s Part of the Battle for Diversity and Inclusion in Hollywood https://inthesetimes.com/article/wga-strike-diversity-amptp-hollywood

Union Picket Lines Stop Filming at Columbia High School https://www.tapinto.net/towns/soma/sections/education/articles/union-picket-lines-stop-filming-at-columbia-high-school

With writers' strike underway, film and TV studios start labor talks with directors https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/10/media/directors-guild-negotiations-duplicate-2-duplicate-2/index.html

Film/TV Shoots at L.A. Hotels May Be Disrupted as Hospitality Workers Back Writers Strike (Exclusive) — UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents workers at popular shooting locations across the region, announced it "will not cross any picket line set up by the WGA." https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/los-angeles-hospitality-union-backs-writers-strike-1235483737/

All the TV Shows and Movies Affected by the WGA Writers Strike (Updating) https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/tv-shows-movies-affected-wga-writers-strike-2023-1235601094/

Solidarity with WGA: What Working People Are Doing This Week https://aflcio.org/2023/5/11/solidarity-wga-what-working-people-are-doing-week

Take Action: Stand with Striking Writers https://aflcio.org/2023/5/10/take-action-stand-striking-writers

Labor News

United Airlines pilot union wants to 'raise the bar' from Delta's contract https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/united-airlines-pilots-want-higher-pay-rates-than-delta-says-union-head-2023-05-11/

Want your hotel room cleaned every day? Hotel housekeepers hope you say yes https://www.npr.org/2023/05/11/1175336181/hotels-daily-room-cleaning-do-not-disturb-labor-union-jobs

College Students Are Urging Their Schools Dump Starbucks Coffee Over Shutdowns of Unionized Cafes https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-11/students-urge-cornell-and-uc-dump-starbucks-coffee-over-union-busting-claims#xj4y7vzkg

The Starbucks Union Has Now Won 300 Elections https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2023/05/11/the-starbucks-union-has-now-won-300-elections/

Labor unions on Thursday asked a United Nations agency to investigate whether gaps in U.S. law have allowed Starbucks Corp to allegedly violate the rights of baristas organizing at the coffee chain's cafes, a filing seen by Reuters showed. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/11/labor-unions-ask-un-body-to-probe-starbucks-use-of-legal-loopholes.html

The Congressional Workers Union — the umbrella organization for the six House Democrat offices that have formed unions, plus the seven others that have petitioned to hold union elections and any other staffers looking to organize their corners of Capitol Hill — turned 1 year old Wednesday. https://rollcall.com/2023/05/11/after-a-year-of-organizing-staff-union-leaders-look-ahead-to-collective-bargaining/

Rutgers Strike Wins Big But More is Needed to Change Higher Education https://www.labornotes.org/2023/05/rutgers-strike-wins-big-more-needed-change-higher-education

Young workers drive union effort at Salt Lake City Public Library https://www.workers.org/2023/05/70864/

The Allentown School District and the Allentown Education Association reached a tentative teachers union contract that will run through the end of the 2026-27 school year. https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/lehighvalley/asd-reaches-tentative-teachers-union-contract/article_ec078784-f075-11ed-a627-ab984cdb3262.html

After a semester of organizing, Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU) plans to seek voluntary recognition from the University. Despite substantial interest in the union, PGSU has not reached out to the University to seek said recognition, according to PSGU representative Tim Alberdingk Thijm. https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/05/pgsu-seeks-voluntary-university-recognition-instead-of-election

Workers at Georgia school bus maker Blue Bird begin voting on whether to unionize https://apnews.com/article/unions-vote-workers-georgia-blue-bird-buses-214ec840937d6b5959004a2aa34779a9

As Minor Leaguers Unionized, One Went to Law School https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/sports/baseball/chris-rowley-mlb-union-law-school.html

Communications Workers of America (CWA) Bargaining Update https://cwa-union.org/news/bargaining-update-241

CWA Union Rideshare Workers Strike for Safety and Better Working Conditions https://cwa-union.org/news/cwa-rideshare-workers-strike-safety-and-better-working-conditions

CWA Union Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Find “Power In Unity” at Annual Conference https://cwa-union.org/news/public-healthcare-and-education-workers-find-power-unity-annual-conference

Politics, Government & Legislation

What the government being unable to pay the bills could mean for the U.S. economy https://www.cbsnews.com/news/debt-limit-default-economic-impact/

Private Jets Are Dirty Luxuries for the Ultra Rich. Let’s Tax Them. https://inthesetimes.com/article/private-jets-climate-taxes-inequality

New Florida law putting restrictions on teachers' unions leads to federal lawsuit against state officials https://www.fox13news.com/news/florida-teachers-unions-file-lawsuit-against-state-officials-over-new-law-that-restricts-their-power

Kentucky Lantern: ‘Down ticket’ races include election denier’s challenge of Republican secretary of state https://ky.aflcio.org/news/kentucky-lantern-down-ticket-races-include-election-deniers-challenge

Kentucky: From Hood to the Holler: Early Voting is Open! https://ky.aflcio.org/news/hood-holler-early-voting-open

NLRB News & Decisions 

Forget the NLRB — build the barricades — The workers movement has been most successful when we organize maximum disruption. In 2018, teacher wildcat strikes won big in right wing dominated states of Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma and West Virginia. Only then can we win immediate improvements that also give us the power to transform an unjust system that has pushed all life on earth to the point of ecocide. https://thechiefleader.com/stories/forget-the-nlrb,50425

What the Bleep!?: NLRB Makes it More Difficult to Discipline Employee Outbursts

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/what-the-bleep-nlrb-makes-it-more-5089721/

Jobs, Business & Economy 

Five challenges educators face amid Teacher Appreciation Week https://fox59.com/news/national-world/five-challenges-educators-face-amid-teacher-appreciation-week/ 

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

Workplace Safety 

US lawmakers call to modernize Osha as hundreds die on the job each day https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/10/osha-legislation-hazardous-working-conditions-deaths

Black workers died on the job at the highest rate, AFL-CIO report says https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2023/05/10/afl-cio-report-black-workers-died-higher-rates/

Labor Honors and Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Louie Afusia https://aflcio.org/2023/5/11/asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month-profiles-louie-afusia 

Announcements & Events 

Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Is This Saturday 

AFL-CIO Blog / by Kenneth Quinnell 

This Saturday, May 13, is the National Association of Letter Carriers' (NALC's) 31st annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the nation's largest annual one-day food drive. Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the drive collects tens of millions of pounds of food to assist food pantries.

One in eight Americans, including millions of children, senior citizens and veterans, are unsure where their next meal will come from. Since 1993, NALC's drive has helped relieve shortages that food pantries experience in the spring and summer after holiday donations have been depleted.

Help your local community food pantry or bank by leaving donations of nonperishables at your mailbox for your letter carrier to collect on Saturday, May 13. Your donations stay in your community and help your neighbors and community members overcome food insecurity.

Stamp Out Hunger is co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO, the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the U.S. Postal Service, the United Way, Valpak, Vericast, Kellogg's and CVS Pharmacy.

Visit the NALC's website to learn more: https://www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive

This Day in Labor History 

Labor History in 2:00 Podcast:

May 12 Fighting and Winning the 8 Hour Day

On this day in Labor History the year was 1856 workers of Melbourne, Australia marched to celebrate a victory in the campaign to win the eight-hour day. At the time it was common to work as long as twelve or fourteen hour days.