Labor News Update - 05/15/2023

Writers Guild of America Strike Updates

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

Video: Thousands of members of writer's union continue to strike https://news.yahoo.com/thousands-members-writers-union-continue-010940919.html

The Hollywood screenwriters' strike has deep historical roots: stretching back to Hollywood’s Golden Age, writers and many others in the industry have insisted that filmmaking is a form of labor — and fought for their rights as workers. https://jacobin.com/2023/05/hollywood-workers-union-history-writers-guild-of-america-strike

These Unions Are on the Front Lines Fighting Against the Uberization of Us All https://www.thenation.com/article/society/wga-oea-ups-teamsters-strikes/

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

Film/TV Shoots at LA. Hotels May Be Disrupted as Hospitality Workers Back Writers Strike https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/los-angeles-hospitality-union-backs-writers-strike-1235483737/

Writers Guild plans to picket BU graduation on May 21: protest Hollywood exec's Commencement speech https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/11/metro/writers-guild-bu-protest/

Writers Are More Powerful Than the Streaming Industry https://inthesetimes.com/article/writers-are-more-powerful-than-the-streaming-industry

Striking Writers Guild Member Boots Riley Shout Out To Striking OEA Teachers https://youtu.be/zuo68TcHjhY

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

Labor News

Steelworkers win union election at Blue Bird, electric bus maker in Fort Valley, Ga https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/us/politics/clean-energy-unions.html

Green Thumb Industries Facing 10 Federal Complaints from Teamsters

https://www.greenmarketreport.com/green-thumb-industries-facing-10-federal-complaints-from-teamsters/

Teamsters Local 777 members working at five different dispensaries owned by Verilife, a subsidiary of PharmaCann, have overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first collective bargaining agreements. The collective bargaining agreements combined will cover more than 100 workers upon ratification. https://teamster.org/2023/05/chicagoland-verilife-workers-ratify-agreements-with-teamsters-local-777/

We’re Fighting for a Better Future for Working Moms https://aflcio.org/2023/5/12/were-fighting-better-future-working-moms

How Food Delivery Apps Are Trying to Kill a Worker Uprising https://perfectunion.us/doordash-and-grubhub-are-lobbying-to-prevent-a-raise-in-minimum-wage-for-food-delivery-worker-but-los-deliveristas-are-fighting-back/

Labor leaders share their stories at the Worker Institute’s Union Days https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/05/labor-leaders-share-their-stories-worker-institutes-union-days

Labor unions ask UN body to probe Starbucks' use of legal loopholes https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/business/labor-unions-ask-un-body-to-probe-starbucks-use-of-legal-loopholes-100852523/

'People need to speak up;' Arlington teacher union president calls for higher teacher pay https://wjla.com/amp/news/crisis-in-the-classrooms/people-need-to-speak-up-arlington-teacher-union-president-calls-for-higher-teacher-pay-june-prakash-arlington-education-association-falls-church-city-public-schools-loudoun-county

Scabby the Rat gives bite to union protests, but is he at the tail end of his relevancy? https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/scabby-the-rat-gives-bite-to-union-protests-but-is-he-at-the-tail-end-of-his-relevancy-1.6397214

Pilots at United picket for higher pay as pressure builds before summer travel season https://apnews.com/article/airlines-pilots-labor-strikes-f8a868bfd404b787cb39bb792a271940

Venice Pot Delivery Drivers Vote to Unionize Amid Safety Concerns https://patch.com/california/venice/venice-pot-delivery-drivers-vote-unionize-amid-company-changes

IATSE Launches Commission on Artificial Intelligence https://iatse.net/iatse-launches-commission-on-artificial-intelligence/

Oakland’s striking teachers and school district reach agreement on four ‘common good’ demands https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/05/14/oaklands-striking-teachers-and-school-district-reach-agreement-on-four-common-good-demands/amp/

Teamsters salute health care workers during national nurses week, national hospital week https://teamster.org/2023/05/teamsters-salute-health-care-workers-during-national-nurses-week-national-hospital-week/

CWA Union Worker Power Update https://cwa-union.org/news/worker-power-update-73

DermTech, a company that specializes in precision dermatology through its non-invasive skin genomics platform, has recently announced agreements with a Blues plan in South Carolina and the United Mine Workers of America Health and Retirement Funds. These contracts, which will be effective starting April 1, 2023, will provide better access to the foundational assay of the DermTech Melanoma Test to approximately 1.7 million members of the Blues plan in South Carolina and 90,000 beneficiaries of the UMWA Funds. The UMWA Funds is a group of multi-employer plans that offer health and pension benefits to retired coal miners and their eligible dependents. https://beststocks.com/dermtech-announces-agreements-to-provide-mela/

Politics, Government & Legislation

"The Democrats have a powerful campaign issue: price-gouging corporations" by Robert Reich https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/12/economy-inflation-corporations-raise-consumer-prices-democrats

Kentucky State AFL-CIO: Vote.

https://ky.aflcio.org/news/vote-0

The Kentucky Democratic Party released the following statement from Chair Colmon Elridge on the passing of state Rep. Lamin Swann https://ky.aflcio.org/news/kdp-statement-passing-rep-lamin-swann

Al Cross: Tuesday’s GOP primary may re-define Kentucky Republicans

https://ky.aflcio.org/news/al-cross-tuesdays-gop-primary-may-re-define-kentucky-republicans

Parents, providers ask Maine lawmakers to boost worker wages to alleviate child care shortage https://mainebeacon.com/parents-providers-ask-maine-lawmakers-to-boost-worker-wages-to-alleviate-child-care-shortage/

Senate Labor Committee advances bill set to raise Louisiana's minimum wage https://louisianaradionetwork.com/2023/05/11/31040/

Nurses commeroate nurses week in lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nurses-commemorate-nurses-week-with-lobbying-blitz-on-capitol-hill

NLRB News & Decisions 

NLRB Division of Judges Releases 2023 Bench Book https://www.nlrb.gov/news-outreach/news-story/nlrb-division-of-judges-releases-2023-bench-book

'The law is finally catching up’: the union contract fight at Starbucks —

National Labor Relations Board details slew of complaints and rulings against coffee chain waging fierce anti-union campaign https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/12/starbucks-union-busting-nlrb-contract

Starbucks Crossed Line With Subpoenas, NLRB Judge Says https://www.law360.com/employment-authority/articles/1607587/starbucks-crossed-line-with-subpoenas-nlrb-judge-says

Starbucks urged a Georgia federal judge to probe the National Labor Relations Board's bid to make the company rehire a worker whom prosecutors claim it fired for union organizing https://www.law360.com/employment-authority/articles/1607407/starbucks-says-it-offered-to-rehire-ga-worker-in-nlrb-suit

A Minnesota paving company violated federal labor law by interrogating and discriminating against workers for their union activities, the National Labor Relations Board ruled. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/paving-company-illegally-punished-questioned-drivers-nlrb-says

Jobs, Business & Economy 

Recession, millions of jobs lost if US defaults: Treasury https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/world-news/recession-millions-of-jobs-lost-if-us-defaults-treasury/articleshow/100233365.cms

Covid transformed the U.S. labor market, and it isn’t done yet — 

As the Biden administration ends the pandemic emergency, economists expect workers to continue flexing their newfound power even as the economy cools. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/covid-pandemic-emergency-workforce-jobs-recession-rcna83412

NYC has recovered 99% of lost pandemic jobs, gains uneven across economy https://nypost.com/2023/05/12/tom-dinapoli-says-nyc-has-recovered-99-of-lost-pandemic-jobs-some-sectors-struggling/

Workplace Safety 

Is that child labour on your plate? https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/05/12/news/child-labour-your-plate

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 

No events at this time

This Day in Labor History 

1934, Minneapolis Teamsters Vote to Strike All Trucking Companies

It was springtime in Minneapolis during a year when the American labor movement was making itself known in radical fashion throughout the country. The year was 1934, a time when labor unrest was not simply defined by strikes and civil disobedience. Police batons were wielded at workers, live ammunition was fired, National Guard troops were deployed, blood was spilled and lives were lost.

And Teamsters were at the center of it all.

T-Bone Slim: Voice of the Struggle

On this day in Labor History the year was 1979. That was the day that A Philip Randolph, perhaps the most significant African American figure in the US Labor Movement, passed away.