Labor News Update - 05/19/2023

Writers Guild of America Strike Updates

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

Striking WGA Late-Night Comedy Writers Launch YouTube Show Lampooning The Studios https://bit.ly/3OqV1Z1

Chicago unions support the WGA strike — 

Hundreds of union members picketed with WGA members in front of NBC Tower in a show of solidarity. https://bit.ly/3MmxnKq

For today's daily double: This Jeopardy! host decided to cross the WGA writers strike picket line and tape new episodes of his trivia game show. Answer: Who Is Ken Jennings? Correct! The former champion will reportedly host the final episodes of both the Jeopardy! Masters tournament and the end of the 39th season. Meanwhile, his co-host Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory) has decided to join the strike in solidarity with the show's writers. https://yhoo.it/3BXW63j

‘Sorry To Bother You’ Director Boots Riley On WGA Strike, Struggle, Solidarity, Sacrifice & AI https://bit.ly/42RdoKY

Neil Gaiman Joins the WGA Picket Line With a Classic T-Shirt https://bit.ly/45iw1Jp

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

Labor News

A legal battle that would open the door for some college athletes to form unions took an expected, yet significant step forward Thursday when the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the NCAA, the Pac-12 and USC for unfair labor practices.https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/37680838/national-labor-relations-complaint-ncaa-pac-12-usc-unfair-labor-practices

Report: Ohio Court Orders Limited UAW Picketing https://bit.ly/45d6npy

The SAG-AFTRA actors union set a June 5 deadline for its 160,000 members to cast ballots in a strike authorization vote. If approved, the measure would allow union leaders to call a work stoppage if they cannot reach a new contract agreement with major Hollywood studios.   https://reut.rs/3WpNDPB

The Sierra Club, one of the US’s oldest and largest environmental advocacy groups, is going through a turbulent restructuring, which a union has issued two formal complaints about and warned could lead to more than 100 job losses. https://bit.ly/42NreOL

The United Steelworkers union has approved a tentative agreement it reached with Alcoa last week https://bit.ly/3ImY4NW

The higher you climb up the corporate ladder at Apple, the whiter it gets. That’s according to data analyzed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union that’s helping retail workers at Apple stores organize. https://tcrn.ch/3MmXr8m

American Airlines Flight Attendant Union Threatens Strike Vote https://bit.ly/3pYXAXZ

WGA East Members Overwhelmingly Ratify First-Ever Contract With Hearst Magazines Media https://bit.ly/3BFARCV

BLET and Norfolk Southern reach first deal on engineer paid sick leave https://bit.ly/43ssUNB

Battery Jobs Must Be Good-Paying Union Jobs, Says New UAW President https://bit.ly/3MFNpAz

Michigan AFL-CIO Workforce Development Institute Holds First Annual Workers Gala https://bit.ly/3MF8oUd

CWAers in New York Participate in the 2023 United Way Day of Caring https://bit.ly/3pWlOSY

Coalition of unions files an antitrust complaint UPMC healthcare system, accusing it of using market power to suppress wages and worsen working conditions https://nyti.ms/3WfqSxL

Grad student instructor union continues strike in fight with U-M administration https://bit.ly/45i3mV8

Local union demands independent investigation into Gaylord Rockies HVAC collapse https://bit.ly/45g33d7

Unions take on UPMC in antitrust complaint https://bit.ly/3Olc0vJ

Starbucks Union Workers Have a New Strategy to Win a First Contract —  After over a year of delays, workers are done waiting on Starbucks to bargain in good faith—so they’re calling the company’s bluff by holding regional in-person bargaining meetings. https://bit.ly/3BCZ3Gj

Politics, Government & Legislation

In Florida, agricultural workers are fearful and brace for changes under new immigration law https://nbcnews.to/41SBdke

Unions in Alachua County are leading the way in challenging a newly signed law targeting certain public sector unions which they call “political.” The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Florida - Gainesville Division. https://bit.ly/4312fai

Disney Pulls Plug on $1 Billion Development in Florida https://nyti.ms/3WlZ36T

Business groups sue to overturn NJ’s 1st-in-the-nation temp workers’ law https://bit.ly/3Irp530

NLRB News & Decisions 

Region 31-Los Angeles Secures Settlement Agreement Requiring Star Garden to Reinstate and Bargain with Unlawfully Fired Dancers https://bit.ly/45dOkiS

NLRB APPROVES UNION VOTE FOR LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH RESIDENTS https://bit.ly/3MD5NtZ

Jobs, Business & Economy 

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm publicly vouched again for completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which runs across West Virginia counties to deliver natural gas to eastern markets. https://bit.ly/3Mjz9ft 

Plan to cut methane emissions could yield 35,000 new union jobs in Texas, study finds https://bit.ly/3Wgu4cq

Kentucky may have set a new state record for low unemployment last month, according to a new report from the state’s Education and Labor Cabinet.  https://bit.ly/3OpUQ0e

New program helps to improve teacher retention in Kentucky https://bit.ly/45r2kWS

Workplace Safety

The Young Miners Dying of “An Old Man’s Disease” — Black lung is completely preventable. And it’s on the rise again. https://bit.ly/3OkAKV7 

This Day in Labor History 

Matewan

On this day Labor History the year was 1920.  That year a national coal strike had won unionized miners a twenty-seven percent pay raise. But the miners in West Virginia were not in the union