BlueCollarWriter Labor News Update

Labor News Update - 09/1/2023

#HotLaborSummer Strike Coverage

Why a looming UAW strike is focused on temp workers, tiered employmentEliminating tiered employment is a top priority for many UAW workers, who gave union leaders the okay to strike against the Big Three automakers after their contract ends Sept. 14.

Ford makes UAW a contract offerFord Motor has made a contract offer to the United Auto Workers (UAW), the company said on Thursday.

Wabtec, UE workers reach tentative agreement(WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) — A tentative agreement has been reached between Wabtec and United Electrical Workers leaders concerning wages and employee benefits. According to a statement from Wa…

Majority Of Americans Support Striking Writers & Actors Over Studios, Gallup Poll FindsA new Gallup Poll released Wednesday finds an overwhelming majority of Americans support writers and actors over studios in the ongoing dual Hollywood strikes. Gallup’s annual Work and Educat…

Hollywood's working class turns to nonprofit funds to make ends meet during the strikeHollywood crew members are turning to nonprofits like the Entertainment Community Fund for assistance as they have also lost work during the writer and actors strikes.

SAG-AFTRA extends health coverage for members affected by WGA strikeAn unprecedented decision.

Labor News

Uber and Lyft Drivers Challenge the Goliath in Minnesota

MTV’s ‘Ridiculousness’ Writers Inch Closer To Unionizing With WGA As Team Behind Unscripted Show Aims For Improved ConditionsThe writers of MTV’s Ridiculousness are coming closer to being unionized. The show’s writing team, which was behind over 230 episodes last year, has been going through the process to…

EKU professor discusses labor movements, worker-management relationshipsJust last week, Ford union workers at the Kentucky truck plant in Louisville gathered for a practice picket.

AFL-CIO’s ‘State of the Unions’ set to be new Labor Day traditionAFL-CIO kicked off what it’s designating as a new Labor Day tradition by holding a “State of the Unions” event in Washington, D.C.

Sanders for Labor Day: Unprecedented Corporate Greed Demands Unprecedented Worker Response“At a time of unprecedented corporate greed, we need an unprecedented worker response,” said Senator Bernie Sanders before an audience of 2,000 union activists at the UNI Global Union World Congress in Philadelphia on August 27. UNI Global is an international union federation with affiliates in 150 countries representing 20 million workers, including janitors, postal workers, call center workers, and retail employees.

At least 10 fake unions identified in California marijuana industryRecords obtained by MJBizDaily show at least 10 labor organizations believed to be fake unions are active in California's marijuana industry.

NLRB News, Summaries & Decisions

Board Returns to Totality of Circumstances Test for Determining Concerted ActivityToday, the National Labor Relations Board issued a decision in Miller Plastic Products, Inc. (decided on August 25th), returning to the long-established test for determining whether an employee who intends to induce group action by fellow employees engages in protected concerted activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (the Act).

NLRB Resurrects ‘Quickie Election’ Rules | JD SupraOn Aug. 25, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) published a Final Rule that will reduce the time between the filing of a union election petition...

NLRB adopts higher bar for workplace changes when union contracts lapseThe U.S. National Labor Relations Board has issued a pair of rulings limiting employers' ability to alter working conditions without first bargaining with their workers' unions, though the agency's lone Republican predicted that an appeals court would toss one of them out.

Jollibee hit with unfair labor charges by labor board – AsAmNewsThe workers say they were let go after demanding better working conditions and higher wages

Politics, Legislation & Government

Celebrating Workers’ Dignity During Labor Rights WeekLabor Rights Week is about educating workers throughout the U.S. on their rights to a safe and healthful workplace and the full payment of wages – no matter where they’re from.

KDP: Cameron Economic Plan Lacks Specifics, But His Record Speaks For ItselfKENTUCKY DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Millions more workers would be entitled to overtime pay under proposed Biden administration ruleThe proposed regulation would require employers to pay overtime to salaried workers who are in executive, administrative and professional roles but make less than $1,059 a week, or $55,068 a year for full-time employees.

Jobs & Economy

Key US jobs data boost Fed's 'soft-landing' hopesKey U.S. jobs data began approaching pre-pandemic levels in July, a sign of the sort of employment market cooling Federal Reserve officials hope can lower inflation without a sharp rise in the unemployment rate.

The Clean Economy Must Be UnionizedThe following post is from Jason Walsh, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance. This Labor Day, we sit at a pivotal moment for our nation. As urgency grows to reduce emissions and clean up our air and water, we need to consider the lack of...

Workplace Safety

Extreme Heat Increases Workplace Injuries, But New York Lacks Safety StandardsAn analysis by THE CITY of workers compensation claims found thousands more workplace injuries, beyond those explicitly attributed to heat, on days 85 degrees or hotter.

Teamsters 'Saddened and Angered' by Deaths of UPS and Kroger Workers Due to Extreme HeatThe deaths come soon after the labor union ratified an agreement with UPS that included heat-related workers protections

Labor History in 2:00

September 1 - The First Overnight Sleeping Car RideOn this day in Labor History the year was 1859. That was the day the first Pullman sleeping car made an overnight trip. The first Pullman sleeper was a renovated day coach. That first trip was made on the Chicago and Alton Railroad between Bloomington, Illinois and Chicago.

September 1 - The BoilermakersOn this day in Labor History the year was 1893. That was the day that the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Iron Ship Makers of America was founded in Chicago. This joined two earlier boilermaker unions into one. They decided to establish their headquarters in Kansas City, Kansas. Two years later, the Boilermakers affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. The union represents members of 250 lodges in the United States and Canada. At the turn of the twentieth century, the Boilermakers had about 8,500 members. But the membership expanded, especially during World War II, as shipbuilding grew for the war. By 1944, there were more than 350,000 Boilermakers. In 1954, they merged with the International Brotherhood of Blacksmiths, Drop Forgers and Helpers, and expanded their name to include these groups of workers. But what exactly is a boilermaker? According to the union’s website the term can have many meanings. It might refer to a Purdue University student or alumni, whose football team started going by the name of the boilermakers in 1891. Or boilermaker might refer to dropping a shot of whiskey into a draft of beer, and drinking it all at once. But for the labor movement a boilermaker is someone that constructs and repairs boilers, and the other workers who are part of the union. These might include “blacksmiths, forgers, ship builders, cement workers, stove workers, metal polishers, or numerous other job descriptions.” The boilermaker’s union logo reflects these workers. It includes images of a ship, a worker working on a boiler, and a blacksmith’s anvil. Below the images are found the words “Unity, Progress and Protection” declaring the mission of the union and its members.

BlueCollarWriter Media Updates

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