BlueCollarWriter Worker News
Labor News Update - 02/7/2023
The Biden administration has made digital trade the centerpiece of its trade negotiations, and the AFL-CIO wants a bigger say in how the U.S. Trade Representative's office sets goals in this area, arguing they are too often dictated by big technology companies. https://www.reuters.com/technology/afl-cio-wants-bigger-say-us-digital-trade-deals-workers-2023-02-07/
Surprise! Economy adds 517K jobs in January Surprising Wall Street’s stock casino, the U.S. economy claimed to add 517,000 jobs in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Even governments reported adding 74,000 workers, including 52,000 in state and local schools. BLS said 35,000 of them were University of California system unionized workers who ratified new contracts, after—though BLS didn’t say so—they were forced to strike. https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/surprise-economy-adds-517k-jobs-in-january/
Harvard researchers and non-tenure faculty to push for union https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/06/metro/harvard-researchers-non-tenure-faculty-push-union/
National Nurses United on Monday filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to unionize nursing staff at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph. https://www.kwch.com/2023/02/06/nurses-ascension-via-christi-st-joseph-move-unionize/
Crooked Media Staff Unionize With Writers Guild East The podcast staffers behind 'Pod Save America' and 'Lovett It or Leave It,' among others, will join Gimlet, Parcast and Pineapple Street Studios in unionizing with the guild. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/crooked-media-staff-union-wga-east-1235318918/
Legislation reintroduced to protect meat processing workers On Feb. 2, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) reintroduced the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act. https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/27975-legislation-reintroduced-to-protect-meat-processing-workers
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Musicians accuse management of attempts to eliminate bargaining rights https://www.wboi.org/news/2023-02-06/fort-wayne-philharmonic-musicians-accuse-management-of-attempts-to-eliminate-bargaining-rights
32,000 Disney World workers reject $1 an hour pay raise, demand $3 an hour to deal with skyrocketing costs near Orlando https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/04/business/disney-world-workers-union.html
"How My Co-Workers Got Me Reinstated at Amazon's San Bernardino Air Hub" https://shar.es/afkftr
The real aim of big tech’s layoffs: bringing workers to heel https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-01-30/column-how-big-tech-is-using-mass-layoffs-to-bring-workers-to-heel?utm_id=85481&sfmc_id=1741913
Illegal union-busting is outrageously common, this week in the war on workers https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/4/2150624/-Illegal-union-busting-is-outrageously-common-this-week-in-the-war-on-workers
Union from The Start (You Don’t Have to Wait) Win a union election, and it’s a long road to a signed contract. Lose a union election, and workers may think the fight is over.
But win, lose, or not even close to an election, workers at all kinds of workplaces can fight for their unions and win demands here and now. It's a strategy called “pre-majority” unionism, and the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) is here to help navigate it. https://labornotes.org/2023/01/union-start-you-dont-have-wait
How 'crunch' time and low pay are fuellng a union drive among video game workers https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2023/02/05/how-039crunch039-time-and-low-pay-are-fuelling-a-union-drive-among-video-game-workers
Non-compete agreement leaves workers homeless and jobless https://labornotes.org/2023/02/non-compete-agreement-leaves-workers-homeless-and-jobless
Note from the Editor:
Folks, we are very close to reaching our goals for the annual BlueCollarWriter Labor Media fundraiser and making BCW be 100% crowdsourced, but we still need just a little more of a push to reach the finish line. Your donations go to operating costs, equipment upgrades, work-related travel and even donations given to strike funds on behalf of you the supporters of BCW Media. Sadly, the enemies of the Working Class have endless supplies of cash to wage their war on us, so we have to do what we can to gather the resources we need to Hold The Line and fight back. If you enjoy what we do at BCW Media then urge you to please donate. Also, a special thank to all who have already donated, joined our Patreon and bought merch. Your Support and Solidarity is greatly appreciated and means the world to me. Solidarity and let's keep Kicking Ass for the Working Class,
Matt Alley - Blue Collar Writer
