US Labor Unions

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Video game workers form Microsoft’s first US labor union

A group of video game testers has formed Microsoft’s first labor union in the U.S., which will also be the largest in the video game industry.

https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-activision-blizzard-inc-gaming-communications-workers-of-america-62771a0556e445fd4f7945e7c36f2239?

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Biden and Sanders meet union organizers amid labor turmoil

WASHINGTON (AP) — With labor turmoil roiling industries from coast to coast, President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders met with organizers at the White House on Monday to talk about ways to boost union membership.

https://apnews.com/article/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-labor-980ffbee78a867058918b96c3dfdf70e?

UPS to train nonunion employees as talks stall with union for 340,000 workers and deadline nears

A little more than a week after contract talks between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of its workers broke down, UPS said it will begin training nonunion employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike, which the union has vowed to do if no agreement is reached by the end of this month.

https://apnews.com/article/ups-strike-union-training-teamsters-b92dc20b095d1a62958b8c6a11d061bb?

United Airlines agrees to give union pilots big pay raises

United Airlines and the union representing its pilots said Saturday they reached agreement on a contract that will raise pilot pay by up to 40% over four years.

https://apnews.com/article/united-airlines-pilots-pay-raise-d1cf2dcd38d0d267bf8cfd8c652c6750?

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Biden meets privately with auto workers’ union president

The meeting takes place as a strike looms on the horizon.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/19/biden-meets-privately-with-auto-workers-union-president-00107166?

Broadway union reaches tentative deal with management, averting a strike

The union representing 1,500 Broadway workers reached a tentative deal Thursday with theater industry management, averting a strike that would have closed the curtains on theatrical productions in New York, as well as touring shows across the country.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/broadway-union-reaches-tentative-deal-management-averting-strike-rcna95356?

Teamsters president tells UPS union wants tentative agreement in 1 week

O’Brien says he expects a contract proposal that union leadership can endorse

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/teamsters-president-tells-ups-union-wants-tentative-agreement-in-1-week?

UPS to sweeten offer as Teamsters-represented workers prepare to strike

July 19 (Reuters) - United Parcel Service (UPS.N) on Wednesday said it would return to the bargaining table with a better offer for roughly 340,000 Teamsters-represented U.S. workers, in a bid to avert a potentially economically damaging strike on Aug. 1.

https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/us-retailers-push-deal-ups-teamster-talks-deadline-looms-2023-07-19/?

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UPS reaches tentative contract with 340,000 unionized workers, potentially dodging calamitous strike

NEW YORK (AP) — UPS has reached a tentative contract with its 340,000-person union, potentially averting a strike that threatened to disrupt package deliveries for millions of businesses and households nationwide.

https://apnews.com/article/ups-teamsters-strike-labor-logistics-delivery-a94482dbff7bfb67ad82f607ab127672?

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Automakers Face a Labor Showdown as the EV Era Looms

The United Auto Workers union has made a bold opening bid in negotiations for new four-year collective bargaining agreements with General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis. Its new president, Shawn Fain, has declared that the 150,000 hourly workers employed by the companies are prepared to strike to achieve the union’s goals.

https://local.newsbreak.com/detroit-mi/3114024127212-automakers-face-a-labor-showdown-as-the-ev-era-looms?

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🗞️ Scoop: NYT union staffers brief WaPo union

WashPost building at One Franklin Square in D.C. Photo: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images Members of the New York Times' union on Monday evening briefed several dozen staffers from the Washington Post union about best practices they learned from the Times' union's walkout last December, Axios' Sara Fischer reports. Why it matters: The meeting suggests the Post's union, which has grown in recent months following layoffs, is seriously considering a walkout as it continues to negotiate with management over a contract. Negotiations have dragged on for more than a year. Catch up quick: More than 1,100 members of the Times' union, which includes mostly editorial and some business staffers, walked out for one day last year, a move that gained nationwide attention. The union reached a contract deal with management in May, after 2+ years of tense negotiations. During yesterday's meeting, Times union staffers explained to Post union staffers that their focus on three core objectives — wages, health care and retirement — helped the union gain broad-based support needed to make the walkout count.   ps:Looks like the Post is thinking of going on strike or wanting to??

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UPS workers approve 5-year contract, capping contentious negotiations that threatened deliveries

The union representing 340,000 UPS workers said Tuesday that its members voted to approve the tentative contract agreement reached last month, putting a final seal on contentious labor negotiations that threatened to disrupt package deliveries for millions of businesses and households nationwide.

https://apnews.com/article/ups-teamsters-contract-union-voting-b104ca459ddb810f2018c68046d063ed?

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UAW workers overwhelmingly vote to authorize strikes at GM, Ford, Stellantis

DETROIT – United Auto Workers members overwhelmingly granted union leaders authorization to call strikes during ongoing contract negotiations with General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis, if warranted.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/uaw-strike-vote-to-authorize.html?

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Labor leader Shuler touts union support as possible auto strikes loom

Support for unions is growing amid shifting working conditions and labor disputes around the country, according to Liz Shuler, the president of the largest labor group in the country.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/08/30/labor-leader-shuler-touts-union-support-as-possible-auto-strikes-loom/?

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LEVER TIME: Autoworkers Are Ready To Strike

The Lever explores why the potential autoworkers strike could be transformational.

https://www.levernews.com/lever-time-autoworkers-are-ready-to-strike/

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Labor Day: Unions, groups galvanized by attacks, politics, extreme policies forced down on us

All elections have consequences, but some trigger an even more powerful backlash.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/09/04/labor-day-unions-groups-galvanized-by-attacks-politics-extreme-policies-forced-down-on-us/

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🚙 Auto strike looks likely

All signs point to an autoworker strike when the UAW's contract ends Sept. 14, Axios Closer co-author Nathan Bomey tells me.

• The big question is whether the UAW targets one of the Detroit automakers — or all three at once.

Why it matters: There's still time. But UAW President Shawn Fain's fiery rhetoric, and admittedly ambitious demands, have set the stage for what could be a prolonged conflict.

What's happening: A more combative UAW has demanded a 46% pay raise ... a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay ... and a restoration of traditional pensions, AP notes.

President Biden told reporters in Philadelphia yesterday when asked whether he's worried about a possible auto strike:

• "No, I'm not worried about a strike until it happens. I don't think it's going to happen."

👂 What we're hearing: Top industry officials tell Axios they expect a strike.

• Barclays analyst Dan Levy described a strike as "highly likely."

📺 Steve Rattner — the famed financier, and "car czar" to President Obama — told Bloomberg TV: "You have a very, very activist new UAW leader ... who has said very, very inflammatory things." (Video)

• The UAW didn't comment.

Go deeper:

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UAW chief: Union to strike any Detroit automaker that hasn’t reached deal as contracts end next week

DETROIT (AP) — The head of the United Auto Workers warned Wednesday that the union plans to go on strike against any Detroit automaker that hasn’t reached a new agreement by the time contracts expire next week.

https://apnews.com/article/auto-strike-gm-stellantis-ford-fain-uaw-d11dfb266ce962d1e3a4582d404ba27f?

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Column: Autoworkers may wage a historic strike against the Detroit 3

Wages at EV battery plants are a key roadblock to agreement

https://michiganadvance.com/2023/09/04/column-autoworkers-may-wage-a-historic-strike-against-the-detroit-3/?

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Why the United Auto Workers union is poised to strike major US car makers this week About 146,000 U.S. auto workers are set to go on strike this week if General Motors, Ford and Stellantis fail to meet their demands for big pay raises and the restoration of concessions workers made years ago when the companies were in financial trouble. Read more.

Why this matters: Shawn Fain, the combative president of the United Auto Workers union, has threatened to strike any of the three companies that hasn’t reached an agreement by the time its contract with the union expires at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Thursday.   In addition to pay increases and other benefits, the union is demanding it be allowed to represent workers at 10 electric vehicle battery factories. In part, that is because workers who now make components for internal combustion engines will need a place to work as the auto industry increasingly transitions to EVs.   Any strike would likely cause significant disruptions for auto production in the United States.

Related coverage ➤ With strike looming, General Motors makes a wage offer, which auto union leader calls ‘insulting’ UAW’s clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline looms Hollywood strike stings Warner Bros., profit outlook for the year trimmed by as much as $500 million

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School district takes teachers union to court for wave of absences that forced school closures

LAS VEGAS (AP) — School district officials in Las Vegas are asking a judge to put an end to what they claim is a coordinated union campaign of teacher absences during a bitter contract battle, forcing school closures and classroom disruptions in a state where it is illegal for public employees to strike.

https://apnews.com/article/vegas-teacher-absences-schools-closed-union-contract-f25f6fb41d733744f0e8a39f9620350a?

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Detroit automakers and auto workers remain far from a deal as end-of-day strike deadline approaches

DETROIT (AP) — With a deadline looming just before midnight Thursday, the United Auto Workers union and Detroit’s three automakers remain far apart in contract talks and the union is preparing to strike.

https://apnews.com/article/auto-workers-targeted-strikes-general-motors-stellantis-ford-a0b4b8b66e2001230fda0f2114ef78a0

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About 13,000 workers go on strike seeking better wages and benefits from Detroit’s 3 automakers Thousands of U.S. auto workers stopped making vehicles and went on strike Friday after their leaders failed to bridge a gap between union demands and what Detroit’s three automakers are willing to pay. Read more.

Why this matters: Members of the United Auto Workers union picketed at a General Motors plant in Missouri, a Ford factory near Detroit, and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Ohio. It was the first time in the union’s 88-year history that its members walked out on all three companies simultaneously.   The strikes are poised to chart the union’s future and that of America’s homegrown auto industry at a time when U.S. labor is flexing its might and the companies confront the rise of electric vehicles. If the strikes last, dealers could run short of vehicles and prices could rise.   Many say it’s time to get the concessions back because the companies are making huge profits and CEOs are raking in millions.

Related coverage ➤  Autoworkers strike would test Biden’s claim that he’s the most pro-union president in US history From strikes to new union contracts, Labor Day’s organizing roots are especially strong this year

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Big 3 strike

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The United Auto Workers union launched an unprecedented strike against GM, Ford and Stellantis at midnight, after negotiators failed to reach a last-minute deal on a new contract. Why it matters: There's never been a strike against Detroit's Big 3 all at once, writes Axios' Nathan Bomey, who has covered autos for a decade. The companies collectively have about 150,000 UAW-represented employees at dozens of factories in the U.S., making popular vehicles like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and Jeep Wrangler. UAW President Shawn Fain said the union could gradually expand the strike to include additional plants — or all of them — if the automakers don't give in to the union's demands: "If we need to go all out, we will. Everything is on the table." Ford said the company had delivered a "historically generous" offer that included wage hikes, cost-of-living adjustments, more paid time off and higher retirement contributions. GM said: "We are disappointed by the UAW leadership's actions, despite the unprecedented economic package GM put on the table, including historic wage increases and manufacturing commitments." The two sides: The automakers want a deal to help them compete with non-union automakers, including Tesla, which have a cost advantage. The UAW wants a 36% pay increase and a return to traditional pensions. 🖼️ The big picture: If this turns into a strike at all of the automakers' U.S. plants, it would cost more than $5 billion over 10 days, according to the Anderson Economic Group. The bottom line: It's hard to see how this gets resolved quickly.

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🚗 Opening targets

Targeted plants and the vehicles made there:

1. GM's assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri: Chevrolet Colorado pickup and its sibling, the GMC Canyon pickup; and Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans.
2. Ford's assembly and paint plant in Wayne, Michigan: Ford Ranger pickup and Ford Bronco SUV.
3. Stellantis' assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio: Jeep Wrangler SUV and Jeep Gladiator pickup.

🔮 What's next: Automakers have been bracing for a strike for weeks. So they won't run out of vehicles immediately.

• But after a matter of weeks, availability could get thin. And custom models will be instantly harder to get.

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Biden sending aides to Detroit to address autoworkers strike, says ‘record profits’ should be shared

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday dispatched two of his top aides to Detroit to help resolve the strike by unionized autoworkers, expressing sympathy for the union by suggesting that the Big 3 automakers should share their “record profits.”

https://apnews.com/article/biden-strike-automakers-uaw-gm-50d3fbb70714b2faff3b87b596fc0455?

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Biden's strike squeeze

1. "U.A.W. Strike Is a Real-Time Test of Biden's Economic Agenda" (New York Times)

• The strike couldn't have come at a worse time for Biden, who is both betting on an improving economy and his close ties to labor as political assets in his re-election campaign.
• If the strike lingers, Biden will be forced to choose between siding with a hardline United Auto Workers leader to showcase his support for higher working-class wages or siding with consumers, who would be inconvenienced with rising car costs.
• In August, Gallup found rising public support for labor unions, as the number of unionized workers has declined. A near majority (43%) of Americans want unions to "have more influence than they have today" — the highest share recorded in at least a quarter-century.
• But that doesn't mean Americans will side with labor in this particular fight — especially if the economy takes a turn for the worse.

2. "In private meetings, Manchin grapples with his political future" (Washington Post)

Why it matters: Manchin is expected to leave the Democratic Party, regardless of his ultimate political decision, according to the Post's reporting. The story also reports Manchin sought guidance from former President Clinton, who urged him not to play spoiler as a third-party presidential candidate.

• Manchin indicated he would have a better chance to get re-elected in West Virginia as an independent, but that's a risky proposition. If another Democrat qualified for the ballot, it would peel votes away from Manchin, making his path to victory tricky.
• The Post reports that national Democratic party leaders are expected to back his re-election if he runs as an independent. They haven't made a similar commitment to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), another party-switcher who faces a tough re-election in 2024.

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United Auto Workers threaten to expand targeted strike if there is no substantive progress by Friday

The United Auto Workers union is stepping up pressure on Detroit’s Big Three by threatening to expand its strike unless it sees major progress in contract negotiations by Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/strike-auto-workers-ford-gm-stellantis-f948704cce3d6dc9ca484142c5d0d98e?

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California truck drivers ask Gov. Newsom to sign job-saving bill as self-driving big rigs are tested

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California lawmakers, union leaders and truck drivers are trying to steer Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom toward signing into law a proposal that could save jobs as self-driving trucks are tested for their safety on the roads.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Technology/wireStory/california-truck-drivers-newsom-sign-bill-saving-jobs-103326993

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🚙 Walkouts hit 23-year peak

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chart: Axios Visuals Even before last week's UAW strike, labor stoppages resulted in 4.1 million missed days of work last month — the most since August 2000, The Wall Street Journal writes from Labor Department data. Why it matters: Strikes by Hollywood actors and writers fueled that walkout figure. But unionized workers are showing muscle coast to coast, winning big raises and better benefits despite a record-low union membership rate. 🧠 What's happening: The gains come from more favorable attitudes toward organized labor, a pandemic-emboldened workforce + leverage from a tight labor market, Axios Markets' Emily Peck reports. Go deeper: Weekend UAW talks.