(Photo by John Novak)
What a week it’s been! Filled with both good and bad news from across the country. But organizers know that the good must be celebrated and the bad must be taken in stride. Progress on such a large scale is not linear, and we should not lose sight of the goal of a dignified and secure life for all through the power of collective action and solidarity.
Recently Recognized Unions
NIFA
Workers at the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in Washington, D.C. voted overwhelmingly to unionize (137-2) with the American Federation of Government Employees. The new bargaining unit was formed in response to the US Secretary of Agriculture’s recent decision to relocate key NIFA research institutions to Kansas City. Many suspect that Secretary Sonny Perdue’s relocation plan is politically motivated: increasing the distance between the Capital and NIFA’s key research institutions quite literally takes science out of American policymakers’ reach. Some members of the new union staged a protest at an “all hands meeting” of NIFA and ERS employees last Thursday.
Unfortunately, the relocation decision has not yet been reversed. We stand in solidarity with NIFA employees and celebrate their efforts to make their voices heard through collective action.
Brooklyn Academy of Music
The workers at the Brooklyn Academy of Music have joined the growing ranks of museum employees organizing for better benefits and a living wage. Their next steps will be electing a bargaining committee and initiating negotiations.
Follow their progress by following their twitter, @BAM_union.
Gimlet Media
Although this news is a bit old at this point, we wanted to congratulate workers at podcast company Gimlet Media for successfully unionizing with the Writers Guild of America. After announcing their intentions to unionize in January and battling management’s scare tactics, 75% of the staff voted “yes.” This could not have come at a better time, as Gimlet is currently in the process of being acquired by Spotify, a company with a reputation for awarding miniscule royalties to its musicians and podcast partners. We hope others working with Spotify will find inspiration in Gimlet’s victory.
Follow their twitter for updates: @GimletUnion
Preble Street
Citing low wages, burnout, and a high turnover rate, this nonprofit homeless shelter and low-income resource center out of Portland, ME voted to unionize with the Service Workers International Union Local 1989. It is clear that these workers care deeply about what they do, and now they will be able to secure the resources needed to continue doing it.
Sunset Station and Fiesta Rancho Casinos
85%!!! Go Fiesta Rancho workers go!
Workers at SIX @StationCasinos #Vegas properties are now unionized & fighting for a contract: Fiesta Rancho at @Fiesta_Casinos, @SunsetStation, @Palms, @GVRcasino, @PalaceStation & @BoulderStation! https://t.co/K30RkiVY7t $RRR #ContractNOW pic.twitter.com/l8QqPvOnes
— The Culinary Union (@Culinary226) June 15, 2019
Two Station Casinos properties voted to unionize with The Culinary Union in order to secure better benefits and a fair wage. Sunset Station and Fiesta Rancho are the fifth and sixth properties under the company, respectively, to unionize.
Updates From Those Still Fighting
Volkswagen in Chattanooga, TN
After a three-day vote, the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee voted down unionization for a second time by a margin of 57 votes. Labor experts in the area have accused state and local lawmakers of using scare tactics to influence Volkswagen employees in the weeks and months leading up to the vote. We hope that union organizers in the region continue to fight the good fight.
Buzzfeed News
Hi @BuzzFeedBen & @peretti — know you weren't at the Mirror Awards, but here's a portion of my speech at the event. Hope you can help @bfnewsunion get recognized. We're so close — there are only two issues left to resolve in our voluntary recognition agreement. pic.twitter.com/3QOMzxMrUD
— Davey Alba (@daveyalba) June 13, 2019
I'm joining my incredible BuzzFeed News colleagues walking out today to demand BuzzFeed comes back to the table to give us a fair voluntary recognition agreement
#1u pic.twitter.com/Zuyf83mX99
— Eric Morrow (@morroweric) June 17, 2019
On June 17th, Buzzfeed employees staged a walkout protesting the company’s reluctance to negotiate a voluntary recognition agreement. Four months have passed since Buzzfeed writers voted in favor of the union. Reporter Davey Alba has declared that voluntary recognition on the part of Buzzfeed, Inc. is in reach, but negotiations have yet to be finished.
Beaumont Hospital
Nurses in Royal Oak, Michigan announced their intent to unionize in April and have now accused management of interference by means of mandatory union-busting meetings. The hospital administration disputes organizers’ claim that the meetings are meant to prevent unionization. Union organizers have since contacted the Oakland County Board of Commissioners to ensure their right to organize is protected.
CGH Hospital
The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees have begun giving presentations at the CGH Hospital in Sterling, Illinois about the potential formation of a union. Organizers with the AFSCME believe that high presentation attendance rates suggest that workers are beginning to consider unionization a legitimate option. Like Beaumont Hospital nurses, workers hope to increase staff numbers to ensure that patients are given the highest quality care and to prevent current staff from being overworked.
SecurAmerica
Security workers in Detroit, Michigan walked out on Thursday of last week, gaining high-profile supporters and improving publicity for the union drive. SEIU Local 1 has been encouraging the workers at SecurAmerica to organize for a living wage in the past months. We hope to see increased solidarity among the workers in their fight for better working conditions as organizing progresses.
McDonald’s
This week, Senator and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris joined McDonald’s workers striking for a living wage and right to organize. It is encouraging to see support from figureheads and politicians in these struggles for workplace security.
Delta
Delta Airlines employees have been struggling to unionize. Company management has allegedly resorted to dismissing employees who wish to advocate for their own economic security. Delta has also published anti-union videos and maintain the website “Don’t Risk It, Don’t Sign It,” which is meant to dissuade workers from unionizing. It is shameful to see such tactics employed against workers fighting for their needs and their rights in the workplace.
Hornblower
New York City ferry system Captains employed by Hornblower have begun the process of unionizing with the Maritime Engineers’ Beneficial Association. With no voluntary recognition from Hornblower in sight, organizers have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to unionize.
University of Chicago Graduate Students
Although no actual progress has been made in the past week, we would be remiss if we didn’t address the op-ed published by Bloomberg last week. Establishment economist Tyler Cowen writes that we should “Keep Unions out of Grad School,” making a paternalistic declaration that students should be unquestioningly grateful for their university-sponsored stipends. Cowen unsympathetically ignores the conditions that many graduate students face, simultaneously teaching undergraduate courses, carrying a heavy course load, and conducting research. He also fails to address the fact that graduate students’ stipends vary widely and do not always cover cost of living. Cowen presupposes that the all-powerful market must be allowed unbridled control over the conditions of our lives. Any form of social security, distribution theory, or universal entitlement to education, regardless of income or background, is off the table. Nothing but the best from George Mason, right?
Harvard University Graduate Students Union
We end this post by declaring our support for the Harvard Graduate Students Union, which is currently negotiating its first contract to ensure living wages and affordable healthcare for student workers. Students have also demonstrated in Harvard Yard and organized a sit-in to put pressure on the university’s administration.
Workers,
Teachers,
Strikers,
Sweepers:
Better protected
Whenever collected.
“Total Football” by Parquet Courts
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