Posts tagged contract negotiations
Cargill salt workers go on strike in Newark
August 12, 2026 // Workers at Cargill’s salt facility in Newark went on strike early Tuesday morning, halting operations as contract negotiations over wages and healthcare benefits remain stalled. The Newark facility employs approximately 120 union members who manage the entire operational lifecycle, from the salt evaporation process to final truck loading and distribution.
More homeless shelter layoffs
August 11, 2026 // On Aug. 15 and 31, 11 workers will have their last day. Do Good Multnomah case manager Davis Nafshun, a member of the union bargaining team, says it’s the fourth round of layoffs in the last year. During that time, the non-profit’s workforce has shrunk from about 250 to about 195, even as the number of homeless in Portland has risen. Workers at Do Good Multnomah make at least $26.30 an hour, but have received no raises since they unionized in September 2024 and began bargaining March 2025. They’re proposing raises of 5% to 10% and a pay scale that rewards years of service. On the other side of the bargaining table, Davis says management’s wage proposal would cut pay $1,500 a year for more than 90% of staff.
Bipartisan Bill to Accelerate Labor Contracts Roils Employers
August 6, 2026 // “The notion that I’m going to bargain a fresh contract and think of all the terms and conditions of employment that get woven into a contract, a contract that on the light side might be 10 or 15 pages single space and on the long side 50 pages, that’s just ridiculous,” he said. “People that have never bargained wrote this law.” The bill could also exacerbate timelines instead of accelerating them, as arbitrators and mediators become increasingly overwhelmed with an influx of contract disputes. That could be especially aggravated by ongoing staffing challenges at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said Steven M. Bernstein, regional managing partner and Labor Relations Group co-chair at Fisher & Phillips LLC.
Sugar strike that prompted ports shutdown ends, longshore union returns to negotiations
August 4, 2026 // Tensions escalated on July 22, when a protest outside the refinery turned confrontational and nine protesters were arrested. By late July, federal mediators had entered the picture, and both sides met for marathon bargaining sessions. On July 27, C&H and ILWU Local 6 issued a joint statement announcing a return to work and a 6-day extension of negotiations. C&H agreed to withdraw its impasse declaration, which had cleared the way for more aggressive use of replacement labor.
Columbia student workers’ union drops Israel divestment demand amid contract negotiations
July 30, 2026 // Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers made pro-Palestinian activism a central tenet of its presence on campus since the start of the war in Gaza.
Cleveland Public Library workers set strike date amid ongoing contract talks
July 30, 2026 // Eight months into contract negotiations, union Cleveland Public Library workers have set a strike date of Aug. 24 — but the union says the door remains open for a deal to be reached before then. Service Employees International Union District 1199 said union members officially delivered a strike notice to library management on Monday. Workers voted to authorize a strike earlier this month after more than 30 bargaining sessions over an eight-month span. The union has met an additional four times since the strike authorization vote.
No good news on MLB labor front: ‘Hope has all but evaporated’
July 18, 2026 // Some sort of labor stoppage appears all but certain as negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association have been anything but productive, according to numerous reports. ESPN insider Jeff Passan was the latest bearer of bad news Friday when he reported the sides were “far apart” in their positions despite initial hope in finding common ground.
Detroit automakers, union to negotiate amid EV pressures and tariff tensions
July 15, 2026 // As the automobile industry transitions to electric vehicles, various workforce challenges are set to arise. Apart from the obvious labor disruptions, the skills required to manufacture electric vehicles differ significantly from those needed for internal combustion engines. Additional training will be necessary for the workforce as automakers invest in new manufacturing technologies. The implications of these workforce-related disruptions will be deeply felt in labor negotiations between automakers and unions.
Op-ed– MY TURN: Washington’s one-size labor law doesn’t fit Alaska
July 9, 2026 // Forced arbitration doesn’t resolve disputes. It delays them and adds uncertainty to project timelines that are already difficult to manage. For the major energy and infrastructure projects Alaska is now positioned to advance, that uncertainty isn’t just an inconvenience. It could be catastrophic. America needs bold steps toward a more robust energy future, and shortsighted federal mandates stand in the way of that.