Posts tagged contract negotiations
Commentary: Expect More UAW Strikes, and Be Prepared
November 21, 2023 // Many sectors could see the impact of labor momentum. Every union should be studying the UAW negotiations and strikes. The circumstances will be different at each company and negotiation, but a more aggressive and strategic approach is likely to be valuable in many contexts. Unions should also look at the UAW ratification process, internal communications, supplier headaches and unionization drives for lessons to emulate and avoid. On the management side, companies – particularly if they are unionized – should expect unions to follow the new playbook. Employers will need to study the lessons as well and prepare for a more confrontational labor environment. Companies other than the D3 should firmly resist the pressure to align their contract expiration and avoid what is likely to be a confrontational spring in 2028. This is only a small example of how companies would benefit from the 360° perspective that game theory and scenario wargaming give in complex and uncertain times.
American and Southwest Airlines facing holiday strikes
November 19, 2023 // If a release is granted, the union would theoretically be in a position to strike during the key holiday season. The NMB also could take its time in making a decision and grant the release, but doing so a few days into December to push any possible strike until after the Christmas and New Year's travel seasons.
Hundreds of workers at AC Electric go on strike amid contract negotiations
November 6, 2023 // We have contingency plans and highly qualified staff in place to ensure our customers' electric service is not affected. We will continue to respond to address any customer needs and electric emergencies, should they occur. Atlantic City Electric is committed to delivering safe and reliable energy service for our customers and the communities we serve."
California school district offering substitute teachers $500 per day to cross teachers’ picket line
October 26, 2023 // Teachers in Fresno, California, have authorized a strike, and to fill the temporary vacancies, the school district is sending out a state-wide call for substitute teachers with a lucrative offer — $500 per day to cross the picket line. That's more than the average daily pay for a full-time teacher in Fresno Unified School District and more than double the normal daily rate for substitute teachers. If someone accepts a job in the classroom while the teachers are on strike, it will be regarded as crossing the picket line, according to Fresno Teachers Association President Manuel Bonilla. Guest teachers are not a part of the association, and if they teach during the strike they won't be blacklisted, but Bonilla said it will undoubtedly damage personal relationships with teachers fighting for a fair contract.
Is a Contract Close? Teachers Say They’re Getting ‘Strike-Ready.’ FUSD Plans Update on Talks.
October 13, 2023 // Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson and other district leaders have scheduled a news conference for Friday morning to provide an update about contract negotiations with the Fresno Teachers Association. The news conference will be at 11:30 a.m. in the downtown Education Center. Nelson will be joined by School Board members and “additional leaders,” the district said in a news release Thursday afternoon. Fresno Teachers Association leaders declined to comment to GV Wire.
Meijer workers make demands known ahead of contract negotiations
October 6, 2023 // Meijer and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) are getting ready to start contract negotiations for some 28,000 workers, reports CBS News Channel 3. The UFCW has said it wants contract talks to include wage increases, an increase in paid time off, and improvements to a medical plan that protects workers from intense medical debt due to serious illness or injury.
75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers are on strike
October 4, 2023 // The multi-state strike comes during a time of elevated labor activity in the United States. Several large-scale strikes have paralyzed companies and entire industries in recent months. The United Auto Workers are on strike against Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — the first time the union has struck all three simultaneously. The entertainment industry also contended with dual strikes this summer after Hollywood’s writers’ and actors’ unions went on strike at the same time for the first time since 1960. The leadership of the Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios last month, but the actors’ guild strike is ongoing. The health care industry has been particularly affected by rising strike activity. From the start of 2022 through August of this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has tracked 42 work stoppages of 1,000 or more strikers. Its count shows a third of those strikes were in health care. That’s up from 24% of major strikes in 2019, the year before the pandemic. The increased number of health care strikes have happened despite health care workers making up only about 9% of private sector union members nationwide.
UAW’s Fain says new strike strategy has produced no ‘meaningful progress’
October 4, 2023 // Why not a full strike? That is what unions traditionally do, after all. The reality is that UAW fears it doesn’t have a deep enough strike fund for a prolonged confrontation. The union is instead making a virtue of necessity by striking in a limited manner and presenting that as a “new strategy.” The UAW strikes have thus far been targeting plants that make parts for dealership. Most car dealerships are independent business that make most of their revenue from servicing existing cars rather than selling new ones. A shortage of parts, UAW hopes, will cause dealerships to pressure the manufacturers to make concessions. The mood was mixed among the UAW members watching the livestream. “It’s not working,” commented Jesse Gonzales. “If it were, we would not have to continue striking more plants.”
Is Gen Z the reason behind growing support for unions?
September 21, 2023 // Austin Johnson, 21, works at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne. He has a long family history with Ford. His mom works at the plant and his grandfather and great-grandfather worked for Ford. Johnson, who was worked for Ford for two years, walked out last week after contract negotiations failed and his union local was called to strike. "I am a tier two employee. I want to get rid of tiers and completely cancel that, and that's why I am here and striking for," he said.
Nebraska unions gain more workers since contract renegotiations
September 20, 2023 //